Rabbit is unable to eat hay

[lbudchee]

Three days ago our 1 year old Polish Dwarf fell from a 4 feet high window in an attempt to hop onto an adjacent shelf. She immediately ran away and just sat in the dark corner for a few minutes. There were no visible signs of injury, although her head was tilted a bit to the left for about an hour, but came back to normal afterwards. We got concerned because she showed difficulty eating her hay - she was chewing, but unable to cut a straw into pieces, eventually dropping it from her mouth. We tried 4 types of hay (timothy, oat, alpha-alpha and orchard grass) with the same result. She used to love hay. Now she keeps trying, but something prevents her from chewing it. She has a better luck eating pellets and grated carrot, although larger pieces are also occasionally dropped. She willingly eats softer greens like dill, basil and cilantro, tearing them into pieces while pulling her head backwards. Also she lost interest in water, whether from a water bottle or a dish, unless we add some apple juice to it. Even then she only makes a few sips. She moves freely, doesn't show any sign of sickness. Since she eats less, her poops became much smaller and scarce. Yesterday I took her to a vet, who examined her, but didn't find anything wrong. Her front and back teeth as well as her tongue were ok.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1510853/alice1.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1510853/alice2.jpg

Any ideas on what's going on?

 

[LakeCondo]

At the vet's, did you have some hay along, so he/she could see the problem? I don't know about the water. It could be just that if she's not eating hay, she's getting enough liquids in the greens.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Your vet checked her jaw and back teeth? If she's able to grind up pellets she should be able to handle hay. What kind of hay by the way. Maybe try some orchard grass?

 

[Sweetie]

Did the vet take xrays to rule out any broken bones? Because jumping from a 4 foot window could have broken a bone or more.

When I had Prince, he jumped from a 2 foot high cage and ended up breaking is back right leg. Took him in and they did xrays and sure enough he broke his leg right above the knee. It cost about $3000 to get it fixed.

Rabbits are very fragile. They can easily break a bone or more from jumping off things even 2 feet high.

 

[tamsin]

Did the vet suggest what next? A fracture to her face could cause pain when eating - hay takes a different chewing action to dry foods.

I'd be tempted to try a painkiller and see if that improves it.

I was expecting you to say that she'd knocked out her front teeth as that's a common jump/fall injury.

I would try pre chopping the hay for her into shorter lengths with scissors, as eating less/small poop could lead to gut problems unrelated to the original problem. If she has trouble even with shorter pieces, chopping it very small, about 3-4 mm long, and then adding water to some pellets so they make a mush and mixing it altogether will help get the extra fibre into her gut.

 

[lbudchee]

LakeCondo, no, I didn't have hay with me, but I'll probably visit a vet again next week and will bring it then.
She's eating a lot of fresh greens now, so I think she's well hydrated.

Nancy, yes, he looked inside her mouth and palpated her jaws. Looks like she's able to squeeze her teeth to some extent, only enough to munch softer food.

Sweetie, I'll consider xrays of her jaws, however I'd expect her to have some reaction to the doctor touching a broken bone.. this wasn't the case.

Tamsin, the vet suggested just waiting for a couple days and consider painkillers or a more detailed exam of her internal organs. I decided to wait. I tried making a puree of hay and water and she didn't even want to look at it, but I'll try it again with a syringe today.

 

[Maureen Las]

Did he x-ray her teeth and skull. ? If not there could be fractures in face, jaw and/or teeth/tooth roots that are just not apparent on an attempted visual exam.You really cannot diagnosedental issues by a visual exam.

You could order Oxbow Critical Care in apple banana flavor and she may eat it on her own. I had a rabbit with severe dental issues who basically lived off critical care. Also could try feeding small amounts of pure cannned pumpkin for fiber .



This problem may be too complex for a vet who is not really knowledgeable re. rabbits and at some point you one want to seek out a UniversityVeterinary school.
There is no doubt in my mind that the fall caused an injury that has just not been found yet.

 

[windryder201]

lbudchee, I would recommend you get your rabbit x-rayed for broken bones. I know you think she would react to a broken bone being touched, but rabbits are prey creatures and can be surprisingly stoic. In the wild, showing pain invites predation. So, particularly in a scary environment like a strange office, your bunny may just be hiding his pain.

If your primary veterinarian can't figure it out, I'd recommend finding a vet who specializes in exotics or rabbits.

And the Oxbow Critical Care is a very good idea.

 

[Sweetie]

windryder201 wrote:

lbudchee, I would recommend you get your rabbit x-rayed for broken bones. I know you think she would react to a broken bone being touched, but rabbits are prey creatures and can be surprisingly stoic. In the wild, showing pain invites predation. So, particularly in a scary environment like a strange office, your bunny may just be hiding his pain.

If your primary veterinarian can't figure it out, I'd recommend finding a vet who specializes in exotics or rabbits.

And the Oxbow Critical Care is a very good idea.

I definitely agree. When Prince broke his leg, he didn't show any pain, only discomfort. I felt his leg and didn't feel anything that was broken. Took him to the emergency vet and they did xrays and sure enough he broke his femur right above the knee. Vets are not trained to just feel for broken bones. Yes, rabbits hide their pain very well also any injuries that they may have.