Rabbit losing weight but appetite string

[HankMarrone]

Hi,

Our rabbit Hank has lost a 1/3 of his weight in a couple weeks. Took him to vet and ran X-rays and urine test. No blood work yet. They're treating him with antibiotics, probiotics and treatment for e. Cuniculi.

He exhibits some of the cunculi symptoms such as balance issues, loss of bladder control, and tilted head but we're perplexed by the rapid weight loss and strong appetite. Might he have cuniculi and cancer? Anyone else experience this combo of symptoms with cuniculi?

 

[Happi Bun]

I'm sorry Hank is not well

That kind of weight loss while still having a strong appetite is a red flag. Personally, I would ask for blood work to be done. That is really the only way to tell if something else is going on internally that is contributing to the weight loss. I've never dealt with E. Cuniculi, so I can't help you there. Hopefully someone who has will come along. I did tragically lose a rabbit to a very aggressive cancer recently. Her appetite wasn't good at all.

Good luck to you and Hank :bunny19

 

[majorv]

I assume they checked a stool sample for possible worms?

 

[ts786]

I second the stool sample.

Can you tell us about things such as age, history, prior medical issues, diet, current and past weight, other pets, housing arrangements, area you are from, any changes in pooping, poop characteristics, diet, and H2O intake???

If a rabbit's food consumption has not changed, but they are suffering from rapid weight loss, this can be explained by certain parasitic organisms that colonize the gut and can rapidly reproduce. As they grow, they progressively steal more and more nutrients from their host. The standard antiparasitic used to treat EC (Panacur) will treat some of these organisms, but not all. It is often used in conjunction with praziquantel, (usually in the form of two sub-dermal injections, and somewhere between one to two weeks apart.)

If it was me personally, the relatively low cost of the prazi shots and the tendency for it to be very well tolerated would incline me to discuss this with my Vet, and if the Vet concurred that the chance for worms is high and they did not perform the fecal analysis on-site, I would go ahead with the prazi even before the stool sample came back because of such extreme weight loss making this a time-sensitive emergency. Likewise, if the Vet felt it was something else and there are no immediate or rapid diagnostic tools, I would likely be inclined to start treatment.

 

[Azerane]

How is Hank doing? My first thought with rapid unexplained weight loss is also internal parasites and they should be ruled out, or even treated for as a precaution.

Hope all is well.