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my rabbit not eating normally

22 9:43:44

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dana,
I have a few question about my pet rabbit Bull. about 5 years ago you helped me and i hope you can do that again for me. it will be 6 years this march since i got him.
In 2008 he had an abscess on his jaw and after contacting you and reading some of your articles i give him Pen-G for 6 months. the abscess is gone, but his front teeth we have to grind them since 2008. he has been doing well since then, but every few months i will have to force feed him for a few days as he will stop eating. his poop will be smelly and then he will get back to normal.
well for about 7 weeks now he has stopped eating. at first his poop was smelly but now it is ok. i have been force feeding him all these 7 weeks. when he is in the yard he will eat a little. when he is hungry he goes to his food dish and tries to eat but cannot, so i cut his food very small and force feed him. i have also notice as if he is having a balance problem with his left hind leg. is that a something i should worry about.
i read about panacur and wonder if i should give him. i live in Guyana, South America and the last time the vet said they don't know about rabbit sickness,on articles i read from u and advice from u i save my rabbit and i hope i can do the same again. i don't know if he has worm or not but i would like to give him panacur if it will not harm him.
please don't tell me to go to a vet as they r no help in my country where rabbits r concern.
thank u for your help in advance.
perdita

ANSWER: Dear Perdita,

Panacur will not hurt, and it might help.  If you suspect E. cuniculi, the usual dose given by our vets is 20mg/kg once a day for 30 days.

If your bunny has a history of jaw abscess and dental problems, he may have maloccluded teeth even if there is no infection.  This means that his molars will need to be checked and trimmed.  Please see this article:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

I know you say that your vets are not good with rabbits, but if you share that article with them you might be able to find someone to help. Because trimming the molars is simply not something you can do without anesthesia.

If you can find a vet willing to consult with a rabbit-experienced veterinarian on a professional listserve, you may be pleasantly surprised that you will have a vet willing to learn and help you with rabbits.  Because there are some times you simply cannot treat a rabbit problem without the help of a vet.

I wish I could tell you otherwise.

I hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Dana,
Tank you very much. I will try to get my vet to check my bunny. I will show him the picture and hopefully I get some help.
If my bunny has maloccluded teeth how often will I have to trimmed his teeth. Also I have checked out for Panacur but it comes in a gel base and was told it will be hard to mesaured the amount. can u please help me with the measurement in the gel base. I will also try to c if the vet can help me. He should be around on saturday.
Thank you and I will keep u updated on my bunny.
Perdita

ANSWER: Dear Perdita

Incisors grow faster than molars, so the frequency of trimmings will depend on what his problem is.  Incisors can need trimming every 2-3 weeks, but molars can sometimes go for months.

Ask the vet about getting a compounded version of Panacur, which will be much easier to dose than the over-the-counter gel.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Dana,
For the past 4 years I have been trimming my bunny teeth once a week using a diamond bit and a rotary tool. My husband holds him and I trim.
As for the molars the vet came Saturday and he said they r ok. My bunny chews very hard weed pods in the yard it is just that he is not eating enough food.
The vet said to give him septrin 250mg every 12 hours for 1 week and I got the liquid panacur.  It is 100mg per ml. For swine, sheep and goat it is 1ml for 20kg. So the vet told me to give my bunny 0.1ml for his 2kg body weight. He is scared about giving him  every day for 30 days.
So my question is - is that the right dosage to give him, . I am giving him 0.1ml every day since Saturday as I am not taking the advice of my vet. Hope I am doing the right thing.
Thank you very much for your advice.
Perdita

Answer
Dear Perdita,

Honestly, Septrim and other potentiated sulfa antibiotics are largely useless these days for treating most rabbit infections.  Most bacteria are resistant to them.


Does the vet suspect an infection?  If so, ask about Baytril (enrofloxacin), which is dosed at 15-20mg/kg twice a day.  It has a broader range of efficacy against typical rabbit pathogens than sulfas.

I hope this helps.

Dana