rabbit diagnosis

Question
QUESTION: my neighbours rabbit has lost a lot of weight over the lsst few weeks, almost skeletal!!! The vet has taken urine and blood samples and has no idea what is wrong, have checked teeth also, rabbit wants to eat but very fussy now and losing more weight, any ideas?

ANSWER: Hi Andrea

Did the vet actually sedate the rabbit and look in its mouth to see its back teeth?  Also how old is the bunny?  Are the poops normal and did the vet take a stool sample to check for coccidia?

Let me know and I will get back to you asap.

Thanks

Pam

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

QUESTION: Thanks Pam, he is 4 yrs old, he was sedated & all teeth checked, they have not done any stool sample tests, will have to enquire with my neighbour as to whether the poops are normal or not, vet has given her liquid food to syringe feed, they did test for parasites but not using a stool sample?, and was negative. Bloods and urine came back normal, although vet said slightly high glucose found in urine, nothing to worry about as could be attributed to stress?

Answer
Hi Andrea

The only way the vet can tell if the rabbit has worms is to test the stool.  One of the major causes of rabbits to rapidly lose weight is to have an internal parasite.

I would strongly suggest that she take her to a different vet or find an experienced breeder who knows how to treat for worms.  It is not something that just anyone can do.  The biggest problem with treating them and not knowing for sure if they are there is that occasionally a rabbit can have an underlying illness that will affect the blood brain barrier.  If the blood brain barrier is affected and the rabbit is given a wormer such as ivermec or piperazine then the medication can go directly to the brain and kill it.

He may very well have gas pains or a tummyache.  It is really impossible to tell without a thorough work up.  We absolutely take a stool sample on every rabbit we see.  It can show not only parasites but illnesses such as coccidia.  Although the vet sounds reasonable familiar with rabbits since the teeth were checked appropriately I am still concerned that they didn't take a stool sample.  I personally will not even sell a baby rabbit without having its stools tested first.  I do have the luxury of free testing but I would even pay for it if I had to.  It is a really important diagnostic tool.

You can try some different things to get him to eat but it really sounds like he is having some stomach issues if it is not parasites.  If he completely stops eating and stops producing pellets then he will need to be force fed.  Have her try some enticing foods.  I like to use stage 2 banana/pineapple baby food from Gerber.  I will also mix it in with a little bit of Yo Baby banana flavored yogurt drink.  I put it in a 10 cc syringe and start by putting a little bit on the bunnies lips.  They will usually like the taste of it and lick it off.  Sometimes they will eat it right from the syringe and others you have to carefully force it down their throat.  You want to do this at the side of the mouth and very slowly as not to prevent aspiration.

Make sure that bunny has as much hay as he can possibly eat.  If he is having a GI issue the hay will help keep the gut moving.  Once he starts to eat and his stomach starts to move he may feel well enough to eat again on his own.

Ox-bow sells a product called critical care.  It is highly recommended among both vets and rabbit breeders alike for rabbits that need to be force fed.  You can either buy it on line or call around to all the local pet shops.  Some of the bigger shops carry it.  You can also get ahold of your local House Rabbit Society chapter.  Although I am not a part of the HRS I have met a few people in the past few months who have been extremely helpful to me when I have an issue I can't solve.  Honestly as much as I hate to admit it, I believe they know more about rabbits than most vets do.  They care for rabbits 24/7 and they are highly educated.

If you want to find a local chapter who can help you find the critical care products then you absolutely must get ahold of an expert named Mr. Lee Meyer.  He is a fountain of knowledge and since he is part of the HRS he can help you find someone in your region that may be willing to suggest a new vet or at the very least tell you the closest place that you can buy the ox-bow products.

I wish I had some more idea's but it is really hard to say.  If the rabbit has always been a picky eater then he may just not like the feed or the feed could be old or moldy.  If he is refusing to eat everything then there is a problem whether the vet says there is or not.  I certainly hope the vet instructed her on how to syringe feed.  It can be very dangerous if not done properly.

Also depending on what the glucose was this is cause for concern whether the vet says it is or not.  Think about it for a minute.  If the rabbit is not eating then how on earth can his glucose be elevated.  Glucose comes into our bodies from what we eat and when we don't eat it is taken from our muscles and extra storage departments.  Since this rabbit is skinny as a rail I doubt he has enough back up muscle tissue to produce enough sugar to cause him to be hyperglycemic.  If it was only very slightly elevated then I suppose it could happen.  A rabbit that isn't eating would be more likely to have low glucose.

Ok I am sorry for rambling.  Please get ahold of Lee Meyer and see if he has any natural remedies that may work.  He is really big on naturalistic medicine and is really quite knowledgeable about it.  He would cringe at my suggestion but I would tell you what I would do.

If I couldn't find a vet that could figure out the problem, I would try my baby food remedy and ox bow critical care.  If the rabbit still showed failure to thrive I would treat it with a wormer made for horses and hope for the best.  This is absolutely not something that a person who doesn't raise and treat rabbits on a regular basis should do.  I have often treated my rabbits with certain concoctions as a last ditch effort to save their lives and a few have actually lived.  Call it luck I guess.

I hope that the rabbit is ok.  If it is drinking make sure to give it some non flavored pedialyte in its water.  This will help keep its electrolytes in balance.  Try to find another vet for a second opinion and contact Mr. Lee Meyer (another expert) for any natural options.

I hope this has helped.  I am so sorry that I can't help you further.  I just pray the little guy will be ok.

Sincerely,

Pam