Rabbits getting ill with unknown cause?

Hi All,

I wondered if anyone else has had this. Last year we lost our rabbit cheddar who just suddenly stopped eating and looked in pain so we took him to the vet straight away but couldn't find any cause. Good teeth, no blockage, healthy eyes etc. Anyone way later that day I was syringe feeding him and soon after he just keeled over (it wasn't pleasant as he screamed also) and died. A couple of months later his partner went off her food and again no cause found. We decided that we would not go through what we went through last time and the vet agreed for her to stay in overnight for regular pain relief and syringe feeding and she recovered really well and is now paired with her new partner.

A couple of weeks ago we noticed our other pair of rabbits (pickle and biscuit) were not as enthusiastic about their nuggets and eating only small amounts and ignoring us when we brought them out (they have tablespoon in morning and at night and usually go mental for them). We took them to the vet and they said they both looked really healthy and perhaps they may have been spooked. We were give cisapride and they recovered but still not 100%. Anyway the other day Pickle was doing really well binkying in the garden eating etc and later that eve he sat on his shelf and didn't come down for his nuggets at all. We rang the vet and took him out of hours (about 12:30 am , typical!) and again they said he looked really healthy but he did have a small red patch on his tongue which they thought could possibly have been the cause. He stayed in overnight and was given IV fluids, metacam, cispride and Zantac and he started eating and pooping so we picked him up the next day (+ £170 vets bill but they're worth it . So now we have bought him loads of fresh herbs mint, coriander, parsley etc and he is wolfing them down and has started binkying and eating his nuggets today. Still on meds though. Pickle is a rescue bun who we have had for almost 3 years, he is thought to be around 4-5 years old and this is his first trip to the vets for treatment (aside from vacs)

So to cut a long story short has anyone else experienced this? it's quite frustrating never knowing the cause.
Thanks

The red patch looked like a small cut or ulcer and they said possibly he could have splintered his tongue on some wood or hay but did not think it was from his teeth. Checked the garden and no sharp objects anywhere but they do chew the wooden posts and have done for ages but we don't mind them doing this as they are chewing something and they are part of their garden which is surrounded by wood.

I was going to suggest checking the garden until you mentioned it. Have the wooden posts been creosoted?

We don't think so, when we bought the house it was a new build and they looked very pale but i'm not sure if how you can tell? There are no black stains or marks on them. They are rotting and we are getting them replaced later this year with oak sleepers, so hopefully they won't chew these.

Usually damage to the mouth is caused by spurs on their teeth. You can't see all of the teeth on a conscious rabbit so I would be suspecting dental issues.

Are your vets rabbit savvy?

They did say they may put him under GA but didn't in the end. The told me to book an appt today to see the rabbit savvy vet (who was very good last time) but unfortunately she is dealing with lots of emergencies. They have said she will call this afternoon. So will probably take him in next week for check up. Difficult would you take the risk of GA to check even if they are better?

although he is better he's still not overly enthusiastic about his nuggets but then he will happily eat Carrotys (the rosewood veg/cornsnacks) which are very similar in texture (crunchy)?

I have a bun who for some reason stops eating every 3-4 weeks. We give him some metacam and zantac (small doses as directed by the vet) and he usually picks up within a couple of hours.

The other week he did not pick up within this time so off to the vets. There was a slight spur but "unlikely" to stop the eating but not impossible. As a precaution and because it was right before Christmas we decided to have him admitted to get him checked out and have the spur removed as a caution. The vet checked all his abdomen and it felt fine. He has been fine the last 4 weeks. We have never actually got to the bottom of why he has these instances every few weeks and usually we catch them quickly (he had lots of tests last year with nothing conclusive) and he recovers quickly but anything more than 1-2 hours of not showing improvement we take him to the vet.

If your vet thinks there may be a cut on the tongue it could be that a spur is rubbing on it which would cause pain and stop them eating. If he is still not "right" then I would get him checked out. If he was better then I would probably watch closely for a while.

Thanks for your replies, Pickle has really picked up today and eating a bit more of his nuggets now. It's strange as his partner biscuit copies him and she won't eat much or there nuggets when he is ill or she leaves his just over half (very considerate of her). The vet rang back and said to keep an eye on him closely (which we do anyway - our babies!) and she said it may be a good idea to bring him back in the next month or so to have a check up. Fingers crossed he continues to progress

Do they eat plenty of hay?

Could it be the corn snacks, I don't know what they are but I don't think corn is very good for them anyway.

What meds did they give you for the ulcer on his tongue?

I think if he seems ok within himself and is normally again then I'd leave him and just keep an eye. If he stops eating or looks in pain at any point I'd definitely opt to have him put under a GA and have his mouth checked.

Babsie said:

Do they eat plenty of hay?

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Yes, their diet is mainly hay, just a tablespoon on nuggets morning and late evening.

tonibun said:

Could it be the corn snacks, I don't know what they are but I don't think corn is very good for them anyway.

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No it wouldn't be the corn snacks. They rarely eat them - they came in their monthly bunny box delivery and we usually just give 1 or 2 once or twice weekly as a 'treat'. We were trying him with everything as we just thought eating something is better than nothing to stop his gut slowing down. I'm a dietitian as a profession so i'm quite interested in rabbit nutrition and try to ensure they eat right

Pickle ended up going back to ICU as he went from binkying around the garden to two hours later rolling on his belly again (looking in pain). We took him to see the rabbit vet and she has been great. She said she would have x-rayed him before (the other vet didn't) and she also said she wouldn't charge us for it (which I wasn't expecting and very grateful for). He has been in overnight being syringe fed and on pain relief and is awaiting x-ray today and the vet suspects he may have a spur on his right side as he doesn't tolerate the syringe on this side. He will need a small GA likely and then have it ground probably. Today she said he has started eating by himself but definitely needs to have the teeth properly looked at.

The vet rang and Pickle survived a light dose of GA and had a couple of sharp edges on his right rear teeth. he's had the filed down and doing well. Going to keep him overnight. Luckily the vet is very enthusiastic about rabbits and has been on the veterinary surgical course for rabbits by Frances Harcourt-Brown so he's in good hands. Hopefully pick him up tomorrow

Sounds like you got lucky with a good vet who likes bunnies :thumb:

Hopefully he will feel a bit better now and be back to his usual self in the next couple of days. Sending him some recovery vibes x