Could it be something as simple as smell stimulating appetite ? Like when humans have a cold they complain of food tasting like cardboard or whatever
Tan, my almost 8yr old doe, has always been the lightest of the three rabbits. She doesn't eat any less and in fact I think all of them eat a lot.
She is being monitored by my vet for arthritis, muscle wastage and difficulty in maintaining weight. She had a review appointment yesterday and we discussed the possibility of her having mild Pasteurella. She has a previous history of a jaw abscess, treated with surgery and Penicillin about 3 years ago, which was not connected with dental issues. She's never had dental issues. She had quite a bad LRTI very soon after I rescued her, but none since. The only hint that it could be Pasteurella is that when she gets stressed, as yesterday because of the vet visit, she leaks clear fluid from her nose. It only happens when she's very stressed and the fluid is always clear.
So I can quite safely say that her problem with maintaining weight is not because of not eating. So that leaves the possiblity that Pasteurella affects the absorption of nutrients in some way, but I've not heard that before.
This is all very interesting Omi
Your case very much accords with what I was thinking of.. the possiblity that Pasteurella affects the absorption of nutrients. Or a low grade infection affects absorption of nutrients.
I think I might try/suggest a supplement that helps absorption of nutrients and see whether that affects weight and health.
Thank you for your input
There is normally a relation.
If still eating normally it tends to be due to an underlying infection which is making it hard for the body to absorb everything properly etc.
If not eating properly, as J&B said it tends to be due to an inability to smell things properly and food not tasting quite right
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That's interesting, one of my rabbits had lost a bit of weight at his last health check so the vet nurse asked me to keep an eye on his weight as he's already quite thin. He eats well so I assumed the other 2 were maybe just eating quicker than him but he is the one that sneezes occasionally. He's never been diagnosed with pasteurella or any other infection, I do mention the sneezing when he's at the vet for vacs, health checks etc and the vet has checked him over and said it's probably just hay / dust causing the sneezing. He has done this pretty much since we got him (he's 2 now, we adopted him aged around 4 months).
Is it not the case though that elderly rabbits sometimes have a problem with keeping their weight up and so in Tan's case it could be due to that, rather than a possible diagnosis of Pasteurella?
Yes, definitely elderlies do have that issue, in my experience. But the rabbits I have come across are not particularly elderly. I have also noticed in two cases that the weight loss coincided with a runny nose.
I found that a rabbit in good health would maintain weight until around 12 years, and only then (and other circumstances had come into play by then also) would find keeping weight on an issue.
It's just that the two things seem to happen at the same time ....
Perhaps a decline in the immune system has something to do with nutrient absorption?
This is a very interesting thread. I had one bunny with chronic pasturella & she was a skinny little thing (I'd always attributed that to her not being food motivated & always on the go). You should go see FHB Q&A thing in Sept & see if she has observed anything
If you remember my Lady Blue, she too suffered with snotty nose for months.. and in the last month she was dropping weight so fast! i was feeding her endless amounts of Oxbow Critical Care and smashed nuggets but she was just getting skinnier and skinnier.. The vet said to me he knew the second she was losing weight that she'd given up the fight.. he was right i think as a week later she crossed over <3
I put it down to her having to use so much energy in breathing that she was burning so much of the food off that nothing was actually keeping the weight on.
Winston lost weight recently, but his appetite was fine and he was eating really well. He was treating for liver coccidiosis although neither the vet nor myself were very convinced he had it. I upped the rabbits feed so they get a scoop of pellets in the evening and that seems to have helped him maintain a healthy weight. He has been sneezing quite a lot recently, but no nasal discharge, still eating well and seems happy in himself so i've put it down to slightly dusty hay. I know i'm not really contributing much to this discussion....but it sort of seemed vaguely relevant!