because she is off her food and listless, I am very worried about her, it has only come on today. Any ideas what could be wrong with her, she is only about 9 months old.
2007-02-09 08:26:22 · 14 answers · asked by Welsh girl. 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
UPDATE
Rabbit OK Friday morning but became unwell Friday afternoon, very listless, not drinking, not eating, not going to toilet, very unlike her. Stayed with her all night as I was really concerned and phoned for an emergency appointment Saturday morning, vet examined her and give her 3 injections and some recovery food with a syringe and told me if she doesn't eat or drink take her back in the morning. She deteriorated all day and died in my arms at 21.30 Saturday night. I have read all your comments since and I only wish the Vet had told me a bit more and maybe she would be here now. She obviously had GI Statis and if I knew how to treat it she would have had more of a chance. She was a house rabbit and when I got up in the morning always greeted me on her hind legs and loved cuddles, I miss her so much and feel so guilty that I didn't help her more.
2007-02-12 01:38:53 · update #1
It is very important you see a vet asap. Rabbits cannot go without eating for more than a few hours. They get a problem called GI stasis which can be deadly very fast. GI stasis is when the rabbits intestinal system shuts down and stops moving (normally it is in constant motion), gas then back us into the stomach and causes severe discomfort, and causes the body to go into shock. Rabbits are prey animals, and because of this are genetically designed to hide signs of illness, often they are way more sick than you realize.
Here is a more detailed explanation:
http://www.mybunny.org/info/gi_stasis.htm
Warning: I am not trying to scare you, but we see at least 1-2 cases of this a week in our clinic, it can quickly kill, do not wait.
P.S. BB- I have seen several rabbits die of uterine cancer,it is not a myth, actually very common, if you've never seen consider yourself very lucky, it should be taken seriously and prevented whenever able
2007-02-09 10:34:53 · answer #1 · answered by cs 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have just experienced the same thing, went to feed and play with my rabbits this morning and found one of them (also nine months old) huddled up in the corner. She normally greets me by racing up to the hutch door and going completly mad. This morning she just sat there, not moving and wasn't at all interested in her food.
Fearing she might have got too cold outside with the snow we have had recently I brought her inside and warmed her up with a towel straight out of the tumble dryer. When this didn't help I phoned our vet and got an emergency appointment.
The vet told me that my rabbit had G.I. (Gut) Stasis which is a very serious condition where the rabbit's gut stops working altogether. She gave my rabbit an injection to stimulate movement and gave me a sachet of "recovery" food which I have to syringe feed her every two hours (no sleep for me) along with some pineapple juice.
If caught early enough G.I. Stasis can be treated and I am hopeful my rabit will get through it as she has started to poop again which is a good sign. I strongly suggest you get to a vet asap as G.I. Stasis can kill within 24 hours.
There is, of course, always the chance that your rabbit is just having a bad day but it's better to get her checked out by a professional. All the best :).
2007-02-10 06:27:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is she drinking and going to the bathroom regularly? I would first try to tempt her appetite. Offer her some oats (like Quaker Oats, the plain kind, not the sugary kind), small pieces of bread, banana, apple, etc. You can also try offering her some PediaLyte if she isn't drinking or has diarrhea. Sometimes rabbits just go off feed when stressed, or for no real reason. I wouldn't rush them to the vet unless you see other signs of disease or unless they go for more than a couple days without eating. 9 times out of 10, a rabbit will decide to start eating again with a little TLC and home treatment.
It is NOT uterine cancer, the whole story about "80% of unspayed rabbits getting uterine cancer" is a complete myth passed around by the house rabbit society people. I have never heard of a rabbit getting uterine cancer.
2007-02-09 09:47:36 · answer #3 · answered by BB 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The only way to know for sure is to take her to the vet. She could have dental problems. Also female rabbits are prone to uterine cancer if they are not spayed. I would take her to the vet to make sure she is ok. There are many things that could be wrong. If rabbits get sick its important to take them to the vet because it could be serious, it's hard to tell sometimes.
2007-02-09 08:38:17 · answer #4 · answered by Mandy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you checked her teeth? Often if rabbits wont eat it can be a dental thing, sometimes the teeth grow funny and the rabbit is unable to chew. Hope it's not that and that she's just having an off day!
2007-02-09 08:30:13 · answer #5 · answered by L D 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know what could be wrong with her. Take her to the vet, she might be sick. Were other rabbits that she was with like this when you got her? Ask the place that you got her from if they have had any trouble with sicknesses like the one with your rabbit. I hope she gets better. Good luck.
2007-02-10 00:35:22 · answer #6 · answered by wild_t_10 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She might be too cold. When the temperature changes rabbits don't like it and go off their food. Maybe even have Pneumonia.
2007-02-09 08:33:22 · answer #7 · answered by leedeedi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
is she eating, AND drinking a rabbit that isn't drinking won't eat, is it goingto the bathroom? if she isn't them you might want to give her some hairball stuff for cats, but it sounds like she may be a bit to far gone to save......i have seen this many times
2007-02-09 10:24:51 · answer #8 · answered by Olivia W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take her to the vet immediately.
2007-02-09 10:31:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is she warm enough. She may have caught a cold with the bad weather.
2007-02-09 08:56:10 · answer #10 · answered by Woody2 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋