up & down nethie

Hi,

I have a 3ish year old netherland buck, whos been on and off his food the past month.
When he first went off his food I syringe fed him some Life Aid, he was back to himself the within two days.
He was off his food again the other day, so again out came the life aid, but was eating again the following day.
First I wondered about teeth but he's not drooling, and if it is teeth they normally go off there food till teeth are sorted, but did notice he had a dirty bum which looked to be a build up of soft poohs, and once cleaned he's been ok so far.
Oh his front teeth are slightly uneven.
Anybody any ideas? just trying to get a vet appointment, but wouldn't say my vets are brilliant with buns, trying to sorce a bunny vet.
Thanks
AKKhusky

Hiya , sorry to hear about your Netherlands problems :?
It sounds as though he may not be having enough fibre in his diet as even when droppings look soft, if they stick to the bunnies rear, then it may suggest his digestive problem is not working too well.
Also, loss of appetite could suggest this.
Does he have a lot of dried food? If so, I suggest reducing this to one small feed a day, and opting for a pelleted rabbit food with a high fibre content. ..change any dried food gradually though, adding a bit more each day to his current food over a 10 day period.
Pop some Probiotics daily in his drinking water to help the gut friendly bacteria balance(, Vetark sell Avipro which is one good make)., and ensure his main diet is hay.
hay should form 90% of the diet which helps keep the gut moving well.

What does he eat?
Have you noticed any fur in his droppings? smal fur balls can slow the guts down too, so a weekly dose of Kittymalt (quarter teaspoon a day maximum) can help clear fur through the system.
I recommend visiting your vet though just to rule out any other possibilities including teeth problems which do not always have the obvious symptoms.
Hope this helps?
Best wishes

I would definately get his teeth checked. They don't neccesarily drool. If he has slightly wonky front teeth there is a good possibility that his backteeth could have spurs (sharp points) too. This cuts into his toung & cheeks as he eats making sore/ulcers which is why they go off their food. Often a bun be fussy about what and how much he eats because of this.

Where abouts are you, maybe someone can recommend a vet?

Tamsin

All of the buns I've seen with teeth problems have gone off their hay, but been fine with their pellets. It might be that this is the case and he's not getting enough fibre in his diet.
I would definately get his teeth checked out, as Nethies are more prone to dental problems.

Hello

This is how smirnoffs problems started and it probably is something to do with his digestive system. It is vital to get him to the vet as without treatment, the condition could worsen.

Throughout smirnoffs three years (netherland buck) he suffered with this and I ended up taking him to vet four times and unfortunatly the fourth time there is no more they could do and he passed away. Apparently many rabbits die of this problem without their owners ever knowing this was the cause.

Ensure he has an excellent diet wih very little or no concentrate food. The way my vet told me to look at his diet is to feed him as naturally as possible like wild buns do. Although this may not be cause, it can only help.

Sharlene

Hi Sharlene,

Do you mean yours had teeth problems?

Right I'm in Glouster, the bunny has Dodson & Horral rabbit royal, he always seems to be munching on hay.

No fur in the droppings, and he has about half a bowl of dry feed a day, his bowl being a ramakin pot.

I have some probiotics left over from the chinchilla who was on them, so giving him those.

Marie.

Sharlene said:

Apparently many rabbits die of this problem without their owners ever knowing this was the cause.

Sharlene

Click to expand...

I would never have realised quite how bad Wesley's teeth were if the vet had not taken those x-rays. When he had to be put to sleep the vet said his teeth looked 'appalling' on the x-rays.

I knew his teeth were not good, but he was still eating pellets and a little hay right up to when he had to be put to sleep with abscesses all down his lower jaw.

Squidgy is a nethie buck, and his front teeth were badly overgrown when he came to me ( I think this is why he'd been dumped). He had his front teeth removed and eats fine, but has been prone to not eating at times and having the start of stasis. He's been much better recently, due to the routine we're giving him regarding feeding I think.
Hope you find a decent vet and that your bun is ok.