Grieving Bunny is Getting Worse

[houserabbitz]

Hi All,

I posted about my sweet Daphne girl a couple of months ago, looking for help. She was misdiagnosed and ended up having mammary cancer. She was not recovering and I helped her cross the Bridge on May 25th. We are devastated, and her bonded mate, even more so. He has been on a slow decline since her loss. I've taken him to the vet and some blood work was done, he has e.cuniculi and some kind of secondary infection so he is on baytril and pancur. This last week, his eating has decreased more. He has totally stopped eating pellets, and only picks at his hay. The only foods he wants are critical care, and greens, and he is picky about his greens now, he never used to be. He isn't drinking. He sleeps a lot. He is an elder bun I have had since about 2005. He isn't totally alone as I have two other female bunnies and they are separated by x-pens. I'm afraid he is not going to survive Daphne's loss. He has always preferred bunnies over people and I don't know that I offer him much comfort. He was not able to spend time with her body because she was put to sleep, but he knew she was dying, I could tell by his behavior in the end. Does anyone have suggestions? Are there any other foods I can try? I have contacted my vet again this AM, I'm waiting to hear back (he had another check up last weekend, no teeth issues). I don't know what to do.

 

[JBun]

I'm so sorry you lost your bun and that your other bun is having trouble. Grieving and being depressed from losing his partner is certainly possible. Some things that can help with that are spending lots of time with your bun comforting him and petting him(if that is something he likes), or bonding to a new friend. Because of his age, if rebonding isn't a possibility sometimes a stuffie friend can help.

It's also possible that it's not just grieving that is causing his current lack of appetite, but an underlying health problem, besides what he is already being treated for. If dental problems were only ruled out by a conscious visible exam, then spurs or some other dental problem could still be possible. Dental problems can be missed if a very thorough exam isn't done, and this is really only possible by having a GA so the vet can get a really good look at the teeth. Xrays as well may be needed. The difficulty with these further diagnostics would be the need for the GA and the age of your bun. So it may not be worth the risk.

At the very least it may be worth asking your vet about providing some metacam for pain relief. Not only is it needed to reduce inflammation associated with EC, but if your bun is in any pain from another health issue, it could be the reason he isn't eating well, so providing pain relief may help improve his appetite.

If he doesn't have any bladder or kidney issues, you could try seeing if he will eat some alfalfa hay. Buns tend to like the taste of it and it is high in protein, so helps them put on weight. Regular rolled oats are another good thing for putting weight on, though it can sometimes lead to GI issues because of the high carbs, so if your bun has any GI sensitivities, the alfalfa hay may be better to try. If you try either, they need to be gradually introduced into the diet to minimize chances of digestive upset or mushy poop.

For the drinking, if he drinks from a bottle, try offering a water dish as well. Also adding a touch of apple juice sometimes helps stimulate drinking more(just don't add too much because of the sugars). But it's possible that he is getting enough fluids from the critical care and veg, since he doesn't seem to really be eating his dry foods, so that may be why he isn't drinking much.

I hope you are able to find something to help your bun out and he starts feeling a bit better soon.

 

[Channahs]

I'm so sorry that you and your sweet mate are going through this. It's hard enough to lose one of your furry loves, but to see her mate suffer and hurt about it is doubly devastating. Would it be possible to bond him as a trio with your other girls? I'm sure that you've already considered this, but it was my first thought. Banana is a little happy pill for the two buns that I've known. Also, maybe some fresh air outside in a shaded area with some tweeting birdies?

 

[houserabbitz]

Thank you both.

 

[Azerane]

Another option that might help relieve his loneliness, is to perhaps give him a plush animal toy as a "friend" that he can snuggle up to and groom. It may not work, and not all rabbits take to them, but since he seems to be suffering from being alone so much, it's worth a shot.