Bella needs to see vet

So bellas needing to go to vets. She’s not eating her cecotropes. I had her there before & they said cut out grass for a couple months & that will sort itwhich I did. It hasn’t done so this time it’s with a rabbit vet from the rabbit welfare site. I want tests done & it investigated. I feel like Iv been fobbed off a bit as Iv mentioned it before but Iv been doing a lot of research & it’s not normal or good for her. Morgan eats his fine. Somethings definitely going on I just pray it’s nothing serious. Thankfully I have insurance for both buns.


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Did the vet give a reason why they thought cutting out grass would help? Usually increasing things like hay/grass and cutting down on other food would be suggested depending on what the vet thinks the problem is. Has she had her teeth checked?

Cutting out grass seems a strange choice - I increase the grass for mine when he's struggling and cut back on his other greens cos he tends to eat them rather than hay. Grass isn't usually the problem with excess caecals.
If she is ok in herself have you tried cutting back her pellets if she has them? I think some pellets are also more likely to cause this problem.

Orenoko said:

Did the vet give a reason why they thought cutting out grass would help? Usually increasing things like hay/grass and cutting down on other food would be suggested depending on what the vet thinks the problem is. Has she had her teeth checked?

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Hi, thank you for commenting. yes it seemed strange to me but wasn’t an experienced vet. I said do you really think that’s going to do it as it’s part of their natural diet & he said yes. Iv not owned buns before so took the advice. He said it was first thing I should do. She hadn’t been out anyway as I took her inside after losing shadow & having dental (she had molar spurs). She’s only had hay & not pellets or anything. Eating anything else seems to make it worse & produce more of them on the floor. She had the issue while on pellets grass & veg & forage but it’s not cleared up without any so definitely can’t be the cause of it xx


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dollyanna said:

Cutting out grass seems a strange choice - I increase the grass for mine when he's struggling and cut back on his other greens cos he tends to eat them rather than hay. Grass isn't usually the problem with excess caecals.
If she is ok in herself have you tried cutting back her pellets if she has them? I think some pellets are also more likely to cause this problem.

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Hi, thank you for commenting. I know I found it very strange but I did it. She’s been inside now & also not been on pellets for a long time. Greens etc seem to make it worse so she’s just on hay & nothing she’s but it’s made no difference. Iv not owned buns before so took vets advice for the couple months no grass but it’s not helped. I’m seeing a rabbit savvy vet & im demanding it’s looked in to. She has berm sleeping/resting more today o noticed. Other than that she’s herself & eating & drinking xx


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I get the idea of limiting fresh grass if it were Spring when its rich IF it was new to that rabbit. Does Bella keep herself clean ok? If you offer her left cecos back to her will she eat them? As a new-ish bunny owner you might not know about scent glands yet. If they needed cleaning & she is leaving cecos it could be indicative of a mobility problem as you suspect, arthritis or similar

I'm sure her new bunny savvy vet will be able to diagnose the issue & make her more comfy

joey&boo said:

I get the idea of limiting fresh grass if it were Spring when its rich IF it was new to that rabbit. Does Bella keep herself clean ok? If you offer her left cecos back to her will she eat them? As a new-ish bunny owner you might not know about scent glands yet. If they needed cleaning & she is leaving cecos it could be indicative of a mobility problem as you suspect, arthritis or similar

I'm sure her new bunny savvy vet will be able to diagnose the issue & make her more comfy

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Hi, thank you for commenting. Yes it was strange to me as she always had grass. Yes she has cleaning issues & I have to clean her glands. Your right I didn’t know lol. I rushed her to vets a while back thinking she has an abscess & the stuff coming from the glands were dry blood! I thought the glands were cuts [emoji85]. I have to keep her brushed at her rear end & clean as she doesn’t manage & I learnt this now. The thing is when I mentioned arthritis to the vet he said she’s to young for it at 5. I gave before doing a lot of research on it in buns & this is t true at all. The poor thing was confined to a hutch before no exercise & that can also cause it to set in. This time with rabbit savvy vet I’m going to say I need to know if she has it. I was so lucky to get her as she’s normally booked up so far in advance. I don’t feel I trust the other vets except the 1 who found her spurs. We have t had her that long only since March last year if I remember right. But for the cecotropes & suspected arthritis, I want the rabbit savvy one I found on the rabbit welfare site thanks to Jane who told me about finding local ones on there. Xx


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joey&boo said:

I get the idea of limiting fresh grass if it were Spring when its rich IF it was new to that rabbit. Does Bella keep herself clean ok? If you offer her left cecos back to her will she eat them? As a new-ish bunny owner you might not know about scent glands yet. If they needed cleaning & she is leaving cecos it could be indicative of a mobility problem as you suspect, arthritis or similar

I'm sure her new bunny savvy vet will be able to diagnose the issue & make her more comfy

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I meant confined to a hutch in previous home not with me. It was awful [emoji20] xx


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I'm sure I read on here about how the majority of rabbits will have some arthritis over the age of 5. Certainly young buns can get it, just like young people. Poor girl, stuck in a hutch 24/7. One of my bunnies Mousey was rescued by the police & brought to rescue in the guinea pig cage she lived in She isn't a small bunny either. When she was diagnosed with arthritis (just by physical exam, she didn't have diagnostics) my vet said there was damage to a section of her spine which is often caused by mishandling when they are young. Mouse is on metacam twice daily & I also give her Oxbow Joint support tablets which I believe help. She loves heat sources too - addicted to her snugglesafe

joey&boo said:

I'm sure I read on here about how the majority of rabbits will have some arthritis over the age of 5. Certainly young buns can get it, just like young people. Poor girl, stuck in a hutch 24/7. One of my bunnies Mousey was rescued by the police & brought to rescue in the guinea pig cage she lived in She isn't a small bunny either. When she was diagnosed with arthritis (just by physical exam, she didn't have diagnostics) my vet said there was damage to a section of her spine which is often caused by mishandling when they are young. Mouse is on metacam twice daily & I also give her Oxbow Joint support tablets which I believe help. She loves heat sources too - addicted to her snugglesafe

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Hi, that’s heartbreaking [emoji174]. People are so cruel I hate it. Thankfully we got our bunnies to save them from this & give them the best life. Yes I read exactly the same about over 5 mostly having it. I should look at the oxbow joint care, thank you for that. Can’t do any harm & may help her as she’s over 5. Is it just for bunnies that are older or have arthritis? I have a young bun of 8/9 months & would give him if it would be good for him xx


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Hi everyone. So bellas been to vets. The strange thing is the vet I choose to see was found on the rabbit welfare site. She didn’t know anything about it or being in there which was concerning. Anyway I said about suspected arthritis causing the issue & she agreed so bellas on metacalm for 2wks to see if it helps. She hasn’t lost weight thank goodness as I’d suspected. I now think maybe it’s because she’s indoors & lost her thicker winter coat. I’m very paranoid about the rabbits so I’m thinking that’s why I felt she had. Also I said if this doesn’t help I want tests done & a poo sample. The vet said that wouldn’t tell us anything just that it was a cecotrope. Is this true as I had read samples were useful. She also said when I said about tests it’s about what we can do, we can take bloods. So I’m confused & worried now because they should be able to do any test not just bloods. I thought because I found her on the site she was rabbit savvy. Anyway I just hope & pray metacalm sorts this out. She’s on 10kg once a day & I already had it at home from lastime so didn’t need more. I said about last time I couldn’t get her to take a syringe so I’d rather injection but vet said they only last 24hrs in injection. I do t give pellets but this was how I got her to take it before so vet said will need to do that again. She was no better on or off pellets so they weren’t causing it. Do people think this sounds ok? Thank you xx


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Also asked about an X-ray & she said it wouldn’t do much as if it is arthritis then it’s metacalm & they are difficult & expensive. I said it doesn’t matter the cost to me as they are on insurance & I will pay whatever it costs either way. Bellas in for dental on 24th & this is for molar spurs again as ongoing issue. I feel a full dental X-ray should be done as what if she’s got problems underneath that can’t be seen & causing pain & issues. Am I just being paranoid again or would people say this is a good idea to get done. I just want her mouth to be fully checked incase there’s issues with her roots or something & all sorts goes through my head! Xx


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I would see if the metacam makes any difference and then see what the other options are and have a good discussion with a rabbit-savvy vet.
Metacam can be given on food that will absorb it - so pellets, a shreddie, a small crouton-sized piece of bread, etc. Most rabbits quite like it and will take it willing from a syringe once they get used to it.

Insurance may not pay out for dentals and associated X-rays without a good reason, so I would double check that it would be covered by the policy, or be prepared to pay it yourself. If shes having an anaesthetic anyway, it might be worth asking for x-rays of the spine / hips if suspected mobility issues, and the skull to check on tooth roots, if none have been done previously. Talk to your vet about whether it would provide anything useful which could help with future treatment.

I don't think there's an age limit to arthritis in rabbits. Some seem quite old at 5 years, some of it is breeding / genetics, and some of it is their living conditions. If she's had a history of being confined and not been able to exercise properly, it could have an impact on mobility which will get more noticeable as she gets older.

The grass advice does seem odd. Usually the advice is to cut out other processed food and increase grass / hay consumption, not reduce it - that's what keeps the teeth worn down and the guts healthy. It is their natural diet, after all. It's good that she's maintaining her weight.

I think it sounds fine. If metacam helps her then its a win, diagnostics obviously tell you what specific things are causing the pain but the end result is often the same - working out what drugs, doses & tweaks to her living arrangements will make her more comfy & able to get to her cecos. 2 weeks is a good assessment period. even if xrays confirmed where the arthritis was she'd still be on the same drugs. my vets don't go heavy on diagnostics unless it would potentially change the treatment path. Even bloods (while invaluable & I have requested many a time) can be a traumatic procedure for a stressy rabbit. I like to get the diagnostics done if they are having GA for another reason

The Rabbit Welfare Vet list is for a NAMED VET at a Practice. So just because you saw the Practice on the RWAF site you probably did not see the named Vet . Ask for the named Vet to do the Dental and personally I would request skull radiographs too.

Shimmer said:

I would see if the metacam makes any difference and then see what the other options are and have a good discussion with a rabbit-savvy vet.
Metacam can be given on food that will absorb it - so pellets, a shreddie, a small crouton-sized piece of bread, etc. Most rabbits quite like it and will take it willing from a syringe once they get used to it.

Insurance may not pay out for dentals and associated X-rays without a good reason, so I would double check that it would be covered by the policy, or be prepared to pay it yourself. If shes having an anaesthetic anyway, it might be worth asking for x-rays of the spine / hips if suspected mobility issues, and the skull to check on tooth roots, if none have been done previously. Talk to your vet about whether it would provide anything useful which could help with future treatment.

I don't think there's an age limit to arthritis in rabbits. Some seem quite old at 5 years, some of it is breeding / genetics, and some of it is their living conditions. If she's had a history of being confined and not been able to exercise properly, it could have an impact on mobility which will get more noticeable as she gets older.

The grass advice does seem odd. Usually the advice is to cut out other processed food and increase grass / hay consumption, not reduce it - that's what keeps the teeth worn down and the guts healthy. It is their natural diet, after all. It's good that she's maintaining her weight.

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Morning shimmer, thank you for all your advice. Yes she took on pellets before & took lastnight so that’s good she’s taking it. The vet I saw was supposedly rabbit savvy as her name & another at the practice came up so booked with her. I will go with the metacalm for the 2 weeks to hope that it works for her. I don’t think the insurance covers dental but not sure about X-rays. Im going to contact them about it & ask. Yes I think because she didn’t get out much it’s caused it for her xx


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joey&boo said:

I think it sounds fine. If metacam helps her then its a win, diagnostics obviously tell you what specific things are causing the pain but the end result is often the same - working out what drugs, doses & tweaks to her living arrangements will make her more comfy & able to get to her cecos. 2 weeks is a good assessment period. even if xrays confirmed where the arthritis was she'd still be on the same drugs. my vets don't go heavy on diagnostics unless it would potentially change the treatment path. Even bloods (while invaluable & I have requested many a time) can be a traumatic procedure for a stressy rabbit. I like to get the diagnostics done if they are having GA for another reason

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Morning, thank you. Yes hoping it will help her & sort things out. I guess I’m thinking to far ahead of the what ifs & need to focus on the metacalm for now in the hope it will sort it out. I’ll definitely be getting bloods done if not & further investigation. Bella seems quite good at vets so far bless her. She’s very good at getting picked up & held for these things & brushing thankfully xx


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InspectorMorse said:

The Rabbit Welfare Vet list is for a NAMED VET at a Practice. So just because you saw the Practice on the RWAF site you probably did not see the named Vet . Ask for the named Vet to do the Dental and personally I would request skull radiographs too.

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Morning Jane, thank you. I honestly thought it was the rabbit savvy as had her name & another vets name at the practice. Will post a pic to make sure Iv done it right. Yes I’m going to ask for this done to make sure tours are ok. She’s going for dental & will go under on 24th. Best to try & get that done at the same time xx


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Hi all, the vet who did the dental phoned back. She said that they usually do this to even out the teeth so they are all even but she didn’t have bad spurs & weren’t on all teeth. Anyway was bottom ones all burred down. She’s in for her next dental on 24th so asked them to do a radiograph of her mouth to make sure no elongated roots or anything (thanks Jane [emoji846]) So she’s getting this at the same time while under. I guess this is ok what they have done & I hope so. Xx


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Clair071085 said:

Hi all, the vet who did the dental phoned back. She said that they usually do this to even out the teeth so they are all even but she didn’t have bad spurs & weren’t on all teeth. Anyway was bottom ones all burred down. She’s in for her next dental on 24th so asked them to do a radiograph of her mouth to make sure no elongated roots or anything (thanks Jane [emoji846]) So she’s getting this at the same time while under. I guess this is ok what they have done & I hope so. Xx

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It is OK, but why does the Vet think another Dental will be needed so soon if there was only minimal crown elongation found on the recent Dental she has just had :?