Lottie has gone a bit weird

[pinksalamander]

I still think i'm over reacting on this, and there is probably no point, but Lottie has been a bit off dor the last day.

Yesterday I came home from school, and filled Lottie's bowl with kale, like i always do. I went upstairs to my room for a bit and when i came back down to the garden i was expecting all the kale to have been demolished. She hadn't touched it at all, which i thought was odd. She was also hiding in her dark area.

So i got out some apple, which is her favourite and she wouldn't eat it. I put some lettuce in the bowl and she woasn't having any of that either.

I checked her over, felt her stomach which was squishy as normal, and didn't sound gurgly. She seems fine except for spending more time in her dark area.

I left her over night and also put some pak choi and chard in her little vegetable ball. I also fed her some apple which she ate up. I came down in the morning and all the food was still there except for the stuff in the veggie bowl. Her pellets and kale were still in the bowl. She had eaten a little hay but she is not a big hay eater anyway.

Came home from school today and most of the kale is gone, pellets haven't been touched. I can't work out why she is eating so slowly.. is not like she is not eating but she isn't being normal.

I was wondering if its the weather? Its the only big change i can think of. It hasn't even majorly changed, but its definatley been warmer, blue skies rather than overcast.

Do bunnies eat less in the summer or warm weather? Its so weird. I'm going to keep giving her apple and pak choi although apple isn't great for her but i want to keep her eating, or should i leave her for the entire day with just kale and pellets? Will that force her to eat that?

I still think i'm over reacting.

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[Alexah]

Oh no, not Lottie!

Is she drinking at all? How about pooping and peeing?

I know my bunnies have occasionally gone off their feed when it's been warmer than usual. However it was usually just their pellets and not veggies as well - though I'm sure each rabbit is different.

I'm honestly not sure what to tell you in this case, but I'm sure others will come around who can offer some sound advice. I just wanted to let you know that you and Lottie are in my thoughts and prayers.

Come on Lottie - eat, eat, eat!

 

[pinksalamander]

She is drinking pooping and peeing normally, although a little less than usual on the drink. She is happy to eat pak choi and apple but won't eat anything else. Maybe she is just having a fussy day.

I will ask my Mum to mention it tomorrow at the vets (i have a driving lesson at the same time).

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[Maureen Las]

It could be a change in the weather..could be a minor gas problem

Why don't you try some simethicone?

I have one rabbit that I cannot give kale to at all because of gas.

 

[Maureen Las]

Also don't increase the amount of sweets (apple) as it will only contribute to GI upset

 

[pinksalamander]

OK i will hold off the apple. I don't know where to get simithecone from, i don't know if they sell it in England? Also she has been eating kale daily for a month now so i don't think its that?

She seems to have perked up. When i commented about her it was like midday so it was probably really warm for her, hence why she was hiding away in her bedroom. She seems better now. She still hasn't eaten pellets but has finished off her kale.. very slowly. Maybe she is going on a diet :biggrin2:

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[JadeIcing]

Umm it should be around. It is a baby gas med.

 

[delusional]

You can pick up simethicone in pretty much any chemist, it goes by the brand name 'Infacol'. Doesn't cost much either, think I paid about £3.50 for a big bottle.

 

[Michaela]

Infacol is the brand name here - baby gas medicine you can get it in a chemist.

Hope it's nothing serious. :hug:

 

[pinksalamander]

Thanks. I'll see if i can get to Boots tomorrow. She really has perked up, although is still eating slowly, but only veggies. I will keep giving her veg, i'll fill a bowl with kale overnight and see how she goes.

The Infacol stuff, what dosage should i give? She is 2.5kg, and do i syringe it? And can it hurt if she isn't ill?

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[mouse_chalk]

You can also get Infacol in Tesco, and other supermarkets, it's in the baby section, where you might find sudacreme, and nappies etc.

I hope Lottie perks up a bit more! Poor baby! Keep us posted!

Jen xx

 

[tonyshuman]

I hope everything's ok!! Another thing you might want to think about is her teeth. Since she's refusing the harder pelleted food, but still eating softer veggies, her teeth could be bothering her. I'm sure you know this, but the molars can get "spurs" on them, which can cut into the tongue or cheeks, and the pain is worse for foods that require more chewing, like hard pellets. When she was last at the vet, did they say anything about her teeth? Also is she eating hay still? Hay is harder on the teeth, but is also good at wearing them down.

Baby gas meds are a good idea (we had a scare a few weeks ago with my bf's little Nethie, and Randy said the dose is 100mg/kg every 2-8 hrs (here's that topic http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=35947&forum_id=16). That means that if your bunny is 2kg, and you have a solution that has 20mg in 0.3mL (a common concentration for it here), you'd give (100mg/kg*2kg*0.3mL/20mg)= 3mL every 2-8hrs. Tummy massages can help too. If the simethicone doesn't clear it up in a day or so, and she continues this eating pattern, I'd take her in for a tooth check.

:clover:

 

[slavetoabunny]

pinksalamander wrote:

The Infacol stuff, what dosage should i give? She is 2.5kg, and do i syringe it? And can it hurt if she isn't ill?

I usually give two syringes. This is really safe - you can't really overdo it. The buns usually like it too because it is usually nicely flavored. Mine usually chew on the tip of the syringe to get the last few drops.

 

[pinksalamander]

She is going to the vets tomorrow for her VHD although i won't be there. I will ask my Mum to mention it. If it can't hurt i might aswel to it anyway.

Her teeth were checked last week and were a good length although they were very ridged due to a Vitamin C or D (can't remember which) deffeciency.

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[Pipp]

pinksalamander wrote:

Her teeth were checked last week and were a good length although they were very ridged due to a Vitamin C or D (can't remember which) deffeciency.

Hmm.... is she an indoor bunny? Vitamin D is from the sun (and pellets are fortified with them) and I believe it's needed to process calcium? Iknow there is some calcium/vitamin connection.

Bunnies process their own Vitamin C I think,not sure why there woudbe a deficiency.And doubt thatwould affect the teeth.But please correct me if I'm wrong.

Any abmormality with the teeth is worth a second look. Did he just do a visual exam or did he take a dental x-ray? Is she appearing interested in foodinitially but losing interest after a nibble or two?

I'd also take a break from the kalefor a bit, as certain nutrients can build up over time for an overload. Variety is still the best bunny bet. I try not tofeed anybunny any veggie for more than five days in a row, especially the kales, cabbages, broccoli etc.

You can also use adult gas meds with simethicone. I'm using berryflavored Ovol tablets, they like that better than the mint flavored baby drops and they seem to work better with less effort. (My little guys get about a quarter of a tablet, but I have to look up the strength before that means anything).

Hope she's feeling better soon!



sas :clover:

 

[pinksalamander]

The tooth thing, she looked at her teeth and said she had ridges on her teeth, and this was due to a deffeciency in Vitamin C or D, i think it was C. She said it wasn't much to worry about for now and i should make sure she got alot of nice food, her previous home obviously didn't keep her in great health. I will get her checked again. She doesn't seem like it is hurting her when she eats though. She happily munched a piece of apple, without looking like she was taking a bite and then going 'ouch' and stopping. She has just completley ignored pellets.

I will switch her to some different veg if i have any!

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[mouse_chalk]

Didn't she have a blocked tear duct recently too? Am I completely wrong here, or can that also sometimes be related to teeth issues? :dunno I say sometimes, not always, but it *sometimes*, right?

Every bunny is different, but they all have some kind of weakness veg... when Chalk was ill, banana and wet carrot tops were the things she would tempt herself to eat... I don't know if they would work for her, but if she's not eating the apple, some different greens can't hurt to try!

I hope she gets better soon! :?

 

[tonyshuman]

actually, a little while ago there was a post about her teeth. my muffin was the same way until i got her on a good diet--the vitamin deficiency is from not being fed well by her previous owner.

and i didn't mean to make that blue or this green.

I would get her teeth checked at the vet's--they have this tool they can use to look in their mouth at the insides of their teeth.

 

[Maureen Las]

blocked tear ducts can actually be caused by tooth roots actually growing up and blocking the ducts. It also can be caused by many other things.

It doesn't mean that Lottie has this.

I agree with taking another very good examination of her teeth. Some vets do a quick check and miss the subtleabnormalities that give rabbits a lot of eating problems. Rudges in the teeth could cause problems no matter what the cause is ..

A rabbit with problems may be able to eat veggies ,pellets and even apple but usually have problems with hay.

Just observe Lottie carefully and make sure your vet knows rabbit medicine

 

[Alexah]

I'm glad Lottie's perked up a bit. And I'm also happy she's going to the vet tomorrow so they cancheck her our and make sure that it's not a physical or medical issue that's causing her not to eat her pellets. It's definitely worth a look especially since rabbits can go downhill so quickly.

Hopefully it's nothing but the warmer weather and Lottie will perk herself up even more and be back to her old self in the morning. You and Lottie are in my thoughts and prayers.