Resolved-Pernod isn't Eating

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Joined
Jul 9, 2004
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Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
I am really worried about my little girl. As some of you know, when we arrived in Canada from the UK, she had slight head tilt and was off her food. A trip to the vets showed she had an ear infection, and was given treatment. She started to perk up, the tilt disappeared and she seemed much better.

Since then, she has had good days, but, more increasingly, days when she just isn't acting normally. Her appetite (and she has always been greedy) has just about disappeared. She had started to eat Oxbow pellets, which she seemed to love, then started to only eat the pellets I had brought from the UK, to not eating any pellets at all. She ate the Critical Care which the vet gave us, but now only takes that if I syringe it to her.

She won't take any of the treats that she normally goes crazy for (papaya tablets, oats, carrot). She will eat salad greens and brocoli, and nibbles at a tiny bit of hay, Of course, she has lost a lot of weight, and seems disinterested in anything. I have noticed she is drinking more.

I have called the vet, and am waiting to hear back from them to see if they can get her in today. It is breaking my heart to see my fiesty little bundle of fur looking so depressed :(

Jan
 
How are her teeth?

Poor Pernod :pray:
 
Quick update - my Knight in Shining Armour (aka Pet_Bunny, aka Stan :D) has come to the rescue again. He is taking me to the vet he uses this afternoon. I will update later.

Emily - When the vet last looked at her teeth, she said there were slight spurs, but nothing that would cause a problem. Whether this has changed, I don't know :?. She manages to chew her brocoli OK, but it's like she just has no interest in food at all :(.

Jan
 
Poor Pernod! Im so glad shes able to get in to see Stan's vet. It does sound like maybe its her teeth if shes being picky about certain foods.

Let us know how things go. I'll be thinking of your little girl.

Stan, youre a hero :hug:
 
Well, Stan and I went to the vet with Pernod. She checked her all over and took her temperature. Her teeth are not the cause of the problem - the slight spurs are just the same as they have been for months. SHe asked lots of questions, and seems to think that stress from the move could be causing her system to have problems :(. I am wondering if the fact that they weren't allowed anything to eat on the journey (which woked out at about 18 hours) may have had something to do with it.

So, they gave her sub q fluids and a baytril injection, and I have to give her Baytril orally for the next 10 days. Also have to force feed her Critical Care, baby food, yoghurt, and give her free feed of baby greens, dandelions and hay. Stan has given me a few different kinds of pellets to try her with, as well as some alfalfa hay and some yummy treats. Hopefully something will tickle her tastebuds. We have to go back tomorrow for more fluids.

Pernod has lost a lot of weight. Today she was 1.92 kg which is about 4.2 lbs. She was 5.8 lbs in the UK, and about 5 lbs 4 weeks ago :(

Stan had his camera, and took lots of pics, so hopefully, he will post some here.

Thanks for your good wishes. Please keep them coming!

Jan
 
Aw, so glad Pernod is okay! Certainly the move could have caused a bit of stress, but I would think it would have gone by now. Hard to say though.

Get Well Pernod!;)

Can't wait for those pics, Stan!:)
 
That poor baby! I sort of wondered if it wasn't the move!

Keep us posted please! I'm so glad you had Stan to help you to the vet! Again, the heart of our forum is showing through!!
 
Hey Jan, I've missed so much with your move! We need to chat!!

Hope Pernod feels better soon. :(

Pipp was losing weight and generally not well for a while when she was about a year old. She, too, only had very slight molar spurs, the vet didn't think that was her problem, but I requested they be treated and it made all the difference.

My vet used a seditive, not gas, just knocked her out for15 minutes and did the trim. She had a very sore little mouth for a couple of days from the brace stretching it (I asked them to watch for that for future trimmings, it was never that bad again), once she got Metacam and the pain wore off, she started gaining weight, etc., and was soon right as rain.

Obviously you know your little girl and her history very well, but Ifigured I'd throw that out there in case it's worth a shot?

Hope all is well with the relocation, etc. (And so sorry about the weather, been thinking about you constantly with every bad report!)

sas
 
Hi!

Any progress with pellet eating? Do you see her favour any of the different kind of pellets the vet gave you? In regard to yoghurt, I think you should skip it, it could cause your bun GI problems and aggrevate the situation. Stick with fresh, nice smelling hay (is she a hay eater?), pellets and different kind of greens, till you find something she really likes. Does she eat Critical Care or only if force fed to her?

Marietta
 
Poor Pernod.

I was wondering if Bene-bac might help some? I know the Critical Care has some probiotics in it too, but it would be a little extra help to keep her gut flora in balance, just in case. I wouldn't feed the yogurt because rabbits are often lactose intolerant.
 
Oh no Jan, poor Pernod!:(I wish I could help, but I know she is in fantastic hands with you (and bless you Stan for helping out!)

Get better soon Pernod!:hug:You know how much I love that little lady.:(
 
Thanks for all your responses!

Pipp, when she was first ill a month ago, I did think it was her teeth, but the slight spurs have been there for over a year now with no change :?.

Marietta and Naturestee - thanks for the tip. I am not going to give the yoghurt, she wouldn't take it anyway. She was eating the Critical Care off a spoon, but the last few days I've had to force feed her with a syringe. She wouldn't touch the baby food, or any of the different types of pellets. She had some more salad greens, and a little kale and brocoli, but nothing else. She picked at a bit of hay, but soon lost interest.

To be honest, it just looks like she has given up on life :(. This morning, she didn't even look up when I went in the room, and the spark of mischief she had in her eyes has gone. Her poops are very small and dark, but she is drinking loads, and peeing loads.

It's killing me, seeing my little girl like this. She was always the one in charge, the bossy little madam, and I would give anything to have her like that again. John is getting off work early to take us back this afternoon, so I'll update later.

Jess, thanks! I wish Judith was here! (our expert rabbit vet).

Jan
 
Poor Pernod. Im really praying that she pulls through this.

I think if I were you I would skip the yogurt- the lactose could really throw her tummy off.

Have you tried nutrical to get her weight up?

Praying for you and your girl.

Haley
 
Jan, do you have any of her old pellets left? If not, somebody from your family/friends living in England can courier you some bags of the pellets she used to eat.Also, maybe you could stimulate her appetite with herbs (dill, rosemary, basil, mint, thyme etc.)? Most buns gladly eat herbs, they're so tasty. Haley's right, Nutrical would help stimulate her appetite.

Don't give up and don't let her give up. When my Vitto barely made it through a severe GI stasis bout in the past and there were days that I thought I'd lose him, I never showed it to him, never cried or dispaired in his presence. I always kissed and hugged him and told him that he has to get well for me. And, thank God, he did.

Please try Nutrical and various herbs, I hope and pray she eats.

Marietta
 
Good luck with the visit to the vet. You will probably miss this post as you and John are heading out the door.

I got Jan some Nutrical when we first met in April 9. I guess Pernod is having none of it even when it was served with oats. Jan even tried putting some on Pernods nose, and it ended up all over the place or Shadow would lick it off her nose.

Jan tried to order pellets from the UK, but the company isn't allowed to ship it into Canada. :(

jace3d.jpg


Here is Pernod at the Vets yesterday.
 

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