Several rabbits off their feed

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TinysMom

TinysMom

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Location
, Texas, USA
Some of you may remember that I had food problems back a couple of years ago with food - I lost one buck - almost lost several others (had a number of stillbirths, etc) and had to do an "emergency" switch of food in order to save lives. I never did send the food in to be tested - I just swore I'd never use that brand again as right around that time (and the following year) I heard of several breeders - lionhead, flemish, etc - losing rabbits.

I've since learned that ANY food can have problems....

Anyway - I lost an older buck today who had been ill for a bit. He hadn't eaten as much for the last few days (although he drank a lot). I suspect now due to some things that I wont' go into....that it might have been due to my food.

What caused me to think this is that now several rabbits are going off their feed....and tonight Saphira literally took her bowl and tried to dump it on my desk (it attaches to her cage and she was flipping it upside down to throw food at me). Mind you - Saphira is a little pig who ALWAYS cleans her bowl.

Isenstar only ate half her food yesterday - and isn't touching her supper.

Zeus isn't eating....he won't even take a cheerio now (and he LOVES cheerios).

I've emailed my feed store to ask them some questions about batches and if they have in a new batch of feed - and what other brands he carries. I know he carries (for other animals) the brand I won't use.

So my option is - if he has that brand - to go with it - or to switch to Walmart brand (just for now). I could go 70 miles one way to the Tractor Supply store - but their bags are frequently dusty and they have about 5 brands usually - and 2 bags or so in each brand....meaning I'd be switching the rabbits food every 4 days (I go through 50 pounds every 2 days)....and I don't think that is wise either.

Right now I would appreciate prayers - good thoughts - and just....support.

I'm scared - I'm especially scared right now about Zeus (who won't even touch the Purina he came with)....and Miss Bea and Ambrosia and Isenstar and Saphira. They are the ones I'm "most" aware of 'cause they're right here in the office with me.

Hepburn in my bedroom is also not eating.....

I'll share more as time goes by...

Peg

P.S. New Hope is fine....he has a different diet and doesn't have much for pellets due to his other food...

 
Peg, I don't think I can offer any advice that can help, since, I guess, they won't even touch their hay, in order for their GI tract to come back to normal...It must be so stressful for you, none of them eating! If you tried New Hope's diet on them? It would be so good for them if they ate hay! Please tell us how it goes, I just so much hope they start eating again!

Marietta
 
Some of the rabbits are eating - just not all of them.

Zeus just ate *some* (not a large amount) of kale. Randy suggested I try to get dandelion greens (ha ha - we never see that here) or Kale for them.....so Kale it is.

What bothers me is that Zeus is chewing up paper and catalogs and just generally being destructive....and he's been doing that off and on for a few days. That makes me wonder what is going on (but he's been peeing and pooping and eating - just not quite as much).

I'm giving him some fresh hay in a few minutes and going out for more hay later today.....

Miss Bea chowed down on the kale - Isenstar is acting like it was in insult for me to offer it.....Saphira is ignoring it while she watches me (but she did sniff at it).

George and Gracie acted like they hadn't seen anything this good in a long time....everyone in the rabbitry got some kale too....the garage will be getting some in a few minutes....

I'll share more later.....I'm going to hay everyone and watch and wait to see what happens....

Peg

P.S. The feed store got in a new shipment of feed two days after we bought ours...he's gonna check on the mill date for me to make sure it was fresher (he doesn't know how many tons, etc. they do at a time).
 
Marietta wrote:
If you tried New Hope's diet on them?
Marietta
Click to expand...
I very deliberately did not share what New Hope eats and I really don't want to try it on my others as they will never ever go back to pellets if they were put on his diet. But we have to keep weight on him any way we can and he has special needs....like teeth issues, etc.

As I type this, Saphira is ignoring her kale but eating her purina pellets (I think) and her oatmeal and cheerios. I'll be putting fresh hay in with her in a bit and we'll see what happens then....

Peg
 
Ok - I just handed out fresh hay. Now Isenstar is chowing down....Saphira is checking it all out and really excited about it....Zeus was dancing almost but Miss Bea started chinning it all....so he's back to the kale while she's munching on hay. The other are also quite happy right now too....

My biggest concern right now are the litters of babies...one litter turned 7 weeks old yesterday....we didn't give them kale but they're gonna get some of this hay too....

Its the last of a really really fresh smelling bale I'd had - I mean - it smells so good I could almost eat it....

What is especially funny is to see Isenstar come out and stand on her "porch" (her door is left open and has a solid NIC thing on it to give her a place to stand) and she stands on her hind legs and reaches up and pulls hay down from Saphira's cage - all the time while she's standing in this huge hay pile on her porch....

It's like "its better if I steal it from her..."

Peg
 
This sucks Peg. I'm sorry.

I would suggest maybe trying them with basil? When mine are off their food, basil is the first thing they go back on before anything else. Maybe also try different varieties of hay, if you can. It's good that the fresh hay was of interest to them, and some are eating kale.

As for the pellets, phone the company that makes them. I bought several bags of dodgy food and called the company who asked me to send a sample for testing and gave me an address, and also reimbursed me for the bad food too. So that's the best thing to do in regards to that.

I will be pulling for you and yours.

x
 
Peg, I would get any type of pellet that seems safe right now and add a little to whatever you can get them to eat like the kale, hay (lots of that) and some oats, cheerios, anything... some critical care maybe? or Nutri-Cal - keep their systems boosted. If they will eat the hay that is the best thing to do! because the other stuff could also get their little tummies out of whack if they aren't used to it.

I hate non-dated feeds of any kind. I know I'm probably silly but I only buy food for the animals that has a date of either manufacture or expiration. That's why I use Oxbow. Infact, I bought some hay recently that is NASTY and it's Oxbow and I am taking it back to the place and I won't get anymore from them. Right now my bunnies have been enjoying home grown grass hay (the alfalfa field went to grass yay! lol really not a good thing for horse people but I'll make good use!)

Can you contact your state Dept. of Agriculture to see where to send that sample?

I'm praying! :pray:
 
Very likely that the cause is viral, rather than the feed. I'd give them a little Nutri Cal until they are back on feed.

Pam
 
pamnock wrote:
Very likely that the cause is viral, rather than the feed. I'd give them a little Nutri Cal until they are back on feed.

Pam
Click to expand...
I have a question about the idea of it being viral....

There are at least 10 rabbits affected - possibly more (I'm watching others).

Now I admit - four are in my office - Miss Bea & Zeus on the floor and Isenstar and Saphira in a cage beside my desk. Cassanova was in this room too.

However - the other cases are spread out in four different locations - my living room - the garage - the rabbitry and my bedroom.

My daughter feeds some - I feed the others.

They are not from the same bloodlines - some are younger - some are older.

None of the others are side by side in cages or across the room directly from another one, etc.

Would that still lead you to think it is viral?

Just curious....because honestly I never thought of viral.

Peg
 
My mom's dogs are sick. They all have a stomach "bacteria" is what the vet said. I think maybe with all the bad weather - we could be seeing mycotoxin in feeds. You know Purina is in St. Louis where a lot of areas are flooded. Water will cause molds.

This is just my thinking but I'm thinking that's what is a possibility

I also think that this time of year - lots of molds/bacteria growing - lots of wet warm areas...


 
GI bacterial imbalances are common secondary symptoms to viral infections, which can stress the immune system and cause ph imbalance in the intestinal tract.

Pam
 
If it was viral, it could be spread by you going from one cage to another and touching one bunny and then touching another bunny or bunny's feed dish, etc, couldn't it? I know if I have one that is not feeling well, that one gets fed last and I wash my hands after.
 
I got an e-mail from my rabbit superintendent the other day about not to feed Pfaus to your bunnies because a certain product number of it has resulted in some serious problems with bunnies. I'm not sure if any have been lost or not, but I will post the e-mail in a few minutes. I'm not sure if it was just for my area, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't.

Anyhow, I don't feed Pfaus, but I forwarded it too my breeder-friends who do feed Pfaus too their bunnies...And to think I was gonna switch my bunnies to it! I think I'll stick with switching over to Purina Show Chow in May insteador another brand of show feed ;)

Emily
 
Ok here is the e-mail

Dated Monday, March 31st, 2008

Urgent message to all members that feed Pfaus brand rabbit food!! There is a very bad lot of Pfaus rabbit food that is being sold under the lot numbers 081102(there is a possibility it may not have the 0 in front of the 8 so look closely they are both bad lots of food). DO NOT FEED TO YOUR RABBITS, TAKE IT BACK TO THE FEED STORE YOU PURCHASED IT FROM AND LET THEM KNOW THE PROBLEM ( most already do know but make sure) and when you get a new bag check the lot numbers (some stores are still selling the bad lot even though they know it is bad). THERE HAVE BEEN MANY RABBIT DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOT # IT IS SERIOUS... PLEASE PASS ON TO OTHERS YOU MAY KNOW THAT FEED THIS BRAND SO THAT NO ONE HAS TO EXPERIENCE A LOSS..The mill knows of this problem but will not address it.

So, Peg, do you feed Pfaus? I guess this is a *warning* to all who feed Pfaus, cuz it says the problem is associated with the mill, so yeah. :?

Hope this helps someone, anyone! :)


Emily
 
I would contact the nearest vet or agriculture school to get the food tested. And although it may seem like it's hard to get dandy greens, most natural food stores have them, and stores like Whole Foods are everywhere these days. I'm not the best person to ask, just chiming in.
 
gentle giants wrote:
If it was viral, it could be spread by you going from one cage to another and touching one bunny and then touching another bunny or bunny's feed dish, etc, couldn't it? I know if I have one that is not feeling well, that one gets fed last and I wash my hands after.
Click to expand...

Many viruses are also spread through the air. All the rabbits would be breathing the same pathogen in - only some would be affected (depending on disease resistance, stress factors, age, etc).



Pam
 
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