Maintaining weight

[BunnyFriends]

So I’ve been having trouble maintaining Winter’s weight. Licorice is fine, but with her I’ve increased veggies, added pellets back in, provided hay and I’m totally lost. It wasn’t a drastic drop all of a sudden but I’d say she needs to gain quite a bit back. Anything that may help? Particularly fatty foods? Obviously I’d still give in moderation….

Her appetite is fine.

[tobyluv]

Even though seeds are normally listed as something not to feed rabbits, they have been used sometimes to hopefully promote weight gain, or to stop weight loss. Sunflower seeds have one of the highest fat contents of any seed. You get plain, raw, hulled ones. You can also try pumpkin seeds. Just try a small quantity, to make sure they don’t cause any GI issues. Before starting with any seeds, ask your vet about it first.

[vanessa]

Cut back on the veggies. They r actually low in calories. I give my bunny 1tbsp oat groats a day for weight gain. U could add criticalcare “soup”. Dont limit pellets or hay. How old is winter? Been to a vet lately? Sometimes weight loss (with or without appetite) is the first clue to illness.

[BunnyFriends]

Tobyluv – Will ask the vet soon. However she recently had a stasis episode so I’m not sure.

Vanessa – I will, never knew they were low in calories. She’s 1.5 years and has always been a little lighter then most. She went to the vet in last week for a stasis episode but recovered fast. I have never limited hay but I guess she’ll be getting more pellets.

[vanessa]

Have you checked a rabbit weight chart?
http://charlotte-harris.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Body-Condition-Score-Rabbit.jpg
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-weight.asp
If you trust your vet – you could ask what they think of your rabbit’s weight. (I had a vet tell me Lancelot was fine, and another tell me he was too far gone with weight loss).
With allowign more pellet consumption – watch the cecotropes. It’s a tricky balance. If the pellets are rich, she’ll stop eating her cecotropes. In that case – you want to scale them back till she is eating her cecotropes again. Did the vet comment on her weight last week?

[BunnyFriends]

I did talk to the vet about her weight and he said add to diet and make sure she’s getting exercise. Her spine and bones are extremely easy to feel.

On the weight charts I honestly can’t decide 1 or 2. Bones are very very easy to feel but there’s no cave in at pelvis. She does have on at hips?

I just gave her a bowl of pellets…. she flopped next to them instead of eating

[vanessa]

That is concerning. I’d wory that there is an underlying health problem. If there is – it will be difficult to help her put on weight. Lancelot got down to a 1. I think now he is a 2. I’d ask the vet to help you tell if there is an underlying health problem. You could also try another vet. To say “add to her diet” will only work if the reason for her weight loss is dealt with. Lancelot was in pain, so he lost hei appetite. Now that he is on daily pain meds, he eats more. There coudl be many things affecting a rabbits appetite and ability to maintain weight. Parasites, pain, anything that makes them feel unwell.

[Gina.Jenny]

I used barley rings to get weight on Gina and Jenny when we first took them in, both were under weight. barley rings are designed to be highly nutritious to working horses, and worked for both girls?

[kirstyol]

Has the weight loss been since the stasis? I mean was she a healthy weight before that? Bramble lost quite a lot of weight due to a bout of stasis once (about 500grams almost overnight!) and it took a while for him to reach his original weight again.

[vanessa]

That could be it? It does take them a while to regain their weight. The vet was right about exercise – #1 or #2 means very little muscle mass, which makes it difficult to more around, but exercise is important to help regain muscle mass, in addition to just regaining fat.

[BunnyFriends]

Just weighed her (I don’t have a baby scale or anything, I just pick her up and deduct my weight, she’s not a struggled) and she’s in at 2.5 pounds. So about 1.25 pounds under, which I guess isn’t the worst?

[vanessa]

No that is actually pretty bad. She is down 34%. Lancelot was down 33%. He is now at 28% loss so better, but still a 1 or a 2. Cachexia is when a rabbit loses more than 10% of its normal body weight. This puts pressure on the joints and promotes muscle loss which is difficult to regain.

[BunnyFriends]

Okay, gotcha. Never had experience with weight loss so wasn’t sure what wasn’t bad and what was. I’ve decided to let her out during the day (so 12 hours?). Lots of flops. Least she’s happy.

I’ve given her unlimited pellets, what would you suggest for veggies? Also, how often should I weigh her?

[vanessa]

Beets, pumpkin/squash (1 Tbsp a day), kale, bell pepper – are high calorie vegetables compared with the thinner leaved lettuce. You can do a google search for “calories kale”, “calories celery” etc. You’re looking for veggies that are at least 25 calories per serving. For example, 1 medium bell pepper is 25 calories. Ideally, you want to supplement 150 calories per day. Not replace – but supplement. So 6 servings a day of 25-calorie veggies will give you a decent supplement. You could also try critical care. Mix up 1 Tbsp with 2-3 Tbsp water and ofer as a “soup”. If yrou rabbit will eat it, it it’s easier than syringe feeding. I leave a small soup bowl out for Lancelot – by the end of the day it’s gone. Between critical care and the various Sherwood Forest equivalents, they average 25 calories per Tbsp. You can also use critical care to make hay cookies.
Good thing she is happy. That will help with her appetite.

[vanessa]

Oh – you could weigh her once a week. As long as you use the same method each time, you will be able to compere the weights. When I have Lancelot weighed at the vets office, I also weigh him at home same so that when I do my comparisons, I’m comparing apples to apples, not apples to oranges. I hold him on the bathroom scale, then without him, and subtract the difference. Some people use kitchen scales, but the readout on mine is too close to the plate, so to sit him in a box – I wouldn’t be able to see the scale reading.

[BunnyFriends]

Going to weigh her tosay.

Would starting doing agility tricks help build the muscle? She’s done tricks (not agility) before and is enthusiastic and a good jumper. I’ll probably keep doing them anyway, just interested.

[vanessa]

Any exercise is good. Go easy on the jumps – thin rabbits develop joint problems from not having enough muscle to support movement. It’sgood that she still feels active. I would not have her jump higher than her shoulder. I haven’t seen the “shulder height guidance” written anywhere for skinny rabbits – just following guidelines for jumping immature bordercollies. As a border collie grows, their jump guidelines get higher and higher – in order to protect their growing joints. Since we do know that lack of muscke causes joint degeneration in muscles – don’t ask her to jump too high just yet.

I’m weighing Lancelot either Wednesday or Thursday, cant’ remember which. He has a vet appointment. Lately he has stopped eating pellets, but has been devouring critical care “soup”. So we’ll see…

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