Poorly Bunny

[hayley]

Morning! I am new to this forum. Hi!

I have a lionhead rabbit, he is approximately 9 months old and neutered.

He keeps having stomach problems and stopping eating and pooing.

He has been at the vets a few times, they xrayed his head and said he may have a problem with a tooth, but may have been born with it, his bloods are all ok. I come home with him and he has ranitidine and loxicom and is fine for about a week, then it starts again, he hides behind the sofa, not wanting bothered, cant be bothered with food or drink and not pooing properly. he turns really grumpy, usually he allows me to give him is medication no problem, but when hes poorly I end up chasing him around the room and blocking off areas so I can get to him, this morning he was that stroppy, he snatched a spring green out of my hand and threw it across the room.

Contacted the vets this morning and I have to see how he is when I get home and take him to the vets if not better, they have said he may need a ct scan of his tooth, but they may not be able to treat his tooth, if that is the problem!

He eats green oat hay, readigrass, western timothy hay, orchard grass mixed as he is fussy and changes his mind on which he likes daily, he has a small mix of pellets too, with pro fibre being his favourite and spring greens and mint, because I find that he gets gassy from kale, cabbage and carrot. he has a treat of a slice of apple or watermelon chunk and tends to drink water mixed with 100% apple juice or pineapple juice or fruit and veg juice mixed with water as he wont drink water alone!

any help or suggestions! he worries me sick!  

thanks for any advice

[Bam]

Dental problems are common in bunnies. Some bunnies are sensitive to the smallest dental problem, refuse to eat esp tough food and that makes the dental problem worse, because the teeth grow all their lives and need to be worn down continuosly. Bunny molars can grow 2 centimeters per month (almost an inch), so you see how a small problem can become a big problem fast. That your bun is eating hay and grass and pellets doesn’t really point to anything being very wrong with his teeth though.

If it is the teeth, it often helps to have the molars ground/burred. That is a faily easy procedure, but the bun needs to be anesthetized for it. If the problem is with an incisor/ the incisors, the best recommendation is currently to have it removed. Bunnies don’t need their incisors for chewing, just for pulling food into their mouths, and they quickly adapt to not having incisors.

If a bunny doesn’t eat or can’t chew properly, there will be stomach problems. You get oddly shaped poop or sticky poop, the bun gets gas, and the bunny gets grumpy because it isn’t feeling well. Grumpiness and feistiness is a “good” sign in that the bunny has strenght to show anger and resentment, but the problem of course needs to be fixed before it results in malnourishment or an immune-defense weakened from stress.

Are there any other veterinaries available in your area? Even if it would mean a bit of a drive, it could well be worth it, both for a diagnosis and a cure. It’s really rather pointless to pay a lot of money to have your vets scan his head if they’re then still not able to do anything about his teeth, if there’s sth wrong with his teeth. Many people here (I’m one of them) have to take their buns for regular dentals, so dealing with bunny teeth is sth that many vets do quite routinely nowadays. But the availability of bunny-savvy vets of course depends on where you live.

[hayley]

Hi, I live in Cumbria, uk, I will have a search and see if there any bunny specialists!
He had an eye infection over Christmas, which made me think all of this may be to do with his teeth, but that went away with treatment.
It really needs sorting as its been every couple of weeks for a few months now!
Thank you for your response!

[hayley]

My vets does have a vet that specialises in rabbits, but I think they are running out of ideas now!

[Author]

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