Thank you so much, DanaNM!  I really appreciate it.

The vet did say that some of the weight loss over the past year could be just muscular atrophy with age (and he has spondylosis; he does seem stiffer these days).  We introduced the oats just a couple of months ago but I don’t know how much of an effect they would be expected to have.

Unfortunately Teddy hates Critical Care, and definitely won’t eat it voluntarily (even via oral syringe is quite an ordeal).  He does eat meadow hay and oat hay as well as sprinkle of alfalfa as of a couple years ago (to tempt him to eat more).

Thank you so much, everyone!  I’m still wondering about a couple of things and would love your help!  They are 1) whether this is really a dental problem (I’m not sure his behavior supports that clearly), and 2) how to navigate/balance care for a very shy/nervous elderbun who typically gets stasis from stress every time we bring him to the vet.

For #1: It’s true that the past several months his intake of greens and pellets has varied from one day to the next, but he’s always been consistent with hay.  Since he’s a hay snob, the two main kinds he always gets are meadow and oat, with a sprinkling of alfalfa on top added in the past couple years.  He usually favors the oat hay over the meadow hay, even though the oat hay is much thicker; he loves alfalfa (which I know is typical) even though it’s pretty tough.  He’s also much more likely to finish his pellets than to finish his greens (parsley/cilantro and other herbs).  Lately he gets 2-3 large blackberries each day but he doesn’t usually finish them.  He does like to chew on his chew toys a lot.  Also, throughout this time he’s often done the happy bunny tooth grinding back and forth with me when I pet him, usually for a bunch of iterations.  For these reasons, I’m not sure if it’s the case that he’s having molar problems — but what do you think?  Maybe I have some mistaken assumptions in here.

For #2: Because Teddy’s a shy/nervous bun who usually gets stasis whenever we put him in the car and bring him to the vet, I’m really reluctant to put him through that again for an X-ray and then a third time (if necessary) for the molar trim.  I’m also *very* nervous about putting him under anesthesia at this age — am I wrong about this?  Before this checkup, he was acting very happy and seemed to have a good life, so I kind of want to see if he can go back to that once the post-vet stress abates.  (Of course, if he seems to have real trouble eating later on, that would be a different ballgame.)  I guess underlying this is the issue of how to navigate a gentle, balanced approach to his care, now that he’s 12.  We adore him and would do anything for him — but for his sake, not our own.  We don’t want to put him through a ton of invasive procedures at this point for the chance at getting a little more time with him — the top priority is for him to be happy and comfortable.  Don’t get me wrong, we adore him and very much want as much time with him as possible.  We just don’t want to put him through the wringer, if you see what I mean.  What is your take on how to strike the right balance here?

Thank you so much!! 🙂  Meanwhile I’ll try orchard grass and fresh grass too.  🙂

Thank you so much, Bam!  That’s exactly it — if the cure is worse than the disease, just like you say.

Thank you so much for your encouraging words — that means a lot.  🙂  Yes, I’ll try giving him a bit more oats (ensuring it doesn’t reduce his eating other foods).  I was giving him subQ fluids yesterday (because he’s still recovering from the vet stress) and his shoulders actually feel less skinny now than before we started oats a few months ago.  So it seems introducing them was a good call and I’m grateful for that being suggested on here (in a prior thread)!  🙂

Thank you so much again.

Those are both good suggestions, thanks DanaNM!  He didn’t go for regular CC cookies but I haven’t tried making them with oats!  And the Sherwood kind is worth a try too.  They even have a weight gain formula I think.  Thanks for this!!  🙂

That’s excellent — way to go, Bonnie!  🙂  I’ll definitely give that a try.  🙂 Thank you so much!