• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Really worried about Jims

rachylou said:
Thank you Jessbun!
I have ordered the nose mouth masks from Amazon so thank you for that idea!
We have increased the Profibre pellets and also am starting to introduce Science selective though he doesn't seem so keen on them.
Click to expand...

I'm glad I was able to offer something useful :D x There's nothing worse than hay/straw dust setting asthma off - so painful especially if you've misplaced your inhaler! My first ever attack at one zoo I had no inhaler as had never suffered before, and wasn't provided a mask. Next place was fab and did - it just helped take the edge off so I could still work in those conditions!

I'm really rooting for Jimby. Hopefully with his panacur course and his pellets slightly increased he'll start to pick up and at the very least give him extra energy to fight whatever is going on. Hopefully you can get to the bottom of it. I think other members will have tips on how to make wobbly buns more comfortable? x
 
It is awful isn't it!! I couldn't find my inhaler a little while ago and really found it hard to breath.
I wish I could make all this go away for him my baby.
 
I'm sorry to see Jimby is poorly :( I agree that it might be a good idea to look for a different vet ASAP. A blood test should be standard in this situation. In the meantime, porridge oats and carrots are good for gaining weight quite quickly. Sending mega vibes and hugs xxx
 
I am growing increasingly cross with the vet that saw Jimby to basically say that if he hasn't gained weight in a week that we should call it quits without so much as a blood test. I have emailed my normal vet and stated my concerns so feel better that I have shared my feelings.
 
Really unsure what to do, Jimby is going in tomorrow to be re weighed and we have the option of taking bloods, I don't want to speak too soon but he has picked up a lot in the past 2 days he seems more like himself and is seeking out food.
Is the Panacure likely to have made any difference in 5 days??
Would you still go for bloods if it risked sending him backwards due to stress or see how he goes over the next week?
 
rachylou said:
Really unsure what to do, Jimby is going in tomorrow to be re weighed and we have the option of taking bloods, I don't want to speak too soon but he has picked up a lot in the past 2 days he seems more like himself and is seeking out food.
Is the Panacure likely to have made any difference in 5 days??
Would you still go for bloods if it risked sending him backwards due to stress or see how he goes over the next week?
Click to expand...

If he has not gained weight or if he has lost weight personally I'd get the bloods done.
 
rachylou said:
Really unsure what to do, Jimby is going in tomorrow to be re weighed and we have the option of taking bloods, I don't want to speak too soon but he has picked up a lot in the past 2 days he seems more like himself and is seeking out food.
Is the Panacure likely to have made any difference in 5 days??
Would you still go for bloods if it risked sending him backwards due to stress or see how he goes over the next week?
Click to expand...

It's certainly quite stressful to have bloods taken, and sometimes a vet can't manage it and needs to sedate the rabbit!

I would see what his weight is, and then make a decision x
 
How much weight should we expect him to have gained in 5 days?
Our vets don't very often take blood from rabbits they can't remember the last time, should I be worried?
 
rachylou said:
How much weight should we expect him to have gained in 5 days?
Our vets don't very often take blood from rabbits they can't remember the last time, should I be worried?
Click to expand...

It's impossible to say how much he should have gained as I dont know what his weight was last week, what dietary changes have been made etc. Were you thinking of finding a more Rabbit savvy Vet to consult as I know you said that you are not happy with what your current Vet said about Jims last week ?

There are some Rabbit Savvy Vet in Surrey recommendations here :

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/vetfinder/copy_of_county-or-city/england/surrey
 
rachylou said:
How much weight should we expect him to have gained in 5 days?
Our vets don't very often take blood from rabbits they can't remember the last time, should I be worried?
Click to expand...

I think so long as there's an upward trend I would be happy. 10 grams would be good!

Please try not to worry xxx
 
His weight last March was 2.3kg and last week he was 1.3kg.
Over the past few months his diet has been a bit hit and miss- we stopped Allen and Paige pellets altogether, we then slowly stopped the pro fibre pellets and were not consistent with fresh herbs or dried herbs or fenugreek a due to finacial restraints. They had unlimited hay which as mentioned before Dan had been a bit lazy with so they didn't always have fresh hay when he didn't change it every day. I have extreme asthma when it comes to changing the hay hence that's Dans job.
Over the past 5 days they have had freshhay everyday. Lots of dried herbs and been consistent with the fresh herbs, they have also had a couple of treats a day (one that is for the immune system) we have also been giving 2 small scoop scoop of Pro fibre again and introduced science selective as well.

Oh gosh I just saw him struggle so much jumping into the litter box it's like his back end wasn't working and he was kicking his little legs so much to try and get in. That was horrible to see.
 
As you say, his diet hasn't been consistent, with stopping pellets and then not even getting fresh hay every day. I'm surprised you didn't know that they weren't getting cleaned out every day, or therefore getting fresh hay. I hope jimby starts to improve.
 
rachylou said:
His weight last March was 2.3kg and last week he was 1.3kg.
Over the past few months his diet has been a bit hit and miss- we stopped Allen and Paige pellets altogether, we then slowly stopped the pro fibre pellets and were not consistent with fresh herbs or dried herbs or fenugreek a due to finacial restraints. They had unlimited hay which as mentioned before Dan had been a bit lazy with so they didn't always have fresh hay when he didn't change it every day. I have extreme asthma when it comes to changing the hay hence that's Dans job.
Over the past 5 days they have had freshhay everyday. Lots of dried herbs and been consistent with the fresh herbs, they have also had a couple of treats a day (one that is for the immune system) we have also been giving 2 small scoop scoop of Pro fibre again and introduced science selective as well.

Oh gosh I just saw him struggle so much jumping into the litter box it's like his back end wasn't working and he was kicking his little legs so much to try and get in. That was horrible to see.
Click to expand...

I would see what his weight is like tomorrow and then decide what you feel is the best thing to do. Hind leg weakness can be an issue for underweight Rabbits. They loose muscle mass. Can you provide him with a drop sided litter box so he does not have to jump into it ?
 
Being honest Rachylou, I think it's quite likely that the reason for his weight loss is lack of pellets and proper feeding schedule. Without adequate vitamins and minerals, the immune system then goes down also, leaving them very vulnerable to illness to boot, being underweight also contributes to a poor immune system so there is a lot of factors here.

None of this said to upset you hon so I hope it doesn't, it is only meant to try and help, as I would hate to see him be recommended PTS if this is a care issue (meaning it can be rectified!) though I know it's not the nicest thing to hear. I've made mistakes myself in trying to reduce pellet rations and replace with a variety of forage etc, and it's caused weight loss - it's really not easy.

Rabbits can't be sustained on a diet of hay, and not fresh at that - it has very little nutrition but as we know is vital for fibre and teeth wearing. They can be sustained on a diet of herbs, forage and vegetables but this is extremely difficult for most of us to get the calories and nutrients right, along with vitamins and minerals they need. Maybe other members will disagree with me but personally, I don't think a lot of rabbits can sustain a healthy weight on hay and herbs, especially if it is inconsistent.

I do appreciate you've now made changes and hope (and suspect) Jimby will make improvements because of this so well done :thumb: I think it's worth bearing in mind though that whilst we can cut corners on some things due to finances, some things you just cannot and one of those is adequate food. If the financial situation arises again whereby you cannot afford food in addition to hay every day, I'd personally kindly (but I have to be honest) strongly advise to reassess the situation in the best interests of the buns because half of his body weight is severe. They just can't go without adequate food as it's not fair on them hon x I would advise to keep him on a ration of pellets from now as it'll ensure he's getting calories and most if not all of the minerals and vitamins he needs, and if you ever want to feed herbs etc just use them as an extra.

As far as weight gain goes, rabbits are very quick to lose weight but it can take some time for them to put it back on. If he's gaining anything, it's an improvement. I would give it 3/4 weeks to start to see improvements on weight. Also bare in mind the wobbliness could be from muscle wastage as I've no doubt his body would have started getting energy from his muscles now.

Were you honest with the vet about the feeding? Also like to add I'm not suggesting he doesn't have a health issue going on in addition to this, he quite possibly could have but there are simpler issues going on here. x
 
Last edited:
I went on at Dan for not cleaning them out enough and he didn't listen, I have now ordered some face masks so in an emergency I can do the hay without having an asthma attack.
I will do anything I possibly can to keep them well fed from now on.
I am giving them some of their Christmas presents now to try and get his weight up.
Yes I was honest with the vet about their diet.
Jane I have bought a cat litter tray so he only has a little jump but he decided to jump in the underbed storage box we use for hay
 
Last edited:
I know you have ordered the facemasks so you can clean them yourself hon, so know that you are putting changes in place x

Did the vets not suggest this could be issue, or at least a big contributing factor to the issue when you explained the food issue? Can you mix a small amount of alfafa hay into Jimby's food just to help extra with the weight? I did this with outdoor bun in the worst of the weather, just to help give him a wee boost.

They do need to have food every single day and not just hay. We struggle with the pennies too so I do understand how hard it can be at certain times, but if the day came I could not afford some pellets for them even at our very worst financial times, for me that is the day they go elsewhere to someone who can provide food I'm afraid. They rely on us totally and I'd much rather let them go, than have times where they become ill because I can't feed them :(

Best vibes to Jimby so he can recover and stay healthy.
 
As it's been very cold recently bunnies eat a lot more food. This generates energy and helps keep them warm. My bunnies are eating loads more at the moment, pellets and hay and readigrass. The extra pellets are helping them maintain their weight. Lots of vibes for Jims. xxxxxx
 
As Dan obviously doesn't understand the care of rabbits (or perhaps isn't that interested and doesn't consider they are his pets) I think you are going to have to take over responsibility for them to make sure that there is a routine whereby they are cleaned out and fed every day.
 
rachylou said:
His weight last March was 2.3kg and last week he was 1.3kg.
Over the past few months his diet has been a bit hit and miss- we stopped Allen and Paige pellets altogether, we then slowly stopped the pro fibre pellets and were not consistent with fresh herbs or dried herbs or fenugreek a due to finacial restraints. They had unlimited hay which as mentioned before Dan had been a bit lazy with so they didn't always have fresh hay when he didn't change it every day. I have extreme asthma when it comes to changing the hay hence that's Dans job.
Over the past 5 days they have had freshhay everyday. Lots of dried herbs and been consistent with the fresh herbs, they have also had a couple of treats a day (one that is for the immune system) we have also been giving 2 small scoop scoop of Pro fibre again and introduced science selective as well.

Oh gosh I just saw him struggle so much jumping into the litter box it's like his back end wasn't working and he was kicking his little legs so much to try and get in. That was horrible to see.
Click to expand...

I know you mentioned his weight loss and how much it was at the beginning of the thread. As I said in my last post, I wouldn't worry yet until you've seen the vet and assessed his weight gain/loss. I would then make a decision.

The past is past, and you did your best :)
 
Generally speaking Dan is good with the rabbits for instance he is giving them both their Panacure, Jimby his metacam and cookie her eye drops each morning. I think he just sees the normal care a chore so yes I think I am going to have to take over normal care to make sure it is done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

bunny momma
Raven very ill- update He is Gone
2
Replies
37
Views
849
kattymieoww
kattymieoww
A
Possible underlying cause for dental issues?
Replies
4
Views
97
Apache
A
Moonstone
Older mini lop going off food - probable lymphoma
3 4 5
Replies
83
Views
1K
Moonstone
Moonstone
Back
Top