NZ Doe attitude change. *UPDATE* Stopped eating!

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My NZW doe who had a litter back in late May acting like she's pregnant again. She really enjoyed head scratches, claws at the door for attention, and runs up to me for treats. Now she just lifts her head like a snooty socialite and avoids human contact.

She's not really eating anything, only a small nibble and ignores all forms of food completely. She still drinks water and will defend her cage from other rabbits, charged another NZ buck and I quickly removed him.
No poops seen in her cage area, she likes to go in a corner and the bucket that catches the droppings is a several days old. I did have a 1 year old Cali buck be hutch-mates with her for a couple of nights (last Friday and Saturday)

Is this the usual behaviors of a adolescent and covered/pregnant doe? (DOB on Jan, 2014)
 
Coming off food is a serious problem. It is not a sign of recent pregnancy.

If she hasn't produced droppings in days you could loose her.

See if she is willing to take old fashioned oatmeal or a favorite green food. Like parsley or a dandelion leaf.

Anything she will take willingly is best, but rabbits MUST eat.
 
She sniffs at the parsley like she wants to eat and then ignores it..still enjoys a freshly brewed raspberry zinger served in a croc.
Will mix up critical care with the zinger to see if she takes it.
 
Zass is right... this is an emergency!

You should definitely offer oatmeal, and you can coat it lightly with molasses (especially blackstrap, if you have it, because it does have some nutritional value). The greens Zass mentioned, too, would be great.

I would also recommend, in case she has fur impaction, that you get some pineapple or papaya (fresh will have the most active enzymes).

But above all, she must start eating something, anything, at this point.
 
She ignored the oatmeal as well, forced the probiotic in her mouth, and left a warm croc of Raspberry Zinger mixed in with Critical Care. Left for work at 6 pm, I think it's the dreaded bloat that's wiping out my stock.

So far the only ones with a super strong gut is Leo the lionhead, and Casper the ND, her two remaning kits are hanging on strong.
 
Oh, no... :cry:

Any change this morning? You can force purees if necessary. We did it with a disposable spoon.

Applesauce, pumpkin, cooked oatmeal with a little cinnamon... just throwing possibilities out.

-- Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:26 am --

I am moving this thread to Injuries, Illnesses, and Parasites... and I'm adding to the title. Hopefully, some others will find your thread there. <br /><br /> -- Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:29 am -- <br /><br /> Okay, it's moved. I'm bumping so the updated title appears in the scroller.
 
Miss M":5md5pjcb said:
Zass is right... this is an emergency!

You should definitely offer oatmeal, and you can coat it lightly with molasses (especially blackstrap, if you have it, because it does have some nutritional value). The greens Zass mentioned, too, would be great.

I would also recommend, in case she has fur impaction, that you get some pineapple or papaya (fresh will have the most active enzymes).

But above all, she must start eating something, anything, at this point.
Click to expand...

you can try adding the enzyme rich fruit listed above to force-feeding , -- but, if she is not pooping at all prospects are not good.
 
I'm really big on hydration when I see one of my a rabbits refuses food. I would put 1/4 teaspoon of salt into boiling cup of water, wait to cool and syringe 20mm water, or more, into her. If she is not eating she is probably not drinking water either and the more dehydrated she gets the less likely it is she will be able to deal with whatever is wrong with her intestines. Also, I think the water might help flush toxins, and bad bacteria in her digestive tract out of her system.
 
:yeahthat: Absolutely! The only reason I hadn't mentioned dehydration was that Wabbitjack said she was drinking. That may have changed by now, though. :(
 
Didn't look good after I came home and the teeth chattering had begun.
I culled her with a quick CD and confirmed the GI stasis/bloat.

Lessened learned for me:

1. Changing feed/pellets, introduce it slowly and mix it with the old feed if changing.
2. Keeping the pro biotic Bene-Bac on hand as a preventivite measure along with Gas-X.
3. Pay attention to the bowel movements, dry pellets = good, diarrhea = bad.
 
additional lesson to be learned

1. one day of no poops is an immediate cause for concern
2. one day of not eating is an immediate cause for concern.

the sooner you jump on these things, the sooner you can get on top of whatever is the matter.

Second

You shouldn't have to feed benabac and gas x regularly. They should be "use in case of emergencies" only.
I find that it is better to force gassy rabbits into activity to help "move things along" then it is to give things like benebac and gas x. Rabbits who are ill like to sit still, and that doesn't help keep things moving. So forcing activity (just like a child who is constipated, forcing activity helps move things through) is beneficial to them. (I used to make them swim).

BUT LONG TERM... CULL.
CULL CULL CULL anything with gut issues. You don't want to breed that into your herd in any way shape or form.
Don't keep kits from does who get it.
Don't keep any rabbit who goes off feed, who misses days of pooping etc.
Rabbits are too prone to digestive upset to do anything to encourage it.
 
IMHO, --If we pay attention to the size of the rabbit manure , we can often see a problem coming, if the rabbit manure gets smaller then usual, the gut is slowing down. --- if we see a lot of shiny looking pellets in the litter, we can see it is going too fast. -- when I have any problems with rabbits,[excluding high temps in the rabbitry] I always suspect food first , - only after I am satisfied it is not food related, do I move on to other causes .Often a food issue will manifest its self as diarrhea, constipation , bloating, Cocci outbreak, etc. I have had only a few times in 50 + years of rabbit husbandry, that I have found a non- food or heat, related problem that at least started the cycle of disease. once the GI is upset by a food problem it opens the door to a host of other troubles. ---On that note, indoor rabbit raisers should always be concerned with ammonia levels, as it is the leading root cause of Pasturella outbreaks.
 

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