Bunny has a dental thing and can’t eat vegetables

[Lewis n Pumpkin]

My bun Pumpkin has fur growing inside her cheeks that get inflamed when she eats vegetables or anything that isn’t dried. She’s losing a lot of weight due to lack of nutrients in her diet. There aren’t any bunny savvy vets in my country so what so you think I should do?

 

should I give her injections of vitamins every month or keep feeding her vegetables with her anti-inflammatory meds everyday?

if there are any other suggestions or if anyone who has a bun with the same condition, I would love to hear from you. Thank you so much.

[Bam]

If your bun can eat hay and pellets she will get the nutrients she needs from that, esp if you vary the types of hay she gets. You can dry some vegetables for her if you want to give her vegetables. Kale, dandelion greens, apple leaves and other edible leaves, thin slices of carrot (carrot should be considered a treat) dry very well. I’m sure you have a lot of veggies that I’m not familiar with, but you can experiment with drying some and see if it works. Lettuce doesnt dry well, but lots of other greens do, although some needs to be sliced finely before being laid out to dry. Turn them now and then and pack in bags or jars that you can close and they’ll keep well. Make sure theyre completely dry before you store them or they will rot or get moldy.

[Wick & Fable]

Agreed w/ @Bam — as long as your rabbit is eating hay and good-quality rabbit pellets, nutritionally, the rabbit should be fine. Veggies also don’t contribute much w/ weight either. I would be more concerned about your rabbit’s overall level of hydration though. You mention there are not many rabbit-savvy vets in your country– do you mind sharing where you’re located? Also, how did you get the diagnosis of fur in the cheeks?

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Lewis n Pumpkin]

I’ll make note of your suggestions. Thanks!

I’m located in a city in Vietnam. We do have vets here for dogs and cats but no exotic animal vets. Honestly I’m just happy I found the one I have now. She started drooling in March, so the vet checked the inside of her mouth and said Pumpkin had fur on the inside of her cheeks but the rest of her molars are ok. We checked again in June and the vet said the fur appeared to be growing longer.

I noticed she started drooling whenever i tried to feed her salad after her diagnosis. I stopped giving fresh food and she stopped drooling. And tbh she wasn’t doing that bad weight wise either. But she recently got super skinny since I took her back to my parent’s place, and she also started molting then too. She went from 1.5 kg to 1.39 kg in 2 weeks.

Do you know how long does it take for rabbits to put on weight usually? I’m quite anxious like I know it takes time but everytime I feel her bony little back my heart breaks so much…

[Wick & Fable]

If there is big concern about weight, you simply want her eating more calories. You can try and increase pellet amount slightly (depending on her age and ideal weight). If you have access to something like Critical Care in Vietnam (I noticed it’s listed on Lazada), that can be something you provide as a supplemental diet addition for weight gain. It is nutritionally balanced, so unlike over feeding pellets, there’s less concern for nutritional imbalance. I had a rabbit gain some weight over two weeks with critical care supplemental feedings every day.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[DanaNM]

Are they 100% sure she doesnt have a molar problem? Drooling and weight loss could indicate she is having enough trouble chewing that she is losing weight. It can be hard to see the back molars without anesthesia or x-rays.

I agree that increasing pellets amounts slightly or adding critical care (or a similar product) to be sure she’s getting enough calories would be good.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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