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Not gaining weight but eating loads

thenamesJT

thenamesJT

Mama Doe
Hi All,

My 5 month old male frenchie is causing me some concern.

When he was 3 weeks old, the breeder informed me that he had bloat but he pulled through. I brought him and his sister home when they were 8 weeks and his size and weight have been a concern since.

Gloria his sister is growing well and is 2.2 kg whilst Mitchell is only 1.75 kg.

He eats well, he's actually the best eater out of them all! Loves his hay and gets fed more pellets than the other two to help with his weight and growth.

Vets are also concerned about his weight but cannot comment as to why he isn't putting on weight.

Anyone else had this experience before?

Many thanks
 
I have no experience of bloat but, to me, it sounds strange that a 3 week old kit suffered from it. Have your vets offered blood tests or anything to determine what is wrong?
 
Thank you for the advice, I've to monitor him for another 2 weeks and then take him back in to be weighed.

He is the most alert, friendly and the one wit the biggest appetite out of all 4 rabbits that I have. The other 3 have no signs of weight loss and in fact are thriving!

I can see little Mitchells spine and his coat isn't glossy or thickening like his sisters at all.

Can anyone provide me with tips on how to help a rabbit gain weight?
 
thenamesJT said:
Thank you for the advice, I've to monitor him for another 2 weeks and then take him back in to be weighed.

He is the most alert, friendly and the one wit the biggest appetite out of all 4 rabbits that I have. The other 3 have no signs of weight loss and in fact are thriving!

I can see little Mitchells spine and his coat isn't glossy or thickening like his sisters at all.

Can anyone provide me with tips on how to help a rabbit gain weight?
Click to expand...

If this were my rabbit, the two things I would consider exploring would be E.Cuniculi and Coccidiosis. You could discuss with your vet perhaps?

It's most important to determine why a young rabbit isn't putting on weight. Is he getting his fair share of the food? Are there any teeth issues that are preventing him from eating as well as the others?
 
MightyMax said:
If this were my rabbit, the two things I would consider exploring would be E.Cuniculi and Coccidiosis. You could discuss with your vet perhaps?

It's most important to determine why a young rabbit isn't putting on weight. Is he getting his fair share of the food? Are there any teeth issues that are preventing him from eating as well as the others?
Click to expand...

His teeth are perfect and I feed him separately to observe how much he eats. I even put him out on the grass as much as I can to help him.

My local vet has a vet that comes in every Monday who specialises in rabbits so booking in with her on the 17th August.
 
Babsie said:
Is there any way you can get her to a rabbit specialist before 17 August?
Click to expand...

It's the only time I can get an appointment with her and take time off work to take him. I sat with him for over an hour last night and he's always on the go! The other 2 chill out more but he's always running about and being curious. Even at night when I take the puppy out, he's the only one who runs out of the shed to come see me.
 
thenamesJT said:
It's the only time I can get an appointment with her and take time off work to take him. I sat with him for over an hour last night and he's always on the go! The other 2 chill out more but he's always running about and being curious. Even at night when I take the puppy out, he's the only one who runs out of the shed to come see me.
Click to expand...


I understand your problem but I wouldn't be happy or confident to leave him that long before any action is taken. He's only a baby so he won't have any reserves. Perhaps your own vet could carry out tests?
 
I agree with Jack's-Jane and MightyMax. Rough coat, weight loss, and wasting of the back are all symptoms of coccidiosis, particularly hepatic, and considering the previous bloating history, I would be extremely concerned about this. It is a very serious illness as it damages the liver, and it can prove to be fatal.

"Young rabbits are most susceptible. Affected rabbits may be anorectic and have a rough coat. Hepatic coccidiosis is most often subclinical, but growing rabbits may fail to make normal gains."
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/exotic_and_laboratory_animals/rabbits/parasitic_diseases_of_rabbits.html

Diagnosis and treatment needs to be started immediately due to the seriousness of the disease. If it is in fact hepatic cocci, delaying treatment can mean continued damage to the liver. You will want to ensure the vet checks for hepatic cocci and not just intestinal coccidiosis. This may require a blood test and possibly xrays.

As mentioned, e. cuniculi is also a possibility as it can present with similar symptoms.
 
thenamesJT said:
It's the only time I can get an appointment with her and take time off work to take him. I sat with him for over an hour last night and he's always on the go! The other 2 chill out more but he's always running about and being curious. Even at night when I take the puppy out, he's the only one who runs out of the shed to come see me.
Click to expand...

He's working off all his extra poundage as well by the sounds of it ... I hope you manage to get a good way forward on 17th. I know how unproductive it is to take a rabbit to see a vet who isn't savvy ....
 
Update on Mitchell, he has put on loads of weight due to additional feeds as well as restricting his exercise area. He is a very active bun who just doesn't know when to stop! They only get access to the large run area during the day now. Coat has improved, droppings nice and golden and he's catching up to his sister size wise!
 
thenamesJT said:
Update on Mitchell, he has put on loads of weight due to additional feeds as well as restricting his exercise area. He is a very active bun who just doesn't know when to stop! They only get access to the large run area during the day now. Coat has improved, droppings nice and golden and he's catching up to his sister size wise!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the update. I was wondering how he was doing! Great x
 
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