Has anyone experienced this?

[Lewis]

I have an English Angora buck. He is bright and alert with a beautiful coat. He is pretty boney - I can feel every nook and cranny and have been trying to get a layer on his bones. I thought I made a little progress on his hip bones but feel we regressed and he made progress on his ribs a little - but you can still feel them very well. He eats pellets, leafy greens, hay, cooked organic sprouted quinoa, lentils and rolled oats and black oiled sunflower seeds. The only thing we haven’t done is the calf replacement powder.
Friday he chewed a paper bag and a little hay - the end of the bag bit and food as normal. Late last (Saturday) night I noticed his poop was a little dry and less than normal. He also didn’t finish his greens by morning like he normally does. Today he was barely eating and barely pooping. His belly stayed soft and I heard his intestines making noises and he showed no signs of pain. He received kefir and I took him outside for a little. IThroughout today (Sunday) he remained active and alert. I also syringedbhim fluids ( blended leafy greens, gassy tea, pineapple core and fennel). After the pineapple core and fennel he’s been pooping up a storm. Has anyone experienced something similar? Does this sound like parasites? Is there anything I can do to help his poop to become normal?

 

[bighairbuns]

The soft stomach, stomach noises, and loss of appetite sound like gas issues. Of course, being an angora, a lack of appetite would also make one suspect wool block.

Please read up on GI stasis as this can be very serious. I would suggest purchasing some critical care to have on hand.

I'd reevaluate the diet here. The lentils especially as they are a FODMAP carb and are a major culprit for causing gas.

Whenever I have a rabbit with GI issues I cut out everything from their diet except their pellet and I free feed hay, get them normal and then slowly reintroduce other diet items.

I have a few angorgas that aren't "easy keepers". They put so much caloric energy into producing coat they become skin and bone. What has worked for me with those guys is free-feeding a good quality pellet with higher protein (16-18%) instead of measuring out their portions. I also found that a top dressing of a supplement like calf manna really helps my not so easy keepers.

Good luck with your boy!

 

[Lewis]

The soft stomach, stomach noises, and loss of appetite sound like gas issues. Of course, being an angora, a lack of appetite would also make one suspect wool block.

Please read up on GI stasis as this can be very serious. I would suggest purchasing some critical care to have on hand.

I'd reevaluate the diet here. The lentils especially as they are a FODMAP carb and are a major culprit for causing gas.

Whenever I have a rabbit with GI issues I cut out everything from their diet except their pellet and I free feed hay, get them normal and then slowly reintroduce other diet items.

I have a few angorgas that aren't "easy keepers". They put so much caloric energy into producing coat they become skin and bone. What has worked for me with those guys is free-feeding a good quality pellet with higher protein (16-18%) instead of measuring out their portions. I also found that a top dressing of a supplement like calf manna really helps my not so easy keepers.

Good luck with your boy!

Thank you for your thoughtful reply! He’s pooping solid now! One of his poops resembled and felt like sand... have you seen anything like that?

so he’s been eating this diet for months ... could it still cause his gi to be upset ?

 

[arachyd]

I agree with what Bighairbuns said. Whether or not this diet is causing GI problems, it is not meeting his needs if he's bony. I'd switch him to a good quality alfalfa pellet, grass hay and some leafy greens as his regular feed. Give a small amount of sunflower seeds, oats (my rabbits always preferred whole or crimped) or raisins as a treat. Also, please make sure he's able to drink plenty of water. Some rabbits do better with a crock, some do better with a bottle and sometimes bottles don't work properly and crocks leak so you don't realize the rabbit isn't getting enough water.

 

[ladysown]

So either he's putting all his energy into his coat OR he has a worm overload. Do you see any signs of worms? Have you done a fecal float on him?

If it's energy into his coat, then you'll need to free-feed him a higher protein diet. He needs something to replace that energy. I honestly don't see anything wrong in the diet that you are feeding him, other than the lentils. I feed my rabbits a similar diet...always measure feeding, but some rabbits exude more energy and need more to eat than others...even larger than they are sometimes.

 

[Lewis]

So either he's putting all his energy into his coat OR he has a worm overload. Do you see any signs of worms? Have you done a fecal float on him?

If it's energy into his coat, then you'll need to free-feed him a higher protein diet. He needs something to replace that energy. I honestly don't see anything wrong in the diet that you are feeding him, other than the lentils. I feed my rabbits a similar diet...always measure feeding, but some rabbits exude more energy and need more to eat than others...even larger than they are sometimes.

What I gathered just googling signs of worms and parasites the only signs he has is that he had Gi stasis And no weight gain. I initially came to your conclusion that maybe all his energy is going to grow his coat- but he does have an unlimited supply of food for the most part.

Gi Stasis- he pooped a little Saturday and very little . On Sunday he practically ate nothing but a few nibbles of a piece of grass and dandelion leaf and pooped a couple of drops of diarrhea. I put a stethoscope to his abominable area and heard gurgling. After I gave him gassy tea he ate a little more. When I gave him a pine apple core and fennel mixtur then he diarrhea 3 golf ball size amounts and then a couple of hours later he stated eating and pooping normal. He did poop what looks to be a weird sand texture. I’ll take a picture and upload it. I took his little box out and just have puppy pads down to monitor his pees and poops. My fingers a crossed that he is back to normal today.

 

[hotzcatz]

With angoras who have a long coat and 'hands on' owners, what sometimes happens is the bunny grooms the scent of human off of himself after being petted by the owner and ends up ingesting a lot of the long hairs. If he gets his coat harvested every few months, it's not usually a problem. However, if he is being kept in a long coat for a show, then the possibility of wool block increases. Incipient wool block can also be told by poops chained together by hairs. When you see connected lines of poops, then it's time to get the fluff off the bunny or increase the amount of fiber in their diet.

 

[Lewis]

With angoras who have a long coat and 'hands on' owners, what sometimes happens is the bunny grooms the scent of human off of himself after being petted by the owner and ends up ingesting a lot of the long hairs. If he gets his coat harvested every few months, it's not usually a problem. However, if he is being kept in a long coat for a show, then the possibility of wool block increases. Incipient wool block can also be told by poops chained together by hairs. When you see connected lines of poops, then it's time to get the fluff off the bunny or increase the amount of fiber in their diet.

No connected poops. He does currently have a long coat. Should I shave him? He hasn’t started shedding/molting yet.

 

[Lewis]

For his litter I use pine pellets- could he have ingested the pellets? (do not have his litter box in with him currently)

 

[ladysown]

I have never seen fecal matter look like that. I have no idea.

 

[ozemba]

For my French Angora, I fed 18% pellets, BOSS as a topper, and free choice hay. Leafy greens & rolled oats when I had them. They got banana as treats. I didn't have an issue with any of them being too thin. Mine were sheared in the summer.

For when buns aren't feeling too well, its good to keep critical care on hand, it smells amazing and the buns almost can't help themselves but eat it, or you can syringe it as well. I always gave it to my does after kindling as a little pick me up as well.

 

[Lewis]

Just wanted to post an update incase anyone else deals with something similar. About two weeks ago Lewis again stopped eating (ate a few leaves ) and barely pooping. Thinking Gi stasis began doing digestive support of blended pineapple core, dandelion leafs and fennel. A little Gas support tea. He began pooping Cecotrope looking poops. When he was pooping little but regularly I began feeding blended dandelion leafs and wheat grass. Breedersaid sounds like coccidia if not Gi stasis. I found the treatment on here.

I administered .3mls of Corid 9.6% for 5 days
Day one of treatment he had a small patch of diarrhea ( the size of a nickel ) and the diarrhea was a wiggling pinworm!

On day 6 we started administrating Pancur (18.7%) We are on day four of the twenty eight days of treatment for pinworms.

He is more outgoing and adventurous since treatment. He also feels heavy now- still boney but a little weight to him now. Pinworms I read often have Gi stasis symptoms.

where this came from - I’m not 100% certain- personally I think he had this before I got him( before I picked him his breeder mentioned one of her bunnies having diarrhea- but honestly the diarrhea could have been from anything) And it’s possible he got it from the hay i gave him from the store or taking him outside. Sometimes things just are.

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THIS FORUM AND ALL THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE ONE HERE. Without this forum I would not have seen how to treat coccidia so quickly. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge of how to care for rabbits.

 

[ladysown]

good stuff!