Rabbit loss of appetite on antibiotics

[delilah456]

My rabbit started having sneezing fits and clear discharge from her nose. We took her to the vet and were prescribed Baytril twice a day for 10 days. We are on day 5 and her sneezing has stopped and her nose is clear but now she is not interested in eating. She has nibbled briefly when offered oat hay and only has chewed on carboard. She doesn't want pellets, lettuce, or treats she usually goes crazy for. The few poops she has done are very small. Can Baytril cause a loss of appetite? Her vet is out for the next 2 days and the closest emergency vet who sees rabbits is 2 hours away. Should I stop the Baytril and try to get probiotics?

Thank you for the help!

 

[Omi]

If your rabbit is not eating and her poops are less quantity and smaller, then she has the start of GI Stasis. How long is it since she stopped eating? It sounds as though she should really be seen by a vet, although I understand the distance problem. A vet could examine her properly to establish what is causing the issue and will probably prescribe some pain relief and gut medication. Have you tried persuading her to eat with some strong-smelling herbs and waving them in front of her face?

I have not heard of rabbits losing their appetite with Baytril. I hope you can get some help for her.

 

[joey&boo]

I had a bunny lose his appetite on another oral antibiotic but it wasn't baytril. The sneezing could also be the onset of dental probs. Thats a shame your vet isn't available. Will she accept syringe feeds? I'd advised getting food in her as a priority & continue to assess whether she needs urgent care through your less ideal vet. Good luck

 

[delilah456]

I am worried about bringing her to the faraway vet because she has already been very stressed with the medicine these last few days and don't want to put her through more than necessary.

I tried offering her basil that I have on hand but she won't eat it. I got oat hay and she has nibbled on it which is progress but still won't eat anything else other than cardboard. I still have metoclopramide from when she had stasis a year ago but I am worried about giving her additional meds without talking to her vet.

 

[delilah456]

The vet checked her mouth last time for dental problems but maybe we should do further testing to rule it out. She has begrudgingly accepted critical care and we're keeping a close eye on her.

 

[Shimmer]

Eating cardboard should definitely be discouraged as it can cause more gut issues. Does she have unlimited access to hay?

I would suggest that she needs to be examined by a vet - tonight if she stops eating or gets worse, or tomorrow anyway. You can always ring up for advice tonight. If the vet determines that there is no intestinal blockage, she can then be given medication to get her guts moving again (oral, daily) and you can do syringe feeds with a powdered recovery food that you mix up in water. I would also ask them to check the teeth - dental issues also stop a rabbit eating andeverything escalates. Back teeh can still be difficult to see properly, even with an otoscope.

Is she on any pain relief (eg Metacam)? Sometimes that is enough to get them eating again. I wouldn't stop the Baytril.

Is she breathing OK? If she's still bunged up with mucus / infection, she may struggle to eat. A steamy room for half an hour or so may help, as long as she's comfortable being there.

Dandelions and fresh grass sometimes get a reluctant bunny eating again. If it's a case of trying to get her to eat anything, you could also try a bit of apple or banana - but she really needs the fibre in hay to get her guts working properly (which is why she's eating cardboard). Moistened / mushy pellets are also worth trying - they are easier to eat.

 

[delilah456]

She seems to be breathing fine and isn't sneezing anymore. When she's stressed, I will hear slight wheezing but other than that the snuffles symptoms seem to have cleared up for the most part.

She has unlimited access to hay and water but still is only showing an interest in cardboard.

I was able to get her to a new vet yesterday and she was prescribed metoclopramide for her gut but no pain meds. She has been on that and the antibiotics for about 24 hours and she is pooping more/they are closer to normal size but she is still barely eating. She also seems to have more energy. The doctor said it could be from stress/the snuffles. I don't know what to do about the stress because she gets meds 3 times a day and absolutely hates it. We've tried hiding the meds in food but she won't take it unless she's wrapped in a towel and held. I feel so bad because she is very upset right now.

How long will it take her appetite to return? If the stress is killing her appetite, what should I do with needing to give her the antibiotics for another 5 days?

 

[Shimmer]

I would ask the vet for pain meds. You could ring up and ask (eg for oral Metacam) as they have already seen the rabbit. It can make a huge difference quite quickly.
I would also remove any cardboard and paper - it's not a good substitute for hay, and can cause further issues.

Easier said than done, but I find meds are best is you prepare the doses beforehand, put them where you can easily reach them, and make the actual procedure as quick and easy as possible. I always give oral meds direct in the mouth by syringe, across the teeth rather than straight in the front. Hold bunny wherever is comfortable for you both, with her feet on something solid. I find a worktop or on top a hutch works well as you can tuck them under one arm while dosing with the other hand. Wait until it has been swallowed before releasing bunny safely. Then you know they have had the right dose. Putting it in food can be a bit hit and miss, so it may not all actually be ingested. If it's not a nice tasting med, maybe offer a treat afterwards, or have a syringe of eg apple juice. Metacam is usually taken willingly, so I give that after the others to take the taste of the rest away.

If she's not eating much on her own, you need to offer syringe feeds reguarly as well (eg Critical Care), assuming the vet said there was no blockage when she was examined. Once she starts getting food in, she may eat better - it's a vicious circle - not eating leads to lack of appetite and gut slowdown. Increased poo output means she is getting better food input. For a rabbit that doesn't like being handled, you have to make a judgement call on what she can cope with before it makes the situation worse. She mayalso take it from a saucer, especially if it's mixed with some veg-based baby food puree (eg apple or carrot).

Is there anyone else that can give you a hand for a couple of days? She may take it better from someone who is just there to do the 'nasty' bits.

 

[Omi]

I agree with all of Shimmer's good advice, especially obtaining some pain relief for her. I, too, think it will make a lot of difference.

Did the vet confirm that her snuffles were improved?

 

[delilah456]

First off, thank you for all the advice and help! I have been very worried about her and it has been super helpful to get advice from other people who get rabbits.

I contacted the vet and she now has pain meds! We will see how it goes. When giving her meds, my roommate has been helping me and we wrap her in a towel and place her on a table to get them, with the meds pre set. The vet is decreasing the metoclopramide to twice a day and a slightly lower dosage from three times a day. She has eaten a few lettuce leaves and has more energy so she seems to be getting better in small steps. The antibiotics only have 2 more days to go so I'm hoping she's in the final stretch. The vet said the snuffles were clearing up the last time we went in and her lungs were still clear.

She is pooping more but there are now cectropes, which I never saw previously (I assume she's been consuming all of them). Is it normal to see more of these while she is recovering or from the stress? Meds are scaling back to twice a day so I'm hoping this helps her feel better.

 

[Shimmer]

The antibiotics may be affecting the taste of the caecotropes, which is why they are not being eaten. I wouldn't worry about it at the moment. It's more important to make sure she eats the fibre that her gut needs - so that ideally means lots of hay.

 

[joey&boo]

its common for buns to not eat their cecos when on ant-ibiotcs. I hope her appetite improves and she continues to move in the right direction. Good you got pain meds sorted

 

[InspectorMorse]

First off, thank you for all the advice and help! I have been very worried about her and it has been super helpful to get advice from other people who get rabbits.

I contacted the vet and she now has pain meds! We will see how it goes. When giving her meds, my roommate has been helping me and we wrap her in a towel and place her on a table to get them, with the meds pre set. The vet is decreasing the metoclopramide to twice a day and a slightly lower dosage from three times a day. She has eaten a few lettuce leaves and has more energy so she seems to be getting better in small steps. The antibiotics only have 2 more days to go so I'm hoping she's in the final stretch. The vet said the snuffles were clearing up the last time we went in and her lungs were still clear.

She is pooping more but there are now cectropes, which I never saw previously (I assume she's been consuming all of them). Is it normal to see more of these while she is recovering or from the stress? Meds are scaling back to twice a day so I'm hoping this helps her feel better.

A combination of being on antibiotics and also stress can cause a Rabbit to not eat their cecotrophs. Antibiotics can disrupt the bacteria which inhabit the hind gut and so cecotrophes will smell and taste ‘wrong’ to the Rabbit. What are her fecal poops like ?

Getting fibre into her is important now. Is she eating any hay at all ? You could give her some Fibreplex for 5 days which can help recolonise the hind gut with ‘good’ bacteria, it also has added fibre too

https://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-supp...ements-c-649_418/fibreplex-for-rabbits-p-1180

I would try to encourage her to eat hay as this will be by far the most beneficial thing to get her GI tract function back to normal. Lettuce has no nutritional value, it is fibre she needs

If you are having to syringe feed her, which would be the case if all she is eating for herself is a bit of lettuce, then I would suggest using Emeraid rather than the usual Critical Care

https://hyperdrug.co.uk/emeraid-herbivore/

 

[Omi]

Well done, it's good that you got some pain relief for her and also that you have found an easier way of getting her medicated. I agree with others though, she does need some fibre to get her digestive system back to normal.

Sending her lots more vibes.

 

[delilah456]

Thank you for the suggestions! I will get her the fibreplex/emeraid. She is eating hay now (although it's about half the amount she used to) and eating most of the lettuce. I am still giving her critical care because her appetite isn't fully recovered. Her poops are closer to her normal size. The vet said to keep her on the meds for 2 more days and then stop. I am worried she might not be 100% by that point. Should I still stop the meds if her appetite isn't fully recovered? How long can it take for her to fully recover? The last time she had stasis she was ok within a week but it is taking longer this time, but that's probably because of the snuffles/all the stress.

 

[Shimmer]

I've always kept the gut meds going until they were definitely eating normally again, otherwise it risks them going into stasis again and then it's harder to get on top of it again.

 

[Omi]

Is she eating her cecotrophs now? Just to clarify also, is she now still on the pain relief and the Metoclopramide for two more days. And she stopped having the antibiotics a couple of days ago? Is she completely clear of any snuffles?

It's certainly an improvement that she's eating more hay :thumb:

 

[delilah456]

The snuffles are cleared and no signs have come back since she stopped the antibiotics a few days ago! The vet said to stop the pain meds and metoclopramide in 2 days but I was worried about stopping if she isn't 100%. She is eating her cecotrophs again!