Help getting to eat pellets again?!

[Vibribunbun]

Hi,

Juno is on an appetite stimulant from the vets but is still ignoring pellets.up
she's normally an unstoppable glutton for pellets.l

Food is fresh, unchanged and her teeth are fine (vet even checked back teeth).

She's not got snuffles, cunniculi, rhd or myxi as she was checked and is jabbed against rhd, rhd 2 and myxomatosis.


I've tried putting greens with it she just ears the greens and ignores the pellets.
unfortunately she's picky and only like green I can give a little bit of.
nibbling bare minimum of hay aswell.


To you have any tips to get her to eat her pellets again, it's you be had similar experiences?

 

[Popsicles]

Is she on any other medication? Appetite stimulants are great but if the underlying disease process isn’t also being treated then success will be limited.

 

[Watermelons]

How much hay is she actully eating?
And how much of her vegetables and what type is she eating.

Who cares if she eats pellets.
Too many pellets are likely to cause the gut issues youre already dealing with.

 

[Vibribunbun]

How much hay is she actully eating?
And how much of her vegetables and what type is she eating.

Who cares if she eats pellets.
Too many pellets are likely to cause the gut issues youre already dealing with.

A literal nibble here and there, definitely not enough. Won't even eat a fistful of her hay in a whole week! I've been keeping a close eye on her.

She's extremely picky with greens and will only eat curly kale, which due to calcium content, she is allowed barely any of. She can be tempted with dandelion too, but garden is currently wet and soiled. So can only get dry dandelion.

The pellets are important for the vitamins and minerals not present in the hay and she barely eats her greens when healthy (and refuses veg) to get it elsewhere. Vitamin water would stop her drinking entirely.

So it's quite important, it's unhealthy for a rabbit to subsist on just hay (even wild European rabbits eat a variety and not just grass).

The vet was very worried about her and wants me to come back if appetite stimulant doesn't work.

 

[Vibribunbun]

Is she on any other medication? Appetite stimulants are great but if the underlying disease process isn’t also being treated then success will be limited.

They can't find any other health problem at the moment, it seems to have just been caused by the discomfort from conjunctivitis, that has only just finished treatment and cleared up last Wednesday.

but we are keeping a very close eye on her.

so no other medication currently

 

[Popsicles]

They can't find any other health problem at the moment, it seems to have just been caused by the discomfort from conjunctivitis, that has only just finished treatment and cleared up last Wednesday.

but we are keeping a very close eye on her.

so no other medication currently

There clearly is something else going on, if she isn’t improving despite the eyes clearing up and appetite stimulation.
If she is barely eating any hay you need to make sure you are syringe feeding critical care or similar.
Has your vet run any bloods? Or imaging?

 

[Vibribunbun]

There clearly is something else going on, if she isn’t improving despite the eyes clearing up and appetite stimulation.
If she is barely eating any hay you need to make sure you are syringe feeding critical care or similar.
Has your vet run any bloods? Or imaging?

Not yet, hopefully I won't need it

 

[Diane R]

Is your vet on the RWAF vet list? Recommended Rabbit-Friendly Vets | Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) If not, definitely get a second opinion from a rabbit vet. It's quite normal for them to go off pellets when their gut has slowed down from stress or illness. For a bunny with a good diet otherwise (i.e. lots of hay and very little else) this is not a problem. Your priority should be to get her on a mainly hay diet. She may need painkiller and gut stimulant. And a good dental examination if not already done. Have you tried fresh grass? Introduce in small quantities if she's not used to it, especially this time of year.

 

[Vibribunbun]

There clearly is something else going on, if she isn’t improving despite the eyes clearing up and appetite stimulation.
If she is barely eating any hay you need to make sure you are syringe feeding critical care or similar.
Has your vet run any bloods? Or imaging?

no scans or blood tests were done.

I'm going to see if the medicine works and She's eating some dandelion leaves (dry unfortunately as garden soiled).

if she doesn't improve I'm taking back there.

Her droppings are better, I believe she's eating more hay than before.

 

[Vibribunbun]

Is your vet on the RWAF vet list? Recommended Rabbit-Friendly Vets | Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) If not, definitely get a second opinion from a rabbit vet. It's quite normal for them to go off pellets when their gut has slowed down from stress or illness. For a bunny with a good diet otherwise (i.e. lots of hay and very little else) this is not a problem. Your priority should be to get her on a mainly hay diet. She may need painkiller and gut stimulant. And a good dental examination if not already done. Have you tried fresh grass? Introduce in small quantities if she's not used to it, especially this time of year.

doesn't care for grass, also garden is soiled currently.

dental was done and her teeth are perfect thankfully

I'm checking rabbit vet list

 

[Popsicles]

Not yet, hopefully I won't need it

If she isn’t getting better then it is already needed. Like I said, appetite stimulant is only limited in how much it can help if there is something more underlying, and she can’t survive off a few dried dandelion leaves. If she is eating plenty of hay then pellets aren’t a priority.

 

[Vibribunbun]

Good news,
Juno is eating again, for the past few days been eating handful of pellets and more hay!
finally the appetite stimulant has worked!!!!!!

 

[ZipperNipper]

Keep up the good munchin's Juno!!