• 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.

Tilting head when eating 2-10: feeling better =)

CarelessSquid07 said:
Im sorry he's not had much today. Do you have some fruit you can blend?

We often use banana or apple baby food which is essentially just blended or mashed with water

Or a nugget mush, nuggets soaked in warm water and then mushed up. We did that then mixed it with 50% syringe feed and Rodney seemed to enjoy that. They seem to like the smell of warm nuggets.

How is Casper for syringe feeding? It sounds like you might need to support him with that on his bad days.



Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Thank you, CarelessSquid. I have some fruit, but no blender... My mum is going to buy him some baby food today, though, so hopefully he'll like that and I can maybe mix it with some syringe feed.

I'll try some nugget mush, too. He does like his nuggets more than syringe feed, so he might like that.

He's not great with syringe feeding, really. It stresses him out a lot. I'll do that if he doesn't want the baby food or the nugget mush, though. I think he'll need the support, too, yes. He just hasn't been eating enough on his own these past few days, and now today he wants almost nothing... He's been eating less every day, and it worries me a lot.
 
If he has pain from his elongated tooth roots he might not be obtaining enough analgesic cover from just Metacam. Your Vet might suggest adding an additional analgesic
 
joey&boo said:
Some whole fruits could work I think. when J&B are poorly I give them little chunks of pear which they love & seems like a little energy boost. you could maybe add tiny bits of chopped up pear or mushed banana to moistened nuggets. If mine are proving difficult to tempt i "season it " too - dried herbs, sprinkle of fenugreek. You'll have to get your dad to raid his spice cupboards & fruit bowl. Poor boyo:( - I really hope its just an off day
Click to expand...
Thank you, j&b. Casper and Sophie normally never get fruit, so I'm not sure what he'd like. The few times I've offered them some, neither of them wanted any. They don't even like banana! Seasoning some moistened nuggets with some dried herbs to make it more tempting is a great idea, though. I'll ask if my mum will buy some fenugreek and other dried stuff when she gets the baby food, and some whole fruits, too.
 
InspectorMorse said:
If he has pain from his elongated tooth roots he might not be obtaining enough analgesic cover from just Metacam. Your Vet might suggest adding an additional analgesic
Click to expand...
Ah, I've been wondering about that... He gets a higher dosage now, but it doesn't seem to make any difference, so I was wondering if maybe a different painkiller would help instead. I'll call the vet and ask. Thank you for bringing that up.
 
Can't offer any more advice than has been given already, but sending lots and lots of vibes for Casper, and really hope that he finds something to tempt him xx
 
Tbf Rodney detests banana. Fenugreek is definitely preferred. He doesn't like sweet stuff.

I usually soak everything in coriander for him. You might be able to create a herby mush to mix with the critical care a bit like pesto but no cheese and water instead of oil maybe.

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk
 
Thank you, Pets mum, keletkezes, and CarelessSquid. :love: Glad to hear my two weird bunnies aren't the only ones who don't like banana. The herby mush sounds good, CarelessSquid. I'll see if I can try that.


We ended up going to the vets. They were very kind in letting us come over even though they were about to close when I called. The vet (a different one than the one on Tuesday) examined Casper, and his belly was fine, though a bit too slow, so she was sure it's still his dental pain that's keeping him from eating, and not a gut problem. So, he has extra, different painkillers now for the weekend (he got this evening's dose at the vets), on top of the maximum dosage of Metacam, and we'll just have to see how that goes. If he still won't be able to eat comfortably on those, then... there's nothing else we can do for him, so I'm very scared. I don't want to lose him, but I want him to suffer and be in pain and unhappy even less, so if he doesn't significantly improve over the weekend I'm afraid it'll be kinder to let him go...

I spent some time syringe feeding him, and that went all right. Most of it got inside him, I think, though he did let a lot of fall from his mouth, too. He's hiding behind the curtain now, which is not a place he's ever sat before. Sophie's resting nearby, but I haven't seen him cuddle with her all day. :( He doesn't seem happy right now, so hopefully tomorrow will be better for him... My mum bought a lot of things for him to try out, so I'll go and see if he wants some of that and then I should try to sleep.
 
I'm pleased you've more drugs to try & really hope they help. All paws crossed . So nice that the vet agreed to squeeze you in. Hoping Casper gets some cuddles off his Sophie too. I really feel for you :( its the hardest thing :(
 
I am so sorry Casper is feeling worse:(
It was good he got to see the vet and get some additional painkillers!
Has the vet examined his mouth during sedation/anesthesia? I am thinking maybe it is something inside his mouth that is hard to find when he is awake.
I really hope he gets better, sending lots of vibes!
 
I'm really sorry to read that Casper is struggling 😔

I'm glad the vets were able to squeeze him in for an appointment and hopefully he'll be feeling a bit more comfortable with the increased pain meds.

You're doing everything humanly possible to help him and I really hope he will stabilise over the weekend.
 
a reader of books said:
Thank you, Pets mum, keletkezes, and CarelessSquid. :love: Glad to hear my two weird bunnies aren't the only ones who don't like banana. The herby mush sounds good, CarelessSquid. I'll see if I can try that.


We ended up going to the vets. They were very kind in letting us come over even though they were about to close when I called. The vet (a different one than the one on Tuesday) examined Casper, and his belly was fine, though a bit too slow, so she was sure it's still his dental pain that's keeping him from eating, and not a gut problem. So, he has extra, different painkillers now for the weekend (he got this evening's dose at the vets), on top of the maximum dosage of Metacam, and we'll just have to see how that goes. If he still won't be able to eat comfortably on those, then... there's nothing else we can do for him, so I'm very scared. I don't want to lose him, but I want him to suffer and be in pain and unhappy even less, so if he doesn't significantly improve over the weekend I'm afraid it'll be kinder to let him go...

I spent some time syringe feeding him, and that went all right. Most of it got inside him, I think, though he did let a lot of fall from his mouth, too. He's hiding behind the curtain now, which is not a place he's ever sat before. Sophie's resting nearby, but I haven't seen him cuddle with her all day. :( He doesn't seem happy right now, so hopefully tomorrow will be better for him... My mum bought a lot of things for him to try out, so I'll go and see if he wants some of that and then I should try to sleep.
Click to expand...

Do you know what the other analgesic is called ? If it is an opioid such as Buprenorphine it is likely to make Casper drowsy, so if he appears to be very ‘flat’ it is likely to be due to sedation from the drug. Giving Metoclopramide (Emeprid) at the same time as Opioids can exacerbate the sedation.

If the side effects of opioids are severe ( some Rabbits are more effected by them than others) then the Vet might consider trying a combination of Meloxicam and Paracetamol.
 
Thank you so much for your kind words, everyone, seriously. It means a lot that you're here and caring about my dear Casper. :love:


Walli said:
I am so sorry Casper is feeling worse:(
It was good he got to see the vet and get some additional painkillers!
Has the vet examined his mouth during sedation/anesthesia? I am thinking maybe it is something inside his mouth that is hard to find when he is awake.
I really hope he gets better, sending lots of vibes!
Click to expand...
Yeah, they checked his mouth on the 9th while he was sedated and the only thing they could find was a tiny spur, which they removed. He was already having trouble eating then, so I don't think it's a new thing that has happened since they checked his mouth? I can't be sure, of course...


InspectorMorse said:
Do you know what the other analgesic is called ? If it is an opioid such as Buprenorphine it is likely to make Casper drowsy, so if he appears to be very ‘flat’ it is likely to be due to sedation from the drug. Giving Metoclopramide (Emeprid) at the same time as Opioids can exacerbate the sedation.

If the side effects of opioids are severe ( some Rabbits are more effected by them than others) then the Vet might consider trying a combination of Meloxicam and Paracetamol.
Click to expand...
Thank you for telling me that, IM. It is Buprenorphine, and the vet had said that it could make him drowsy, but I didn't know the rest. Thankyfully, it doesn't seem to be affecting him too much? He was drowsy yesterday for about two hours after his dose, and then he started feeling more normal again, and he has just had this morning's dose and doesn't seem super drowsy. He's not exactly very active, but he's looking present and is washing himself.
 
a reader of books said:
Thank you so much for your kind words, everyone, seriously. It means a lot that you're here and caring about my dear Casper. :love:



Yeah, they checked his mouth on the 9th while he was sedated and the only thing they could find was a tiny spur, which they removed. He was already having trouble eating then, so I don't think it's a new thing that has happened since they checked his mouth? I can't be sure, of course...



Thank you for telling me that, IM. It is Buprenorphine, and the vet had said that it could make him drowsy, but I didn't know the rest. Thankyfully, it doesn't seem to be affecting him too much? He was drowsy yesterday for about two hours after his dose, and then he started feeling more normal again, and he has just had this morning's dose and doesn't seem super drowsy. He's not exactly very active, but he's looking present and is washing himself.
Click to expand...

Did you give today’s dose by injection ? If not then the drowsiness won’t kick in straight away.
 
Lopsy has had buprenorphine twice, both times in combination with metoclopramide. The first was when he wasn't eating much and he was in and out of it, still not eating much and it took about 12hrs for him to recover from the drug and then a lot more time to get back to Lopsy-normal. The last time was the other day, when he was refusing food but possibly just because he was cold (IMO), and he was eating every time he work up and took only 6hrs to be back to normal, literally he was quite sleepy, then ate the rest of the apple leaves, a bit more sleep and then he was bouncing around the whole garden like nothing had happened. It's an excellent form of pain relief but, just like in humans and as IM says, different rabbits will tolerate opioids differently. I have friends (both with ME!) who have terrible reactions: one it locks them in their body (paralysis I guess?) and the other basically vomits everywhere.

The very best wishes for you and Casper. It's exhausting enough for those of us without chronic fatigue conditions so I can't imagine how it is for you. You are very strong :)
 
InspectorMorse said:
Did you give today’s dose by injection ? If not then the drowsiness won’t kick in straight away.
Click to expand...
Yes, he's getting it by injection. I syringe-fed him afterwards and he started zoning out about halfway through and he wouldn't eat anything else, so tonight I'll feed him first and do the injection after.


keletkezes said:
Lopsy has had buprenorphine twice, both times in combination with metoclopramide. The first was when he wasn't eating much and he was in and out of it, still not eating much and it took about 12hrs for him to recover from the drug and then a lot more time to get back to Lopsy-normal. The last time was the other day, when he was refusing food but possibly just because he was cold (IMO), and he was eating every time he work up and took only 6hrs to be back to normal, literally he was quite sleepy, then ate the rest of the apple leaves, a bit more sleep and then he was bouncing around the whole garden like nothing had happened. It's an excellent form of pain relief but, just like in humans and as IM says, different rabbits will tolerate opioids differently. I have friends (both with ME!) who have terrible reactions: one it locks them in their body (paralysis I guess?) and the other basically vomits everywhere.

The very best wishes for you and Casper. It's exhausting enough for those of us without chronic fatigue conditions so I can't imagine how it is for you. You are very strong :)
Click to expand...
Ooh, that's quite a strong reaction that Lopsy had! And your friends' reactions sound awful, gosh... Now I'm wondering if Casper is more drowsy than I thought... He has been sitting in the same corner all morning, but after zoning out during the feeding he seems quite alert now; he's keeping an eye on everything that's happening. He has been very quiet, though. I'm not sure how to tell whether he's quiet because of the medication or because he's unhappy. :(

Thank you for the wishes and the very nice words. That's so kind of you to say. :love:
 
I'm sorry to hear that Casper is still not well. You really take good care of him, you make a superhuman effort. I hope casper recovers completely, I'm sending a lot of vibrations for him. Xxxxxx :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dex179
Head tilt but it's not E Cuniculi - Help!
2 3 4
Replies
70
Views
2K
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Happy Hopping
my bun Fudgie is not eating enough timothy hay and is losing wt. thru out the years
4 5 6
Replies
104
Views
5K
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Moonstone
Possible EC
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
Pets mum
Pets mum
Back
Top