My megacolon HL bunny is geeting more skinny!

[the fluffies]

Location : Malaysia
Description : HL choc charlie, 1.12kg
Age : 22 months old.
Sex : male

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / CHECK LIST:
- eating, drinking, and using his litterbox normally.
- mishapen poops since 3 months old.

Medical History
- not neutered
- had a gas prob and bloat tummy on 2 oct and 12 oct.

Diet
- Pellet : Oxbow BBT, Manna Pro and Blue Seal Show Hutch Deluxe as treat.
- Hay : None in Malaysia, our local supplier get it all the way from US. So when it reach us, we can never get a fresh hay, but a dried one.

Timothy as his basic diet, and alfalfa once or twice a week.

Shiro is a megacolon bunny. He is thin compared to my other 12 bunnies (thinnest). I hardly see him munch on his timothy. He only munch 4-5 strands a day, i think. He only eats hay on the first few days the hay reached us, but then he starts to ignore the hay. We have tried anything like stuffing hay in his toys, sprinkled apple juice on the hay, stopped the pellet. But nothing helps.

Recently, he had a hard tummy, twice. On 2nd n 12th Oct. Knowing that he needs alot of fibre in his diet, i reduced his pellets to make he eats more hay, but as usual, he only eats his pellet (which i have reduced), and didn't touch his hay at all and lead to another gas problem. So now i provide him pellets, hay (which i know he never touch) and greenies (bok choy).

But i noticed he getting more skinny nowadays. I can feel his spine and shoulder bone and this is worrying me so much. He is shin and bone and i hardly feel his flesh!

Is there any way i can do to make he gain his weight in a healthy way? Pls advise. Thank u. ray:

 

[Maureen Las]

I need to think about this more :confused2:. he probably needs the fiber that he is not getting from the hay.

Do you have any other types of veggies to feed him other than bok choy?



this is an idea but it may be a bit extreme. There is a product made by Oxbow called Critical Care. it is actually for any herbivore that is recovering from illness or surgery.

It is a high quality nutritious food supplement powder that comes in a sealed packet; it contains fiber (hay) , probiotics,and all other nutrients that a rabbit needs .I know this firsthand asI had dentally challenged rabbit that ate nothing but Critical care in a bowl for most of his life. he did very well on it .
Many of the members of this forumsyringe feedCritical care to their rabbits when a rabbit is recovering from stasis or a surgery.

this powder is mixed with water and some (but not all bunnies) like the taste of the apple banana

if you ordered a few of these 1 lb packets you could keep them fresh in the freezer and see
1) if your bun would eat some on his own or 2) You could give supplemental feedings per syringe.
this would be an expensive endeavor as it was with me whenI was ordering it constantly .

I will try to think of some other things that you could do. I doubt that you can get pure canned pumpkin in Malayasia ; is this true?

Here is a link to critical care. I got it from a vet supply house where it was cheaper but you can read oxbow's description of it



http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1608

I ordered it from lambert's and didn't need a prescription
apple banana is better than anise

http://www.lambertvetsupply.com/Critical-Care-1-pound-AppleBanana--pr--015OXP01AB1

 

[JimD]

angieluv wrote:

I need to think about this more :confused2:. he probably needs the fiber that he is not getting from the hay.

Fruits are a good source of fiber.....apples, pears & bananas are at the top of the list.

Rolled oats are also a good source....Old Fashoined Quaker Oats are a good choice if you can get them in Malaysia.

I have a bun with megacolon symptoms and I supplement her daily diet with a small helping of rolled oats and black oil sunflower seeds (also a good fiber source).
She's not much on eating pellets and is very picky about hay, too.

 

[the fluffies]

Hi angieluv,
I have Critical Care with me. I always keep a pack or two in hands in case i need them.

Since Shiro is just recovered from stomach problem twice this month, i still syringe-feed him with Critical Care, a small amount in the morning. Especially if he doesnt touch his food at night.

Here in Malaysia, we only have anise flavor. But is there any side effect for prolong usage? I dont want him to become depends on critical care all the time.

I'll try to find the pure canned pumpkin in the markets. I hope they have it.

---------------

Hi JimD,
Shiro loves apples, pears, melons and bananas so much. But i'm afraid of the sugar contain in those fruits. SO i just feed him with fresh veges like bok choy, carrots and broccoli.

We have this 2 types of Quaker Oat in Malaysia. Quaker Oat Quickcook and Quaker Oat instant like this:
http://www.khas.com.my/khas/index.php?categoryID=395
How much should i feed him?

Here, we dont have raw black oil sunflower seeds. But we do have this type of raw sunflower seeds for hamsters:
http://www.greenbulk.com/images/sunflower_seeds_inshell.jpg.
How much should i feed him?

Can feed these two daily, mix with in his pellets?

 

[Maureen Las]

Jim can respond re. the amount of oats and seeds as I have never fed them to my rabbits.

Critical care is not harmful to your rabbit if given for a long time (althoughmy rabbit did have excessive cecals from it ); he was a plump healthy little rabbit who could not chew due to his teeth and ate a diet that consisted of critical care and treats of pure pumpkin.
I would never recommend a diet of only critical care, but I did it out of necessity.

My rabbit ate it out of a bowl

 

[naturestee]

I used to have two megacolon buns. I supplemented them with a mixture of rolled oats, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds. I would give about 1/4 teaspoon per bun per day, occasionally more as a treat. It did help keep their weights up.

I do agree about adding more veggies if you can. Lettuces and most types of cabbage (bok choy, gai lan, broccoli, etc) are a safe bet, just watch out for gas with the cabbage plants. Do you have cilantro, parsley, or mint available?

 

[the fluffies]

Angieluv,
if i cudn't find the canned pumpkin, can i make it myself? I mean, get a fresh pumpkin and boiled it?
But, I will try to look at the baby food corner if they might have pumpkin.

Naturestee,
Yes yes we do have cilantro, parsley, and mint here. But i never try to feed my bunnies with this leaves. I shud try to feed them today :thanks:

 

[the fluffies]

Guys, since u guys have megacolon bunnies, i have other question to ask.

Sometimes (most of the times actually), Shiro's tummy will turns a bit hard. When touched, i can feel his internal parts. I mean, feel lumpy, and i think i touched the poops lining up in his stomach. Do u guys experienced this too? I have other thin rabbits, but i didn't feel the same when i touched their tummy. Is it blockage?

 

[JimD]

naturestee wrote:

I supplemented them with a mixture of rolled oats, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds. I would give about 1/4 teaspoon per bun per day, occasionally more as a treat. It did help keep their weights up.

That about the amount I give mine.
I give her the rolled oats in the morning (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon), and the sunflower seeds at dinner(1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon).

We have this 2 types of Quaker Oat in Malaysia. Quaker Oat Quickcook and Quaker Oat instant

There's really no difference in the ingredients. The Instant Oats are ground finer to allow for quicker cooking.
I would recommend the Quick Cook Oats.... 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon once a day.

if i cudn't find the canned pumpkin, can i make it myself? I mean, get a fresh pumpkin and boiled it?
But, I will try to look at the baby food corner if they might have pumpkin.

Yes, you can make your own pumpkin....just make sure you don't add any spices.
You can also use summer squash (yellow....Crookneck, Straightneck), and winter squash (Acorn or Butternut)

And baby food is a great substitute. I've used it on several occasion. I look for the "natural/no sugar added" kind.
You can use pumpkin and/or squash baby food.

Here, we dont have raw black oil sunflower seeds. But we do have this type of raw sunflower seeds for hamsters

Striped sunflower seeds are okay to use.
The black oil seeds have a higher protein and oil content, and the shell is thinner. I buy them in the bird section of the pet store.

 

[the fluffies]

I went back (during lunch hour) to check on Shiro. And i found a lump under his chin.

I read and searched the others' post about bunnies losing weight and found that it may related to teeth problem. So i get back to the Infirmary thread i wrote on 2nd oct when shiro has his tummy problem.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=61324&forum_id=16&jump_to=823026#p823026

 

[the fluffies]

JimD, thanx for the tip. We already got our oats, sunflower seeds and flex seeds. But we couldn't find pumpkin/squash baby food.

I found cilantro too. The parsley and mint are not so fresh. We'll try to find in other store soon.

I gave small amount of Cilantro just now. My rabbits love it!

 

[naturestee]

Do you have a vet? The lump under the chin could be an abscess caused by dental problems. That would definitely be a source of weight loss.

 

[the fluffies]

We have veteran vets here. But from my previous experienced having abscessed bunny, the vet will cuts the skin open to flush it out and give some oral antibiotic. We dont have xray services with isoflurane sedative here. I have to plan a 5 hours journey to see the vet who xray treated Somebunny's bunny (Hans - RIP) before.

 

[Maureen Las]

I remember the bunny "Hans" but not all the details soI will try to find that thread and read it ...

 

[the fluffies]

Can i give Nutri-cal for Shiro? I read that Nutri-cal can helps keep the rabbit hydrated and vitamin E for the intestinal lining. Especially after his stomach problem keep on and off recently.

Is it this one?

Nutri-cal <--- i googled but found a few types of Nutri-cal. But this on is available at my place. Is it same?

Today I just get a contact who can supply Benebac to me! Woohoooo!:hugsquish:

 

[Maureen Las]

There are many folks on this site who have used Nutrical on a rabbit with good results

however Some members believe that because it is not made for a herbivore that it is not approriate to give it to a rabbit.

I would think that you could try it although the amount to give is small

Icannot tell you the amount becuaseI do not use it myself but other members possible can

Pamnock uses it and you could pm her , however,I believe that she is in school andI am not sureif she is available now.

I am very glad that you can get benebac !
I could not open the link for Nutirical but if you have the tube for catsI believe that is what rabbit owners use. !

 

[tonyshuman]

I would not give more than one inch or approx 2.5 cm of Nutri-cal at one time. I have never given more than a tiny taste of it (like 0.5cm) because my guys have not needed it, though. If a single dose doesn't stimulate appetite, I wouldn't keep using it, but Pam would know better since she's more familiar with it.

 

[the fluffies]

Have u tried this? Is this really works? Is there any side effect if overdosed?