# Rabbit can't swallow ?? Emergency!



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

From 2 weeks my rabbit been eating less and less but today he can't swallow! 

For example; he'll take a small bite of a carrot, chew it for some seconds then the carrot is going to fell out of his mouth! i'm so concerned, he's losing alot of weight !! everything he tries to eat always fell out of his mouth! Please help! i took him to vet and they told me that if he still don't eat it then i've to syringe feed him, they told me that they're going to check his teeths tomorrow.. but the thing i'm concern about is that the vet i'm taking my rabbit at isn't a rabbit savvy. They mostly treat dogs and cat. there isn't any rabbit savvy vet in here, i've check everywhere. the vet said they'll try their best to help him. but please can anyone tell me that does my rabbit have teeth problem? Is the things falling out of his mouth because of teeth problems?? or he have any other problem that is causing him to can't swallow??


----------



## whiskylollipop (Jul 16, 2014)

If he's picking up food and dropping it, it does sound like teeth problems. You may be able to find a rabbit-savvy vet near you in this forum here: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21

Have you tried syringe-feeding him yet? It is very important that he has SOMETHING to eat.


----------



## Azerane (Jul 16, 2014)

Yes I agree, it sounds like a teeth issue and is likely pain from this has led to the stasis issues. There should definitely be a rabbit savvy vet near you somewhere, I agree that syringing some food is a good idea, that way he doesn't have to chew.


----------



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

whiskylollipop said:


> If he's picking up food and dropping it, it does sound like teeth problems. You may be able to find a rabbit-savvy vet near you in this forum here: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21
> 
> Have you tried syringe-feeding him yet? It is very important that he has SOMETHING to eat.



No i haven't syringe feed him yet because he's eating soft stuff like mint leaves or parsley leaves.. and yes he is drooping his food (hard food). He is also not grooming himself, his fur is becoming very dull and he's becoming very skinny. He also have Lip lacerations on his lower lip.. i've checked his front teeth's and they seems fine but i can't see the behind, the vet said that they'll give him anesthesia and check his teeth but they're concern because they haven't treated a rabbit before so wrong amount of anesthesia can be deadly for him. and thank you for the link but i still couldn't find any rabbit savvy vet near i live. so i have to take the risk or my rabbit is going to starve himself


----------



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

Azerane said:


> Yes I agree, it sounds like a teeth issue and is likely pain from this has led to the stasis issues. There should definitely be a rabbit savvy vet near you somewhere, I agree that syringing some food is a good idea, that way he doesn't have to chew.



But i'm not sure what to syringe feed him O_O

So far, i only know 2 things that you can syringe feed

1. Pellets and water crushed and mixed 

2. pineapple juice

i never syringe feed him before so it's kind of new for me. vet said i can even blend some carrots and try to feed him it and if he don't eat it then give him the juice


----------



## whiskylollipop (Jul 16, 2014)

What is his favourite fruit? Whether it's apple, banana or carrot, mix a little bit in with some mashed pellets and water. You can get a syringe at a pharmacy. The taste of fruit should attract him to the bottom of syringe, and he'll probably try to lick it. That's when you slowly push out the pellet mix and let him eat it off at his own speed.

If he won't cooperate, you may have to hold him, push the syringe in behind his front teeth and force-feed him. But that's tricky business and you'll have to go very slow and give him time to swallow so he doesn't choke.

Since he's already lost weight it sounds like he's had problems eating for a while. At this stage I think I would definitely attempt to syringe feed asap. Starvation is very dangerous for bunnies and just eating mint and parsley won't give him the fibre and nutrients he needs to stay healthy.


----------



## surf_storm (Jul 16, 2014)

Better off with blended pumpkin over carrots, I found with Shida that wrapping her in a towel was the easiest way and holding her tight and close to my body whilst getting the syringe behind her front teeth so she stated the licking/chewing motion was the best way. Hope this helps

~Shell and Shida


----------



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

whiskylollipop said:


> What is his favourite fruit? Whether it's apple, banana or carrot, mix a little bit in with some mashed pellets and water. You can get a syringe at a pharmacy. The taste of fruit should attract him to the bottom of syringe, and he'll probably try to lick it. That's when you slowly push out the pellet mix and let him eat it off at his own speed.
> 
> If he won't cooperate, you may have to hold him, push the syringe in behind his front teeth and force-feed him. But that's tricky business and you'll have to go very slow and give him time to swallow so he doesn't choke.
> 
> Since he's already lost weight it sounds like he's had problems eating for a while. At this stage I think I would definitely attempt to syringe feed asap. Starvation is very dangerous for bunnies and just eating mint and parsley won't give him the fibre and nutrients he needs to stay healthy.



I'm going to give her apples with mashed pellets and water..

he's still trying very hard to chew :s whenever i show my bun his fav treat he'll run towards me and grab it away from me then he'll try to eat but he can't. it always fall out of his mouth or he'll take a wayy long time chewing only one bite.


----------



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

OMG i just noticed her rubbing her paws on her cheeks while trying to chew! why? is it hurting ???


----------



## whiskylollipop (Jul 16, 2014)

I'm afraid so! Tooth problems are very painful for bunnies, which is why they can't bear to chew food for long. Poor bunny! I hope the syringe feeding goes well, at least you can fill up his tummy without him needing to chew.


----------



## JBun (Jul 16, 2014)

I mentioned this in your other thread as well. 
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=81289

Your rabbit needs daily pain medication(meloxicam is a common one given to rabbits) from your vet and needs to be syringe fed. He isn't getting enough food and is slowly starving. Soak and mash his pellets, then see if he is able to eat the soft pellet mash on his own. If not you will need to slowly syringe this into his mouth with a wide tip syringe so it doesn't get clogged(or spoon feeding may work if he will eat it up on his own), giving him time to chew and swallow so he doesn't aspirate, but even then after going so long with this problem, he may still have problems chewing and swallowing his food, in which case he may need his teeth checked and a dental done i*mmediately*. If he is able to swallow the softened pellet mash, it would be better for him to be syringe fed for several days to get his strength up, before having a general anesthesia done, but this is something you should discuss with your vet. If he is able to swallow the soft food, then you will need to make sure you are feeding enough to him each day. If your vet hasn't specified how often to feed and how much, he needs to be fed every 4 hours, and feed about 6cc/ml of the mushy food per kg of body weight, or you can try 3cc/kg every 2 hours. This is just an approximate feeding amount. You need to syringe the food into his mouth slowly and in small amounts, making sure he is swallowing that mouthful of food each time, and if he refuses to swallow DO NOT continue to try to force the food in, and contact your vet explaining that your rabbit can't swallow the food. You also need to make sure your rabbit is getting enough water as well.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg[/ame]

The important thing is getting those teeth checked and a dental done if needed, as soon as possible.


----------



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

I recorded this video while i was feeding my rabbit a carrot. he been having difficulty chewing from a week now and today he been drooping food from his mouth even in the video you can see my rabbit drooped a small piece of carrot on floor.. Please tell me does my rabbit have teeth problems? My rabbit is refusing to eat hard stuff.. He's getting skinny! i'm so worried about him! [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI2j5NwhAX8"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI2j5NwhAX8[/ame]


----------



## JBun (Jul 16, 2014)

That does look like it could be a dental problem. Get his teeth checked, and make sure he continues to eat enough of his soaked pellet mush.


----------



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

whiskylollipop said:


> I'm afraid so! Tooth problems are very painful for bunnies, which is why they can't bear to chew food for long. Poor bunny! I hope the syringe feeding goes well, at least you can fill up his tummy without him needing to chew.



My rabbit is doing like this (shown in the picture) while chewing is it because he's in pain?? or is it because he can't swallow?? http://www.petsmagazine.com.sg/app/webroot/img/stories/experts-answers/bunny_cleaning_face.jpg


----------



## JBun (Jul 16, 2014)

If your rabbit does end up having dental problems, then yes, this happens because they are in pain. They develop sharp points on their teeth that can cut into their mouth and tongue, causing sores and pain. 

Read the information I have posted in your other thread. It explains about dental problems in rabbits.


----------



## ThisIsARandomName (Jul 16, 2014)

JBun said:


> If your rabbit does end up having dental problems, then yes, this happens because they are in pain. They develop sharp points on their teeth that can cut into their mouth and tongue, causing sores and pain.
> 
> Read the information I have posted in your other thread. It explains about dental problems in rabbits.



Thank you for your info! it helped alot!  I'm syringe feeding my rabbit and tomorrow he's going to get his teeths trimmed lets hope he start eating again and his pain go away <3


----------



## Azerane (Jul 18, 2014)

How did things go at the vet?


----------



## TopDoll (Jul 20, 2014)

I'm curious to hear if he's better too... ?


----------

