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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What could be stopping him from eating his hay?

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    • elizabethy738
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        Okay, so my rabbit stopped eating his hay about a month ago.

        We went to the vet and he checked Kenny’s teeth – it’s not teeth overgrowth (i even looked myself through this magnifying thing the vet used)

        So, the vet gave as metacam just to see if it would make Kenny start eating hay – it worked. He started eating hay like crazy again but it only worked a week. So we deducted that it was a gum infection of some sort.

        So, the vet started us up on penicillin injections. It’s been four weeks of weekly penicillin injections and my bunny still isn’t eating hay! He’s eating pellets, vegetables, drinking water normally, pooping regularly, peeing etc. 

        So what could be stopping him from eating his hay? I’d just like to stock up on knowledge. 

         


      • Sarita
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          Dental problems are the first thing that come to my mind. Sometimes your vet has to sedate your rabbit to see those molars in the very back. I also don’t think that pen-g shots once a week is enough to stop an infection….that is counterproductive.


        • elizabethy738
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            what do you mean pen-g shots once a week is not enough? How is it counterproductive? what would be productive?


          • elizabethy738
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              and why did the metacam work then? If it was really his molars, then using his back teeth would still be painful (vets words). 


            • Sarita
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                Metacam is an anti inflammatory, this is not an antibiotic.

                How do you know using the back teeth are not painful? Most times it is very difficult for owners to tell if their rabbit is in pain and having dental problems.

                For the pen-g shots to be effective in fighting an infection you need to do it more than once a week – this may make the bacteria resistant. Usually pen-g is prescribed daily – a 7 day course initially.


              • Sarita
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                  It might be a good idea to do a head radiograph and to have your vet put her under anesthesia for a very thorough dental exam. Lops are notorious for dental problems.


                • elizabethy738
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                    i can’t afford x-rays though
                    but almost all the vets in my area do weekly injections too


                  • elizabethy738
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                      i can’t afford x-rays though
                      but almost all the vets in my area do weekly injections too


                    • elizabethy738
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                        and if it is an infection, how much would daily injections cost.

                        i’m almost broke  


                      • Sarita
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                          Pen-g is not expensive – you can even ask the vet to show you how to do this at home yourself – it’s sub-q not intramuscular and it’s not too difficult to learn.


                        • elizabethy738
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                            what if I do the injections wrong? :/
                            i’m trying to find low-cost places but it’s really hard to find.


                          • MK
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                              Has your vet checked for a hairball or lumps near your rabbits stomach? If you want to, put your rabnit facimg you, and run your hands under his belly and genital area and press. If he squeals or whimpers or tries to pull his stomach away, he may have a blockage.


                            • elizabethy738
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                                i massaged his stomach, no lumps – he just started to grind his teeth in enjoyment


                              • MK
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                                  Are you sure it was enjoyment? Because grinding teeth can also be a sign of pain in rabbits. Since that seems more likely, it may be that he has a hairball or something in his gut. This would explain why the metacam helped, i guess. Although if he had a hairball, he wouldn’t be eating barely anything, not just his hay. Has he still been eating his pellets and veggies in normal amounts/?


                                • Beka27
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                                    It does sound like he’s experiencing some pain if the Metacam worked enough to get him eating the hay again. Sounds like the medication took the edge off so he could eat. He may just be more sensitive to pain than other buns who tend to hide it better, or still continue to eat even if they’re uncomfortable. Just like with people, someone might break an arm and be in pain but able to deal with it, someone else gets a splinter and they act like it’s the worst pain in the world… :o/


                                  • Sarita
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                                      I don’t imagine this is a blockage if the vet has already indicated a dental problem.


                                    • LBJ10
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                                        I remember your other threads. You had said before that your bunny’s teeth were not aligned properly and they needed to be trimmed. You also said something about gum inflammation. We suggested that you cut down on his pellets to see if that made him eat more hay and you said it seemed to be helping. This was about 2 months ago. Has anything changed between then and now? Is this a different vet or the same one?

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                                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What could be stopping him from eating his hay?