Bunny won't eat

[irishlops]

hoping for....

:litterempty::litterfew::litterhealthy:

 

[tonyshuman]

The bene-bac is a good thing for him to keep the digestive system working well, along with lots of hay. I'd keep up with the bene-bac to make sure his GI tract is stable for a few weeks and really push the hay. Cut back on pellets (and change your brand) too to incourage hay consumption. Glad to hear there are some poos!

 

[Xaneth]

Yes, some poops, just not a lot. Yesterday he only pooped once. He's not really taking to pellets, but going to town on the hay, kale and spinach greens. He only drank willingly once yesterday. Been keeping up on the meds. How long will it take to start seeing more poops?

 

[Maureen Las]

Sometimes it takes awhile so don't get discouraged. he needs more fluids . can you get some pedialyte. When my buns are in stasisI usually syringe them fluids as often asI can even if it is only a small amount. Since they like pedialyteI often mix the pineapple juice with the pedilayte and syringe that.

if he has a water bottle give him a bowl too and often they will drink more out of a bowl


don't feed so many greens that he is not going to eat hay
also watch feeding kale as it can be gasy
try to get him to exercise

if you feel uncomfortable giving fluid by mouth possibly your vet could show you how to give subqutaneous fluids...........

although oral fluid probably work best in terms of softening and moving through stomach contents.

 

[Xaneth]

Merlin seems to be doing better, he's back to his old self, except that he isn't eating like a pig like he used to. I've been feeding him pellet and lots of timothy hay. My fiance says he's pooping, but he's also eating his poops, so it's hard to tell. I know he's peeing and drinking the normal amount of water. We're still giving him antibiotic, pain meds and penicillin each day, but not the hairball remedy and pineapple concentrate.

 

[dquesnel]

Hmm, normally I would say that it takes a while to recover fully and he may still be on the road to recovery, but what send up warning to me is the fact that his appetite is not back to normal yet, but also that he is eating his poops.

It is not very typical for a bun in general to be eating its own poop especially when it is still picky with food. That makes me wonder if his teeth are perhaps a problem for him? The poop would obviously be softer than hard pellets/hay etc. How is he on eating the other foods? Are there some foods he eats before others? I do wonder if this is a dental issue that brought on GI stasis.

I feel that Merlin could perhaps benefit from another visit- this time with the attention mostly on a dental exam. Those molars far in the back of the mouth often create problems, and they are also really hard to see unless the bunny is under anesthetic and the vet is able to really have a good look.

 

[Xaneth]

Merlin is doing a LOT better guys. He's eating pellet, we picked up something other than the bulk food pellet they had at the store, Sunscription Vita Plus pellet with timothy meal, soybean hulls, dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, yeast culture, cane moasses, ground corn cob, to name a few. I'm just a little confused about what the hell is in the pellet that he either likes or dislikes and what is good for him to be eating... Also keeping fresh timothy hay around for him at all times and occassionally some spinach leaf, kale and carrots.

I want to really thank all of you out here for helping me out when all of this was going on. Being a first time rabbit owner, I really am learning a lot, but I don't want to make a fatal mistake since Merlin is all that I have. We weren't out looking for rabbits when we found Merlin, but he has been a blessing to our animal family here at the local zoo we call home.

He's been pooping regularly now and has his old appetite back, at least with certain foods. Thanks to everyone for your advice!!!