Hi there,
Clover, my Lop, suddenly stopped eating properly last about a week and a half ago. We brought her inside (she lives in a hutch outside) and noticed some sniffling noises and a watery eye and nostril. We took her to the vets who gave her a detailed examination and asked about her age (she's about 4 and a half years - we resued her three years ago when she was about 18 months old). He gave us some baytril for the sniffles and said her teeth weren't perfect and he was concerned about her weight loss (2.78kg).
Almost a week later I returned to the vets and they booked her in the following day to put her under anethetic and have a dental. Clover came around from that fine and is returning for a check up tomorrow. However, the major concern is her still not returning to her normal diet. She eats a few pieces of fresh fruit and veg but only a few pellets - most of which have to be hand fed or dipped in water first. We've had her on Recovery food too, which she eats bits of through a syringe - some she spits out! We blended pellet food and put that through a syringe too. She'll also eat bits of toast and the odd strand of hay. She's having wees and poos okay and has moved into our house - complete with new bed & litter tray!
Does anyone out there have any ideas about what is causing Clover not to eat as much? Could it be effects from the dental/anesthetic or the sniffles? When eating she sniffles, coughs and sneezes and it takes her a long time to chew. Perhaps this is putting her off her food?
Any suggestions or similar experiences to share with me would be greatly welcomed.
Thanks,
jemma_79

Hi,
rabbits should never stop eating so very important to ensure she starts again soon.
Check with ur vets they should haveadministred a drup called metoclopramide following the Gen anaesthetic to aid the guts into normal motility.
Other than that just try tempting with old favourates and pos some cereal if u have any softened with warm water...weetabix was a fave of my old rabbits.

Thanks for quick reply. When we first went to vets she had Metacam injection along with the Baytril. For the anesthetic, she's had Dominator, Ketaset, Maxolon, Metacam and Antiseden. Still taking the Baytril twice a day.

She never turns down chocolate drops! I will keep trying with the fruit, veg and mushed pellets and I'll get some Weetabix today!

with snuffles it can take a good few weeks to really clear the infection. If shes suffering with snotty nose u can steam her to help clear it out.

I think the best thing for her is to be spoiled rotten without upsetting her tummy, so loads of her fave food and keep syringing her with recovery food (I think you can add a bit of fresh pineapple juice to it instead of water to make them like it more). Keep her warm but defiantly dont put the heating on in the room shes in or this can really mess with them, give her plenty of space to exercise as this really helps their tummys, keep all the new and loud noises to a minimum, and leave her to rest if shes not appreciating your company.

her mouth is probably very uncomfortable at the min, so get as much anitinflammatory pain meds in her as your vet will allow and plenty of metcam too.

Thanks, I will ask for more metcam... and I'm about to go shopping so I have pineapple juice and weetabix on my list now!

She's eaten more bits of fresh food since earlier and some syringe soft foods - a few fresh poops have appeared and she did a lovely big week outside of her litter tray...a bit to learn yet. Is there a special way of training them, she'd been doing okay with the weeing until earlier...

Thanks for all help, advice and suggestions. Keep them coming!

jemma n Clover

Rabbits are normally very tidy when it comes to poos and pee but if shes not feeling herself then itll all go out the window. Just make sure u clean up any stray poos and wipe away the wee, I wouldnt use disinfectants if shes not feeling great as the smells arnt nice. Make sure her bums clean check it at least twice a day (there are still a lot of flies around for this time of year, and they can lay eggs on a rabbits mucky bun, the maggots will then eat her a live). If she is dirty try using cotton wool and warm water and then dry her off with a towel.

if your rabbits used to being on the grass then I would try to give her a good heap of grass, she'll love u for it.

Domitor, Ketaset (ketamine) are sedatives that would have been how they aneasthatised her. Antiseden is the reversal for the sedative. They wouldn't have any effect on helping her recover it would have been given purely to knock her out for the op and wake her up after.

__________________

Thanks for explaining all the rabbit meds... I'm clueless!

She has a clean bum-bum at the min, tho we've had probs in the past - they involved scissors and cleansing! Nice!

She's now eaten soft pellets rarther that mushed up one through a syringe so we think we're seeing improvements... fingers crossed!!! We reckon she's eaten a more 'normal' amount today so hopefully she keeps this up... hope the vet is pleased tomorrow at the post dental check up.

Cheers for all the replies... we feel less alone through Clover's poorliness... Our other bun, Dusty, seems happy and well but I'm pretty sure she's jealous of Clover being in the house...

be careful you dont break their bond, bring them both in if you have the space

They don't live together - rescued at different times (three years apart) and are both female. Their hutches are side by side. They sniff and kiss through the bars. I was told females would fight. So they take turns in the garden.