:hug: Hi our bunny Bounce has ad a nasty abscess under her jaw some dental issues and stopped eating. Hopefully on the road to recovery. We have a well stocked herb garden and our rabbits are used to this as part of their diet when out and about in the garden. They roam free most of the day usually so grass and leaves form the bulk of their diet. She is eating quite well and particularly wants nastursium, sage, lemon balm, dandylion, chickweed and strawberry leaves. Does anyone know if too much of these herbs/plants would be an issue ? I'm giving her small amount ( 10/15) leaves every 2 hours of so and leaving some for her to browse. She seems comfortable and is grooming well. Thanks for advice ? Dawn
Recovery from abcess and subsequent G.I. Stasis
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You said in your title that she has stasis after having an abscess ..coold you give us more info ? I am particularly interested in whether all the greens prevents her from eating hay
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=44529&forum_id=16
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=44529&forum_id=16
Hi - not sure what caused abscess on neck but she also had a molar growing outward into cheek. Neither she or her bonded male eat much hay as they have so much grass. She eats more pellets than him and is generally less active. Well padded but not obese!
the veggies and herbs that you feed are great but a rabbit needs hay because it will help wear down teeth and also acts as great fiber to keep the GI tract moving
The herbs and veggies alone are not enough fiber
A wild rabbit certainly lives off greens but is also eating bark, twigs branches ,and other very fibrous material outside
Iwould cut down the greens to the point where hay (not alfalfa in an adult) is being eaten in a greater quantity than greens.
The herbs and veggies alone are not enough fiber
A wild rabbit certainly lives off greens but is also eating bark, twigs branches ,and other very fibrous material outside
Iwould cut down the greens to the point where hay (not alfalfa in an adult) is being eaten in a greater quantity than greens.
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
I agree that dry hay should be part of a rabbit's diet. Fresh grass is good too, but dry hay just is very good for the system, both teeth and gut. The fresh grass can be very good at wearing down teeth, so I wouldn't stop it totally, though.
None of those herbs strike me as being either pro- or anti- gut motility, but I'm not an expert. I go by the rule for feeding that it has to be gone within an hour--all of it, or it's too much food. Pellets ideally should be gone within 30 min. (meaning they eat them all). My guys eat all their pellets within about 10 min because they love them so much. The amount of time it takes them to eat their veggies varies, but usually no more than an hour. Then, during the rest of the day, they graze on as much hay as they want. This is a good diet for rabbits, I think, both in terms of teeth and gut. I haven't had gut or tooth issues with them, perhaps a minor gut slowdown but nothing serious, and we've got a Holland lop and some Netherland Dwarves which are breeds prone to tooth problems due to their smooshed faces.
None of those herbs strike me as being either pro- or anti- gut motility, but I'm not an expert. I go by the rule for feeding that it has to be gone within an hour--all of it, or it's too much food. Pellets ideally should be gone within 30 min. (meaning they eat them all). My guys eat all their pellets within about 10 min because they love them so much. The amount of time it takes them to eat their veggies varies, but usually no more than an hour. Then, during the rest of the day, they graze on as much hay as they want. This is a good diet for rabbits, I think, both in terms of teeth and gut. I haven't had gut or tooth issues with them, perhaps a minor gut slowdown but nothing serious, and we've got a Holland lop and some Netherland Dwarves which are breeds prone to tooth problems due to their smooshed faces.
Thanks for info' My rabbits are both normally 'Free Range' in the day - they area they roam is about 40 ft square - bushes/apple tree/grass/woodshed . So out and about for about 8 hours unless very wet - I work from home. I do see them chewing on twigs, wood and at the moment autumn leaves. The male yesterday was enjoying some fallen rose hips! They have a fairly wild life - including a short burrow they constructed in the compost heap. They only have pellets/veggies/hay overnight and if weather is very bad and I have keep them in their hutch/covered run.They tend to get the 'rough stuff' off the allotment - bolted lettice stems, brussel sprout stems, tough old carrots - a lot more fibrous than shop bought produce. They are trained to go to the hutch at night to get their pellets/veggies/hay. Up to now we have had no health problems since we got them as a bonded pair 2 and half years ago from a rescue rabbit center near Bristol (UK) . On your advice I will change proportions of hay/veggies now that winter is coming on and they are kept in more - also have a chunk of apple wood in the run to chew. The female is confined to the hutch at the moment but if the weather is good I'll get out her out for a bit tomorrow. At the moment all she seems to want is leafy stuff - I think because it's fairly soft. She is eating a handful of leafy stuff every 2 hours or so. She is not with her bonded pair but is within sight/smell of him. - should I put them back together? She is normally dominent - first to food and so on. Would this encourage her to eat more ? my concern is that she will become nervous of eating rougher stuff as her mouth was sore. Perhaps I am just expecting too much just yet - it's only been 4 days since she initially took ill and is still on antibiotics.
If The stasis resulted from the abscess in the mouththen actually I think that your rabbits probably havethe perfect diet of a wild rabbit.
Iwould make sure that you deworm them regularly due to the fact that they are eating outside vegetation and I am sure ( hope?)that you have adequate protection from predators? The are also going to have mites and ticks and would need continual flea protection and also daily exams for ticks
I would feed her what she is used to having.
You need to monitor whether she returns to eating roughage ex. hay , twigs, etc since this will influence her GI tract and dental issues in the future
Few of us have rabbits living free roam outsideand although I once was totally against this after taking one of my buns in the yard this fall and seeing him "come alive' I am more tolerant of this kind of situation and actually wish that I had a safe set-up where my rabbits could all be outside more oftenalthough I would most likely take them in at night and during very cold and very warm weather.
You still have very veryhigh risksby leaving them outside ( are they vaccinated for myxi?) however I am sure they enjoy it and it appears that you are vigilant in watching them
It is normal for a dental issue/abscess to interfere with eating soI would definitely keep her in until the problems Is 100% corrected
Iwould make sure that you deworm them regularly due to the fact that they are eating outside vegetation and I am sure ( hope?)that you have adequate protection from predators? The are also going to have mites and ticks and would need continual flea protection and also daily exams for ticks
I would feed her what she is used to having.
You need to monitor whether she returns to eating roughage ex. hay , twigs, etc since this will influence her GI tract and dental issues in the future
Few of us have rabbits living free roam outsideand although I once was totally against this after taking one of my buns in the yard this fall and seeing him "come alive' I am more tolerant of this kind of situation and actually wish that I had a safe set-up where my rabbits could all be outside more oftenalthough I would most likely take them in at night and during very cold and very warm weather.
You still have very veryhigh risksby leaving them outside ( are they vaccinated for myxi?) however I am sure they enjoy it and it appears that you are vigilant in watching them
It is normal for a dental issue/abscess to interfere with eating soI would definitely keep her in until the problems Is 100% corrected
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
It would be good to use a preventative like Revolution or Advantage on them monthly, like angieluv said, and make sure they are protected from predators, and vaccinated. We just had a Ireland member's bunnies come down with Myxi which is very scary although they are all on a regular vaccination schedule and will probably come through it ok. I think that the diet is quite good.
However, diet isn't the only cause of tooth issues. It can often be genetic or breed-related. Many of the brachycephalic breeds (Netherland dwarves, Holland lops--called Dwarf lops in the UK, I think?) with flat noses have tooth issues because their shortened faces push the cheek molars together and there's not a lot of room for them in the jaw. It's like how some people can live with wisdom teeth, but many need to get them removed because their jaws are just too small to accommodate so many teeth. Did the vet grind down her molars to make them hurt less? I know many bunnies will take a while to recover from a dental issue like this, in particular if no pain meds are given, and some even need to be force fed very soft foods while recovering. If she did have the tooth trimmed, she should recover soon enough, and will recover faster if she's on pain meds.
It is quite common for tooth issues to send a bunny into stasis due to not wanting to eat.
However, diet isn't the only cause of tooth issues. It can often be genetic or breed-related. Many of the brachycephalic breeds (Netherland dwarves, Holland lops--called Dwarf lops in the UK, I think?) with flat noses have tooth issues because their shortened faces push the cheek molars together and there's not a lot of room for them in the jaw. It's like how some people can live with wisdom teeth, but many need to get them removed because their jaws are just too small to accommodate so many teeth. Did the vet grind down her molars to make them hurt less? I know many bunnies will take a while to recover from a dental issue like this, in particular if no pain meds are given, and some even need to be force fed very soft foods while recovering. If she did have the tooth trimmed, she should recover soon enough, and will recover faster if she's on pain meds.
It is quite common for tooth issues to send a bunny into stasis due to not wanting to eat.
Thanks Guys - My rabbits are kept in at night/if i'm out/very rainy in a fox proof run (on slabs because a fox will dig it's way in.) also routinely vacinated for myxi and vHD. . We haven't been worming them regularly so good advice! Bounce seems fully recovered, happily munching grass, autumn leaves, twigs and so on. I think she just needed to get back with her chap Bugs. She's seems back to normal only 5 days from being very poorly - my guys are pretty tough I think.They were badly kept, rescue rabbits with little human contact so this life suits them - they are now brave enough to come up and 'nudge' us now and tolerate a BIT of petting ! Hopefully all OK but will be keeping a careful watch. Thanks for advice.
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
That's great! It's wonderful to know they have a safe, happy home and people to care for them. Glad Bounce is doing better!
