Jemima not eating - she's home now

Hi all

Jemima went to the vets last Friday to have x-rays and stuff done - she has a bad eye infection and they flushed one eye but couldn't do the other due to scarring.

Thing is, since she has been back home we cannot get her to eat - she is hardly eating enough to keep a sparrow alive let alone a Giant.

She is on painkiller, metoclopramide and baytril - all by injection. We have tried stuff from the garden, all her normal food, weetabix, raisins, grapes, baby food, recovery - everything we can think of but it is murder trying to get her to eat. We cannot force her to eat so we have been tormenting her with carrot tops etc just to get her in a temper so that she eats. We really are worried sick.

We will probably have to take her to see Sally again this afternoon which will stress the poor girl out. We will get her teeth checked - although she has never had teeth troubles before and is not showing any signs of trouble.

Her back end is quite wobbly and we know that she has big problems there - we just need the girl to eat. Any suggestions anyone? We are truly out of our minds with worry.

oh come on jemina be a good girl and eat for mummy, does she like oats or baby corn jay, herm and hag. love them!! and bread :shock:

please keep us informed jay on the lovely jemima!!!!

eve x

Oh Jay! I have no suggestions tha you havn't already tried, come on jemima eat something XXXXX Big Hugs Jay XXX

Poor Jemima

I hope you find out what is causing the probs soon..

Stop being naughty Jemima :no: and eat for your mummy!

http://carrotcafe.com/n/syringefeed.html

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/herbiemushballs.html

http://www.rabbit.org/care/recipies.html

Pellets dipped (by hand) in water (with a splash of apple juice)
another bun to threaten to eat all the yummy bits his/herself

I hope she eats soon :?

Best wishes,
Tam

Have no suggestions other than what you've tried, you do a sterling job with your bunsters Jay..... Lyndas recipes look interesting. Best of luck to you and the lovely Jemima

Oh Jay - I hope little Jem feels better and eats for her mum and dad soon -
Sending Snuggles for her.

Right, Jemima has been to the vet and is booked in for a dental tomorrow morning :? She wouldn't let Sally see into her mouth properly but everything we have told her seems to point to a little spur? Sally will give her a quick whiff of gas and have a good look. We are to keep on trying like we have been over the last few days tormenting her to eat :?

Jemima is drinking by herself which is a good thing. John even carried her out to the garden this morning and she had a couple of hours out to see if the sun and the fresh air would help her appitite. She came back in and had a good drink. We are going to be on our hands and knees most of the day now tormenting her. I have tried syringe feeding her but she just snaps the syringe :roll: She is a big girl

Can you all spare some vibes and prayers for her for tomorrow - and for today as well please. The thing is, she looks so flipping bright eyed and alert :? I can promise you that John and I aren't :| :roll:

Sending lots of hugs and positive thoughts for tomorrow.

Sending big hugs Jay. xxx

Awww sending loads of snuggles and cuddles for little Jem - come on Gal you can do it - were all rootin for ya little bunster :wink:

positive thoughts are on there way x

they never like to eat the recovery stuff do they?

i hope she gets better soon!

sophie

Big hugs and lots of good vibes coming for Jemima

have you tried giving her bread and milk, i know it isnt the healthiest thing to give her, but when my rabbit wasnt very well this was the only thing i could get her to eat, and it is better than nothing!

sophie

good luck for tomorrow , i think that all the things you are explaining about her not wanting to eat are pointing to possible spurs . cheeky had his op last friday and is eating well again .

That's exactly what happened to my rabbit, and she is a Flemish Giant too. And for a short while, she is also on metoclopramide.

It's easy to fix because my rabbit totally won't eat anything at the beginning and there is virtually no bunny poo, and he won't drink any water neither.
And he was sick for 3.5 mth.

If you read my mesg. post in this forum, titled "My rabbit won't drink any water", even now, he is on IV and I have to handfeed him, although all bacteria is gone since April.

Your one is drinking water, that's good. The reason he won't eat anything is because his stomach shuts down due to the sickness. So there is no way around to let him eat on his own.

But you have to keep his energy up, or else he'll die.

So the solution is:

If he's not drinking water, inject 150 cc of NaCL just behind his neck, just benneath the loose skin.

He is not eating: force feed him w/ syringe on Heniz babyfood, I picked 6 Vegetable / Fruit Favor for 6 meals. I picked 6.5 cc x 6 meals per day.

And yeah, he tries to bite off the tip of the syringe, he also try not to eat.

So you hold him in front of you, while you are sitting on the table. His front paw should rest comfortably on the table. IN other words, your chest is touching his back.

Now tile his head back, and insert the 6 cc syringe about 1 inch - 1.5 inch inside his mouth.

Slowly insert 0.5 cc at a time of baby food in his mouth, give him time to digest, and do another 0.5cc again, under all 6.5 cc is done. (My vet really only ask 5 cc x 6 meals, but I gave it 6.5cc anyway)

Remember if you insert the food too fast, it may got in his lung, and that's bad news if the food has bacteria.

W/ Heniz, (they are all organic, even the ones without that organic label), pick pure fruit or vegetable favor ONLY.

DO NOT pick any meat mix, cheese mix, chicken booth, etc.

I picked Carrot, Corn, Potato as his 3 main courses.

Then I picked Apple, Pear, strawberry as his other 3 courses. I alternate in between w/ the morning, lunch, dinner meal to be the carrot, corn, potato.

You'll find after he gets better, and get use to the favor of heinz, he'll reach out w/ his head, for the syringe.

Make sure you have a few syringe (6cc) kicking around.

AFter he gets a bit better, he'll go back to a small amt. of regular food, such as carrot, spinach, and his favor nuts. My one in favor of almond, peanuts, apricots, dry mangos etc.

He won't eat the pellet for a while.

For anti-biotics, my vet use a board band anti-biotics called Enrofloxcin mixed w/ 50% tutti fruit, 2 ml x every 12 hr.

Do not let his go outside, make sure he lives inside 24 hr.

To give baby food, since heniz baby food must be in fridge:

1) Use the syringe to suck up 5 - 6.5 cc of baby food from jar

2) heat one cup of hot water for 1 min. at your microwave

3) insert the syringe submerge it in the water

4) let the heat of the water heats up the syringe for a min. or so

5) when done, wash the syringe so you can re-use it again by inserting in the baby food. It's quite clean and fine to insert back in the baby food as long as you clean the syringe.

When Zeus wouldn't eat with his eye/tooth stasis thing I used his favourite foods to tempt him and he survived on celery and grass (although he lost a lot of weight), they were the only things he would eat; although it wasn't ideal, as I am sure you know, something is better than nothing. Dried bread is also a fave with my guy.

I found Pak choi also tempted him enough to eat (but it is expensive). I raided Sainsbury's fruit and veg section desperately trying to find something he would eat. I was lucky that I hit on the celery as he was refusing everything.

Obviously with your experience with sick bunnies I am sure she is in very good hands and you will find something to tempt her. If it is a spur then Bunnyhugger's balls may work as they are soft .

Get well soon sweety Zeus totally sympathises with you!

Caz

Milupa, as in a mix of oats, wheats, etc. mixed w/ water and heated is very healthy food for rabbits as well. MY vet has also recommended that in the past month when my bunny is sick, and it is an alternative to baby food. Gives him something different to eat.

So w/ milupa, I do 3 x 6.5 cc, in conjunction w/ 3 x 6.5 cc on Heniz baby food.

Grass is too soft and exotic when a rabbit is sick.