Rabbit not eating/drinking properly.

[Pants]

Hello everyone. Been here for a few years lurking here & there, but never posted anything myself up until now. Apologies if I end up posting this in the wrong forum type/area… ;;

I have a house rabbit (Bun, female, spayed) who’s going to turn 5 come late May. Over the past few days she’s been having some problems– Suddenly deciding to not eat or drink properly when she’s quite the big eater & as a result had to stay overnight at an Veterinary A&E (& Have a lil’ IV drip in her ear to top it all off as she was confirmed to be dehydrated). She came home just after midday yesterday & has been acting a bit more like her usual self with the exception of still not eating her pellets (When she woke up the morning she was in A&E she ate the pellets we provided happily apparently). My Mum thought that perhaps it could be that her painkillers are finally wearing off which isn’t making her not want to eat again? It’s making me a huge worrywuss nevertheless.
She ate some kale tonight for the first time I believe but me being the aforementioned worrywuss I’m worrying it’ll do something to her given how gassy it can be ghgh– (We didn’t give her a huge amount– We usually only give her lettuce as a lil’ treat, we’ve also tried her with basil & carrot tops as the Vet’s suggestion since she came home, which she’s ate up happily!!) She’s still eating hay but she’s only drinking water when I give it to her fresh out the tap, which seems kinda off since she used to drink it no matter what.
She’s also– Not really passing anything when going to the bathroom, she sits there for a good while but nothing happens. Which is also iffy compares to. Uh. How much she usually does. |D;;;

She’s going to the Vet’s again (Albeit our local one opposed to A&E as ours is open once more) on the 14th to have her teeth looked at & treated to as it was discovered she has small, sharp spikes on them which is another reason the staff at the A&E thought she might’ve stopped eating (She has the stereotypical rabbit gut problems too & was treated for gut stasis according to the A&E papers, which is why I’ve been sweating dozens of buckets– It’s never kicked in & affected her to this degree).

I spent a lot of time with her today to see if that’d make her more hungry/thirsty. Truly babying her by swaddling & giving her affection her in a blanket– Plus giving her some much needed petting for a good few hours. She even purred for the first time properly!! I’m hoping it was out of comfort & not displeasure/pain like I’ve heard it is more often than not ghgh–

Apologies if this is weirdly written & all over the place, my mind’s been a mess & figured this’d be the place to write up stuff & potentially ask for advice despite no questions really being stated. Should I really be this worried? She did a pseudo-flop earlier on & lay down in a weird position despite me coming over & petting her (which usually gets her up instantly!!) & I was worried that she was in pain or something. She’s up again & munching on hay in the meantime but gosh. <:’)

Thanks in advance. ♡

[Wick & Fable]

Before getting into thoughts, a general PSA that if your rabbit has not pooped or eaten in 12 hours, that is considered an emergency and she should go back to the vet ASAP. Also, even though vet offices are busy (especially now), don’t hesitate to call and report new symptoms/concerns that you may have as the provider who directly examined your rabbit may have much more valuable insights on what can be expected.

The molar spurs can be a valid explanation for what’s going on, so it’s good that you have a visit set — if possible, getting one sooner is better as rabbit teeth don’t stop growing and the growth can be quite rapid. Sometimes you can contact the vet office and asked to be called when there’s a cancellation. She is eating hay, which is actually a phenomenal sign as that is what is going to keep her GI in the best state possible. If she is not drinking water out of a bowl, you can extra wet veggies so she gets increased hydration from there.

If she is not eating pellets, I’d supplement a little CC or pellet mash to her diet so she’s getting more nutrition than just the hay-veggie-water diet (plus the mixture would be hydrating too).

All this being said, I assume the first vet confirmed that there is no blockage/obstruction/risk of bloat, so she is probably pretty constipated, and it’s hard to poop with all that going on. You can try a tummy massage/hind-lifting to see if that helps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M&t=1s&ab_channel=Howcast … personally the lifting of the hind quarters works wonders with my Wick in his recent bad gas episode.

If it is teeth discomfort, something to potentially try and encourage more eating is cutting the hay to a shorter length. From my personal observation (with my Wick whose teeth are not great), hay of long length is very effortful to eat because he (Wick) will spend literally 2 minutes moving the hay in his mouth, inching his lips and positioning the hay strand so he can start eating it at the end, as opposed to just chewing it wherever he grabs it. When he feels dental discomfort, he just gives up and doesn’t eat anything unless I cut it up as short, narrow strips, including veggies!

See here for some at-home measures that can be helpful: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Gastrointestinal_stasis#At-home_treatment

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.

[Bam]

If she’s up again and munching hay, you don’t need to be crazy worried -but she must poop, or you should contact your vet again.

I think she purred out of pleasure when you pet her -a rabbit can chop its teeth out of pain, but if a bun is in that much pain, there will be other signs as well, such as sitting in a stiff upright position or actively pressing the tummy against the floor -like a human doing push-ups without managing to keep the back straight (you’ll have to imagine this).

Its great that she’s munching on hay. If she eats more when you hand-feed her, do  hand-feed her. If she drinks “new” water only, its good of you can renew her water often. It could very well be that colder water helps relieve mouth pain.

Dental spurs can fully explain all this  and her age also supports dental spurs as the cause. Until you get her in for a dental burr she should get pain relief (meloxicam) and you’ll probably need to support feed her critical care a few times per day. Some buns will eat CC from a plate, especially if you mix it with something yummy like canned unsweetened pumpkin (not pie filling, just plain pumpkin). Its obviously best if she eats as much as possible on her own, but if she doesnt, you should syringe feed to keep her in best possible shape for when she’s going under for the burr.

Please keep us posted, many of us here have been in similar situations and know how scary it is!

[Author]

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