sickrabbit

Question
QUESTION: my rabbit has stopped eating ,grazing a small amount of grass and dandelion leaves but that is it.is still drinking water.her poo output is little and very small pellets.have also noticed her urine semms stronger in colour almost orange. she is less lively but still hopping about and cleaning.seems to have a small graze to side of mouth.please advise many thanks annabel.

ANSWER: Hi Annabel

When a rabbit stops eating or eats less and the fecal droppings reduce in size this usually means that its stomach is not moving (GI stasis).  This can be caused by a numerous amount of things such as teeth problems, pain, infection, sluggish gut, or general illness.  It can on occasion be caused by a blockage of fur but it is more often caused by an illness or other problem.

The point is that what happens is the stomach slows down and the poop will get smaller and smaller.  The appetite will slowly decrease and then completely stop.  The rabbit will go into what is called 'Ileus' which is a complete shut down of the GI system.  Basically the GI system completely stops moving.  When this happens your rabbit is in serious trouble.  Recovering from ileus is often difficult.  Since your rabbit is still eating a little bit and still pooping a little bit then its GI system is still working enough to take medication and to get fluid therapy.  It is imperative that you get your rabbit to an Exotic animal veterinarian or hospital immediately.  This is not something that can wait even more than a day.  The longer you wait the less chance your little rabbit has to to survive.

If you need help finding a vet you can try this site

http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

If there is nothing in your area then start calling every vet in your phone book and asking if they treat exotic pets.  If they don't then ask them the nearest vet that does.  Remember that exotic pet doctors aren't as common as small animal doctors and sometimes it is a 2 or 3 hour drive.  It is certainly worth it to save your bunnies life.

Good luck and I am so very sorry that your bunny is ill.

Sincerely,

Pam

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

QUESTION: many thanks again.it would appear that her back teeth are growing into her cheek and tounge.she is still at the vets and i am hoping that they do not need to give her a general anesthetic to sort this out.snowey was not helping them!who can blame her.

Answer
Hi Annabel

I hope that they got her all fixed up.  They usually have to use anesthesia to see the back molars and especially if they need to file them.  The good news is that if they file them she should be able to eat again.  The bad news is that you probably have to have it done at least every couple months.

Good luck with Snowey and give her lots of kisses.  Our time on earth with our animal friends is short and when the day comes that they leave us you want to remember that you loved them as much as humanly possible.

Sincerely,

Pam