Rabbit in pain… I think

[Lois]

Hi everyone 

My rabbit Cinnabun stopped eating Friday night. I immediately started giving belly massages and syringe feeding critical care with baby gas drops. By the next night he was able to start eating herbs a little bit and now he’s eating and drinking all by himself just fine.

In the past when he’s had gas I’ve syringe fed and he’s bounced back by the next day all fine. However this time it seems different. I’ve noticed that when he lies down he will tooth grind only for a second but still. Also sometimes he’ll eat a bit if he’s food then sit hutched over for a minute before continuing. He also seems uncomfortable at times. He’ll lie down then pop back up and furiously start digging. Cinnabun it’s much of a digger except when he’s upset.

Does anyone know what could be happening? The vets where I live are good but not the most rabbit savy at times. There are some good vets that work there and love rabbits but honestly its the luck of the draw on whether or not I’ll get a vet that even cares. Maybe if anyone has any ideas about what could be the issue I could tell them to look for that?

And advice appreciated.

[Bam]

Teeth problems are common in rabbits, so that would be a thing to check. Its not possible to see rabbit molars without an otoscope, and even with an otoscope it can be difficult to get a good view. Even very tiny molar sours can cause a rabbit pain. Does he eat his hay now? Has he lost weight?

Most rabbit illness first manifest as partial or total loss of appetite. Any kind of pain can cause a bun to be less enthusiastic about food. If Cinnabun is a lop I’d ask the vet to check his ears. Ear inflammation is very common in lops. If its just in the outer ear canal, a vet will prescribe ear drops to soften whatever goo might be in there so it can be expressed.

It is very difficult when the bun’s symptoms are vague, esp if you dont have a rabbit vet.

[Lois]

Hi Bam

I was thinking tooth problems and I might ask them to check. But he’s been eating his hay and even more interested in that than his lettuce. Thankfully he’s not lost any weight.

Cinnabun is a lop. I think your right about getting them to check his ears. Hopefully its something small that can be easily figured out. I hate the idea that he could be in pain.

 

 

[Bam]

Wonderful that he’s eating hay and hasn’t lost weight!

It’s wise to get a lop eared bun’s ear checked (my vet says 1-2 times a year for asymptomatic lops), in order to nip any  problems in the bud. You can feel for lumps underneath the ear base yourself (gently, obviously), because its common for wax and debris to deposit there. If you feel lumps there, its best to use ear drops first to soften the goo, that will make it a lot less easier to express. A bun friend just recently went through this with one of her lops, it was quite an amazing amount of goo that came out over a series of days. The bun seemed very relieved after.

 

[Author]

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