My rabbit (Buddy) has been pretty sick during the past week. At first his symptoms presented as GI, but turns out he had an abscess in his chest, which was drained and now he is on antibiotics, reglan, metacam, and critical care. He is recovering very well, despite the problems caused by the fluid in his chest pushing on his lungs. He spent a few days at the vet where he received romaine, apples, carrots and critical care (he would eat 40mL twice a day for them). Once we got him home he wants NOTHING to do with critical care and force feeding. He takes his meds very well, but anything that even resembles the smell of critical care sends him running, even the vet is stumped by his behavior since he was so good for them! He is still eating his hay, carrots, apples and some pellets. I'm worried that he is relying too much on hand feeding and won't go back to his normal routine since he is turning his nose up at certain things. Does anyone have any suggestions for an alternative to critical care? He still needs the extra nutrition and to put some weight back on, but the vet says the stress of force feeding critical care to a rabbit that's fighting it isn't worth it for anyone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I hope Buddy feels better soon!
Have you tried mixing the CC with a little bit of flavored baby food, like pumpkin? It tends to make it a little easier. Also, how many apples and carrots is he getting? They are really high in sugar and shouldn't be overfed, even to a bun that needs to put on weight. They can cause upset tummies if given too many. Have you tried lots of fresh wet leafy greens? Cilantro is a pretty big hit with buns. How much pellets does he get a day?

Posted By buddyboo on 11/17/2012 02:54 PM
Does anyone have any suggestions for an alternative to critical care? He still needs the extra nutrition and to put some weight back on, but the vet says the stress of force feeding critical care to a rabbit that's fighting it isn't worth it for anyone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If he isn't eating anything I've been told by my vet that it is best to force something into their system to get it moving.  I just dealt with a bout of stasis so it's all still fresh in my memory.  But it sounds like he is eating something so that's really, really good. I agree with Cinnabun's Mom that flavored baby food is a life saver...try mixing up some CC with a fruit or carrot flavored baby food and you may be surprised how much it changes their mind.  Also, the CC they give you at the vet is usually the unflavored variety (mine smelled a lot like play-doh!)...Oxbox actually sells CC that comes in flavors (I think one of them is Strawberry Banana) and they sell it in the BB store on this site!  My bun likes it a lot better than the unflavored stuff.  

Also, ditto again to Cinnabun's mom sentiments on fruits being high in sugar.  They should really only be used as treats. Fresh wet leafy greens are usually irresistible to buns and a sneaky way to make sure they are intaking some water when they are not feeling very well.

Sorry to hear about Buddy, but I'm glad he is doing better! I think the best sign here is that he is eating his normal food willingly. I would agree with your vet that as long as his appetite for other foods is alright, force feeding him probably isn't necessary. If he needs to gain weight, you could increasing his daily ration of pellets until he is all healed up. I, too, would be cautious about giving him too much fruit because of the sugar content.

Is he unwilling to eat lettuce and other healthy greens?

Thanks all, he is still doing ok. At the time of posting, the vet told me to try to entice him into eating anything (within reason, like the carrots), but he refuses greens. He will not eat cilantro or romaine since he's gotten home from the vet. I have gone back to limiting his carrots and apples but he still won't eat regular bunny food. He turns his nose up at everything now except CC! I called the vet again and she said that he sounds like he is just being picky, his eating is so inconsistent now. She wants us to try to wean him off of CC and push regular foods, but he will not go near pellets and only randomly munches on hay. His poops are still inconsistent too (sometimes dry, sometimes mushy...gross), I'm not sure what antibiotics and reglan combined do to their system. His behavior is still normal, he is even back to binkying around the living room. I've tried heating pellets with water, putting a few drops of juice in his water, etc. It's really frustrating, I just want this little guy to eat normally now that his other issues have been treated **fingers crossed that he stays healthy**

 I also haven't tried the baby food thing yet. Is there a specific flavor that would be best? I want to try to stay away from high sugar/carb since he needs his greens. 

Is it Timothy hay? have you tried mixing in some other kinds like oat or orchard?
What other greens have you tried? He does sound picky but some other popular ones are green leaf lettuce or parsley.

I think Spinich might be your best best with baby food. But just a small amount. Unless someone can think of another one??

Just throwing this out there, but have his teeth ever been checked? Teeth problems can cause tummy problems and unwillingness to eat.

So we just got back from the vet again, last night my poor bun had a case of "the runs". She also said he is gassy so he has to have simethicone now, and is also on another antibiotic to help his stomach regain the good bacteria. For now, he can't have anything but his usual hay (which he is back to eating) and pellets (still just nibbling) and his main food is still CC. Luckily the hand feeding and meds are not stressful on him, he seems to like the flavors. Thanks for all the advice....I so want my bunny back to his normal goofy self