rabbit recovery

[kirsten90]

Hi, my Barbara had a dental procedure the other day as we thought she wasnt eating properly because of her teeth. Whilst my baby was asleep the vet felt a tumor in her tummy, and this is probably the reason for her lack of eating. Shes currently on emeprid and loxicom, but today wont eat. I have a couple of sachets of rabbit recovery but last time i tried it it just got stuck in the syringe and she would just spit it out. Can anybody help me with some tips as the vets is closed today and also if anybody knows of anything i can ask of the vet to keep her longer. Im really upset and dont want to lose her. We both thank you in advance for your help

[Muchelle]

Hi! What syringe are you using to feed her? It has to be a big one, with a wide nozzle, or the stuff will get stuck. One like this:
http://www.towervets.co.uk/pet-factsheets/images/24_290699.jpg

If the syringe is the right one, then you can try to mix the hay powder with lukewarm water and mix very throughly, so that you will have a softer paste. As you fill the syringe, push the air out little by little and tap it on the table to help the paste move around and have the air out.

When you feed, push the syringe deep towards the cheek opposite as the side you are entering from, that way the paste will be in her mouth and it’s less likely that she will spit it. If you do this, you have to push very little amounts every time to give her the time to swallow it. Try also to tempt her with some smushed banana to see if she’s willing to eat by herself, that would be a very positive thing ^^

My bun had troubles with his teeth as well as one big abscess removed from his belly, so I understand how hard and stressing it is… keep track of how much you manage to feed her and how much she drinks, in case she will later need subcutaneous fluids admininstered. Good luck!

About the thing in her belly, the vet didn’t take it out yet, right? Does they know for sure it’s a tumor and not a really hard abscess? If they haven’t done a biopsy yet, I would ask for that so that you have confirmation of what the mass is… then I would discuss the chance to have a surgery to remove it.

[Vienna Blue in France]

That’s what I was going to ask – is the vet sure? Is it a nasty tumour or ‘just’ a growth…? Is she spayed?
If you don’t have any other options re syringe, try cutting the tiny nozzle off the end. As the nozzle is a decreasing diameter towards the end you will open it up a bit for the lumpy paste to come out.

How about her fave treats? Raisins? Banana? Whatever. Is she showing no interest at all or just not able to eat?

[kirsten90]

Hi thanks for the replies. Since this she has started eating. She’ll eat banana, apple, cabbage leaves and a few pellets wont touch hay or grass though. hasnt done for a week or so.
The syringe in the pic you shown i dont have the vet gave me one with a small nozzle and said thats all they have the nozzle is tiny too so doesnt go deep in her mouth its just pointless. Ill try the cutting the ozxle off though and see if that works.
The vet just said ahe found a tumour but its pushing on her intestines and thats why ahes reluctant to eat, no biopsies have been done she juat felt it when she was asleep having her teeth done and it has since grown. No shes not spayed. Weve discussed surgery and the vet has said she more than likely wont survive it, and the best thing to do is keep her comfy for however ling she has git. The vet hasnt mentioned anything about a biopsy and in all honesty id do anything to make her better but putting her through so much is just cruel , shes been back and forth to the vets for 2 months and she has been distressed with all this. I spoke to the vet today and she said she can have one more steroid injection if she completley stops eating as more than that can kill her, the only thing left is surgery which the vet doesnt advise as they dont know even if they could remove it and if it would even make a difference. Shes currently eating bits and pooping so its all good i just wish she’d eat some hay or grass ive tried all different types. Im just trying to keep her happy for as long as i can now because theres nothing more we can do. Thank you for the advice on the force feeding!

[Vienna Blue in France]

I’ve just seen, your bun is coming up to 6 years old…. and she’s not spayed so I wonder if it is a uterine cancer (but unoperable?)

I can understand you are listening to your vets advice… (it’s so difficult to go against that unless you have hard ‘evidence’. I’m having the same with my cat at the moment) – I know happy house rabbits (normal sizes, not giants) can live till 10 or 12 yrs, so it’s not like she’s an ‘old’ rabbit.

So my thoughts are with you at this difficult time. It’s great she’s eating again by herself. She’s lucky to have you..
((( Barbara ))))

[jerseygirl]

Have you been able to get her to eat?

Maybe try some pumpkin puree or suitable baby food.

[kirsten90]

The vet basically said operating on her would cost £1000 ( which i dont have shes coat me £400+ so far) and it might not even help, its too much to put her through and she’d probably die whilst getting operated on, this is a chance i do not want to take.
She has been eating again but no hay or grass just cabbage leaves banna pellets dandelion leaves carrot, but today all shes eaten are bits of banana. Im thinking of giving her some of the recovery food if she doesnt eat properly in the next couple of hours but i dont have the syringe to do it. The nozzles very small and the syringe is really thick. I know she wont eat it willingly off a spoon or in a bowl so i just need a way of getting it in her. This is so stressful, i dont wanna lose her…but like the vet said its not looking good. The last resort is one more steroid injection the vet said she cant keep having the steriods as theyte bad for her and could kill her. A normal vet wouldnt even consider operating on her, but i take her to a rabbit specialist vets. Im at a loss….

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