Just looking for help

[Pinkbun]

Hi guys
Ok so I’ve got two buns Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnies seems to get ill very often. They are adopted dwarf rabbits. Bonnie has a twisted back (possibly she was dropped by previous owner or scoliosis?) Clyde never is ill. The rabbits are about 3 yrs. Bonnie showed signs of e.cuniculi about 6 months ago but Clyde didn’t which I find odd due to them living together… They were treated for the e.cuniculi successfully. Though Bonnie sone got ill again (like a few weeks after the e.cuniculi) she rarely eats (well I never see her eating) she drinks a lot of water (she prefers a bowl), she has frequent eye problems, she cannot clean he bottom, she grinds her teeth a lot, she’s not very active. However we’ve been back and fourth to the vet ever since. I started her on pain meds Incase it was her back giving her trouble but it didn’t make it any cleaner. It did make her more active though. He eyes do get regular runny/ tear problems. I’ve been trying everything for her am I can’t figure out what’s wrong. Why isn’t she eating well, moving, cleaning, etc. However I noticed something odd last night… I gave her a treat (Apple treat) and one to Clyde. Clyde ate it in under 30 secs and Bonnie was chewing on it for several minutes. i found this odd so I decided to check her teeth. I found Bonnies top front incisors had grown long into her mouth and were on her tongue. I also found her bottom front incisors broken. I understand the severarity of this and made a vet appointment Asap she been made a rabbit dental. Can I ask could (if anybody has any exp) it have been her teeth that could have been causing all these problems for Bonnie? As I’m running outta money ! Every week she goes to week and we can’t figure out what’s wrong but I’ve looked in her mouth (she’s not the best with handling) and seen her teeth. Can anybody offer advice? As I’m unsure what’s wrong with her. Sry to write wierd I want to make sure I stated everything ! Also I don’t think my vet knows much about rabbits….

[Sirius&Luna]

I’m sorry to hear about these problems that Bonnie has been having. I have a couple of thoughts:

– Firstly, is your vet rabbit savvy? Many vets say they have experience with rabbits, but actually, don’t know enough about them to look after them properly. They are often known as ‘exotic vets’. I ask because teeth should be one of the basic things that a rabbit vet checks. If you let us know where you’re based, there will probably be a member with a relevant list of rabbit savvy vets. An experienced vet is very important.

– Teeth issues can be caused by not eating enough hay, and it can also affect the back teeth (which can’t be seen without a special tool), where rabbits can have painful spurs that dig into their cheeks and make them want to stop eating.

– Overgrown back teeth can also lead to runny eyes, as the root digs into other parts of the face.

– A messy bum could be caused by two things – rabbits have two types of poop, cecatropes, which they’re meant to eat, and regular dry poops. If she has back problems it could be that she can’t reach to eat her cecatropes, which they normally eat straight from the bum. It could also be that because she doesn’t eat enough hay, she’s making too many of these sticky poops and they’re getting stuck to her (so yes, it could potentially also be caused by teeth problems).

– EC is never ‘cured’, but it can be treated. However it does reoccur sometimes, so that could be another thing either causing her back problems, or making her feel worse. It’s not unusual that you didn’t see signs of it in Clyde. Most rabbits are carriers of the parasite, but many never show symptoms, and its not clear what makes some bunnies have a flare up.

– If the pain meds made her more active, it sounds like something was causing her pain, and they made her feel better.

[Pinkbun]

I’m uk based (Northern Ireland specific). I personally am unsure as Bonnie still poops fine but it the cecatropes things that stick to her bum. She started the pain meds like 2 weeks a go (as we were seeing to her back if it was stopping her cleaning) but it hasn’t really made a difference. She’s more active definitely but I don’t know if she can generally eat the cecatropes things due to her teeth or if it’s her back? I will mention she’s not good at drinking from a bottle… She prefers a dish and I guess I know why… Now.. Her teeth got in the way.. ? You would never see her eating.. They have plenty of hair and food.. But I only see Clyde eat :/ I guess her teeth stopped her eating? As her weight will vary (when the e.cuniculi came she became severely under weight). Thinking about the e.cuniculi she did develop a head tilt and a limp (which restricted her movement). Could the e.cuniculi set something off or have caused a teeth problem? Or maybe was that the start of the tooth problem? (As they weren’t actually tested for EC, As it caused a lot and it was wished to start the meds sooner) it’s possible that that may have been the start of the tooth problem and she may not have had EC at all? Her back injury is either scoliosis or an injury from being dropped by her previous owners. As when I first got her she would not let me hold her or touch her. Clyde was the opposite he was friendly.

[Sirius&Luna]

I don’t think the EC would have caused tooth problems but it can contribute to rabbits not eating and being generally unwell. If she had head tilt then it’s pretty likely it was EC and there’s no harm in treating for it even if it’s not.

Definitely start with treating the teeth, and make sure they check her back teeth too. She might need an xray to see if teeth problems are causing the eye issue too.

The RWAF provides a list of rabbit specialists in the UK. I’ve had a look and there’s a couple near Belfast but not sure if that helps you. You can put in your post code though and see if there’s anywhere close.

http://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/rabbit-friendly-vet-list/

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