Connection between neutering and weight loss?

[dreamgal042]

I'm gonna try to get Ivory in to see the vettomorrow. I got him neutered mid-July (the 12 if i remember correctly).Lately, I've noticed that Ivory's become thinner than usual. He's alsobecome less...feisty (aka more ragdoll'ish, more likely to let you justhold him without a fight) which I'm pretty sure is the neuter.

The weight loss thing is bothering me though. I can basically feelevery bone in his body, and if you look at him from the top, you cansee every curve of his body. When he sits up, you can see the distincthump caused by his backbone, and the little indents between that andhis pelvis bone. Am I just being paranoid by worrying about it? I canpost some pictures if anyone wants a visual.

 

[Pipp]

Has his appetite changed any? Is his diet still the same?

And yes, definitely see a vet. As far as I know, he shouldn't be losing weight, if anything, he should be gaining.

Let us know how it goes! (And give him some nose pats and kisses for us).



sas :expressionlessand the gang of five :bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[dreamgal042]

Nope, his diet's the same. I mean, I got adifferent brand of food, but he's not eating it any less than the lastkind. We went to a sort of picnic yesterday for Labor Day, and he washappily chomping grass. The weight loss is basically the only sign of aproblem. The other thing is, sometimes when I'll go to pick him up, hisbody will actually feel colder than usual. Like, his body temperaturewill actually feel a little chilly (not cold per se, but not as warm asi think it should be). I'm gonna call the vet tomorrow to see if I canget him in.

 

[Pipp]

When you say 'different brand', are theingredientsthe same as the previous brand? Does ithave the same protein count,fat content, etc?

sas

 

[dreamgal042]

yea...its basically the exact same stuff, just made by someone else.

 

[Pipp]

Have you had the same bag of food, or at leastthe same batch from the same food supply, since the weight lossbegan? Have you had a new batch of hay, too? Moldand mycotoxins in rabbit food (even nationally known brands) are morecommon (and often subtle) than people think.

I'dtry totally new batches of hay and pellets just in case,and maybe even start cutting right back on pellets and (slowly)increasehisveggies, at least for awhile.I don't think it's that easy to diagnose without testing thefood. It mimics a lot of other ailments.

Better to be safe than sorry I always say. (Still take him to the vet).

sas and the gang :bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

When you got him neutered, was he fully grown? The problem could just be that you are not feeding enough now.

But I agree with Pipp, if anything, a rabbit should gain weight not lose weight aftera spay/neuter.

 

[Pipp]

How's Ivory doing?



sas et al

 

[Maureen Las]

Yeh..how is Ivory?.. sounds like something going on with him unrelated to a neuter.

 

[dreamgal042]

We went to the vet yesterday, and she said thathis back molars are....misshapen? they're angling in weird which may beproducing an ill effect on getting the nutrients he needs out of thefood. She told me to give him critical care a few times a day until ican get back to get his dental stuff done. They also did some bloodwork to check for some other infections, which came back today withnothing related to the weightloss, but he has a little infection theywant to treat with antibiotics. I don't know how much he lost exactly,because the scale wasn't working properly when she tried to weigh him,but she said he definitely felt thinner than he should.

 

[naturestee]

Ah... okay. He has molar spurs. If you want to see what they can look like, check here:
http://community.livejournal.com/bunnyowners/2841528.html

Here's the tooth page in Rabbit Health References for more info:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11901&forum_id=10

Does Ivory eat much hay? Eating a lot of hay can oftenprevent molar spurs or make it so that they require trimming lessoften, although some rabbits are simply prone to them because of theshape of their jaws.

 

[Pipp]

dreamgal042 wrote:

... They also did some blood work to check for some otherinfections, which came back today with nothing related to theweightloss, but he has a little infection they want to treat withantibiotics.

What kind of an infection?



sas

 

[naturestee]

Eep! I missed that! Yes, what kind of infection and where was it?

 

[dreamgal042]

I don't know, the doctor just told me in a voicemessage, but she gave me Baytril to treat it with. He's going intomorrow to get his teeth fixed.

 

[dreamgal042]

So Ivory's dentistry went well yesterday, theyalso fixed some ulceration on his tongue. He was sent home with a cleanbill of health, some pain meds, and 9 ounces gained! :bunnydance:



I forgot to ask last time I went in, but specific weights for Ivory are:

As of mid-July: 7lb, 7oz
Last Tuesday when I brought him in for weight loss: 5lb, 12oz
yesterday: 6lb, 5oz

im gonna bring him back in in a week or 2 so they can make sure he's still gaining weight properly.

 

[dreamgal042]

Just got back from the vet again with Ivory.

He's up to 7lb 12oz :bunnydance:the vet says he'sat a healthy weight, but he's still a little boney, so she wants him toput on a little bit more weight.

also found out that he's not a mix...he's a purebred New Zealand White. Now to look that up

 

[naturestee]

That's great!