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Fiver has something going on.

Vegan_Bunny

Warren Veteran
Fiver has twice gone off his food over the past few days but has started eating without veterinary intervention. He has stopped eating about 4 times over the last 2 months and so I have a feeling something is going on. Hopefully he will see the vet tomorrow morning and we will see where to go from there. He has no other symptoms and I'm just hoping it's not dental since he is 7 now and it gets more worrying every time he goes under a GA.

I don't really have anyone to ask for advice regarding what to do, neither do I have much experience with "older" buns; I suppose the only option now is to knock him out for a full dental examination and possibly take bloods, however I have no idea what I'll do next if the bloods come back clear and the dental doesn't sort things out.

The only change of late has been to his hay but he has been eating the hay fine and his poos have been fine so I find it hard to believe that a simple change in hay would cause this many problems.
 
I'm sorry Fiver is having difficulties again. :( Poor bub. I know how it worries you when he's ill.
Sending all sorts of good vibes for his visit tomorrow. I hope it's something easy to solve and he's back to himself soon. xxxx
 
Thank you.

In the past when he stopped eating he would always perk up after a vet trip and meds. A few weeks ago he went into stasis and I was up all night with him (he was taken to the OOH vet) his tum was quite bloated and I seriously thought he wasn't going to make it but after about 12 hours of not eating/pooing, he started eating again and acted as if nothing had happened. A few days ago I noticed him not eating and so I put him on the grass and offered him dandelions which he nibbled and after about 15 mins he started eating and binkying about (without any meds administered). Last night I gave him the metacam, zantac and infacol and he started eating within half an hour.

He also did it a few months back where I took him to the vet and he was given a ton of meds but I only needed to administer one dose of each as he started eating again shortly after the vet trip and he was getting highly stressed about being given the meds.

Normally he is a very stoic bun and never has problems like this. His teeth have been checked in the past month or so and there were no obvious problems, although I am aware that a conscious exam is not 100% accurate.
 
Is it Fiver that has arthritis and if so is he on daily Metacam ?

If he is then I would suggest getting a blood profile done to check his renal function. It might be a good idea to ask the Vet about giving him Zantac alongside the Metacam too.
 
Is it Fiver that has arthritis and if so is he on daily Metacam ?

If he is then I would suggest getting a blood profile done to check his renal function. It might be a good idea to ask the Vet about giving him Zantac alongside the Metacam too.

Yes, he has spondylitis and has 0.3mls twice a day of dog metacam. He also gets acupuncture. Can zantac be given long term? Would I not see other symptoms if he had kidney issues?
 
Yes, he has spondylitis and has 0.3mls twice a day of dog metacam. He also gets acupuncture. Can zantac be given long term? Would I not see other symptoms if he had kidney issues?

Not necessarily if it were in the very early stages. I am not suggesting it to be a very likely issue, just something to consider. If he is a Dental Rabbit then I would put that at the top of the list of prime suspects.

Zantac can be given longterm if deemed to be necessary.
 
could his arthritis be flaring up every so often? he may need higher metacam at these times to bring any swelling back down. bisc has possible spondylosis and at the moment has to be on 1.5ml 2x a day for a week, reduced to 1ml 2x day for a week, then back to his usual 0.5ml 2x day. we have been told that this higher - reduced treatment will need to be repeated during times he is more stiff and sore. so might be something to ask about?

the other thing that i thought was possibly gas sometimes, which he manages to clear himself, and then other times is unable to, which then leads to him needed more help meds wise. bisc also has this.

bisc has had in depth tests done twice because something was/is going on, but nothing ever shows. good in a way because nothing serious shows, but bad because we then don't know what is going on. although interesting that they both have the tummy episodes and the spondylosis/arthritis issues. hope you manage to work out what is going on. x

eta: bisc is also on long term metacam (since 2009) and the above is based on his weight now of 2.23kg
 
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Got back from the vets and the vet doesn't want to do bloods. She thinks it's a combination of things setting him off, his age being the main thing. I've got to give him zantac and emeprid twice a day until at least Monday and then just give him it once a day from then on. He also has some cisapride to give until Monday. He weight 1.9 so he has lost a tiny bit of weight but he has always fluctuated between 1.9 and 2.1kg so this isn't abnormal. He seems fine today and was very angry at being taken to the vets and given meds when he got home so I doubt he will be speaking to me for a while, especially since he hates any other meds apart from metacam so it is a bit of a battle to give him the meds. His teeth are long but no spurs and he isn't drooling so she doesn't think it's his teeth but we will need to keep an eye on them, which we do anyway.
I'm going to weigh him weekly and if he loses any weight or goes off his food again then I will request bloods to be done.

Does this sound like the right course of action?
 
Got back from the vets and the vet doesn't want to do bloods. She thinks it's a combination of things setting him off, his age being the main thing. I've got to give him zantac and emeprid twice a day until at least Monday and then just give him it once a day from then on. He also has some cisapride to give until Monday. He weight 1.9 so he has lost a tiny bit of weight but he has always fluctuated between 1.9 and 2.1kg so this isn't abnormal. He seems fine today and was very angry at being taken to the vets and given meds when he got home so I doubt he will be speaking to me for a while, especially since he hates any other meds apart from metacam so it is a bit of a battle to give him the meds. His teeth are long but no spurs and he isn't drooling so she doesn't think it's his teeth but we will need to keep an eye on them, which we do anyway.
I'm going to weigh him weekly and if he loses any weight or goes off his food again then I will request bloods to be done.

Does this sound like the right course of action?

Why would a bunny get more stasis because he is old?

Zantac can be given all the time and I note he's on Metacam. I don't know how long he's been on that, but because he is, I would be asking for a blood profile (quite apart from it providing a possible clue to the stasis episodes). Metacam is hard on the kidneys, so it would be worth knowing the state of those.

Keeping an eye on the teeth is easier said than done. You can gain a measure of insight looking at the teeth with an otoscope, but not a full picture. A sedation (not even a GA) would mean the vet could get a good look to see if they really are an issue.
 
Why would a bunny get more stasis because he is old?

Zantac can be given all the time and I note he's on Metacam. I don't know how long he's been on that, but because he is, I would be asking for a blood profile (quite apart from it providing a possible clue to the stasis episodes). Metacam is hard on the kidneys, so it would be worth knowing the state of those.

Keeping an eye on the teeth is easier said than done. You can gain a measure of insight looking at the teeth with an otoscope, but not a full picture. A sedation (not even a GA) would mean the vet could get a good look to see if they really are an issue.



I know this. I have already said that. I am not putting him under a GA just to check his teeth. Fiver is more than just a bunny, I know him more than I know any other animal/person in my life and I know when he needs a dental and these problems of late don't seem to be related to teeth. I've lost a rabbit under a GA and I am not putting a rabbit under a GA that doesn't absolutely need to have it.

I don't particularly know what to do. I have a feeling it's the moulting that has caused the problem. Fiver is having a seriously bad moult atm, before that Shadowfax was moulting badly and he mounts her quite frequently and pulls clumps of fur from her when he does. I've found a lot of strings of pearls in the room too.

Could the change in hay be the problem?
 
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I know this. I have already said that. I am not putting him under a GA just to check his teeth. Fiver is more than just a bunny, I know him more than I know any other animal/person in my life and I know when he needs a dental and these problems of late don't seem to be related to teeth. I've lost a rabbit under a GA and I am not putting a rabbit under a GA that doesn't absolutely need to have it.

I don't particularly know what to do. I have a feeling it's the moulting that has caused the problem. Fiver is having a seriously bad moult atm, before that Shadowfax was moulting badly and he mounts her quite frequently and pulls clumps of fur from her when he does. I've found a lot of strings of pearls in the room too.

Could the change in hay be the problem?

Vegan_Bunny I am aware of this, which is why I specifically said NOT GA but sedation. An eminent vet said that the best she could hope for in a conscious rabbit was to assess 60% of the teeth in a bun's mouth. It's just so difficult to know the extent of the problem, if indeed there is one.
 
Vegan_Bunny I am aware of this, which is why I specifically said NOT GA but sedation. An eminent vet said that the best she could hope for in a conscious rabbit was to assess 60% of the teeth in a bun's mouth. It's just so difficult to know the extent of the problem, if indeed there is one.

I still won't risk a sedation. :( I just really don't know where to go from here. I'm scared to "wait and see" in case I leave something too late to treat but at the same time I don't want to stress him out by taking bloods and taking back and forth to the vets for various examinations, plus I wouldn't be able to afford everything at once so it would have to be done over a period of several weeks.
 
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