Need help with weight loss and paralisis

[Out of this world bunnies]

My 3 year old french lop Venus has been losing weight for several months and about a month ago one of her legs stopped working. i feed her a proper amount, she always has access to water, and she has a pen around her cage that i let her out in for most of the day to graze, but she is so skinny i can feel her ribs and spine. i don't know what to do but i asked my friend to borrow some critical care.

 

[JBun]

Have you checked to make sure she is for sure eating a normal amount? Reduced intake can sometimes be a sign of dental problems.

Is she spayed? Has she been seen by an experienced rabbit vet for this?

 

[Remy The Rabbit]

I would do some research, and call your vet. If you don't have a rabbit vet, look up some animal hospitals/offices and check to see if they will see rabbits. Many places will see a rabbit. Just look up, "Rabbit vet near me." An experienced rabbit vet (as mentioned in the comment above) should be able to help. There are lots of reasons for this, but if you don't have a diagnosis and Venus keeps getting worse, you really should see someone about it.

Here's a link - Why Is My Rabbit Losing Weight? — Rabbit Care Tips

If this still doesn't help you, I would see an experienced rabbit vet. I hope Venus gets better, and maybe try to monitor what she eats. If you have already seen a vet, you could get the opinion of another.

 

[Out of this world bunnies]

Have you checked to make sure she is for sure eating a normal amount? Reduced intake can sometimes be a sign of dental problems.

Is she spayed? Has she been seen by an experienced rabbit vet for this?

she isn't spayed, i originally got her to breed but decided to let her retire because i discovered past trauma in her, i think getting a surgery would scare her to death as she has a lot of anxiety from abuse.

 

[Out of this world bunnies]

i just went to walmart to buy alfalfa (to help her gain weight) alas, they didn't have any so i bought some timothy instead. and i also bought some herb and hay salad mix with alfalfa (yay) and corn (which i heard also helps gain weight as slaughter houses use them to fatten them up, don't worry i ain't gonna eat her.) so i fed that to her with pellets with 15% fiber. NO VEGGIES as i heard that helps keep them slim. tell me if i am doing this right!

 

[Out of this world bunnies]

Have you checked to make sure she is for sure eating a normal amount? Reduced intake can sometimes be a sign of dental problems.

Is she spayed? Has she been seen by an experienced rabbit vet for this?

i forgot to respond to the first part oop- i feed her the proper amount of pellets for a day for her large breed size which is 12 oz, she never eats them all and will eat about a quarter of it a day. although whenever i offer her dandilions she acts ravenous, she doesn't like hay that much either. when i fed her the salad mix just now she ate that over the plain timothy hay and pellets.

 

[JBun]

There's something serious going on that is going to require taking her to a rabbit vet to figure out what it is. It could be as simple as a dental issue like molar spurs causing her to not be able to eat properly, or it could be something more serious.. Because she isn't spayed and is an older rabbit, there's also a possibility it could be uterine cancer. Changing her diet isn't going to fix this. She really needs to be seen by an experienced rabbit vet.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Out of this world bunnies]

There's something serious going on that is going to require taking her to a rabbit vet to figure out what it is. It could be as simple as a dental issue like molar spurs causing her to not be able to eat properly, or it could be something more serious.. Because she isn't spayed and is an older rabbit, there's also a possibility it could be uterine cancer. Changing her diet isn't going to fix this. She really needs to be seen by an experienced rabbit vet.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

okay, i will ask my parents if we can take her to a vet.

 

[majorv]

If she spends time out in grass it wouldn’t hurt to get a fecal test done to look for worms.

 

[Out of this world bunnies]

If she spends time out in grass it wouldn’t hurt to get a fecal test done to look for worms.

i didn't think of that! my cat has had worms in the past and we could see it in her feces, is it similar for rabbits?

 

[majorv]

It can be. If your rabbit is eating but still losing weight it’s something to check

 

[Out of this world bunnies]

i thought i would do an update! she is doing a little bit better from what i can tell, i think she has gained a tad bit of weight! i will keep everyone updated.

 

[Out of this world bunnies]

Hello everyone following Venus' story, this is not an update i wanted to post but you all deserve to know what happened [TRIGGER WARNING!! to get my emotions out cause this happened an hour ago i will be very in detail]. this evening i went outside to Venus being swarmed by flies in her cage (i had moved her into an old small cage so she could easily get around even with her paralyzed leg. i decided to put her in her run (her favorite place) while i cleaned out her cage so the flies wouldn't bother her. when i picked her up i realized that her both her back legs and tail were now floppy and uncontrolled. i got really scared cause the paralysis seemed to be spreading, once i put her down i noticed she had to drag herself with her front paws to move but i laid her in the grass and had my brother come fan her to keep the flies away. i finished cleaning the cage so me, my brother, and my mom all went to check on her and she was (IT GETS TRIGGER-Y HERE) convulsing. not extremely but weird movements trying to fight the paralysis. i could tell from that moment it was over. we all sat next to her offering her dandelions, water, and pets. she whimpered a little bit but we talked to her and stroked her and she passed peacefully with kisses and kind words. i didn't cry in front of her to not panic her but the moment she passed i started sobbing. we buried her and planted some irises and some grass from her favorite spot in her run on top of her grave. i will miss you Venus R.I.P