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Healthy foods to aid weight gain

Omi

Wise Old Thumper
Tan is a seven and a half year old Standard Rex and is gradually losing a bit of weight. I want to nip this in the bud before it becomes an issue. She is also starting to feel a bit thinner around her rear end and I guess she has lost a bit of muscle.

I know lots of you have foods that you use to put weight on elderly rabbits, e.g. carrots, oats, sunflower seeds. I don't think I would have any problem in introducing any of these in that she would eat them. I know she likes carrots, but she hardly ever gets any :) I could also just give her more pellets or give her junior pellets. What I would like to do though is to give her whatever is the healthiest way of adding weight.

What are your thoughts on this please?
 
I've not experienced too much of this but if one of my three was in this situation I'd probably add little chunks of apple & pear, possibly throw in a fibrafirst stick
 
I'd probably add in fibrafirst sticks as they're going to be more fiber.

Is it fat loss, or muscle wastage can you tell? (Or both).

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I'd probably add in fibrafirst sticks as they're going to be more fiber.

Is it fat loss, or muscle wastage can you tell? (Or both).

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I'm not sure. I have a vet appointment on Friday for their RHD2 jabs so I'll ask the vet what she thinks. They already have a few Fibafirst sticks a day each. Perhaps I'll just try to smuggle her a few more.
 
I'm not sure. I have a vet appointment on Friday for their RHD2 jabs so I'll ask the vet what she thinks. They already have a few Fibafirst sticks a day each. Perhaps I'll just try to smuggle her a few more.
Might be worth seeing what the vet says. If it's muscle wastage they may be able to show you some gentle physio which may help. If it's fat loss they should hopefully have a better idea of healthy weight gaining foods?

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I'm not sure. I have a vet appointment on Friday for their RHD2 jabs so I'll ask the vet what she thinks. They already have a few Fibafirst sticks a day each. Perhaps I'll just try to smuggle her a few more.

If the weightloss is 'unexplained' then personally I'd ask the Vet if running a blood profile might be a good idea before she has the RHD2 Vaccine

Readigrass and an Equine Feed 'Dengie Alfalfa A' can aid weight gain

http://www.dengie.com/horse-feeds/alfa-a-range/alfa-a-molasses-free/
 
If the weightloss is 'unexplained' then personally I'd ask the Vet if running a blood profile might be a good idea before she has the RHD2 Vaccine

Readigrass and an Equine Feed 'Dengie Alfalfa A' can aid weight gain

http://www.dengie.com/horse-feeds/alfa-a-range/alfa-a-molasses-free/

She scoffs the Oat Readigrass enthusiastically and has quite a lot each day. As I have said so often before, all three rabbits eat an enormous amount compared to rabbits I've had previously.

Tan has always been the lightest out of the three. I wouldn't say that her weight loss is unexplained as such in that she loses a bit of weight each Winter and puts it back on again in the Summer. As an example last Winter she weighed 3.07 kilo, last Summer 3.10 kilo and yesterday 2.84 kilo. Every year since we've had them her weight has fluctuated in the same way.

It's just that yesterday when I weighed her and did her nails, she felt bonier around her rear end. I guess it could be muscle. She certainly moves more carefully now, but still seems able to jump, periscope etc. I'll discuss it with the vet tomorrow before she has her RHD2.
 
Sounds more like a muscle wastage. JJ suggestion of bloods may be a good idea.
Hopefully your vet can help shed some light on Friday :)

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My vet said her back legs were stiff and that she felt bony. She didn't seem concerned about the weight fluctuation pattern and said it probably demonstrated that she preferred the fresh foods of summer. Well yes.......what rabbit doesn't. She said to give her as much food and as great a variety of food as she will eat. Ha, this could be the first instance of a rabbit exploding:lol: I just hope that she doesn't upset her digestive system.

Her thoughts were that she probably has arthritis and so I am to trial Metacam with her for three weeks and then go back for another examination and weighing. Bloods will be done if there is no change.

She felt it was OK to give the RHD2 vaccination and so she had it this morning.
 
Overall not a bad visit then?

I hope the metacam helps improve movement :) xx

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My vet said her back legs were stiff and that she felt bony. She didn't seem concerned about the weight fluctuation pattern and said it probably demonstrated that she preferred the fresh foods of summer. Well yes.......what rabbit doesn't. She said to give her as much food and as great a variety of food as she will eat. Ha, this could be the first instance of a rabbit exploding:lol: I just hope that she doesn't upset her digestive system.

Her thoughts were that she probably has arthritis and so I am to trial Metacam with her for three weeks and then go back for another examination and weighing. Bloods will be done if there is no change.

She felt it was OK to give the RHD2 vaccination and so she had it this morning.

Mouse wants to go to your vet! Bless your wee girlie, I hope Metacam helps
 
My vet said her back legs were stiff and that she felt bony. She didn't seem concerned about the weight fluctuation pattern and said it probably demonstrated that she preferred the fresh foods of summer. Well yes.......what rabbit doesn't. She said to give her as much food and as great a variety of food as she will eat. Ha, this could be the first instance of a rabbit exploding:lol: I just hope that she doesn't upset her digestive system.

Her thoughts were that she probably has arthritis and so I am to trial Metacam with her for three weeks and then go back for another examination and weighing. Bloods will be done if there is no change.

She felt it was OK to give the RHD2 vaccination and so she had it this morning.


Sounds like a really good and thorough vet check :thumb:

More catching and medicating for you ..
 
Sounds like a really good and thorough vet check :thumb:

More catching and medicating for you ..

Yes, I was pleased to watch how thorough she was with all of them.

Yes, more catching and medicating.... Tan's not so difficult to catch though.
 
Mouse wants to go to your vet! Bless your wee girlie, I hope Metacam helps

Thanks. It will actually be interesting to see just how much she will eat :) The difficult thing will be feeding only extra to Tan. They like to eat together. I think you said the same about yours.
 
A forage addition would be baby nettles - no stings when there are just 4-5 leaves showing. Good way to de sting them for buns is let wilt overnight, then roll them with a rolling pin.
 
A forage addition would be baby nettles - no stings when there are just 4-5 leaves showing. Good way to de sting them for buns is let wilt overnight, then roll them with a rolling pin.

Oooh thanks for the tip thumps :D

I tend to stick to dead nettle for the sake of my poor hands. But I'll do what you suggest (with rubber gloves) as there are loads of patches of newly growing nettles.

A silly question - are there many sorts of stinging nettles and are they all OK for rabbits?
 
Oooh thanks for the tip thumps :D

I tend to stick to dead nettle for the sake of my poor hands. But I'll do what you suggest (with rubber gloves) as there are loads of patches of newly growing nettles.

A silly question - are there many sorts of stinging nettles and are they all OK for rabbits?

Just 1 true sort of stinging nettle, but there's a type of mutant which grows about 6'+ tall!!
 
A forage addition would be baby nettles - no stings when there are just 4-5 leaves showing. Good way to de sting them for buns is let wilt overnight, then roll them with a rolling pin.

I'll give this a try tomorrow :) Thanks for the tip. Untreated nettles, not surprisingly, have been refused in the past.

Tan's back at the vets on Friday. I will weigh her tomorrow to see if she has gained at all. She's certainly been taking advantage of the ad lib food rations :)
 
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