Young Rabbit lost all interest in water & not thriving

Question
Hi Dana,

We have a 3 month old boy rabbit called Magic, and since he arrived he has had a couple of health scares. He's a house rabbit who lives in his own indoor hutch when we are out, with plenty of fresh hay and rabbit society approved veges and treats.

Recently he seems to be having digestive problems - his poops are intermittent and smaller than usual and he has lost all appetite for water. In himself he is perky and lively and quite happy, with a ferocious appetite.

When we first got him the stress and change of moving seemed to onset GI Statis (not eating, lethargic etc) so having brought him to the vet that time to kick start him, I knew that I should bring him back even though he was still lively. The vet gave him a subcuteous infusion, and injection for gastri-motility and a follow up course I give him orally 2x a day of Cisapride.

It seemed to get his bowels moving quick smart, however 2 days later his poops have slowed down again. What's worrying me most is throughout he has completely lost interest in drinking - I try getting him to with a dropper, water bowls, bottle and wet veges but his disinterest concerns me.

I'm wondering whether it was GI stasis or a more underlying problem like a blockage. What do you think? What can cause loss of thirst in a rabbit, and if he is still eating lots can it be GI Stasis? He is a happy chap as a say but despite trying to do all the right things, I think, he is not seemingly getting over his health scare or putting on weight very quickly (he's 600g now). Any advice about what to do would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your help,
Michelle

Answer
Dear Michelle,

Although a bunny this young usually doesn't express signs of dental problems, the signs you describe are really consistent with a rabbit whose incisors and/or molars are problematic, and perhaps have painful spurs that are making it too hard for him to drink. Believe it or not, he may have dental problems even if he seems to be eating normally.  Rabbits with molar spurs, oral abscesses, etc. sometimes have odd eating/drinking habits that just don't make much sense.

Please find a good rabbit vet (if you don't already have one) here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can look deep into the mouth to be sure there are no dental anomalies, or even an abscess in the mouth or throat area that may be causing him to avoid drinking.  

The intermittent small fecal pellets are a sign of stress/pain, as you can see here:

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

and

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

but this is not a primary problem.  Rather, GI tract slowdown is a sign that something is wrong somewhere in the system, causing enough stress to make the GI tract shut down.

From your description, it really sounds like teeth.  But a full body checkup, including listening to the lungs, checking the urinary tract for stones/sludge, bloodwork, etc. might reveal a cryptic problem eliciting the GI tract clue.

It's very unusual for something like this to happen in such a young bunny, so think:  congenital problem.  Maybe.  But only your rabbit-savvy will be able to check him out in person and find the root of the problem, treat him, and get him back to normal.

I hope this helps.

Dana