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Skippy is not eating :(

Sorry for posting in different threads, hehe, I don't want to confuse those who might search for topics. and my Skippy had been dealing with different problems lately.

Anyway, since she is sick -but recovering now (Enteritis), she doesn't want to eat. Although a while ago, I saw her drinking already from the bowl (we don't have to use the syringe), but I don't see her eating the rolled oats. She doesn't touch her hay as well..

How can I make her eat? I don't want to force her to eat anymore... And when can I give her back the pellets?

Please help! She's gradually losing weight! :(
 
I'm not sure why she doesn't have pellets now? Is it because you think they upset her stomach? The fact is they are better for her than porridge oats as they must have more fibre in, and a different type of fibre - oats swell in the gut as they contain soluble fibre, whereas she needs the type of fibre that will pass through to keep her gut healthy. When I have fed my rabbits porridge oats in winter I always make them into porridge, never feed dry - mix a spoonful of oats with a few pellets then splash of boiling water from the kettle to soak 5 mins into a thickish paste - you could also try syringing that into her with probiotics.

You will have to force feed her unfortunately if she won't eat by choice. Having said that I don't see my rabbits eat much in the middle part of the day - they have pellets and hay at breakfast, a siesta from about 11am till about 4pm then veg, then more pellets and hay at 9pm.

As she really needs fibre and probiotics I think if you cut the end off a syringe to make the hole bigger, then liquidise hay, mix with some water and probiotic, and syringe her that with a few pellets mushed up in it. Be careful when syringing to put the syringe sideways in behind the front teeth though, as if she inhales some food it will cause pneumonia.

Poor bunny - you are working hard nursing her too and I know that's not easy - hope she starts to recover soon :(
 
I agree with elve.

Have you tried giving her usual food and some hay? Also, when my lot are poorly, they really like things like blackberry leaves and carrot tops. I know she won't be able to eat much of them but they will often tempt them to eat.
 
When I had a very poorly 10 week old baby bun I tempted her to eat with corriander, the herb. :D Hope this helps and sending healing vibes :)
 
You mean like, at the age of Skippy (turned 2 months), I can give her veggies already?

Some people said that she's too young :(

Actually, a while ago, something shocking happened. My auntie texted me that Skippy already died! And my other bunny, Papai, was contaminated! Then when I came home from school, I was surprised to see that Skippy was still alive! My auntie told me that before they texted me, they were very sure that Skippy was dead, she wasn't moving and was still lying. They try to move her head to make sure if she's dead or not, and she wasn't moving. Then when they dropped her down to her cage and was already planning for her burial. Then when they checked on her once more, they were shocked to see that she was hopping inside the cage... I don't know what happened, but all they are here were quite shocked (and happy) about it.

By the way.. Papai is having enteritis also. I started to feed them last night with little amount of the green pellets and oats (in warm water). Don't know if it is really the pellets which are making them sick. :\ the product by the way is Mypeto E-frisian (you may not know this product).. I remember I was feeding this pellets to my other rabbits when they were still bunnies and back then, no problem like this occurred.

Can anyone give me feedback (or anything that you know) about Hagen rabbit pellets?
 
Yup, she went to the vet last Sunday. But the vet doesn't seem to know what to tell me, because she told me to give her Yakult, and dairy products aren't good right? And also, she prescribed me to get her Pedialyte. I also give her Infloran..
 
This is a copy-paste of my first post to you last week -

I don't know if you can get probiotic powder from a vets? Mixed with water and dripped carefully into her mouth it will give her the right bacteria for her stomach. She really needs to also have rehydration salts and intravenous fluids as she may have gone into shock, which could be why she's so quiet now It could be coccidia as that's common in baby rabbits - this is a good article on it http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in.../bc/171332.htm
If you can't get the right drugs from a vet she is very unlikely to survive though, and may infect your other rabbits if they share an area, so keep her seperate and disinfect the area she has been in.
It might be a good idea to put the sulfaquinoxaline (I can't remember the exact name - the article mentions it) in the drinking water of the other rabbits, as it will protect them if she does have coccidia - but can a vet give you some? It needs to be mixed one part sulfaquinoxaline to 19 parts water, fresh every day.........'

Also see this extract from Dana Krempels article for antibiotics for coccidia, although your vet might not want to prescribe them without a poo analysis, which takes a week.

..........'The Causes of Runny Stool in Baby Rabbits
1. Weaning Too Young
If the bunny suffering from runny stool is a baby, how old is he? If younger than eight weeks, and not nursing, his runny stool problem may be due to his being weaned too young. Many pet stores will (illegally) sell rabbits younger than eight weeks of age (and some as young as four weeks!), because that is when they are still "cute" and more apt to be purchased on a whim. Sadly, many of these babies will succumb to intestinal disorders.
Unlike most mammals, baby rabbits have a sterile lower intestine until they begin to eat solid food at the age of 3-4 weeks. It is during this time that their intestines are at their most critical phase, and the babies need their mother's milk, which changes pH and provides vital antibodies that help the baby gradually adjust to his changing intestinal environment. Without mother's milk, a baby starting to eat solid food is highly susceptible to enteritis (inflammation of the intestinal lining), which can cause fatal diarrhea.

At the first sign of runny stool in a baby rabbit, off to the vet! Treatment for diarrhea in baby rabbits will probably include subcutaneous fluid thereapy, and administration of oral probiotics. Lactobacillus acidophilus powder (NOT yogurt, which can make the problem worse) suspended in clean drinking water and carefully administered via syringe seems to help foster a healthy intestinal environment and may even soothe intestinal inflammation. A very small amount of a clay-based product such as Kaopectate can help solidify the stool and stop the cycle.


2. Intestial Parasites
As mentioned before, coccidial infection is very common in some areas, and some vets will simply treat a baby rabbit's diarrhea as coccidia, even without a fecal test. Common antibiotics used to treat coccidia include Albon and the potentiated sulfas, such as Trimethoprim Sulfa (TMZ) or Bactrim.
 
Can you find another vet that is more experienced with rabbits? I really hope your bunny gets better soon.

Elve, I know weetabix isn't something you should feed a bun on all the time but do you think it would be worth trying if the bun is losing weight, maybe grind some pellets down and mix it with a bit of weetabix and some water?
 
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Can you find another vet that is more experienced with rabbits? I really hope your bunny gets better soon.

Elve, I know weetabix isn't something you should feed a bun on all the time but do you think it would be worth trying if the bun is losing weight, maybe grind some pellets down and mix it with a bit of weetabix and some water?

Rabbits need a high fibre diet and plenty of fluids to survive this illness - high carb foods are usually what causes it in the first place as carbs feed the 'bad' bacteria in the stomach, which then take over, producing toxins which damage the liver and poison the rabbit. A pellet with high protein or fibre attached to grains which are high protein will have the same effect - rabbits need low protein, high fibre and plenty fresh water. Giving cholestyramine (a human medicine for high choleserol) mixed at a rate of half teaspoon in 20cc water can help pass the toxins out of the body, but again, you need a vet with some knowledge and skill to prescribe it - really this bunny should be on a drip and being force fed high fibre such as liquidised hay and water plus fibreplex http://www.protexin.com/vet/product.php?id=22 and all the rabbits should have stringent cleaning of their area and food dishes etc, plus it wouldn't hurt to have that sufaquinoxaline in their water - it's all impossible without a good vet to prescribe what's needed though and so frustrating to watch from thousands of miles away :(
 
Well as soon as I saw 'rabbits for sale' at the top of the page I didn't read further - nobody knowledgeable about rabbits would breed them in my opinion! Bear in mind anybody can make a webpage and put anything on it - it's not always true. The info I posted is from respected rabbit experts and vet websites :)
 
Thanks elve!.. but can you tell me if www.rabbit.org is a reliable site? I mean, I saw "yogurt" on medicating rabbit section. http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/medicating.html

My Skippy is getting better, well, at least I think she is, because she's eating and drinking already (without the use of syringe).

May I know if I need to deworm them? Do I need piperazine? I read about pinworms causing enteritis to baby bunnies. I just need clarifications and how should I use it to them?
 
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