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Bun not eating

J

jeep84cowgrl

New Kit
Our 2 year old Holland Lop had 5 babies in February, they were all healthy until 8 weeks and we started re-homing them. We kept one doe. She began to stop eating and drinking, we took her to the vet and they tried to keep fluids in her, but we got her there too late, she had a seizure and passed away. Now mother is starting to show signs of not eating and drinking and she has lost a little weight. Maybe i'm being over cautious due to the baby. She did eat some papaya treats, but not very many. I haven't seen her drink in about an hour, and she is not eating any hay. She is kept outside. Advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Unfortunately a rabbit not eating is quite a serious situation and if you cannot tempt her with anything then personally I would try and see a vet tonight. Your vets should have an out of hours/ emergency cover.

Hydration is also important to allow the guts to keep going and moving

The vet should give a painkiller, metacam, as well as gut motility drugs and fluids and you may have to syringe feed her.

Not eating can be caused by an underlying medical condition and/or stress. As she has lost a kit this could be the source but a vet examination is needed to rule anything more serious out.

Sending vibes
 
jeep84cowgrl said:
Our 2 year old Holland Lop had 5 babies in February, they were all healthy until 8 weeks and we started re-homing them. We kept one doe. She began to stop eating and drinking, we took her to the vet and they tried to keep fluids in her, but we got her there too late, she had a seizure and passed away. Now mother is starting to show signs of not eating and drinking and she has lost a little weight. Maybe i'm being over cautious due to the baby. She did eat some papaya treats, but not very many. I haven't seen her drink in about an hour, and she is not eating any hay. She is kept outside. Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

See a vet asap.

A rabbit not eating is a medical emergency, and a vet will need to assess if there is a blockage or not, and take appropriate action.

Good luck xx
 
We are at the vet now. She did eat a couple papaya treats and a tiny bit of natural grass. But its been 2 days si ce we filled her water bottle and she still has half a bottle. She has not eastern very many of her pellets in 2 days either.
 
jeep84cowgrl said:
We are at the vet now. She did eat a couple papaya treats and a tiny bit of natural grass. But its been 2 days si ce we filled her water bottle and she still has half a bottle. She has not eastern very many of her pellets in 2 days either.
Click to expand...

Best of luck :thumb:

Please post back and I hope it will be good news :D
 
So we brought her home from the vet yesterday. She came home with Criticare (however you spell it) and antibiotics. She is eating a little, which is good, but she didn't seem to drink very much water last night (if any at all). I gave her pellets, timothy hay, parsley and green leaf lettuce. She gobbled down the parsley and lettuce and a some hay. She still doesn't seem herself. Maybe she needs time to recoup from the vet, I don't know. I just hope she gets better. Oh, and the vet said they have no idea what is wrong, other than her kidney value was high (most likely due to her not eating or drinking). Could there have been something in the judges cage, like a bacteria? She was healthy 4lbs 2 oz at the show in April 16th. 2 weeks later, when we took her in, is how long it took to go down to 3lbs 1 oz from not eating.
 
jeep84cowgrl said:
So we brought her home from the vet yesterday. She came home with Criticare (however you spell it) and antibiotics. She is eating a little, which is good, but she didn't seem to drink very much water last night (if any at all). I gave her pellets, timothy hay, parsley and green leaf lettuce. She gobbled down the parsley and lettuce and a some hay. She still doesn't seem herself. Maybe she needs time to recoup from the vet, I don't know. I just hope she gets better. Oh, and the vet said they have no idea what is wrong, other than her kidney value was high (most likely due to her not eating or drinking). Could there have been something in the judges cage, like a bacteria? She was healthy 4lbs 2 oz at the show in April 16th. 2 weeks later, when we took her in, is how long it took to go down to 3lbs 1 oz from not eating.
Click to expand...

I had no idea she was a show rabbit. So the litter was planned?

I can only say that maybe the 'show life' doesn't suit her? Is water allowed in the show cages and is it only from a bottle?

I'm sorry to hear she's still not eating. I really hope she picks up soon xx
 
Did the vet give your bunny any pain meds? A bunny in pain will not eat or drink. I am glad you got the Critical Care since it can keep the bunny's gut moving until the bunny is eating by herself.
Did the vet administer any fluids? Sometimes the vet will give sub-Q fluids so the bunny will need to absorb the fluids that were put under her skin before she drinks water herself and that can take a few hours. You can also try syringing water slowly into her mouth to see if she will drink.
Also, if your bunny is not maintaining her body temperature, you will need to keep her warm, but make sure she can move away from the source of the warmth if she wants.
I hope your bunny is doing better.
 
Yeah she is preferring to drink from a bowl. She is eating most everything now and is slowly getting back to herself. Yes the litter was planned. She is inside out of the weather. I hope we are through the worst of it. Thanks everyone
 
Antibiotics aren't usually prescribed unless the rabbit has some signs of infection etc
Did the vet do a full dental check with one of those metal things peering in the mouth?
Might be good to look around for an expert rabbit vet if you have any in the area.

I would avoid feeding lettuce if you can, it's not recommended for rabbits, there are some types of cabbage that are more suitable.
When a rabbit stops eating see if you can find some carrot tops to feed. If you put the stalky bit in front of their mouth they will bite it in half and often eat some of it too.
Making the pellets a bit wet so they are soft can also tempt them if they don't fancy the hard ones
 
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