A couple months ago (september, actually) my rabbit died. It was interesting. At first she couldn't eat, she wanted to but couldn't. Then she couldn't walk. Then she was pushing her front legs around. Then she died. All within about 2 days. Well, now my other rabbit has almost the same symptoms except it's been 3 days, and he eats. He has problems walking and it's sad to watch. It's like a brain tumor. Both were healthy when they got the sickness. Does anyone know what it is? We called the vet and he couldn't find anything with the same symptoms.
2007-02-19 15:21:09 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I wouldn't be surprised if it was GI Stasis (gastrointestinal stasis). It is known as the 'silent killer' in rabbits because often by the time you notice symptoms it is too late, and sadly not a lot of rabbit owners know about it.
Basically it is when food or other material (if your rabbit was chewing clothes or carpet or something) gets stuck in their stomach or digestive tract. It is similar to a hairball in cats, but it is impossible for a rabbit to throw up so the only place it can go is out the other end. But if it builds up and cannot pass through, often it will block other food from passing through as well and your rabbit will starve. If it gets to the point where the built-up material hurts your rabbit or fills up its stomach, your rabbit may choose not to eat, or it will keep forcing itself to eat and building up the problem. The problem may also make it hurt to walk, hence the weird way your rabbit is walking. It is SO important to get this looked after right away.
If you think your rabbit may have GI stasis, you need to clean his cage out THOROUGHLY so there are no droppings left and see if he is passing pellets. If not, it's almost certain that he has GI stasis. (If he shares a cage with other rabbits make sure to seclude him by himself so you can see if its actually him dropping and not the other ones).
Also, take him to a good RABBIT VET. There are vets that specialize in small animals and they would be much better than a cat or dog vet. Try to find one in your area. Get them to X-ray your rabbit to see if there is any blockage. If he is diagnosed with GI stasis, there are things that your vet could perscribe. Make sure he's drinking water.
In the future it's really important to make sure your rabbit is eating and passing food regularly. GI stasis strikes a lot of rabbits, they die, and often people have no idea what happened.
2007-02-19 15:52:15 · answer #1 · answered by x_just_imagine 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you "only" call the vet? Have you brought the rabbit in for an exam?
It's easy for a rabbit to break it's own back... do you have children who may have picked the rabbit up incorrectly? With a broken back, their days are numbered.
How old is the rabbit? What do you feed him? Too much greens will give them diarrhea... they do best on alfalfa pellets and only an occasional treat of greens. Also, they have stomachs like cows and need to always have food or hay available for munching on...
My vet has told often told me that rabbits are not built to be sick; meaning, once illness befalls them, it is difficult, if not impossible to nurse them back to health.
If nothing above rings a bell, you might check out this website and see if any of the health issues match yours... there may even be a way to contact one of these rabbit professionals. Good luck!!
**EDIT** duh, forgot to give you the link... here it is: http://www.rabbit.org/health/index.html
2007-02-19 15:31:36 · answer #2 · answered by scruffycat 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if it was a dog, I'd say distemper so maybe something similar that affects rabbits. It's a virus which affects the brain. Did you disinfect the cage properly after your first rabbit died. Maybe it the germ was hanging around and got passed on to your new rabbit. Contact a vet now and you'll be able to cure it.
2007-02-19 15:27:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Another possibility is that her stomach was blocked. Sometimes when rabbits shed, they have a heavy shedding period where they're supposed to be brushed everyday. If they are not brushed, they end up ingesting their own fur when the clean themselves, causing hairballs. Unlike cats, they cannot throw them back up, causing it to get stuck in their stomach. In that situation the rabbit will be hungry, by cannot eat. They will also readjust their positioning, trying to clear the hairball in their stomach. After no food, and barely able to take down water, this could cause death.
2007-02-19 16:22:37 · answer #4 · answered by Kim 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you checked his teeth? My favorite rabbit was perfectly healthy, when she began losing weight, because she stopped eating, and she was having trouble walking, and doing much of anything. So we checked her teeth finally, and they were about 3 and a half inches long. So, we clipped them, but by then she was too far along, and I went out to find her dead, she had leapt into her house, and hit her head, and had a heart attack, because her body didn't have enough nutrients. :( she was my baby. but I would check that first. I hope you can save him.
2007-02-19 15:39:50 · answer #5 · answered by ranchgirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact someone that is a REPUTABLE rabbit breeder. Contact K W Cages in Santee,California. They can send you in the right direction.
2007-02-19 15:35:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like they have wolves. its a larva that gets imbedded in the back/spine that eventually if not removed will kill them , dogs get them and all wild fur bearing animals.
2007-02-19 16:49:24 · answer #7 · answered by ALLENROUNDHEAD 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe they're being poisoned by something in ur house (glue? paint?toxins? rat poisons?) get a new vet, and i hope ur bunny is ok
2007-02-19 15:26:12 · answer #8 · answered by whoops :) 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋