Causes of hypothermia?

[a reader of books]

Casper's been unwell for about two weeks now (I think? I'm rather tired, so I'm not thinking very well), and long story short, he's mostly just sitting in one spot all day, being very quiet and barely eating or not at all. We've done a blood test and x-rays (head and body), as well as several physical exams by now, of course, but so far we haven't found anything yet to explain it; the vet says that for a 13-year old bunny everything actually looks really good. He had a dental last week (he did have some spurs) and that seemed to help initially, but after a day he was back to being very quiet and barely eating. All this time, though, he's not been able to keep his temperature up, and it keeps getting below 38C (healthy bunny temperature is 38-39.5C from what I understand from the vets). I talked a lot with the vet yesterday, and they're aware of it, but I forgot to ask about it, and now it's the weekend, so I can't. Does anyone know why he might be having trouble with his temperature? Could it just be the fact that he's barely moving or not feeling well? He's on extra pain relief, and getting syringe fed, so I wouldn't think it's because he's in pain or not getting enough food.

When he gets too cold I put him in his carrier with a Snugglesafe (if I put it next to him he just moves away, so the carrier is the only way he'll stay close to it, unfortunately), and when I let him out he's warmed up some and is more alert and will cuddle with Saar instead of isolating himself, but after a while his temperature drops again and he clearly feels worse again, though I'm not sure which one comes first.

 

[joey&boo]

What a worry I'm glad you have the carrier + plushie method to warm him back up.

I've been trying to research (rabbits & people). Rabbit references talk about stasis a lot. The other things are mainly outdoor bun relevant. The only thing I can think could be relevant was if he'd needed bum bath & not fully dried. With bunnies (especially little ones) they have such a large surface area proportionately they'd be at higher risk. Looking at elderly people who often seem cold, Google cites reduced muscle mass, body weight & reduced movement. Medical reason cited dental!, kidney issues, diabetes, thyroid issues, systemic infection.

I think I'd discuss redoing bloods to check for infection elsewhere? Are the temp drops when his food consumption (vol or syringe) are low?

Millions of vibes for you & Casper. Hoping my ramblings are better than nothing

 

[Shimmer]

Recovery from a general anaesthetic can take some time, and animals may initially struggle to maintain their body temperature. That's why vet recovery rooms (and human hospitals) are always warmer. Keeping the room (or a smaller area within it) at a higher temperature than usual so that he isn't struggling with this but still has space to move about ought to keep him more comfortable. A carrier is OK for a short time, but if he can move about and generate his own heat, that would be better. If he's not moving around, he's also more likely to develop stasis, so it's a tough balance to make.

His syringe feeds could be fed warm - just check that it's not too hot before feeding. If he's happy to be syringe fed, you could increase the frequency so that he is taking in warmer food more often.

Make sure that he has easy access to water as he may need to drink more in a warmer atmosphere - and that it is at room temperature rather than cold from the tap.

I was also wondering about an underlying infection and rechecking bloods, depending on when the last ones were done.

He's doing amazingly well for 13 years old.

 

[bunny momma]

Is he cooler all over or is it mostly on his extremities?

My first thought was early signs of a kidney issue. Many years ago, I had an older dwarf bunny named Chinnie who was losing weight and could not maintain his body temp. He did better when he got sub Q fluids that I gently warmed to body temp before administering. The fluids helped to flush any by-products of medication and/or metabolism from his system and he felt better. Of course now they have different treatments/meds they did not have then.

Another thought involved changes in circulation as happens in older persons. Though the extremities are effected first.

Of course Casper’s issue may be something entirely different.

Sending lots of positive thoughts for your dear boy.

Edit: I wonder if vet gave him fluids when they did his dental? If so I wonder if the fluids helped him to feel better for a day or so.

 

[Cinnabun14]

I'm sorry Casper's not feeling well. That's such a shame, especially since he's got a new friend to be playing with. I don't have much experience to help with Casper, but I'm sending vibes for him to get better x

 

[bunny momma]

Has there been any change in Casper’s condition?? I know how much he is loved and I am sending you both vibes, Saar too.

 

[William]

How worrying i'm sorry you're/he's dealing with that.

My first thought would be an infection. Having trouble regulating body temp is common in both animals and people when there's an infection present. But it sounds like his bloodwork was recently ok, so hopefully that rules it out.

I also thought of stress. Maybe he's under more stress than usual lately with the dental, syringe feeds, and just generally feeling unwell, and this is impacting his ability to maintain his body temp?

 

[Pets mum]

I can't really think of anything that would cause this, that hasn't already been mentioned, so sending loads of vibes for your boy, hope he keeps well, and you too Reader x

 

[a reader of books]

Thank you so, so much for your replies, everyone I'm sorry it's taken me a bit to reply. Life has been a lot and I haven't had much energy for talking. But please know that your thoughts were all very helpful and appreciated. I'd neglected to say in my initial post that his blood did actually show inflammation. It just wasn't very helpful, as after his dental two weeks ago he was snotty and was on antibiotic injections for a couple of days and it cleared up very quickly, so we don't know if the inflammation was still some leftover of that, or because of his arthritis, or because of something else.

He's doing a bit better, thankfully. He's not struggling with his temperature anymore, and he's eating a bit more each day and is brighter and more active. He's not hiding away all day anymore. He's not where he should be yet, but we're getting there. This was two days ago :

https://imgur.com/cJeIfPN

 

[Cinnabun14]

I'm glad he's doing better! He's so cute on the little rabbit bed, I love those so much

I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well reader. Sending vibes for you to feel better too x

 

[a reader of books]

I'm glad he's doing better! He's so cute on the little rabbit bed, I love those so much

I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well reader. Sending vibes for you to feel better too x

Aw, thank you! They're cute little beds.

And thank you so much. That's very kind of you

 

[bunny momma]

It is good to know he is now better at controlling his body temperature and he and Saar are enjoying their time together. They are lucky bunnies to have you and each other.

 

[a reader of books]

It is good to know he is now better at controlling his body temperature and he and Saar are enjoying their time together. They are lucky bunnies to have you and each other.

Aw, that's so kind of you to say, bunny momma. I'm very glad they have each other

 

[a reader of books]

Casper was quite down again this morning, withdrawn and pretty reluctant to eat. He's cheered up a bit again now, but I wonder if it's all just because he misses Sophie... He was exactly like this after she passed away. Maybe the excitement of Saar moving in gave him back some of his spark but now that things are settling down and turning back to "normal", the excitement is wearing off and he's just sad because Sophie's not with him. I know that Saar being here, even though I love her, doesn't make me miss Sophie any less, so why would it be different for him, really... They were together for a decade, and it's only been a couple of weeks...

 

[joey&boo]

Casper was quite down again this morning, withdrawn and pretty reluctant to eat. He's cheered up a bit again now, but I wonder if it's all just because he misses Sophie... He was exactly like this after she passed away. Maybe the excitement of Saar moving in gave him back some of his spark but now that things are settling down and turning back to "normal", the excitement is wearing off and he's just sad because Sophie's not with him. I know that Saar being here, even though I love her, doesn't make me miss Sophie any less, so why would it be different for him, really... They were together for a decade, and it's only been a couple of weeks...

So often you hear people say rabbits live in the moment...I've said it myself...but thinking on it I don't think its necessarily true. They must remember past stuff for it to shape their current behaviour. Because Casper is an elderly bunny with things going on I think it'd be hard to tell whether a bad day might be a arthritis is worse than usual (for eg) or that he is still missing his weighted blanket

Hoping today is a good one for everybun

 

[a reader of books]

So often you hear people say rabbits live in the moment...I've said it myself...but thinking on it I don't think its necessarily true. They must remember past stuff for it to shape their current behaviour. Because Casper is an elderly bunny with things going on I think it'd be hard to tell whether a bad day might be a arthritis is worse than usual (for eg) or that he is still missing his weighted blanket

Hoping today is a good one for everybun

Yeah, I'm not sure it's necessarily true, either. If they only ever lived in the moment, they'd never be upset about anything that wasn't happening right that second. And we know bunnies can hold grudges... And like you said, they certainly must remember stuff that happened in the past for it to shape how they think and behave now. And we do know bunnies grieve. I think you're right that with him having several things going on, it might be hard to tell what's causing him bad days, though...

Aw, thank you. He's been doing well these past couple of days, thankfully. Though a few days ago he seemed really down again and was very reluctant to eat, but he felt better in the evening.

 

[joey&boo]

loads of loves for your wee boy. I'm pleased to hear that although he still has these episodes they are passing fairly quickly

 

[a reader of books]

Aw, thank you so much, j&b.

 

[bunny momma]

Sending lots of vibes that Casper continues to have more up days than down ones.

 

[a reader of books]

Sending lots of vibes that Casper continues to have more up days than down ones.

Aw, thank you, bunny momma. He's been doing well this week.