Ula eating and pooping less than normal

[pinupchick]

So I just went through hell with my dwarf bunny Earl (RIP) trying to get him to eat through what me and my vet thought was stasis, and it turned out to be a systemic infection that he couldn't beat.

Now Ula is eating significantly less than she normally does - not touching her pellets, barely eating her hay. She still goes for treats (dried papaya, baby carrots) and veggies. She ate a big bundle of parsely this morning, and a few pellets. Her poops have shrank in size by half.

Does this sound like it might be a dental issue? She's been making a grinding sound more frequently....not like the shrill grinding that Earl did when he was in a pain, but a quick "flick" sound.

Please help. Should I take her to the vet or wait to see if she starts eating pellets again?

 

[jcottonl02]

I'm so sorry about Earl.

If you really have noticed a significant change in her appetite, then I would take her to the vets. Is she still drinking lots?
She could have a blockage, or any number of things. It's hard to narrow it down to anything on the few details we've got.
How active is she?

Have you checked her incisors? Are they overgrown? Her molars could be, if you believe it to be a dental issue.

Her poops will be much smaller probably due to her very small intake of hay now.

Sorry I can't be much help. I think you should take her to the vets, just to be sure.

 

[tonyshuman]

It sounds a lot like a dental issue, because of the food selection and noise. However, another possibility is depression upon losing her mate. I would want the vet to have a good look at her teeth, probably also a dental x-ray. You may also want to keep an eye out for other signs that it is a depression issue rather than a tooth issue. Just something to think about.

 

[pinupchick]

She's active like usual. Running around, wanting to be pet, playing. She has some appetite, just not like normal (she's usually a voracious eater). I don't see anything wrong with her teeth, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. She had her annual health exam in October and the vet said her teeth looked normal then...can they become overgrown that quickly?

I'm going to try her on a different brand of pellets and hay (she's on Oxbow pellets and Kaytee hay, and I'm going to give her Zupreem pellets and Oxbow hay). Hopefully that makes a difference. If not, to the vet she goes.

Is it technically an emergency if she's still eating and pooping a little bit?

 

[pinupchick]

Her and Earl weren't bonded. They were in separate cages and while he expressed interest in her, she would always grunt or lunge at him. When he first died, she was binkying all over the place in the spot where his cage used to be.

I guess it's possible she could feel a loss, but I was under the impression that she disliked him. =/

 

[bunnybunbunb]

Is her poops still normal in shape and texture?
How long has this been going on?
Could she had got anything harmful?

Can you check her front teeth? Checking the front ones are easy if you can hold the rabbit still, it is the back ones that tend to go unnoticed. I check everyone's front teeth often as well as rub their cheeks to see if I can feel anything bad on their back ones.

I would take her to the vet if you are really worried. I last my girl Steffi yesterday after she got a hold of hard plastic. Signs of illness and the cost of a vet visit is better than no signs and them instantly going down with no chance a vet could possibly help.

 

[tonyshuman]

OK, then it's probably not depression. She sounds like a bratty "one-bunny per household"-type girl! What a character! It's probably tooth-related. Tooth issues can crop up in a matter of months for sure. Some people with dental special needs bunnies have to have their teeth trimmed every 2-3 months.

I don't want to neglect the possibility of a GI slowdown, though. Does her belly feel and sound normal?

 

[bunnybunbunb]

Sway's teeth are so bad they have to be trimmed every two weeks, even then it is stretching it. She hates getting them clipped, too. It is not fun.

 

[pinupchick]

So I switched Ula's pellets to Zupreem and she ate them right up.

Is it possible for rabbits to just get sick of their pellets and hay and be too stubborn to eat them? Do I just have a diva bunny?

 

[tonyshuman]

Oh, well that sounds interesting! Maybe the other pellets had gone bad and she could tell but you could not. It happens sometimes. Is she eating hay again too?

 

[pinupchick]

A little bit of hay, but not as much as usual. Tonight she got a hearty helping of dill and a bit of broccoli, plus the updated pellets.

She's still making the teeth noise so I'm going to book an appointment for her tomorrow. Still small and infrequent pooping as well.

But I think her pellets might have been stale too.

 

[tonyshuman]

Sounds like a good idea. The pellets were probably bad. I've heard of that happening a lot more frequently than you might expect!

 

[pinupchick]

So she just got back. Her abdomen felt normal but her molars on one side are a bit sharp. The vet said to monitor her eating and if she continues eating off and on, we'll book her in for a trim. She said they should definitely be revaluated in the next couple of months if the trim isn't done next week.

It's a 10lb bag that I got when both her and Earl were eating them. It's just her and the bag has been around for a couple of months now, open. Probably stale. The hay was being kept on a window sill in the sun, so it might have been stale too.

 

[jcottonl02]

How Ula doing?

 

[pinupchick]

Better I think. She's been eating her pellets like normal again since I've switched the brand and her poops seem to be increasing in size slightly.

She still is eating less hay and her poop still has me a bit worried. Plus she still is making the teeth sounds. I'm going to book her for a more thorough teeth check up later in the week if she keeps it up. It's not an emergency right now as she is eating plenty...but I'm definitely watching her closely.

Thanks for your concern!:hug2:

 

[jcottonl02]

That's good she is doing better

When exactly is she doing this tooth sound? Describe it to me- when, how loud, during strokes, during eating, how often, how is her stance, avoiding any particular foods, drooling, eyes watery etc?

Her poops are probably quite dark and small because she doesn't eat loads of hay. As long as they look 'normal' and she's pooping just as much as usual etc. then it should be okay.

Def take her to the vest just in case, and have them confirm everything is fine/something needs to be done with eg. her teeth etc.

Jen

 

[pinupchick]

After she eats anything (pellets, a strand of hay, a piece of dried papaya, etc.), she makes a quick flicking sound with her teeth. Not "pain grinding", but like a really quick single sound like clicking or something. She acts totally normal otherwise, including running around and binkying. She eats her pellets slower than usual, and the hay she definitely picks at as opposed to chomping it down like she used to. No drooling, eyes are fine. She'll eagerly eat veggies, and her alfalfa pellets (junk food to entice her to eat), and she picks at the Zupreem but eats them all eventually. I tried putting out Oxbow pellets for her again and she wouldn't touch them. Weird.

The vet had said a problem with her molars is likely cropping up, but it was hard to tell without doing a more thorough exam under sedation. So I'll probably take her back when I have time since the teeth clicking is worrying me.

Her poops are tiny, dark, and hard. But there is a lot of them!