Raylann not well

[Sabine]

When I went out to the bunny enclosure earlier to give the rabbits a treat and everyone came running up to me begging for more I suddenly realized that Raylann was sitting in a corner not joining in the excitement. I called her and she didn't react. then I went up to her with the treats but she showed no interest. I lifted her out to check and found her a bit limp and skinnier than she usually is.
Raylann is usually a good bit lighter than her mate Benny and I feel bad that I hadn't noticed how skinny she got. She is a very shaggy lionhead and it's hard to tell her weight. I didn't notice anything strange about her yesterday and this morning David put them into the run. He didn't notice anything unusual but I am the one that is more used to handling them.
I am not sure what's going on. When I put her into her hutch she just sat there listlessly without touching her food and when I stroked her nose which she usually likes she made a noise that sounded like grinding her teeth.
She was in the run all day with Benny as usual and she usually has little spats with the other girls through the bars of the cage. I am sure she was still squabbling in the morning. I cannot detect any injuries. What could be wrong with her?

 

[Flashy]

There could be almost anything wrong with her to be honest. Those are all quite wide symptoms.

I would say though that rabbits can lose weight super quick, so there may not have been a warning sign and this may be an issue from today.

I would suggest, if you can, bringing her and her bondmate inside and giving her something warm to snuggle with if she is cold/going into shock. Really though she probably needs a vet tonight.

If you could answer these questions that might help a bit more http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=44529&forum_id=16

 

[Sabine]

- Location: Cork, Ireland

- Description (Breed, color., weight): sable teddy lionhead, 3--3.5 lb stimated

- Age: 1.5-2 (estimated, rescue rabbit)

- spayed

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal?: can't tell she's been out in the run
- When did they last use their litterbox? : last night I guess
- Any unusual behavior? : listlessness, grinding teeth, not eating

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before?: eye infection when we got her last November

- Diet - what does your bunny eat?: Bunny Dream complete pellets (21% fibre)
- when and what did s/he eat last? (grass in the garden earlier)

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?: very little activity

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?nly the lawn

- has the rabbit been outdoors?: all day as usual

 

[Flashy]

I would suggest bringing her in. You can then observe her more. i.e. poos, etc.

This could be anything like an injury, pain, tooth problems, gas, really very much many things.

Is there a vet you can call?

 

[Sabine]

Not tonight I think. I feel somewhat uncomfortable bringing her in as she is the only rabbit that hates being indoors. When she was sick before and even after her spay she only started to relax once she was back outdoors in her hutch.
I put the old raincover back over her hutch and I am going to heat up the snuggle safe in the microwave. I will keep checking every half an hour and if she's not better in the morning bring her to the vet then.

 

[Sabine]

I took Raylann in after all. I had her on my lap for a while and the teeth grinding persisted. At least in the fresh cage I can tell whether she is eating/drinking/pooping. So far she has no interest in any food even soft stuff but she was sniffing around in the cage a bit.

 

[tonyshuman]

That's kind of scary. It could be anything from stasis to tooth pain to parasites. There really isn't a lot of info for us to go on here. I would take her in to the vet as soon as you can. Syringe her some water if you can. The listlessness makes me worry that things are going downhill, and getting some water into her will help. I hope she starts eating soon.

 

[TinysMom]

Another idea (and Claire has given you excellent ideas) is to flavor the water to get her to drink it...perhaps a drop or two of vanilla or if you have something like baby apple juice - you could put a TINY bit of it in.

The fact that she is listless isn't a good sign...BUT...I'm thinking if she gets some water in her - you could see her start to pick up.

Still yet - I highly recommend a vet visit ASAP because her symptoms could be so many things...

 

[Pipp]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, tied up today.

How is she doing?

I usually treat for gas because often its the gas causing the pain and listlessness. (However, you also need to know what's causing the gas).

A bunny going into stasis or any number of digestive issues will have gas pain accompanying it. (And sometimes the gas pain will cause stasis, so that's not a given either).

The regime won't hurt even if its not case.

- Give her gas medication containing Simethicone. (Simethicone isn't absorbed by the tissue, its a very safe drug). I use baby gas drops (you need a LOT of it, more than a baby would get) or adult berry-flavoured tablets.

- Try and get her to drink as much as possible. I'll hold a sick bunny and carefully try to put a little water in their mouths, even though they don't want it. Sometimes they'll drink a little juice flavoured water, I use that as a preventative step, when they're sick they may prefer plain water. (Alway put plain water out as well regardless).

- gently massage her tummy with your hand or a massage tool. Once they realize it feels good, even skittish bunnies will often allow this. If it's absolutely a no-go, try putting her on a running drier for the vibrations or even take her for a car ride.

- encourage movement. You don't want to run a sick bunny ragged, but gassy bunnies will do much better with a little exercise.

- try her on canned pumpkin. Its always a good idea to get bunnies used to this as a treat, if they'll eat a little when they're ailing, or if you have to force feed it, it won't be as hard.

- NutriCal - I'm more of a fan of this stuff every day. It's a vitamin and calorie supplement designed for cats and dogs but it really works well for rabbits. Not everybody on the board agrees with me on this, and best not to give it to a rabbit with 'poopy butt' (unless they're really anorexic and then its worth the risk IMO), but I find a dab stimulates the appetite and gives them a bit of energy.

Note: fresh pineapple juice has been discounted as something that will dissolve blockages in the GI tract, but it can give them some hydration and energy.

Before handling her for the massage, very carefully check for physical/mechanical injuries or abnormalities. Check for scabs, tender spots, abscesses, etc, including around her jaw.

As noted, check her pee and poop, and watch for signs of straining which might signal a bladder infection or kidney stones.

Check the colour of her gums, they shouldn't be too pink or too blue.

Try and remember if she has been gradually eating less food or if this problem was sudden.

Hope this helps and hope your bunny is feeling better.


sas ray:

 

[Flashy]

Any news Sabine? Been thinking about you guys over night, please let us know how she is, and how you are too.

 

[Sabine]

Thanks for all the replies. raylann seems to have perked up over night. In the morning I found benny hiding behind his litter tray in the hutch and it looked as if he was pining for Raylann. I brought him inside too and both of them were muching on some fresh grass and banana. Raylann even took some bits of breakfast cereal off me which I never ever feed.
I hope it was just gas and will keep a close eye on her. It's a bank holiday today which I forgot so I can only take her to the vet tomorrow. I am thinking of getting her teeth checked out in particular.
The grinding of teeth has stopped entirely and she is moving about also washing herself. I also found some poops in her cage in the morning. Maybe she just ate too many wet greens yesterday. I has been rather damp lately.

 

[Flashy]

That's brilliant. I'm so glad she perked up. I was worried it would be bad news today. Phew!

 

[tonyshuman]

Whew! What a relief. I hope it was just some grass that gave her gas. Glad she seems a bit better. If you have some probiotic, it might be good to give her some as well.

 

[Sabine]

Just checked the bunnies and raylann appears back to normal, Will still have her checked out.

 

[Flashy]

YAY! Good luck at the vets today.