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Enlarged heart - change in appetite - hungry but won't eat

bunny babe

Wise Old Thumper
Rambo has been diagnosed during the last week with fluid on his lungs and an enlarged heart and mild renal issues. Fluid has now cleared and we now have appropriate meds to treat his condition.

We are still getting grumbling tummy each time he takes some food. He is on infacol and cisapride to keep things moving. He is also on zantac/metacam.

The problem we are having is that his appetite has changed and he will not eat hay or pellets (unless we hand feed him and they are wet) and is mainly on grass, herbs, carrot tops, black kale.

Has anyone else come across this in a rabbit with this i.e. that they are hungry but will not eat themselves and taste has changed to what they will usually eat. Any hints or tips as to how to get him back on hay (trying spraying with apple juice today)
 
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My Phillip has an enlarged heart and fluid and his appetite took a good few weeks to get back to normal after he was diagnosed. He wouldn’t eat his favourite greens for weeks. It was just a case of time and perseverance! Obviously keep an eye but I would say as long as he’s eating something and going to the toilet etc then don’t panic too much just yet!


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My Phillip has an enlarged heart and fluid and his appetite took a good few weeks to get back to normal after he was diagnosed. He wouldn’t eat his favourite greens for weeks. It was just a case of time and perseverance! Obviously keep an eye but I would say as long as he’s eating something and going to the toilet etc then don’t panic too much just yet!
Thank you. He has been poorly for a few weeks but has only just been diagnosed properly. Fingers crossed then that he will get his appetite back.
 
I don’t have any experience of this so I can’t advise but I’m sending lots of vibes xx
 
From the list of meds you emailed me I'd say the only one likely to affect his appetite is the abx (Doxycycline) . That said, an individual Rabbit may react badly to any drug and it could cause anorexia.

But from what you have said Rambo does seem hungry, goes to eat, then hops away. I cant remember if M ruled out any ear abscess issues and/or Dental problems (skull radiographs for both) ?? Sorry, had rather a lot going on here and my brain is more frazzled than ever :oops:

I ask as it seems that Rambo is willing to eat soft food which can be indicative of ear pain/dental pain (especially involving elongated tooth roots).

Have you tried feeding him from a raised feeder ? Rabbits with heart problems sometimes find it makes them short of breath to have their nose down in a food bowl.

Are you weighing him at home and is he maintaining his weight ?

What is his water intake like ?
 
From the list of meds you emailed me I'd say the only one likely to affect his appetite is the abx (Doxycycline) . That said, an individual Rabbit may react badly to any drug and it could cause anorexia.

But from what you have said Rambo does seem hungry, goes to eat, then hops away. I cant remember if M ruled out any ear abscess issues and/or Dental problems (skull radiographs for both) ?? Sorry, had rather a lot going on here and my brain is more frazzled than ever :oops:

I ask as it seems that Rambo is willing to eat soft food which can be indicative of ear pain/dental pain (especially involving elongated tooth roots).

Have you tried feeding him from a raised feeder ? Rabbits with heart problems sometimes find it makes them short of breath to have their nose down in a food bowl.

Are you weighing him at home and is he maintaining his weight ?

What is his water intake like ?
As usual, Jane gave you good information.
Years ago I had a bunny who could not have medicam because it caused him to not want to eat. Recently, my Gemini lost his appetite when he had head tilt from ear infection, and his appetite got even worse after a few days on his abx. It is a good sign that your bunny will eat soft foods. Sending you some positive vibes for continued improvement.
 
We did get a raised feeder which I got him but has not made any difference. He did have skull x-ray but nothing was highlighted as being an issues. If it was elongated roots, would that be controlled by pain killers? Ears I guess would be abx. I will ask again about these to be sure.

He will eat hard treats e.g. fenugreek crunchies, rosewood hearts without any problems.

He will graze on grass.

I am weighing him regularly and his weight, although it dropped, is increasing.

Water wise it is good and drinks well, he also passes plenty of urine due to Fruso.

We still have the gas issue (potentially due to him taking in more air with his breathing)

Ate quite a few nuggets that were briefly dunked in water last night, followed by breakfast bowl of grass (cut with scissors and given straight away) - could this cause gas?

Now he has hardly eaten anything overnight. I have given him a syringe feed and he is bright in himself.
 
We did get a raised feeder which I got him but has not made any difference. He did have skull x-ray but nothing was highlighted as being an issues. If it was elongated roots, would that be controlled by pain killers? Ears I guess would be abx. I will ask again about these to be sure.

He will eat hard treats e.g. fenugreek crunchies, rosewood hearts without any problems.

He will graze on grass.

I am weighing him regularly and his weight, although it dropped, is increasing.

Water wise it is good and drinks well, he also passes plenty of urine due to Fruso.

We still have the gas issue (potentially due to him taking in more air with his breathing)

Ate quite a few nuggets that were briefly dunked in water last night, followed by breakfast bowl of grass (cut with scissors and given straight away) - could this cause gas?

Now he has hardly eaten anything overnight. I have given him a syringe feed and he is bright in himself.

Grass is very rich at this time of year, so it may contribute to a GI tract problem if the Rabbit eats a lot of it x
 
I don't have any experience of heart problems but one of mine has dental and liver problems and what he wants to eat changes on a day to day basis. The other day he ate grass for the first time in months and the next day he wouldn't touch his pellets. I just try to make sure he has plenty of options so he can choose what he wants to have.
 
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