Fattening up a poorly rabbit

One of my rabbits has been suffering really badly from head tilt since last Sunday. She's on antibiotics and panacur so just waiting for those to take effect :S

But I'm getting worried about her weight, because she spends most of the time laying on her side she isn't eating much. I've been keeping her eating little bits of parsley and green beans and she occasionally eats a pellet or two and a few strands of hay, but she's lost quite a bit of weight since last week. What can I give her to fatten her up to keep her going the next few weeks? I know I can syringe feed her but as she's still eating a bit on her own want to try and keep that going to maintain a bit of normality. Thanks!

carysannie29 said:

One of my rabbits has been suffering really badly from head tilt since last Sunday. She's on antibiotics and panacur so just waiting for those to take effect :S

But I'm getting worried about her weight, because she spends most of the time laying on her side she isn't eating much. I've been keeping her eating little bits of parsley and green beans and she occasionally eats a pellet or two and a few strands of hay, but she's lost quite a bit of weight since last week. What can I give her to fatten her up to keep her going the next few weeks? I know I can syringe feed her but as she's still eating a bit on her own want to try and keep that going to maintain a bit of normality. Thanks!

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Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your rabbit

You do need to keep her strength up - I've been in this situation. I would personally feed her, or she will get weaker and will find it harder to fight her own illness. You can use critical care, or ground up pellets mixed with baby food.

You can also add in higher calorie foods such as pumpkin/butternut squash and parsnip etc. You can also add in a pinch or two of porridge oats and add extra pellets, but you should certainly keep an eye on her weight. Weighing her every week would be a good idea.

Good luck xx

Hi there. I'm no expert (hopefully someone who is will be along soon ), but I wonder about pieces of carrot or apple, which have more naturally-occurring sugars than green veg?

Hope she responds to her treatment soon. Lxx

As MightyMax suggested, oats are good for fattening bunnies up. As she is still eating on her own a little bit you could try making homemade treats but give them too her very regularly otherwise they won't fatten her up if given just as a treat every now and again.

A good homemade treat that I make for my bunnies to give occasionally is made with pellets, oats, banana, carrots and a small amount of honey and I could always provide more details if you are interested

carysannie29 said:

One of my rabbits has been suffering really badly from head tilt since last Sunday. She's on antibiotics and panacur so just waiting for those to take effect :S

But I'm getting worried about her weight, because she spends most of the time laying on her side she isn't eating much. I've been keeping her eating little bits of parsley and green beans and she occasionally eats a pellet or two and a few strands of hay, but she's lost quite a bit of weight since last week. What can I give her to fatten her up to keep her going the next few weeks? I know I can syringe feed her but as she's still eating a bit on her own want to try and keep that going to maintain a bit of normality. Thanks!

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I typed out a long reply but my PC crashed before I could post it, so huge apologies this reply will be in 'bullet points'. I dont mean it to come across as curt/rude

1- did the Vet prescribe an anti-inflammatory analgesic-eg Metacam ? If the head tilt is due to an ear infection it will be very painful. A Rabbit in pain wont eat

2- If tilt is due to EC then an anti-inflammatory is still needed to address the cellular inflammation that EC causes. It is inflammation that causes the clinical symptoms (the tilt). Maybe the Vet did not prescribe Metcam as he/she administered a long acting corticosteroid via injection ? Metacam cannot be given alongside a corticosteroid. Maybe you could clarify exactly what the Vet has done to address pain/inflammation ?

3- Whilst Rabbits cant vomit they may feel sick when they have any type of vestibular disturbance (eg head tilt). Nausea obviously causes anorexia. A anti-emetic eg Metoclopramide could help and it will also increase gut motility. Gut motility will be reduced as your Rabbit is hardly eating. This, in turn, will make eating even less likely.

4-Syringe feeds are almost certainly needed, she is not eating enough for herself. She will be burning off a lot of calories fighting infection. You can make up a syringe feed by soaking your rabbit's pellet feed in boiled water, mash it up and add more water til it is of a consistency that can be drawn up into a syringe. Some vegetable puree/baby food can be added to make it more tasty

5- Your Rabbit will need to be living indoors. She will not be able to regulate her body temperature whilst she is poorly.

6- She may need fluid therapy (IV or subcutaneous) to support her kidney function (EC can effect the kidneys)

I hope that your Rabbit can recover

She will definitely need help eating while she is so poorly, so I would suggest syringe feeding her every few hours (critical care or mushed pellets) to maintain her weight and gut function. Anything she eats on her own is a bonus at the moment, but obviously isn't enough if she is losing weight. If her mobility and balance are affected, she may have problems actually getting to food so you are going to have to take over for a while.

I would only feed carrot and apple in small amounts as they don't have much fibre and are likely to result in a messy bum if she isn't eating much else or can't clean herself. You may have to give her daily bum baths at the moment anyway to stop urine scald and a build up of poo in her fur.

I would also suggest asking your vet about metacam. It is normally given with the other meds for ear problems or suspected EC for the reasons given by JJ.

Hiya, I'd definitely like to know more about the homemade treats! I'll try anything to get her to eat.

did your vet give you any food to syringe feed her to help her? ie, science recovery plus, or critical care

sending lots of vibes xx

You need to provide supportive feeding if she is not eating normally for herself. You can get powdered recovery food that you mix with water and syringe feed. These will provide all the nutrients she needs. Otherwise, mush up some of her usual pellets in boiling water and allow to cool. You can try spoon feeding her if you don't have a syringe. If she doesn't get the food she needs, she will struggle to recover and you risk her going into stasis. When she feels better and gets stronger, she will eat again - but you must support her in the meantime.

carysannie29 said:

Hiya, I'd definitely like to know more about the homemade treats! I'll try anything to get her to eat.

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Ok! Make sure you do syringe feed her though if she still isn't eating at all/very much

So, one batch of these make approximately 30 treats, depending how big you make them. You'll need:

1 small carrot
Half of a banana
1 tablespoon of natural honey (no added sugar or favourings)
1/4 cup of pellets (approximately 5 full egg cups)
1/4 cup of plain oats
You'll also need a strong blender/food processor, baking paper and a rolling pin as well as other ordinary baking equipment.

Start by preheating the oven by gas mark 3.
Then measure out the oats and pellets and use a food processor/blender to grind them up into a powder and put the mix into a large bowl.
Mash up the banana and add the honey to it, making a creamy substance.
Purée the carrot in the blender/food processor or grate up very very small, then add to the banana mix.
Add the banana mix to the oat mix and combine the ingredients into a dough using your hands.
Put the dough on a baking sheet with baking paper on top and roll it out to as thin as possible using the rolling pin.
Score the dough with a knife to whatever size you feel appropriate (I find 1" both ways works well), but do not cut completely.
Bake for 40 minutes, checking that they do not get too brown.
Turn off the oven but leave the treats inside for a further hour to help them dry out.
Remove from the oven and break up, leaving to cool.
Place in a container or sandwich bag and put in the fridge to keep fresh. [emoji4]

Let me know how you get on as I'm fairly certain that once she is feeling well enough to eat one, she will love them [emoji4]

WillowAndBiscuit said:

Ok! Make sure you do syringe feed her though if she still isn't eating at all/very much

So, one batch of these make approximately 30 treats, depending how big you make them. You'll need:

1 small carrot
Half of a banana
1 tablespoon of natural honey (no added sugar or favourings)
1/4 cup of pellets (approximately 5 full egg cups)
1/4 cup of plain oats
You'll also need a strong blender/food processor, baking paper and a rolling pin as well as other ordinary baking equipment.

Start by preheating the oven by gas mark 3.
Then measure out the oats and pellets and use a food processor/blender to grind them up into a powder and put the mix into a large bowl.
Mash up the banana and add the honey to it, making a creamy substance.
Purée the carrot in the blender/food processor or grate up very very small, then add to the banana mix.
Add the banana mix to the oat mix and combine the ingredients into a dough using your hands.
Put the dough on a baking sheet with baking paper on top and roll it out to as thin as possible using the rolling pin.
Score the dough with a knife to whatever size you feel appropriate (I find 1" both ways works well), but do not cut completely.
Bake for 40 minutes, checking that they do not get too brown.
Turn off the oven but leave the treats inside for a further hour to help them dry out.
Remove from the oven and break up, leaving to cool.
Place in a container or sandwich bag and put in the fridge to keep fresh. [emoji4]

Let me know how you get on as I'm fairly certain that once she is feeling well enough to eat one, she will love them [emoji4]

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Awesome, thank you so much! I will have a go at those tomorrow - they sound good even to me!

This evening I mashed up some pellets with warm water and fed it to her with a spoon and syringe. She was happy to take it so I'm feeling much happier knowing she's eaten about 10 pellets and some water this evening! I will feed her regularly and try the treats.

Thank you so much everyone for the advice..she has had the head tilt for almost a week now and there's been no real improvement. Trying to keep positive but I'm getting increasingly worried. Just want her to be back to her old self

carysannie29 said:

Awesome, thank you so much! I will have a go at those tomorrow - they sound good even to me!

This evening I mashed up some pellets with warm water and fed it to her with a spoon and syringe. She was happy to take it so I'm feeling much happier knowing she's eaten about 10 pellets and some water this evening! I will feed her regularly and try the treats.

Thank you so much everyone for the advice..she has had the head tilt for almost a week now and there's been no real improvement. Trying to keep positive but I'm getting increasingly worried. Just want her to be back to her old self

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You're welcome! [emoji4]

That's excellent that she is eating her pellets now! Hopefully she will love the treats just as much as my little monsters and will eat some of them as well as her pellets. Good luck! [emoji4]

carysannie29 said:

Awesome, thank you so much! I will have a go at those tomorrow - they sound good even to me!

This evening I mashed up some pellets with warm water and fed it to her with a spoon and syringe. She was happy to take it so I'm feeling much happier knowing she's eaten about 10 pellets and some water this evening! I will feed her regularly and try the treats.

Thank you so much everyone for the advice..she has had the head tilt for almost a week now and there's been no real improvement. Trying to keep positive but I'm getting increasingly worried. Just want her to be back to her old self

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It is quite often the case that you will see no improvement in a week, several weeks, and sometimes months. Patience and dedication are required to keep her nourished and clean until she shows some improvement

She may never be 'back to her old self'. But she will always be the same rabbit you know and love

MightyMax said:

It is quite often the case that you will see no improvement in a week, several weeks, and sometimes months. Patience and dedication are required to keep her nourished and clean until she shows some improvement

She may never be 'back to her old self'. But she will always be the same rabbit you know and love

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Thank you, I'm actually tearing up at this! Some people are really pessimistic and don't seem to understand that it takes a while and it's bringing me down. I will do the very best that I can and do what's best for her

carysannie29 said:

Thank you, I'm actually tearing up at this! Some people are really pessimistic and don't seem to understand that it takes a while and it's bringing me down. I will do the very best that I can and do what's best for her

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I know. People can make hasty judgments when in fact, if she isn't suffering (despite disorientation, sickness etc) some time can be taken before leaping into irrevocable decisions.

You love her very much. You will need to be strong as she now relies on you more than ever before. She doesn't see it the same way you do. Her distress isn't the same as you are suffering. I believe it's worse for you, especially as you're so caring

These sound great - thanks for posting. I hope your rabbit gets well soon, Carysannie29.

Lxx