Sudden weight loss

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 4sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 11 months ago by Rainbowbunnies.

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- 06/04/2018 at 10:27 AM
  Rainbowbunnies
  Participant
  37 posts
  My rabbit, Waffles, has lost 4 ounces in about a 4-5 days and I have been keeping a check on his weight since. He has a runny nose and eye discharge that might be from allergies cause its spring where I live. Around the same time as spring came, I had to switch from Timothy hay to orchard grass hay cause I have really bad allergies. He seemed to like it more but as time passed he slowly stopped eating it and now outright refuses unless I keep putting it in his face or around him while he laying down/sitting. I’ve been feeding him carrots and oats every day for 5 days so far and it doesn’t seem to be working unless it takes time for weight to be put on with oats and root veggies. He has been pooping and peeing regularly if not more and is drinking water normally, he just isn’t eating his hay which I know is really important to their diet. I’ve already tried oat hay as well and he refused to eat it. I can’t go to the vet and I wanted to know if critical care hay will work and how long will it take for him to gain weight? He is pretty small and I never knew what his true weight should be, at his most which was a couple days ago was 4.4 pounds and didn’t seem to be growing and gaining weight, so I thought that was his normal weight. His spine, shoulders, and hips are really prominent and don’t feel at all natural. And what if I do use critical care, he gets his weight back, but then loses it all again, do I go to the vet or do I use more critical care hay? As you can tell I don’t really have experience with weight loss on pets let alone rabbits.
- 06/04/2018 at 10:42 AM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  The runny nose and eye are a vet problem not just the weight loss. That’s not just allergies. He needs to be tested for Pasturella which can be fatal. Any type of nose/eye discharge needs to be checked by a vet because it’s not simple allergies. Bunnies breathe through their nose, so any type of discharge can prevent that, which can kill the bunny.
  
  About the weight there is no such thing as critical care hay, unless you’re referring to syringe feeding critical care? Don’t feed a lot of carrots or oats as that can lead to GI problems on top of any potential other issues. Stick to his normal diet and either add critical care as a supplement or you can even try some alfalfa hay. You said he won’t eat hay, but have you tried other types besides timothy? A lot of bunnies like orchard hay, so that’s one to try out. In general, if he’s sick, he’s going to lose weight. I think you really need to see a vet.
- 06/04/2018 at 9:02 PM
  Rainbowbunnies
  Participant
  37 posts
  I’ll try to go to the vet, but I can’t go for a couple days. I have already tried Timothy hay but I’m highly allergic and I switched to orchard grass months ago when spring came. I thought his discharge could’ve been from allergies to the pine/magnolia pollen or to the orchard grass hay. He seemed to really like the hay at first but slowly stopped eating it and now I have to force feed him. I already tried oat hay and he refused to eat it because he didn’t like that taste, he wouldn’t eat it even if I force fed him, at least with the grass hay he ate it when I forced him to. I thought that oats were okay as long as it was 1/2 of a tablespoon or less, he didn’t get sticky poop when I gave him 1 teaspoon of oats; so that’s what I’ve been feeding him so far, with carrots as well. And he’s been on his normal diet for his size and weight.
- 06/04/2018 at 10:09 PM
  kurottabun
  Participant
  908 posts
  It doesn’t really sound like allergy if he’s been eating the orchard grass for months and the issues you mentioned are recent. If he’s indoors then I doubt the pollen would get to him so much that it causes him to have such dramatic symptoms as well.
  
  I googled how much 4 ounces is (we use grams here) and saw it’s about 100+g. That’s a lot of weight to lose in 4-5 days especially if he’s a small bunny and most probably indicates an underlying issue, which will make it difficult for him to gain weight until he has been treated for it. He may also just continue to lose weight no matter how much he eats because of this.
  
  Are his poops smaller or darker etc? You can use CC to make sure his guts continue to move when he’s not eating hay. Right now the priority should not be to make him gain weight, but to find out what’s the underlying issue. Is he eating pellets?
- 06/05/2018 at 2:12 AM
  Rainbowbunnies
  Participant
  37 posts
  His poops are normal color and are a little smaller, but he is eating meadow hay balls that I thought would be a good option after the oat and orchard grass hay. He isn’t eating hay regularly, but it is more than before. He ate all his veggies and oats this morning after my first post. I couldn’t get pellets today, so hopefully tomorrow I can. The pet supply store has strange hours but has the good quality hay and pellets. Oh, and I have been decreasing his pellets cause now he is fully grown; He started out with unlimited pellets and I slowly decreased them to 1/4 a cup per day.
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