Weight loss

[gulien]

I've got a little holland lop buck, who is a rescue, found hopping down the road late at night. He was thin on arrival, but fattened up nicely in quarantine. Now that he's in the house with my mini lop doe, he's lost weight again. He does eat and drink, and doesn't appear ill, just skinny. There is no change in the doe, still fat and sassy.

Any idea what's going on with the little twerp? I was hoping to have him neutered in the near future, as well.

 

[GBov]

I don't know what is up with him but I have never had an animal loose weight without major issues inside of it. The latest one was our Pot Bellied boar that I penned up to fatten. He was eating enough to feed any THREE pigs but was loosing weight every day. When I butchered him there was a huge mass in his bladder but he had never looked in pain or poorly in any way, just kept loosing that weight.

Sad to say, weight loss has always been a bad thing round here.

Maybe that's why my weight loss keeps failing :lol:

Does your little buck have fre choice to food? Have your wormed him? How are his poos?

 

[gulien]

Free choice pellets, I've restricted the hay as the pellets probably have more calories. Lots of normal-looking droppings, lots of urine too. I actually wonder if there's not an unusually large quantity of urine...

Could he be fretting about the doe nearby, and not able to "visit"?

 

[GBov]

Free choice pellets, I've restricted the hay as the pellets probably have more calories. Lots of normal-looking droppings, lots of urine too. I actually wonder if there's not an unusually large quantity of urine...

Could he be fretting about the doe nearby, and not able to "visit"?

Can you watch him without his seeing you? He might be doing the rounds of his cage over and over with a doe nearby but if he is lounging about and still loosing weight something might be amiss.

 

[AnnClaire]

Try worming him

 

[Miss M]

Is it possible that he is actually not thin, that he's just nice and fit having the run of the house instead of sitting in quarantine? Or does he get that much exercise?

Run your fingertips down his backbone. Do you feel gentle, rolling bumps? That would be a good weight for him. A spikier feel would mean he's too thin.

 

[gulien]

The problem has been identified. His jaw felt weird, so I've been watching it and trying to find a rabbit vet. Then a definite lump appeared, about the size of a bean. Within 24 hours it took up the whole lower jaw area. I tried lancing it last night, with no luck. Went to the vet this morning, and the abcess involves his teeth, as it is expressing inside the mouth. She recommended sending him to Guelph University for treatment, at a cost of $300-5000. She is not optimistic that more conservative treatments will be effective.

I have only just started working again, after a long period of unumoyment, I can't afford to do this for the little guy. I'm going to have to put him down, it's the only humane thing to do.<br /><br />__________ Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:48 am __________<br /><br />That number should be $300-$500. Fat fingers + tiny keypad on phone = typos

 

[AnnClaire]

Gulien, unless he somehow injured the inside of his mouth, the abcess is probably an indication of pasteurella ... so sorry :grouphug:

 

[gulien]

I suspect an injury, but am mindful of the possibility of pasturella.

He's gone now, took care of it at home. No strange people or smells, no one restraining him, just a tasty feast of raisins and "lights out". He didn't feel a thing.