Help! Rabbit not eating

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LolaE

LolaE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2021
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New Zealand
Hello.

My rabbit (Netherland dwarf female, 2.5 years old) has not been eating for days--I have taken her to the vet twice, once a few days ago and again today. Both visits they did a full examination, checked teeth, glucose levels, etc., and found nothing wrong with her. I have been syringe feeding her as instructed just to make sure she stays hydrated and has something in her system, but she has lost a lot of weight (was 1.5 kg and is now 1.1). Yesterday she started eating hay and greens again, and I even saw her lounging in the sun, looking all happy. But last night she went back to not eating and hasn't had anything since...

The vet doesn't have any suggestions about what could be wrong--doesn't look like a tooth/mouth problem, doesn't look like a gut problem, all tests coming back fine. She also doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain--maybe a bit less energetic than usual. But now that she has started losing weight, I am especially worried.

A couple weeks ago, she went on a digging rampage (strange/extreme behaviour for her, I thought) and dug up a big blue tarp in our house. I don't think she ate any of it--but I was worried maybe that could be causing the problem now? But the vet said if she had an intestinal block they'd see it on the tests they did.

Now I am supposed to keep syringe feeding her, once every hour, for the next four days (we have a long weekend here) and take her back if she's not better by Tuesday.

Has anyone dealt with this before? Any suggestions what to do?

(In case it's relevant: my second rabbit seems completely fine, although has been to sticking by her side lately...)

Thank you very much.
 
Hello, and thank you for your reply.

No changes to her environment, although we are moving into summer here so it is getting warmer (but not too warm yet--17C/63F here today). I did wonder if she could have ingested some of her fur from molting--I have been trying to keep on top of grooming, but maybe there's still a chance?

Not that much different in strangers coming over, either. I did go away a couple weeks ago for a couple days and a friend came over to look after the bunnies, but it's the same friend who always comes to take care of them if I'm away so they know her well by now.

Hasn't been pooping much lately, and not as hard/round as they should be, probably because she's not eating enough hay... Every now and then she'll nibble on some fresh hay, but today she's back to not eating. No loud tooth grinding, and she hasn't looked like she's in a lot of pain, either. Sometimes she sits in a little ball/loaf, and sometimes I've caught her all flopped over in the last few days, too, lounging in the sun. She seems to be grooming herself normally, too. Don't know what could be going on??

Thank you.
 
If it is just stress that is causing this, and not some other health condition (the vets can't seem to find one), what is the best course of action? Do I just keep syringe feeding her until it passes? Thanks.
 
Did the vet do any belly or head xrays, or a blood test to check kidney and liver function? Was an intestinal blockage ruled out? Was the dental done under sedation? Any drooling, dropping food from the mouth, or odd chewing behavior? Could she be sensitive to something she's eating? Are you noticing any behavioral changes or signs of pain not long after eating?
 
Hello, and thanks for your thorough questions.

There was no sedation at the vet. Intestinal blockage was kind of ruled out, in so far as they said there were no signs of a blockage in her glucose levels. I think they did some blood tests, but no scans yet; they said if she's still not better they might have to do scans and more blood tests, which will be expensive for me but might not have a choice. I definitely want her to have good care so she can get better.

Nothing she's eating is new; she is eating greens at the moment, but forgoing gay and pellets. I don't think there's been any drooling or chewing issues. And I don't think there's been any issue shortly after eating, but I will keep an eye out on that now. No behavioural changes, except sometimes maybe she seems slightly less playful/energetic. But like I said, other times she just lounges and seems fine.


Thank you for your questions and feedback! Really appreciate any help or advice I can get.
 
I think if it's persisting, you'll need more tests. There's always the chance that something more can be going on internally, and there's no way to know that without scans, a blood test to check liver and kidney function, checking the heart, maybe a urinalysis and fecal test.

Keep in mind that a bunny that is behaving pretty normally but still is refusing to eat well or will only eat certain foods, usually has a dental issue. This is still possible even if the vet checked, as the very back of the mouth can be difficult to see without the rabbit sedated. Or it can be tooth root issues causing the pain. In which case you'd need head xrays.

Also, rabbits experiencing GI stasis, can sometimes take time getting back to normal. They'll start to get better then a little worse, and kind of yo yo back and forth for several days.

Then there are possible intestinal parasites causing the ongoing upset, or a sensitivity to a certain food, even one the rabbit has been previously fine with. This happened to one rabbit of mine. He developed a sensitivity to all pellets, including critical care, and wasn't recovering from GI stasis. I noticed signs of discomfort soon after he ate, and that's how I figured it out.

So be very observant of all your rabbits behavior, and it may help in part, to figure out what's going on.
 
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