Unexplained weight loss

[crazylittlebunny]

My two year old bunny, bubbles, has been losing weight in the last week or two and she is currently 5.5 lbs (she should be a 10+lbs bunny). The problem originally started back in late July early August. I brought her to two different vets, where bloodwork and scans were done, but nobody could figure out what was wrong and all the test came back normal. Around late August, my Bunny was able to gain weight again and whatever was going on, seemed to have passed (or so I thought).
Fast-forward to now, she is losing weight again but her Overall behavior (eating/drinking/pooping) is normal. However, I have been noticing a swishing (?) sound coming from her abdomen that wasn’t there before (she does drink a lot of water, so maybe it could just be that?).

I am thinking about taking her to the vet on Monday. The reason I’ve been hesitating is because last time when the vets couldn’t find the cause of the weight loss and my parents got annoyed with me as they thought I was just wasting money it made me feel like I was paranoid.
When I brought up Bubbles, the fact she was losing weight again, and that I wanted to take her back to the vet, they got annoyed and started listing off their own reasons and theories as to what is going on and gave me a glare as they think bringing her back to the vet for a third time is a waste of money.

Any suggestions as to what I can do to get my rabbit to gain weight and keep it? The last thing I want is to lose her over the holidays.

[LBJ10]

What is your bunny currently eating and how much? What were you doing before to keep weight on her? And you haven’t noticed any behavior changes? Does she eat normally? Or does she eat more slowly? Did the vet do x-rays? Thorough tooth exam? Something seems to be missing here.

[crazylittlebunny]

The majority of my rabbits diet is hay, I Rotate different vegetables/leafy greens so that she gets to variety in her diet, And any sugary fruits and vegetables are given In moderation/sparingly.

I haven’t noticed any behavioral changes. She is still eating, drinking pooping and behaving perfectly normal And she isn’t eating slower than she normally does.

I do have a vet visit for this Friday as that is the soonest I could get her in. The last time I took her to the vet for this issue back in late July/early August. Her teeth were checked and they were perfectly normal. Bloodwork and x-rays came back perfectly normal as well. But could not figure out what was going on.

[LBJ10]

Does she get any pellets? Some bunnies just need them, some don’t necessarily.

[crazylittlebunny]

Both my buns get pellets in moderation

[Bam]

If everything else was good, I’d still suspect the teeth. Some buns have very sensitive mouths and will become picky if they have even very small spurs. The bun might still eat but not as much as she ideealy should, and she might not chew the food as properly as she should – that can in turn affect weight and how the stomach/intestines process the food.

How does her poop look? Any changes in size, shape and/or amount?

It’s often difficult to determine how much hay a bunny actually eats, since we always give a surplus.

 

 

 

[crazylittlebunny]

Her poop (size, amount, and shape) looks good to me. I did manage to get her to gain a pound but whether or not she will be able to keep that weight I’ll have to wait and see.

[Em]

Definitely would proceed with further scans/imaging (x-rays or skull CT) to rule out a dental issue.

my previous rabbit had sudden unexplained weight loss and excessive thirst. His blood results never yielding anything alarming. He was a frenchie, and went from almost 7kg to 4kg. It was undiagnosed E. cuniculi impacting his kidneys (I have no idea how or why it never showed on his bloods). Otherwise his behaviour was normal, it was only when he later developed a limp followed by full blown hind limb paralysis that the EC was diagnosed.

I’m not saying it’s the likely cause, but just throwing an avenue to investigate if imaging came back with no explanation.

[LBJ10]

Em – EC tests are notorious for having false results, so what you experienced isn’t unusual.

I agree with the others. Something is definitely missing here. If she is getting appropriate food, then something else is going on. I would suggest a more thorough look at her teeth to rule that out. This needs to be done under anesthesia. They can’t just glance at her front teeth and say she’s good. Once that is ruled out, then I would look into other causes like EC or some underlying issue.

[crazylittlebunny]

vet got a look at her front and back teeth and everything looked good and was really at a loss as to what could be going on. She talked with another vet, called me back at the end of her shift, and said she wants me to stop by on Monday and give a fecal sample to test for parasites.

[Em]

the initial tests we did were never looking for EC, just everything else – I mentioned they never flagged anything as I find it’s surprising given his symptoms that his kidney levels never raised alarm given how much the poor dude drank (I’m sure they were definitely being affected).

he was then diagnosed (misdiagnosed, I should say) as having arthritis due to the fact he was a 6 year old French lop. I brought him to the vet suspecting EC, but I was shrugged off because apparently he didn’t have enough symptoms and due to his age and breed it was deemed lease likely cause. It was only when the odd gait/limp turned to full blown hind limb paralysis a couple weeks later that we tested him for EC and his EC test was actuallly accurate; it showed he was off the charts positive for active infection.

the poor guy had a million and one issues, his last year was hell. I always wished I pushed more for all his diagnoses instead of trusting vets know best as I will forever live with if only we started treatment sooner. So when I hear a story of a rabbit with similar symptoms to him – as his first warning sign was unexplained weight loss (which was his only symptom for months) – it hits close for sure.

[LBJ10]

The test for EC is a titer. A fecal test is only going to look for worms, etc.

[Bam]

I’m sorry you and your bun had go go through that. EC is notoriously difficult to diagnose with tests, but some vets insist on testing before treatment. Some vets will treat anyway, on suspicion, because the standard treatment isnt very complicated and most rabbits tolerate it well. Standard treatment is 28 days of Panacur (fenbendazole), often together with metacam (meloxicam) to bring down the inflammation that EC causes.

If there’s nothing wrong with your bun’s teeth, EC does seem like a plausible cause for the weightloss. It used to be difficult to detect kidney problems early, because the tests would look good all the way up until the bun pretty much was in renal failure.

I’m happy you have got your bun to gain! It can be very difficult. I had a bun who had difficulty keeping weight on due to a chronic dental problem, I weighed him twice a week and supplemented him with Critical Care when he dropped under his target weight. He got 1/2 tablespoon ofa rolled oats every day.

As LBJ says, a fecal sample will not detect EC.

[crazylittlebunny]

Unfortunately she is losing the weight I previously got her to gain. She is so skinny and the fecal tests that were done yielded no results but I will bring her back to get tested for EC. As much as would like to stay optimistic about what’s going on, I do fear the worst and that I may lose her however, I will not give up on finding the reason for her weight loss and do what I can to get her healthy again.

[jerseygirl]

I’m sorry she’s in decline again. It does seem rather cyclic in nature which might point to infection of some sort. I wonder what your vet would think about going ahead and medicating in her current state, based on symptoms alone.
Either fenbendazole or even baytril perhaps? My understanding is these are not harsh medications but I do not know the risks for your girl. That’s hopefully something the vet could clarify.

Is you bun one of a pair?

[crazylittlebunny]

Yes, she is bonded with my buck, Binky (both of my buns are spayed/neutered). He, unlike my doe, has shown no symptoms of any health-related concerns and is acting normal.

[BrunosMama]

I’m so sorry your poor bun is still losing weight (or can’t seem to keep any on). Unfortunately, I don’t really have any advice, but I wanted to send well wishes and encouragement to you both. 🙂 It sounds like you are doing a great job of keeping an eye on her and getting her help. Bunnies hide illness so well, so she is fortunate to have a loving and vigilant bun parent. I know it’s frustrating when they aren’t well and its taking a long time to figure out the reason. I hope it can be resolved soon and she can start feeling lots better!<3

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