Need Help! Doe losing weight!

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gentle giants

gentle giants

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One of my older mini rex does is suddenly losing weight, and acting sort of sluggish. She doesn't have any wet nose, sneezing, any thing like that. I noticed her butt looks wet, like mabye she isn't cleaning herself? Her appetitie is good, she eats everything I give her, no problem. I have made an appointment for her for tomorow am, what questions should I be asking the vet?
 
Forgot to add, it seems like her water intake is slightly less than usual. I had put it down to the weather cooling off, but now I think that was wrong.
 
How old is she? and how long since she was bred the last time and kindled the last time?

I think those are going to be important to answer first. Also what does she eat.

I am not good with diagnosis of this sort but I know that those pieces of information can help in doing so.

Good luck :pray:
 
Had to look up her pedigree to find her age...She's not as old as I was thinking, she is a little over two years. It's probably been a year since she had a litter, I have stopped breeding and just hadn't gotten her spayed yet, with all the rescues needing to be done too.

Feed is the Rural King brand of pellets, and grass hay. The hay hasn't been every day here lately, but that is what I give them. Far as I see, her poops seem to be normal.
 
Can you see what her urine looks like? Or put a tray under her cage to catch it? If her rear is wet I'd be worried about bladder infections, maybe kidney problems. Or arthritis, if she has trouble reaching her rear. Does she move about ok? :pray:
 
I'm not sure about the movement, she didn't really want to move around much. I can put a tray under her cage and see about checking her urine, what should I be looking for?
 
Well, dark color could mean anything (including just from her food) but it's good to note it. Bladder infections and uterine tumors can both make blood in the urine, which will be small clots and not an overall color.

Can you take her out of the cage and put her in a pen or on a table and encourage her to hop? Is she sitting normally, or more hunched up or sitting farther back or forward?
 
I will try getting her to hop around tonight, see what she does.If she had a tumor, is that something that the vet would be able to tell with palpating?
 
When you take her in to the vet, bring in a few fresh droppings to be tested for parasites... coccidiosis, worms, etc. That will cause weight loss.
 
With checking for worms, where would she have gotten them? She isn't in physicalcontact with any other animals, and so far as I know noneof the rabbits has any parasites like fleas, ticks, mites etc. There are some mice in the barn, but thankfully not many. I am really concerned about cancer right now. I had to re-schedule her appointment for tomorow am, BTW, because I forgot my Hubby had his pt for his knee this am at the same time.
 
Have you gotten a look at her urine yet? Right now her weight loss could be caused by just about anything, so don't let yourself get worked up about cancer yet.

The vet *might* be able to feel a tumor by palpating her, depends on how big it is and how it's shaped. I think uterine cancer is usually lumpy or causes the uterus to become oddly shaped, so maybe a bit more easy to feel for than other types in other parts of the body.
 
I hadn't been able to catch any of her pee yet. I don't know if she hadn't gone yet, or if I just didn't catch it with the bag I put under her cage. I will check again here in a few minutes.

I forgot to add, I got her to hop around some last night. She seems like she's kinda being careful when she moves, her back stays a little hunched up.
 
Maybe a minor back injury? That's why I wanted you to check her movement. E. cuniculi will also sometimes cause one or both hind legs to drag a little, although that doesn't fit your girl.
 
Vet trip today was fairly inconclusive. When he palpated her, he didn't feel any masses, but she did act like it hurt when he felt towards the back, actually flinching away at one point. So we did an x-ray, and all we saw was that she had some gas in her stomach. He said that he thought that might just be from the stress of the trip.

So what he wound up recomending for right now is a diet change, add more calories and protien and the like to it. He said if that doesn't work, the next step is bloodwork, or take her to see Dr. Welle in Champaign. He said he isn't really worried about a blockage, since her poops have been normal. Sooo.... We'll feed her up, and see what happens, I guess.
 
Yeah, she's definatly loving getting extra feed, LOL.
 
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