Not eating

Our rabbit has gradually stopped eating. Will not eat nuggets, carrots or any veg. However she will eat biscuit and anything she is not supposed to. She has been to the vets and teeth are OK, as expected, as she had dental last month. The vet Guessed, like usual, that she has stomach flow issues, so charged us 106 quid for Fiberplex, 6 Recovery Plus, Zantac, Emperor etc. They have made no difference, any ideas? I cannot keep paying the vet for guess work. She had very matted and sore fur around her eyes due to previous meds in the form of eye drops, which we have nearly removed now, but it looks quite sore. The vet wanted 160 quid to sedate and remove matted fur. She is 8yr old. Could the soreness around the eye be stopping her appetite?

I really would try and find another vet. Whereabouts in Yorkshire are you and maybe start another thread asking for a specialist. You can't leave her not eating hardly anything, she needs treatment now and not guesswork.

It doesn't seem you have been given any metacam which is a pain relief, so if she is in pain she won't want to eat so it could be her eyes but you do need to take her today.

duncan1_9_8_4 said:

Our rabbit has gradually stopped eating. Will not eat nuggets, carrots or any veg. However she will eat biscuit and anything she is not supposed to. She has been to the vets and teeth are OK, as expected, as she had dental last month. The vet Guessed, like usual, that she has stomach flow issues, so charged us 106 quid for Fiberplex, 6 Recovery Plus, Zantac, Emperor etc. They have made no difference, any ideas? I cannot keep paying the vet for guess work. She had very matted and sore fur around her eyes due to previous meds in the form of eye drops, which we have nearly removed now, but it looks quite sore. The vet wanted 160 quid to sedate and remove matted fur. She is 8yr old. Could the soreness around the eye be stopping her appetite?

Click to expand...

It's doubtful if the matted fur around her eye is causing the entire not eating issue.

When you say the meds have made no difference - how long have you been using them for? They can take 2/3 days to kick in and sometimes a bit longer. You will have to syringe feed in the meantime. She really ought to have been given Metacam for pain relief as well. Especially as the cause of the gut slowdown hasn't been identified.

A dental last month doesn't guarantee the teeth are in good working order, as a vet (unless they have the skill to examine the rabbit's teeth consciously) can only see about half what's going on at the back of the mouth. However, I take your point that it may not be dental ..

It's often difficult and well night impossible in some cases to determine what's caused the 'stasis' in rabbits.

Here's some info on the condition:

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv/basic

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

I hope she feels better soon.

duncan1_9_8_4 said:

Our rabbit has gradually stopped eating. Will not eat nuggets, carrots or any veg. However she will eat biscuit and anything she is not supposed to. She has been to the vets and teeth are OK, as expected, as she had dental last month. The vet Guessed, like usual, that she has stomach flow issues, so charged us 106 quid for Fiberplex, 6 Recovery Plus, Zantac, Emperor etc. They have made no difference, any ideas? I cannot keep paying the vet for guess work. She had very matted and sore fur around her eyes due to previous meds in the form of eye drops, which we have nearly removed now, but it looks quite sore. The vet wanted 160 quid to sedate and remove matted fur. She is 8yr old. Could the soreness around the eye be stopping her appetite?

Click to expand...

Has your Rabbit had any skull radiographs taken given that she is known to have dental problems ? Dental problems can involve the tooth roots, not just the crowns. For example tooth root elongation can cause constantly runny eyes and the jaw can become painful, especially when eating. So unless tooth root issues have been excluded (from radiographic examination) I would want the Vet to consider this as a possible cause of the anorexia. So the anorexia/gut slow down would be a secondary symptom as opposed to the primary problem

Did the Vet prescribe any pain relief for you to administer daily ? A Rabbit in pain, regardless of the cause, will be very reluctant to eat and then the GI tract motility is reduced.

Are you still giving the medication that your Vet did prescribe and are you syringe feeding her ?

Is your Rabbit drinking ?

You do not mention what her poo output is like or anything about her general demeanour ? By 'general demeanour' I mean is she relatively bright and interested in her surroundings, or is she very 'flat'/immobile/hiding away ?

As the fur around her eyes is matted and the skin is sore she will be at risk of Flystrike, this does not only effect a Rabbit's rear end, it can occur anywhere on the body

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/flystrike_sep_05.pdf

I do think that your Rabbit needs to be seen by a Vet again ASAP, so if you are unhappy with your current Vet (which you appear to be from your post) then you could either ask for a referral to a Specialist or take your Rabbit to another Vet yourself. That Vet will then contact your current Vet (they are ethically obliged to do so) and obtain all of your Rabbit's clinical records.

http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/find-a-vet/referrals-second-opinions-and-changing-practices/

I hope you can obtain more Veterinary help for your Rabbit, she is obviously in some discomfort

Good luck.

She is drinking normally. She is acting normally, grooming, flopping over etc. She has a known tooth that grows out into her cheek, and this vet has dealt with this for 2 years now so I trust that her mouth is OK. She is generally happy. I live in Pontefract. She is still on the medication, this been the third day. As I write this, she is actually nibbling on some grass in the garden. I appreciate all the go to a vet suggestions, but at what seems to be a hundred odd quid every time.......... For what is essentially guess work, try this, it could be this, and if not bring her back and we will try another route...... And every time the rabbit hates us a little more, becoming more stressed. The last vets recommended were Chantry Vets in Castleford who cleared her tear ducts and they have not stopped watering since, price 85 quid. I wish money was no object. Her poo is smaller than normal, but of usual consistency. She was given Buprcare at the vets. Before this she had been eating the leaves of a willow tree, which has since been taken out. Could the willow perhaps of messed with her guts....?

My specialists have never guessed. They have carried out blood tests, x rays etc and then got a definite answer so it cuts down keep going back. I can understand your frustration, that's why everyone is suggesting you go to a good vet which sorts it out properly. I do think you should have been given some pain relief so that's why I am questioning your vets as well as the guess work comments.

duncan1_9_8_4 said:

She is drinking normally. She is acting normally, grooming, flopping over etc. She has a known tooth that grows out into her cheek, and this vet has dealt with this for 2 years now so I trust that her mouth is OK. She is generally happy. I live in Pontefract. She is still on the medication, this been the third day. As I write this, she is actually nibbling on some grass in the garden. I appreciate all the go to a vet suggestions, but at what seems to be a hundred odd quid every time.......... For what is essentially guess work, try this, it could be this, and if not bring her back and we will try another route...... And every time the rabbit hates us a little more, becoming more stressed. The last vets recommended were Chantry Vets in Castleford who cleared her tear ducts and they have not stopped watering since, price 85 quid. I wish money was no object. Her poo is smaller than normal, but of usual consistency. She was given Buprcare at the vets.

Click to expand...

Flushing out the tear ducts is often unsuccessful long term, but watering eye (clear discharge) is manageable at home by bathing with cooled boiled water. You can also apply a warm compress of a cotton pad underneath the eye to loosen debris in the tear duct.

I did not mention going to see another vet, or your own vet, as I quite understand that for most of us this isn't feasible.

The suggestions made in the two articles I sent you contain valuable information that has got many of my rabbits out of stasis within the hour.

Perhaps longer term you could search a better vet.

You could post on this Forum, in Rabbit Chat, with "Rabbit Savvy Vet needed in/near Pontefract". Members will then come up with suggestions if they have any

Good luck xx

I say guess work because we can't talk to animals. And most people who own rabbits cannot afford to keep paying out. Yes, it sounds evil and callus but...... The vet dealing with her these days are Bartram and Patrick in South Elmsall, a recommendation.

Unfortunately vet bills for rabbits are expensive. I've spent thousands of pounds on mine and hundreds on my rats. If she is in pain then she won't eat so addressing that is the most important thing. It can take a long time for them to recover fully from stasis. I've had a bun that took a week to start eating properly again. My bun acted like nothing was wrong but simply refused to eat. I had to syringe feed her every few hours and She absolutely hated it. She also had pain relief, zantac and emeprid twice daily for about 2 weeks until we were certain she'd recovered fully. Be patient. It is stressful for all involved. If she is pooing then she is eating something so it doesn't sound desperate. If she had a dental last week it could be that her mouth has been sore and she is worried about eating in case it hurts. Or it could be that her teeth feel a bit "odd" because they have been filed down.

If she hasn't had any improvement at all then I'd be wanting further tests to make sure there isn't something underlying.

You say she is eating grass so this is a good sign, will she also eat dandelions or spring greens? If she will then I wouldn't be too worried and is she eating hay? If she is eating these things then maybe in a day or two she will start eating her pellets. Is she overweight as this coupled with the weather might be having an effect on her appetite.