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Upset at what vet has said (bunny related)

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piggieboys

piggieboys

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Just had to take my bunny to the vets as his back teeth have overgrown, only way I noticed was he wasnt eating very well and loves his food and he was also wet under his mouth where he had been dribbling. Took him vets yesterday which told me its his back ones and he has a wound there, so to take him back today to be put to sleep so they can file the back ones down.

took him in today and the vet said how is he I said he not eaten much but tried a bit of cucumber and lettuce but not much, she gave me that look and said yeah when they stop eating its very hard to get them to eat again, they basically give up and want to die. She basically told me the same thing yesterday as well saying he probably wont eat now hes stopped, they get depressed and give up.

Now if I had problems with my teeth and was in pain and had a wound in my mouth I wouldnt want to eat also and he has been trying but is probably in so much pain he cant.

Its just upset me as shes made me paranoid now that hes gonna give up and die. cant stop thinking bout it now like its my fault, got to ring at 2 to see how hes got on. :(
 
What a horrible attitude she has!

I'm sure bunny will be fine, sadly for some buns rentals are a way of life, it's just making sure you stay on top of it and don't let it get to a stage where it causes pain.

I personally would be asking for meta am and critical care for when you come home, you probably already know this though! Keep us updated please x
 
Thank you, I'm not that well up on Rabbits so dont know as much as guinea pigs, Ive tried giving him the wooden chew things to help his teeth in the past but he just ignores them, dont know what else I could use to keep his teeth down. I hope hes gonna be ok, hate the way shes made me feel, its like shes given me no hope.
 
piggieboys said:
Thank you, I'm not that well up on Rabbits so dont know as much as guinea pigs, Ive tried giving him the wooden chew things to help his teeth in the past but he just ignores them, dont know what else I could use to keep his teeth down. I hope hes gonna be ok, hate the way shes made me feel, its like shes given me no hope.
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Hay, hay and more hay! It should equate to around 80% of their diet. Don't worry I'm sure he'll be fine :)
 
Just as a bit of comfort, I have a regular bunny boarder with malocclusion (basically his front teeth don't meet, so they never get worn down). His owners have to have them cut about every 3 weeks. He also has intermittent problems with his back teeth, and often develops dental abscesses.

So, as you can tell from all that, his mouth is a bit of a mess really!

He stops eating hay (only eats soft stuff like herbs and fresh grass) and gets a dribbly chin when his teeth are overgrown, and when he has an abscess brewing, he stops eating alltogether. He developed a fast-growing abscess when he was boarding with me a few weeks ago.

We whisked him off to the vets as soon as he stopped eating, he was put onto antibiotics and metacam, and after a day or two of syring feeding Critical Care, he was back to his old self.

So, your vet has sort of "put the cart before the horse" when she says that not eating makes them depressed and makes them "give up". Yes, of course an unexplained lack of appetite for a bunny is very serious and can be fatal, but if there's a physical problem causing the unwillingness to eat, then, in my own experience, solving the physical problem normally kick-starts the appetite.

In other words, your bunny probably wants to eat, he may just find it incredibly painful to do so.

Hope he's better soon. Tracey x
 
I have two bunnies and I would recommend syringe feeding him Oxbow Critical Care until he starts eating again. You could also try mushing up some pellets as they'll be easy for him to eat until his mouth is less sore.

She was very negative and not at all helpful. Yes, bunnies probably do quickly give-up eating, but to not give you advice on how to restart the eating is very poor of the vet. Did she not give you any probiotics to replace the bacteria that have likely died and is why your rabbit is so unwilling to eat?

If you have another, healthy rabbit, you could also try what is recommended for guinea-pigs and to make a thin soup using poops from your other rabbit and syringe this into your rabbit. The bacteria should help restart your rabbits gut.

Go on to Rabbits United Forum as I'm sure there are plenty of people on there who'll be able to help.
 
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that was very negative of her our bunny bramble had dental problems his whole life and that was his back teeth, we did have to give him fibreplex (not sure of its name its in a silver box and in a syringe) and it has pro biotics in it or something but he never actually stopped eating and his abcesses used to burst out form under the chin but he lived until 5 years old. Dont give up hope bunnies are fighters.
 
I used to have 5 bunnies but none ever had dental problems so I can't offer any advice. There is always hope though and you shouldn't just give up like the person said. Bunnies have an amazing amount of fight in them and can be put through alot and still come out the other side.
 
Well I have now found out that my he is a she lol, shes home now and isnt interested in food at all, just lay there feeling sorry for herself, they have filed her teeth right down. where can I get this critical care stuff from people, never hd to do this before so its all new to me, they were very unhelpful so Just wanted to get her home after the day she has had. Tried all her fave food plus fresh grass and dandelion leaves but shes just sat there.

Is it normal for her not to be quite with it after being put sleep to have her teeth done ?
 
piggieboys said:
Well I have now found out that my he is a she lol, shes home now and isnt interested in food at all, just lay there feeling sorry for herself, they have filed her teeth right down. where can I get this critical care stuff from people, never hd to do this before so its all new to me, they were very unhelpful so Just wanted to get her home after the day she has had. Tried all her fave food plus fresh grass and dandelion leaves but shes just sat there.

Is it normal for her not to be quite with it after being put sleep to have her teeth done ?
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I'd say normal. Think how humans feel groggy when they've been knocked out.

Have they given you any metacam? Critical care tends to be supplied by the vets but if you mush up some pellets with a bit of warm water it's a similar type thing. It's not essential if bunny is eating but if she/he's not then you will need to syringe some food to keep their gut moving.
 
right just managed to catch my vets before it shut they have given me recovery, she dont have pellets she has the other stuff so will have to get that tomorrow for her and do it that way, gonna do this recovery now, thankfully she lets me hold her like a baby so fingers crossed. I'm so angry at the vets for not recommending me do this in the first place. Think its time I look for a new one :( will let you know if she has taken it ok thanks
 
She will need probiotics to get bacteria into her gut. In an emergency you can syringe feed her Natural Live Yoghurt, eg.Yeo Valley. Hopefully this will get her gut moving again. If she doesn't eat tonight she will need a gut stimulant tomorrow so get her back to the vets asap. Then it's definitely time to get a rabbit savy vet.
 
She has taken a bit of the recovery food, I'm giving her little and often plus syringe feeding her water that way as well, I cant believe the vets havent told me any of this I'm so angry, I will get some natural yoghurt tomorrow, not going back to that stupid vets , have to take her back for a check up friday but after that I'm finding somewhere else
 
Sorry, to hear about your bunny.

I had a male bunny that I rescued. He had tear duct problems, caused by his tooth roots. Some days he was in too much pain to eat hard foods. He loved recovery food, I tried him on liquidised vegetables but he refused to eat them, but he did love vegetable baby foods.

Unfortunately, Mayas teeth problems were due to bad breeding, and his previous carers neglect. He lived happily with me for 3 years.
 
She keeps going up to her hay and nudging it like she wants to eat it then stops :{ shes just took a little bit more recovery and has been playing with her ball a bit, I wonder if she thinks it will still hurt if she eats anything, shes on antibiotics as well at the moment
 
Teejay said:
Just as a bit of comfort, I have a regular bunny boarder with malocclusion (basically his front teeth don't meet, so they never get worn down). His owners have to have them cut about every 3 weeks. He also has intermittent problems with his back teeth, and often develops dental abscesses.

So, as you can tell from all that, his mouth is a bit of a mess really!

He stops eating hay (only eats soft stuff like herbs and fresh grass) and gets a dribbly chin when his teeth are overgrown, and when he has an abscess brewing, he stops eating alltogether. He developed a fast-growing abscess when he was boarding with me a few weeks ago.

We whisked him off to the vets as soon as he stopped eating, he was put onto antibiotics and metacam, and after a day or two of syring feeding Critical Care, he was back to his old self.

So, your vet has sort of "put the cart before the horse" when she says that not eating makes them depressed and makes them "give up". Yes, of course an unexplained lack of appetite for a bunny is very serious and can be fatal, but if there's a physical problem causing the unwillingness to eat, then, in my own experience, solving the physical problem normally kick-starts the appetite.

In other words, your bunny probably wants to eat, he may just find it incredibly painful to do so.

Hope he's better soon. Tracey x
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Thank you makes me feel a bit better knowing he stops eating and recovers from it, fingers crossed
 
Oh my god that vet is awful! How rude and what a negative attitude. You must not go back there again. Once your bunny is no longer in pain she will start to eat. It is not true at all to say she will give up. I am sure she really misses hay but is feeling too sore to eat any. You are doing a good job by syringe feeding her critical care. This will help her be strong while she is not eating.
 
piggyfan said:
Oh my god that vet is awful! How rude and what a negative attitude. You must not go back there again. Once your bunny is no longer in pain she will start to eat. It is not true at all to say she will give up. I am sure she really misses hay but is feeling too sore to eat any. You are doing a good job by syringe feeding her critical care. This will help her be strong while she is not eating.
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Thank you hun, shes just tried a little bit of hay and a dandelion leaf, its not much but its a start, I hope she eats more through the night, shes on antibiotics as well so I'm hoping to see an improvement soon, gonna try the yoghurt like someone mentioned and see if that helps.

Have to go back to the vets on friday for a check up but after that I'm finding somewhere else, I dont wanna be made to feel like that I need some reassurance not making me feel worse when I left her. I'm doing everything I can for her now and thats all I can do I guess
 
When rabbits are on antibiotics it effects their gut so he poops will be smaller. This is normal. I would try this rather then yoghurt.
https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/Health+%2526+Hygiene.12/Avipro+Plus.352.html

Please do not go back to that vets for the follow up. The vet is horrible and does not even sound like he likes animals. You are paying so you have the choice and the right to take her anywhere you want to. Do not go somewhere you are not happy with. They do not deserve your money.

It is great she has eaten a little hay. It shows she is feeling better. How is she doing on the critical care?
 
she was Russian I think and was so negative, shes having a bit of the recovery food its hard to hold her and give it her need to open her mouth more so I know its going in ok she just seems to hold her mouth still but theres not much on the outside so I assume its going in ok, its hard to tell, theres no one with me that can open her mouth a little either so I'm struggling a bit. shes been through so much today so dont wanna stress her out too much. Thanks for the info
 
It is so hard to syringe feed. I remember when I had to do that with my bunny. He hates being held and was struggling. It was a real nightmare. I am sure your little one will soon be back to her old self. She just needs a bit of care at the moment. I would ask the vet if it is safe to give yoghurt. Rabbits are meant to be vegan.
 
Just looked it up on a few sites and it says you shouldnt :{ so thats ruled that out. shes really good to hold lets you hold her like a baby, so my hands are full, one holding her and the other with the syringe so no hands free to open her mouth a little.
 
That is great as it makes things so much easier. I thought yoghurt would not be a good idea. The probiotics I sent you sound really good though.
 
yeah they do wonder if I can pick them up from a pet shop rather than ordering on the net , cause of the amount of time it takes and that
 
I have never seen them but you may be able to get them from a vets. If you have the money it is worth ordering it now though.
 
Thats the thing I'm a single mum out of work at the moment and ive just spent 90 pounds on her treatment and I'm broke big time thats why I was gonna try the yoghurt cause its the cheaper option, just cost me 3.60 for a sachet of recover food and theres hardly any in it :( might buy some pellets and soak them and syringe feed her with that as well maybe when the recovery runs out , unless by then shes eating herself.
 
Oh in that case do not worry about the probiotics. Many vets say they do not even work for rabbits as they include things not found naturally in a rabbit. With the critical care it contains things that are really essential when a rabbit is ill including timothy hay so I would not recommend you not feeding that. It is so difficult not having money. Wouldnt you be able to go to a blue cross or pdsa for treatment?
 
Tried pdsa and there isnt any in my area, gonna ring them in the morning cause it says on the website to go to a vets and they may be able to pay out most or some of the money. I wanted to wait till I had the receipt and gonna find out then. Tried rspca but they only do clinics on tuesdays near here so she couldnt wait that long so I had no choice.

So hard finding work as well, never been out of a job so finding it hard at the moment so vets bills is the last thing I need but shes worth it but you get my point.
 
I totally understand you. I am unable to work and use rspca and blue cross. I could not manage without them. It is so expensive to use vets. I know some people have insurance and pay a little each month. Maybe you would be able to do that at a later date. The rspca only opening on tuesdays is so useless!
 
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