My bunny stopped eating out of nowhere

[aquaspiral]

Hi! I have a lionhead mix bunny who is now 3 years old. He was eating, drinking, and pooping regularly until Monday morning and immediately stopped eating all food. I did the usual routine when he doesn't eat which is medicam, baby simethicone, crit care via syringe, tummy massages, and we mix his water sherwood appetite restorer and probiotics for water syringe.

We immediately an appointment with a vet (not his regular vet, but an emergency one he saw before) and she ran tons of tests, checked his teeth and tummy, did blood work etc. and everything came back normal.

We have no idea why he stopped eating. We are to continue the routine above until he is eating regularly, but it's now Wednesday and I'm really worried. He will eat some hay when we encourage him at times and he has been pooping little poops (he also had not been eating his cecotropes, but he finally ate some last night). I am just curious if there is anything else we can do for him or if anyone knows what is going on. I'm extremely worried. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[JBun]

Rabbits can sometimes get an upset stomach from something they ate, or can develop a sensitivity to a particular food(eg. a veggie, or their pellets). Usually with an upset stomach, once it's passed through their digestive tract then they start getting back to normal.

Did your vet take any xrays, and if so, what were the results?

 

[aquaspiral]

Rabbits can sometimes get an upset stomach from something they ate, or can develop a sensitivity to a particular food(eg. a veggie, or their pellets). Usually with an upset stomach, once it's passed through their digestive tract then they start getting back to normal.

Did your vet take any xrays, and if so, what were the results?

Hi! Thank you so much for your response. They didn't see anything in the x-ray, we were concerned that he ate a piece of matted hair, but because he is a lionhead and he is an excessive groomer, it's always a constant worry with him. There was nothing to suggest it's a blockage.

He didn't get any new foods in his diet which is why it seems so weird to go from completely normal to not eating at all so quickly. He also has no interest in his preferred foods such as banana or treats (such as his papaya tab or even dried papaya for that matter). He loves bananas so seeing him completely uninterested is very concerning.

 

[JBun]

Do you have confidence that your vet is very knowledgeable about rabbits? Some less knowledgeable vets might miss something that a really good rabbit vet would pick up on. Was a really thorough dental exam done?

 

[aquaspiral]

Do you have confidence that your vet is very knowledgeable about rabbits? Some less knowledgeable vets might miss something that a really good rabbit vet would pick up on. Was a really thorough dental exam done?

She is an exotic pet vet, and she spent a long time on his teeth. I'm very concerned now though that she missed something in the x-ray or exam because he was pooping fine up until this afternoon, and he hasn't pooped since. Our closest 24 hour emergency vet is extremely far away (the local 24 hour vets no longer see bunnies which is very unfortunate) so I'm freaking out a bit. I will try to get another emergency appointment tomorrow, but I am extremely worried.

eta: he has been pooping prior to this afternoon and his digestive track felt fine to the vet and his stomach showed no signs of blockage on the x-ray, but since he hasn't pooped since this morning and his stomach seems very full, I am very concerned. Thank you so much for your help T_T

eta2: he finally pooped after a stomach massage and some pedialyte

 

[JBun]

It can sometimes take several days for their digestive system and their eating, to get back to normal. The more severe the case, the longer it can take. Did the vet also prescribe any type of gut stimulant?

 

[aquaspiral]

It can sometimes take several days for their digestive system and their eating, to get back to normal. The more severe the case, the longer it can take. Did the vet also prescribe any type of gut stimulant?

We pushed for her to and she wouldn't prescribe it because she said there was "no need." I am going to try to get some from his regular vet tomorrow. I was rather frustrated that she wouldn't give it to us in case of emergency.

 

[JBun]

For a rabbit with a slow gut and lack of appetite to not be prescribed a gut stimulant, that alone makes me wonder whether this vet is all that knowledgeable. Just because a vet is an exotic vet, doesn't necessarily make them an experienced rabbit vet. One of the vets near me that I absolutely will never take a rabbit to ever again, is an exotic vet.

If your regular vet isn't an experienced rabbit vet either, it might be worth researching to see if there might be a better vet you could go to for a second opinion. It would be a bit of a drive, but I think UC Davis Vet School has knowledgeable rabbit vets. Or here's a list for some possibilities around you.

https://therabbithaven.org/bay-area-rabbit-veterinarians