Poorly bunny

Just wondering if people could give me info on what could be wrong with Mary.
He's had dental problems the majority of his life so he's always been on the small side.
However, the last couple of weeks he seems to have lost weight - he's now around 700g :shock: rather than around 1kg
He had his teeth checked about a month ago so I didn't think it was that, plus he's still eating as normal. I took him in to the vet today and he found another spur but managed to sort it OK with Mary concious - I'm not so keen on it being done like that but with Mary being so skinny right now I'm not sure I'd want to put him through an anaesthetic.
The spur was quite visible and close to beginning to cut into his tongue, so I'm not sure whether this would have caused the weightloss.
However, this morning I did notice something by his 'bits' - not sure if it's sludgey wee? It was quite thick, toothpaste-ish consistancy, reminded me of what you get if you pop an abcess, but coming out of his penis area. Could this be an indicator of a calcium problem?
I did mention it to the vet and he explained about it but didn't suggest doing any sorts of tests or anything to do if that was the problem. I was quite annoyed actually as they were quite busy and seemed to be rushing to get rid of everyone - even though I'd specifically booked a double appointment as I had a few buns to take in. Infact, when he took Mary out the back to do his teeth another vet came in and asked me to wait in the waiting room so she could see people in that room :shock: Which meant I couldn't have a good discussion with the vet I was seeing about Mary's weightloss, which was why I was there in the first place!
I didn't realise his weightloss was so dramatic, but having weighed him now I'm unsure whether I should see if I could get an appointment tomorrow or Sunday and have a good chat about it. I'm going back next Thursday/Friday to collect Nina (she's being spayed) so could book an appointment to coincide with that and see if it was just the spur causing the problem, and keep an eye on his bits to see if I see anything again? He's still active and eating well (too well - but that's normal for him :lol: ), but something seems off that I can't put my finger on - I just know something's up.
I might call up in the morning and explain the situation and ask if it's worth popping in or if they can give any advice over the phone, but I'm not sure if leaving it until Friday will do him harm, or if he'll perk up now the spur's gone and put the weight back on.
He does like to worry me, smallest bun I have but the most expensive and causes me the most worry!

sorry i can't help you but just wanted to say I hope it's nothing serious and he gets better soon, I would keep harrassing the vets until you're happy with their advise!!!

Decided I'm going to ring tomorrow morning and see if I can get him in this weekend. He just doesn't seem himself - he's more cuddly than usual (loves a snuggle with his mummy but hasn't fidgetted one bit today) and didn't even polish off his pellets (he's a right pig usually)

When lilac kept getting her bladder probs,she lost weight,she went so thin you could feel her spine,she was still eating though

I can feel all the bones along his spine and his hip bones are horribly easy to feel My poor baby

Karly said:

I can feel all the bones along his spine and his hip bones are horribly easy to feel My poor baby

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What breed is he? yes thats what lilac was like

A netherland dwarf. He's always been quite thin anyway so I didn't necessarily notice straight away, but I think the major drop was quite sudden as one day he seemed OK, the next I picked him up and was horrified at how light he was.

Awww hope hes ok

Having a spure going into his toung would stop him eating properly, but a large weight loss is very worring and i would get him seen asp. val

taylor v 109 said:

Having a spure going into his toung would stop him eating properly, but a large weight loss is very worring and i would get him seen asp. val

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He was seen today but the vet didn't suggest anything other than explaining about kidney/calcium related problems. Will definately get him booked in for in this weekend though.

is he still eating? you could try feeding him natural pro-biotic yogurt, it will help line his somach and prevent gut stasis...the smallest teeth spurs can make a rabbit feel really pants and stop eating/become lethargic. if his teeth have been done hopefully he will take a better turn, sometimes with rabbits you dont notice they are loosing weight till its nearly all gone and your like :shock: , im sure we've all done it. i hope he feels better soon x

He's eating almost as normal. Head straight in the food bowl and gulping down pellets, still eating hay. I think the spur was caught before it could cause any major problems as he has them checked quite regularly.
I've always got probiotics on hand so I'll pop some of those in his water. I've noticed his poos are smaller and darker than usual so maybe the spur was beginning to put him off his food :?
He's just done loads of little drops of wee on my lap but it's very white wee - could this be a sign of a bladder/kidney problem? :?

if your vet doesnt suggest it i would recommend asking for some blood screens done on your bun. it will tell you what his calcium levels are and the general state of his internal organs.
does he seem to be straining to pass urine? or any blood? uncomfortable in his tummy? bladder stones are very common but often undiagnosed in rabbits.

No blood, and I've not seen him straining. Didn't even notice him 'sprinkling' on my lap until I picked him up :lol: Vet had a feel of his tummy and didn't notice anything abnormal. I was thinking he'd suggest blood tests but didn't mention it, will definately ask about it when I go in

Back to the vet tomorrow for us! Will definately discuss blood screens and possibility of bladder stones. I've noticed their water seems to be going down less too - but then they'd had more veg and also soaked porridge oats and Weetabix to try and build Mary up, so would be getting more water from that. Going to add a bowl of water today (they used to have one but kept emptying it everywhere all the time!)

bizzy_vicki said:

is he still eating? you could try feeding him natural pro-biotic yogurt, it will help line his somach and prevent gut stasis...the smallest teeth spurs can make a rabbit feel really pants and stop eating/become lethargic. if his teeth have been done hopefully he will take a better turn, sometimes with rabbits you dont notice they are loosing weight till its nearly all gone and your like :shock: , im sure we've all done it. i hope he feels better soon x

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I don't think rabbits should eat dairy products - there's probiotics specially made for rabbits - I'm not sure if yoghurt would even 'line his stomach' - I think it does with humans though

here's a really good article on calcium problems in rabbits - It does sound like he has something wrong with his kidneys but sometimes they just need flushing out under anaesthetic - Only blood tests will show if it's his kidneys.

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/calcium.htm
Meantime he may well be in pain, so he needs painkillers - He also needs fluids fluids and more fluids, to flush out the calcium - Ask your vet to give him some sub-cutaneously, and try to get him to drink more - You can add a splash of apple juice to his water, or as a last resort, syringe some into him every hour.

Hope the little guy picks up soon - your vets sound orrible - I'm off vets at the mo :roll:

Thanks for that Elve
They're normally a great vet - the guy I saw is the one who was showing me how vaccinations are done and explaining why, and he was very willing to listen to my suggestions when my rat with a headtilt didn't respond to Baytril. I think it was more the fact that I was ushered out of the room by the other vet that made it so we couldn't really talk.
Mum's bf's kids have a stash of apple juice in the fridge so I'll pinch one of those to add some to the water, I'll pop a couple of bowls in so he won't have to compete with the others. I'll also see if he'll take some from a syringe - he's had to be syringe-fed so often (after his dentals) that it doesn't seem to stress him out, so he may just take the water no problems.
The article says about loss of litter training..he's never learnt to use a litter tray, would this be related not really?
He hasn't had a complete loss of appetite, still digs right in to his pellets - and it's hard to judge if that's because of the spur or not.
Friday morning when he was out in the run I did notice he wasn't eating quite as much grass as usual - he usually loves the stuff. He also did lay down a few times, flat against the ground (article says about 'pressing tummy on the ground')
Think I'll print the article off for him just incase, though he did seem to know about it occuring in buns so it's nice to know I'm seeing a vet with half a clue!
Fingers crossed for my baby that it's not stones in his kidneys :?

my buns like a little natural yogurt, im not talking a lot, defo not daily as it is rich. its a good way to get meds in etc, a lot of people strugle to get the probiotics in the powder form into their bun, wether mixed with food or water, another good option for non-feeding buns is veggi baby food, but personally mine wont go for it but i know some who do!

Vet had a good feel today and said his kidneys seem quite small (not sure if this is a good or bad thing?)
I've been given some Science Recovery to supplement feed him with, as well as some Baytril (3.5ml daily) incase of a kidney infection.
I've got to keep an eye on his weight (will weigh him daily) and bring him back in about 4-5 days so the vet can see how he's doing.
He did try to take some blood for a blood test but couldn't get enough out to test on.
He seems wet around his back end today, which the vet said could be a sign of a kidney infection.
He's just taken about 7ml of Science Recovery fine, as well as his Baytril for today.