Rabbit not eating/pooping/drinking

Question
I have a 3 year old Dutch Dwarf, a much loved member of our family, she has not eaten or pooped for over a week. She stopped drinking about 3 days ago. She became very lethargic and at this point I took het to a Vet that was recommended as being knowleagable in rabbits. He diagnosed a hairball after noting that her teeth looked good and her stomach appeared full. He has recommended antibiotics twice a day (0.7 of Baytril)and pineapple juice 3 times a day. She hates the pineapple juice! He also administered some fluids in the office. She has definitely perked up a little and is hopping around the house when we let her out but she still has not pooped and refuses all food, although when I gave her a piece of Kale this morning she looked very interested but just sniffed it. There has been occassionally a small amount of mucus coming out from her anus, but she still hasn't peed even though we've been giving her the juice. The Vet has said that if she still hasn't eaten anything in two days his recommendation is surgery. I should tell you that this happened before, she did not eat for 2 weeks but was drinking and her behaviour was completely normal so I didn't take her to the vet that time and it just seemed to work itself out. Her normal diet is a small amount of kibble, some rolled oats, vegetables (carrots/carrot tops/kale/broccoli) and some fruits (rasperries-her favorite!/ watermelon/grapes) I give her Timothy Hay but she won't eat it. Hope you can help with something I can do at home, after reading many things online I'm not sure I'm happy to take her back to the original Vet.Thanks.

Answer
Dear Rebecca,

I'm not sure who told you that vet is experienced with rabbits, but if what you told me about him is accurate, I would certainly *not* go back.  Surgery is the LAST thing your bunny needs, and the problem is NOT a hairball!  Please use the list linked here to find a vet who really does know more about rabbits than this first vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Your rabbit is suffering from chronic bouts of GI tract slowdown, and possibly even ileus (cessation of the normal intestinal contractions).  If she is a little bit interested in food, she is probably not suffering from full-blown ileus.  But the fact that this has happened before suggests an underlying problem triggering the GI signs.

Please read these articles:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

and you will be fully informed about the situation.  The most common causes of GI slowdown are cryptic health problems causing pain/stress, and among these, undiagnosed dental problems are possibly the #1 cause:

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

That means you need a vet who knows how to do a proper dental exam (*especially* the molars) and how to correct painful spurs or other disorders.

I hope this helps you get your bunny on the right track to full recovery.

Dana