Change in water consumption

[kahlin]

Hey there,

I'm posting because my bunny, Zayne, has had a drastic change in her water intake.

Zayne is 4 lb lop. She is about 3 years old.

I don't know exactly what she used to drink, but I would say it was at least 350 mL per day (possibly more). This has been consistent for the past two years....until now. Since Thursday, we noticed her water intake is down. At the time, we didn't know the specifics....we took her to the vet on Saturday, and they didn't find anything wrong. She was given SubQ fluids to be safe. She was not given any other medication.


Between Sunday night (when we started measuring) to now, she has consumed 180 mL of water.


She is still eating mostly well. Pellets and veggies are fine, a bit slower on hay. Our vet is stumped and suggested trying a fresh bag of hay - we did, and have not seen a difference. We are giving her some critical care at the vet's request to supplement her diet. We have noticed that she is chewing more slowly and is taking longer to eat.


Behaviour is mostly the same. Energy levels are stable. No change in weight.


She is peeing (albeit less) and poops are a bit smaller, but still larger than our other three bunnies. She is spayed, but not bonded to our other rabbits. The other rabbits are healthy.

Being that everything else seems normal, should we be concerned?

 

[Watermelons]

Keep an eye on her for now....
If her appetite lessens or she becomes much calmer then normal and isnt acting herself, or anything else odd, I would suggest doing a blood pannel to see if there is anything going on inside that could relate to these issues, or x-rays.
Were the teeth checked?

 

[kahlin]

Thanks. Her teeth were checked, and appeared to be fine.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[missyscove]

Any chance that something about your water is different? Try offering her another dish of water spiked with a little juice or bottled water and see if anything changes.

 

[kahlin]

We usually use bottled water because our town water has a strange smell. But maybe for variety sake I will offer her tap water. I tried mixing a tiny bit of apple pedialyte into her water and she was not interested.

Thanks.

 

[LakeCondo]

Is she eating a different mix of greens [maybe with more water content] or more greens & getting her liquid that way?

If she's chewing slower, it seems like it could be a mouth issue, if not teeth, then something else.

 

[kahlin]

She gets kale and romaine. We've increased this a tiny bit to get more water in.

She seemed to drink a bit more last night.

If it's a mouth issue, any ideas on what it might be?

 

[ZRabbits]

Here's some information on teeth care. I don't mean to alarm but maybe reading this may help understand what your bunny is going through.

The change of eating habits kind makes me think that there might be a spur the jawline or an infection of the gums.

Hope this helps. Please keep us updated.

K


Oral Health Home Care Plan
A. Frequent (weekly) mouth inspections
1. Check the head and face
With your rabbit sitting in front of and facing away from you, feel along the sides of his face and under the jaw with light pressure. The sides should feel equal, and there should be no bulges or swellings that aren't symmetrical. Apply slightly firmer pressure to the sides of the jaws. If your rabbit repeatedly flinches when you reach a certain spot, it may mean there is something painful going on inside the mouth. The underside of the chin is a very ticklish spot for many rabbits, and the scent gland located here can make it feel slightly irregular or bumpy. Learn how much touching of this area your rabbit usually allows, and how it feels when normal; changes may indicate a developing problem.
2. Check the incisor teeth
The incisors are located at the front of the jaw and are easy to see and examine, with a little experience. With your rabbit either on her back or sitting facing away from you, gently part her lips to make her "smile." If she is sitting, use your body to prevent her from backing up. The four large teeth you see (2 top and 2 bottom) are her incisor teeth. Check to see that they are not loose & that the gum tissue is healthy pink (not red or purple). Check to make sure that the teeth meet and wear correctly (see illustration). Maloccusion (teeth that don't meet and wear properly) allows teeth to overgrow and need frequent trimming. Providing a maloccluded rabbit with things to chew will not alleviate the problem. Consult your veterinarian if your rabbit has malocclusion. Most cases of incisor malocclusion are hereditary and are manifested before 6 months of age. Malocclusion starting later in life may be due to trauma, infection or tumors and should be checked by your veterinarian as soon as convenient. Check for hair or other foreign objects caught around the teeth.
Behind the upper incisors are two small peg-like teeth called auxiliary incisors or sensibly, "peg teeth." They are harder to see than the incisors, but happily rarely cause problems.
3. Check for problems with cheek teeth.
The rabbit's grinding teeth or cheek teeth are too far back in the mouth to be easily checked without the use of an otoscope, but you can watch for secondary signs of cheek-tooth pain such as:
* Drooling or wetness around the mouth
* Swelling, warmth or pain at the jawline or under chin
* Change in food preference (especially, but not always, from harder to softer foods)
* Showing interest in food, but not eating
* Weight loss
* Bad odor from mouth
* Grinding teeth (not the happy purring sound)
* Reclusive or grumpy behavior
If a malocclusion allows food or hair to collect around teeth, you can keep infection at bay by using the smallest-size baby tooth brush to remove the accumulated debris.
B. Create a "safe chewing environment"
1. Safe chewing objects
Offer plenty of approved and safe chewing objects, such as cardboard, wood, dried pinecones, unlaquered wicker baskets, and straw mats.
2. Avoid hazardous chewing
Exclude your rabbit from dangerous areas, such as where electrical wires run.
3. Be Vigilant
Pick up small objects that can lodge in your rabbit's mouth, such as rubber bands, needles, twist-ties, and paper clips.
Although our rabbits' teeth can cause us inconvenience by destroying household objects, such as phone cords or chair legs, it is still to our advantage to keep their teeth in good working order. Healthy teeth are integral to maintaining your rabbit's health, both physical and mental.

 

[kahlin]

Thanks for the information. It didn't freak me out or anything....my very first bunny had malocclusion so it tends to be on my radar.

I talked to our vet this morning, and it seems like the plan of action will be to continue monitoring and measuring water intake. She said that between actual water and veggies, Zayne is getting enough to function. The change in amount is concerning though, even if everything else seems fine.

I'm on the hunt for a different kind of hay to give her soem variety, but so far I'm not having luck with the local suppliers.

 

[LakeCondo]

This would be treating just the symptom, not the cause [whatever it is], but you might want to dissolve a pinch of sugar/honey in her water.

 

[naturestee]

Did your vet check her molars? Sometimes when they look at the teeth, they only look at the front ones. She should have used a little instrument to hold the mouth open and look at the molars. Some will use various types of scopes, too.

When you feed her veggies, wet them down first. It's a sneaky way to get more water in them.

 

[kahlin]

The vet used a black instrument to check out her back teeth. Zayne was not a fan. lol

I do drench the veggies when I feed them, but you've reminded me to have my husband do it it (in case he isn't).

 

[missyscove]

If you were already giving them bottled water then that's probably not it; I was thinking that since buns can be so much more sensitive than we are, maybe it seemed different enough to her.

 

[kahlin]

Just wanted to update that she's drinking nearly normal amounts now. :biggrin:

 

[LakeCondo]

great news

 

[ZRabbits]

:woohoo