Sophie's losing weight

[a reader of books]

We have a vet appointment for tomorrow. It'll be the third time in three weeks that they see the vet, poor bunnies. Her weight is never as stable as Casper's, so her losing some weight two weeks in a row isn't that unusual, and then I thought her weightloss was because of her spurs, but she's been eating well for a week now (aside from her wanting to be hand-fed her pellets this weekend) and her weight is still going down and is now too low.

She had unexplained weightloss at the start of last year as well, and we were never able to find a cause, so following the vet's advice I just gave her more pellets and that made her get her weight back, so hopefully it's just that again, that she needs more pellets. I haven't changed anything in her diet, but maybe her needs have changed. I hope it's just that again, rather than something more serious. I saw in my notes from last year that the first things we did was a urine test and a blood test, so I'll see if I can get some of her urine tomorrow afternoon before the appointment.

 

[KCG]

I'm so sorry to hear that. At the beginning of July, Cookie lost 200 Gr after sterilization surgery and I was so scared. Then he gained some weight again but I couldn't deal with the details. Then I couldn't deal with Cookie's weight because we were constantly dealing with other diseases, I will look at her weight again this week. You made me realize that, thank you.

Obviously, Cookie lost weight post-illness. I remember Sophie's been ill recently, maybe it's because of her.
You can take a look at the article:
https://www.rabbitcaretips.com/rabbit-losing-weight/#Do_Rabbits_Lose_Weight_in_the_Summer

I also send a lot of vibrations for Sophie xxxxxxx

 

[Omi]

I hope that your vet appointment for them both goes well tomorrow. I think it's a good idea to go armed with a urine sample for Sophie and it's good that you had made a note of the diagnostics that were done last time.

I think you probably do, but when you weigh your bunnies, do you make sure that it's at the same time of the day and that the food intake beforehand has been similar? Your chart does show a small, but steady weight loss though over the 3 months and I can understand your concern. Casper's weight is really quite remarkably stable!

 

[Zoobec]

I hope the vets appointment goes well and that there’s nothing wrong xx

 

[bunny momma]

Sending vibes. Fluid intake? Weather?

 

[joey&boo]

Lots of vibes for one of my fave RU bunnies tomorrow - I hope the appointment offers some assurance.

 

[Cuthbert&Dillon]

Topping up the vibes for Sophie, hope all goes well at the vets.

 

[a reader of books]

I'm so sorry to hear that. At the beginning of July, Cookie lost 200 Gr after sterilization surgery and I was so scared. Then he gained some weight again but I couldn't deal with the details. Then I couldn't deal with Cookie's weight because we were constantly dealing with other diseases, I will look at her weight again this week. You made me realize that, thank you.

Obviously, Cookie lost weight post-illness. I remember Sophie's been ill recently, maybe it's because of her.
You can take a look at the article:
https://www.rabbitcaretips.com/rabbit-losing-weight/#Do_Rabbits_Lose_Weight_in_the_Summer

I also send a lot of vibrations for Sophie xxxxxxx

Thank you for the vibes and sharing that article, KCG. About Cookie, I think it's always a good idea to weigh bunnies every week to keep an eye on their weight, as it can tell you things about their health. Weightloss is a often a first sign that something is wrong, so it's a good way to catch some things early.

I hope that your vet appointment for them both goes well tomorrow. I think it's a good idea to go armed with a urine sample for Sophie and it's good that you had made a note of the diagnostics that were done last time.

I think you probably do, but when you weigh your bunnies, do you make sure that it's at the same time of the day and that the food intake beforehand has been similar? Your chart does show a small, but steady weight loss though over the 3 months and I can understand your concern. Casper's weight is really quite remarkably stable!

Thank you, Omi. I do try to always weigh them around the same times, yes. Normally I do it before they have their dinner. That's a good point, though, since there'd probably be a significant difference between before and after they have their pellets. And, yeah, Casper's weight tends to remain stable even while he has dental troubles!

I hope the vets appointment goes well and that there’s nothing wrong xx

Thank you, Zoobec.

Sending vibes. Fluid intake? Weather?

Thank you for the vibes, bunny momma. She was drinking more than usual this weekend, but she's drinking her usual amount now. I'll mention it to the vet, though. The weather hasn't been anything special, really! Not overly hot or overly cold.

Lots of vibes for one of my fave RU bunnies tomorrow - I hope the appointment offers some assurance.

Aw, thank you, j&b.

Topping up the vibes for Sophie, hope all goes well at the vets.

Thank you, too, C&D.



I weighed her yesterday evening and she was 2.110 kg, so at least she hasn't lost more weight.

 

[Walli]

I hope the appointment goes well!

 

[CarelessSquid07]

Fingers crossed the appointment goes well.

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk

 

[a reader of books]

Thank you, Walli and CarelessSquid07.

The appointment went well. The vet said she has only lost a little weight, and the examination went fine, so since she has no other symptoms the vet said that for now we'll just see if she starts gaining weight again if I give her more pellets. He didn't seem super concerned, which makes me think that maybe I've been worrying too much again and have overreacted and her weightloss isn't that significant. Still, the only other time her weight was this low was last time she had unexplained weightloss, and the vet (a different vet) was concerned then, so I'm not sure when I should be worried.

 

[joey&boo]

Thank you, Walli and CarelessSquid07.

The appointment went well. The vet said she has only lost a little weight, and the examination went fine, so since she has no other symptoms the vet said that for now we'll just see if she starts gaining weight again if I give her more pellets. He didn't seem super concerned, which makes me think that maybe I've been worrying too much again and have overreacted and her weightloss isn't that significant. Still, the only other time her weight was this low was last time she had unexplained weightloss, and the vet (a different vet) was concerned then, so I'm not sure when I should be worried.

This sounds really positive. Whether you were worrying too much or not its surely better to be on the cautious side til you've had her assessed - as you say weight loss can be an early warning sign. Equally I hope you can relax now. Did your vet say anything about whether older rabbits need more food, whether they metabolise food less efficiently? I hope Sophie is pleased by the extra nugget rations. Putting weight on rabbits without causing other problems is a minefield

 

[Omi]

I'm glad that the vet wasn't concerned about Sophie's weight loss and that their examinations were OK. Hopefully Sophie will respond positively to a few more pellets and regain the weight she has lost. I agree it is difficult to know when to get concerned about small amounts of weight loss, especially with older rabbits, for whom it is so often an issue.

 

[InspectorMorse]

The general rule of thumb is weight loss is a concern if it is unexplained and 10% or more of their usual weight.

Older Rabbits tend to lose muscle mass, this can account for weight loss.. Muscle weighs more than fat .

Glad to hear the Vet check went well

 

[Pets mum]

Really pleased that the vets visit went well, hope it's put your mind at rest. I'm sure Sophie will enjoy the extra rations x

 

[joey&boo]

The general rule of thumb is weight loss is a concern if it is unexplained and 10% or more of their usual weight.

Older Rabbits tend to lose muscle mass, this can account for weight loss.. Muscle weighs more than fat .

Glad to hear the Vet check went well

Thats interesting & good to know. I worked out Sophies from highest weight in chart to lowest & it was just under 7% - I was getting Bob to teach me percentages :lol:

 

[KCG]

I'm so glad your vet visit went well. But you have to think about this, just as each rabbit's personality is different, so are their bodies. While Casper is at a constant weight, minor fluctuations in Sophie's weight may be normal, that's how Sophie's body works. Honestly, I think the same about Cookie.

 

[a reader of books]

This sounds really positive. Whether you were worrying too much or not its surely better to be on the cautious side til you've had her assessed - as you say weight loss can be an early warning sign. Equally I hope you can relax now. Did your vet say anything about whether older rabbits need more food, whether they metabolise food less efficiently? I hope Sophie is pleased by the extra nugget rations. Putting weight on rabbits without causing other problems is a minefield

That's true. I'd rather have her checked out when it maybe wasn't strictly necessary than discover later that it's something serious and we caught it too late. But I do feel more relaxed now, thank you. The vet didn't say anything about older rabbits needing more food or about how they metabolise it. He just said that she might need more pellets than she's getting, and that since she's getting older her body will be getting more worn down, and that if the kidneys work less well that will make a rabbit need more calories..? I think? I might have remembered completely wrong. I bet she'll be happy with the extra pellets! Hopefully they'll make her gain some weight without any issues. The vet said I'll have to keep a close eye on her poops.

Also, thank you for calculating her weight loss in percentages. I was going to, but now I don't have to. :lol:

I'm glad that the vet wasn't concerned about Sophie's weight loss and that their examinations were OK. Hopefully Sophie will respond positively to a few more pellets and regain the weight she has lost. I agree it is difficult to know when to get concerned about small amounts of weight loss, especially with older rabbits, for whom it is so often an issue.

Thank you, Omi. It's difficult, yeah. It'd be easier to tell, I think, with Casper, since his normal weight is so stable, so it'd be more obvious that something's going on if he suddenly lost weight.

The general rule of thumb is weight loss is a concern if it is unexplained and 10% or more of their usual weight.

Older Rabbits tend to lose muscle mass, this can account for weight loss.. Muscle weighs more than fat .

Glad to hear the Vet check went well

Ooh, both of those things are very helpful to know. Thank you for that, and for being glad the vet check went well.

Really pleased that the vets visit went well, hope it's put your mind at rest. I'm sure Sophie will enjoy the extra rations x

Thank you, Pets mum. I think she will, too!

I'm so glad your vet visit went well. But you have to think about this, just as each rabbit's personality is different, so are their bodies. While Casper is at a constant weight, minor fluctuations in Sophie's weight may be normal, that's how Sophie's body works. Honestly, I think the same about Cookie.

Thank you, KCG. You're right, and I normally don't get concerned about Sophie's weight not being as stable as Casper's, but I still think it's important to notice if she's losing or gaining weight several weeks in a row.

 

[mini lop1]

Could it be maybe time of year, more active during spring, summer months then autumn, winter months?.that could influence weight differences

 

[KCG]

Thank you, KCG. You're right, and I normally don't get concerned about Sophie's weight not being as stable as Casper's, but I still think it's important to notice if she's losing or gaining weight several weeks in a row.

Haha Now I started because of you. I'm starting to obsess about Cookie's weight :lol: