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Frail rabbit

Alicia

Alicia

Mama Doe
Izzy is around 7 (but she is a rescue so I don't know for sure) and over the past few months she's become quite frail. The vet weighed her when I took her in for her vaccinations a couple of months ago and she'd lost quite a bit of weight and said that if she doesn't gain weight I should take her back in. I've changed her food from science selective adult to science selective junior and she seems to be eating well but shes still very frail. I'm going to ring the vet tomorrow to take her in again but I just wondered if RU has any ideas? Before she got thin nothing had changed in her diet or anything like that. I'm quite concerned because I'm feeding her a lot now and she doesn't seem to put any weight back on
 
Hi Alicia

I don't have much useful advice unfortunately, apart from taking her back to the vets for a check up - but I wanted to ask about the Junior pellets. Is that what the vet recommended? Maybe she needs a mature version?
 
It was recommended on here, I thought the mature version would have less calories as older rabbits don't tend to be as active, or is that not right? I'm really worried about her she just seems so old and a bit of a mess at the moment, it makes me sad. I will ring the vets first thing and hopefully they can fit her in tomorrow
 
Beau Belle said:
Hi Alicia

I don't have much useful advice unfortunately, apart from taking her back to the vets for a check up - but I wanted to ask about the Junior pellets. Is that what the vet recommended? Maybe she needs a mature version?
Click to expand...

EDITED: I've just read another thread where much more experienced bunny owners suggests Junior pellets to help put weight on. Ignore my question :D
 
Alicia said:
Izzy is around 7 (but she is a rescue so I don't know for sure) and over the past few months she's become quite frail. The vet weighed her when I took her in for her vaccinations a couple of months ago and she'd lost quite a bit of weight and said that if she doesn't gain weight I should take her back in. I've changed her food from science selective adult to science selective junior and she seems to be eating well but shes still very frail. I'm going to ring the vet tomorrow to take her in again but I just wondered if RU has any ideas? Before she got thin nothing had changed in her diet or anything like that. I'm quite concerned because I'm feeding her a lot now and she doesn't seem to put any weight back on
Click to expand...

I would suggest that the Vet tries to ascertain if Izzy has any Dental problems. It may be that she is not eating as much as you think. Have you noticed any other symptoms such as her poo being smaller, drinking and weeing more, weeing in places she would not usually wee in ?

7 is not 'old' as such, but it is an age whereby changes in dentition can begin even if the Rabbit has never had any previous Dental problems. A full blood profile could be useful to assess her kidney and liver function.

If her weightloss is due to loss of muscle mass rather than due to loss of body fat this may point to some arthritic problems, that could be something else that your Vet wants to consider.

I'd also ask the Vet to have a good check in Izzy's ears. Lops are prone to ear infections and some can actually be sub-clinical, the only indication of a problem being unexplained weightloss.
 
Alicia said:
Izzy is around 7 (but she is a rescue so I don't know for sure) and over the past few months she's become quite frail. The vet weighed her when I took her in for her vaccinations a couple of months ago and she'd lost quite a bit of weight and said that if she doesn't gain weight I should take her back in. I've changed her food from science selective adult to science selective junior and she seems to be eating well but shes still very frail. I'm going to ring the vet tomorrow to take her in again but I just wondered if RU has any ideas? Before she got thin nothing had changed in her diet or anything like that. I'm quite concerned because I'm feeding her a lot now and she doesn't seem to put any weight back on
Click to expand...


Aaaww sorry to hear about Izzy. A frail rabbit an be quite worrying, I agree. Has your vet taken some blood for testing? Kidney issues can cause this problem,.

Regarding her age - I don't think she can be classed as old, but it may be worth the vet giving her teeth a very good check. She may have already had them checked when she had her vaccinations? It's not always easy for some vets to inspect the teeth unless the rabbit has a GA.

I agree, moving her onto a higher calorie pellet is a good idea. If her blood values look OK, your vet could consider giving her an anabolic steroid (this is not the same as a cortico-steroid) to boost her muscle mass and stimulate appetite.

The vet can also give her a B12 injection, but may not wish to do so if she's eating a lot now.

Has the vet considered putting her on Metacam just in case there are pain issues? Even for a short time?
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I would suggest that the Vet tries to ascertain if Izzy has any Dental problems. It may be that she is not eating as much as you think. Have you noticed any other symptoms such as her poo being smaller, drinking and weeing more, weeing in places she would not usually wee in ?

7 is not 'old' as such, but it is an age whereby changes in dentition can begin even if the Rabbit has never had any previous Dental problems. A full blood profile could be useful to assess her kidney and liver function.

If her weightloss is due to loss of muscle mass rather than due to loss of body fat this may point to some arthritic problems, that could be something else that your Vet wants to consider.

I'd also ask the Vet to have a good check in Izzy's ears. Lops are prone to ear infections and some can actually be sub-clinical, the only indication of a problem being unexplained weightloss.
Click to expand...
Jack's-Jane does it again :)

I agree with everything Jack's-Jane has suggested.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
 
daphnephoebe said:
Jack's-Jane does it again :)

I agree with everything Jack's-Jane has suggested.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

My neighbour said similar just now as she saw me go a over t in the garden ! :roll:

Alicia it will probably put your mind at rest to take Izzy back to the Vet soon so that she can have another thorough check up xx
 
Thank you for the replies the vet has said that her teeth aren't great as they are ground down a lot. She said Izzy had old rabbit teeth and they aren't as good as they used to be. She said to up her pellets as she doesn't think lots of hay and grass will help her gain weight, she recommended a recovery food to help. She didn't find any other problems, I will try feeding her more, she weighed Izzy and she's gained a bit of weight so that's good
 
Can anyone recommend a recovery food? I'm looking online but there's quite a few and I'm not sure which one to go for
 
Hey, just wondering... If she has old teeth maybe she can't chew her food so well. I used to have a bun who couldn't keep weight on as her lungs were awful. She was on steroids and various antibiotics.

Anyway, the best thing I found to keep her weight up, was porridge oats. Soak them so they are completely saturated for a while. Obviously introduce them gradually.

I do agree with getting all her bloods checked and getting her on metacam for the time being.

Recovery food, I think it's called fiberplex that I've used. Some buns LOVE it and some HATE it!

Or there's one by science selective I think called critical care I think.

Looks like the rescue were misinformed about her age. Shame you won't know how old she really is! Sounds a lot older than 7.

Good luck with Izzy x

Eta also try soaking her normal food x
 
I use science selective recovery.
Some people use oats to bulk a rabbit up - I never have so can't give any tips on that.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
 
I've found feeding high calorie dried food alongside lots of greens and high calorie veg to be good.

Including feeding porridge oats :thumb:
 
Get the vet to do a blood test for ecuniculi. Thats why my girls weight crashed

Sent from my SM-G850F using Tapatalk
 
Blood tests arnt cheap. If she does have ecuniculi the antibiotic is Septrin, Panecur and oxbow critical care (green one). But do ask it might be the problem.

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