Worried about Dougal - Update- he is being so quiet..

Hi guys,

So it has been a very busy shatteting week with everything going on with Hudad but now to top off the worry and tiredness etc I think something is wrong with Dougal.

SO the past few days he has been leaving his pellets then goijng to them later, which for him is so out of character. Yesterday I put his pellets into his bunny tree and he flew in for them as usual and he has a treat in the morning too so I went to grab that form the tub on the landing and turned around and he was there to take it off me. I had not realised as went back to bed for an hour that his pellets where still the 10:30am I noticed, got up did a few things then saw them. At first I thought he had not seen them but he can smell anyhting form a mile away so thought it was odd, showed him them and he ate them. Today I put them in a carboard bwol thing he has and he whizzed them all over the floor as he grabbed the bowl and flung it. He then would not eat them off the floor as I thought he would so I collected them up and put them into the palm of my hand and held it out to him. He took half of them off my hand, ate them and left the rest so I put them into his bunny tree, he finally has eaten them but it is os out of character for him and he has been a tad quieter past 2 days. Still playful but not as much and I treated him with flea and mite xeno as he has been scraching like mad but cannot see fleas or mites and not bald patches anywhere. I suspect his ears are bothering him though, but noticed he keeps tugging his chest fur a lot and he is scratching his right hand side a lot and biting all round his fur. I flet something dry and hard on his skin to the right, managed to get a small glimpse , this was at about 1:30am and saw that it looked bumby, like raised skin a little bit going in a line, well looked like that and dry but he does not stay still enough a lot if the time for me to look. He never lets me near his chest at all so cannot check that. I cannot feel the bumpyness on his side now, but he is not being a good paceint at all today so going to check him again later. He is scratching a lot though.

He is eating his pellets but not tight away, he eats trearts right away and his hebrs and veg he goes back to on and off as he always does, he is earting haym, drinking, going toilet and poops look okay so I am at a loss. any ideas what this could be? we have been leaving him a lot lately to go hospital for quite a long time but he still seemed happy and major sweet a few nhgts ago, when ste was in over night waiting to get hs TOE done I had gotten myslef upset, Worrying, the depression hit, i started crying and he came straight to me, jumped on his box next to me, gave me 3 nose kisses and he was very clingy, watching me even more, staying with me more and just being so cute, like he knew. It was so adorable and made me smile and cheered me up, he is such an amzing little bun and it worries me when he is acting out of the norm.

Oh 1 more thing, he decided to go for the wallpaper so i said No and he flipped onto his butt and kinda against the wall on his back, I do not know it he was going to me, what I am just gonna lie down and throw myslef here against the wall or wether to worry in case that was a sign.

I am going to ring the vets tomorrow but the only perosn who can take us is my dad and he iw woring 3 days out of the week  so far and may get called in for more. Stes mums car is way too small for the visit and only 2 door and would be a bumpy ride. PLus my dad knows where it is so i am going to ring him later on. I hate asking my dad as he does everything for us. I know he will do it as he loves Dougal and us but just hope he can, he may get called in.


What do you guys think? oh and in his castle there was lots of fur like it had been pulled out or maybe it was there form shedding and I missed it. I liefted it up a sec to colect it and Dougal hates things being moved, even slightly , so he was not happy    . I have not checked over the post or spell checked as keeping an eye on him so I apolgise for any mistakes.

I think almost without doubt that it's his teeth. This is exactly how daisy is when he has a molar spur.

Quite often the vets can't see these while bun is awake so make sure you see a very bunny savvy vet.

I'd agree with Katie. I'd get his teeth looked at by a bunny savvy vet.

I'm sending vibes for Dougal and hugs for you

Yep, if in doubt always assume teeth.

The other thing to consider is whether the food is new and maybe something is sightly different or the food is old and sightly stale. As for the itching it could just be moult - we are in moult currently here and it produces all sorts of odd behaviours due to general discomfort.

Thanks guys, I am rinigng tomorrow, my dad said if I can get him in tomorrow, wed or thu he can take me. Good dad he is. Be lost without him.

I am going to also get him a full check up, book in for a full bunnt MOT just to be safe and claw clipping. I thought teeth but he seems to be eating fine when he does eat them, he fine wth anything else too. How long does food last? it is in a big plactic food storage container, not airgith though and it was a 10kg bag, do not have the bag for the date. Dunno how long they generally last. Is it bes tot get him a fresh smaller bag and see if there is a dofference or just wait to see what the vet says? also i am thinking his megazorb bothers him, he seems to scratch when he has been in his cage, he doe snot go in it a lot as no need really for him but he does goin now and again and if I ever need to shut him in it for any reason, i was thinkng of changing to fitch, his cage is massive too. I use back 2 nature in his litter trays, that is brill stuff.

What food does he eat?

I feed my guys Science Selective Adult Rabbit and I could swear the new bag I bought the other day had shorter, darker, different smelling pellets. Whilst neither of them seem to have gone off it so to speak, Mojo is not as keen as he used to be. Willow is just a pig and will eat any food you put in front of her, so it's hard to tell what her opinion is

Make sure you book him in with Claire Batty. If your Dad can't get him there Humum would come and pick you and Dougal up and get you there for an appointment between 6 - 6.30pm (or later if Claire is working later). Just drop her a text and let her know if you need her to.

Theo was a bit off when he had his mite treatment, he is never off his food but he was definitely quieter.

If you have him on SS we can bring some down from a fresh bag if you suspect it might be a bit stale, 10kg is a lot for a little bun like Dougal to get through. How far down the bag are you?

We've noticed the buns are starting to moult and get a few signs of spring fever, so he might just be feeling a bit off and hormonal...

Oh bless him, I hope the visit to the vet goes well love. I have Binky going in for a tooth op this Tuesday.

Hugs

JO xx

Sparky wrote:Make sure you book him in with Claire Batty. If your Dad can't get him there Humum would come and pick you and Dougal up and get you there for an appointment between 6 - 6.30pm (or later if Claire is working later). Just drop her a text and let her know if you need her to.

Thanks Amanda, I will phone and see. I do not know if Ihave seen her beofre or not, probably havn't. I will let you know when she is on and if we need you, you are so kind, thanks.

Theo was a bit off when he had his mite treatment, he is never off his food but he was definitely quieter.
It could be that but he has been a bit like that before I put it on.

If you have him on SS we can bring some down from a fresh bag if you suspect it might be a bit stale, 10kg is a lot for a little bun like Dougal to get through. How far down the bag are you?

We use excel adult food and he loves it and thrives off it. It is just now, only half way down, I am going to pop to harvest tomorrow and grab a fresh smaller bag and have done with the others. He has had them 6 months so probably is a bit much for him to get through. He has been on this since he was around 5.5 months old and he was on the junior verison beofre hand. He normally goes mental for them and they are gone in a flash.

We've noticed the buns are starting to moult and get a few signs of spring fever, so he might just be feeling a bit off and hormonal...

he went through a bad malt over winter and it seems his loose and res of malt is form underneath, he was pulling his dead fur out of his chest then. So it could be it too, there was a lot of fur in his castle.

Will phone them when they open and ask for her then and let you know Amanda. Thanks.


I hope Binky is okay Jo and it all goes well hun     

Oh ye and I tested him with 4 pellets, he took 3, snffed the 3rd and walked away so it must be something offf about it.

Update.

So Dougal has not been his happy hoppy bouncy mad self today at all. He has not wanted to play chasey or hide and seek and he just keeps lying there with his head on his bedroom floor. I keep bobbing in to spend time with him and see f he is okay but he keeps getting up and nibbling himself every time I stroke his head or his back and then lies back down and repeats, so I am letting him be. He couldn;t get comfortable, he got up n down a few times and chewd at himseld then sat down, then got up and did it again then lead down, then thw himself on his side then got up.

I am really worried sick now as he is always a fun bun, he loves playing, he plays most the day and barely sleeps    . He always has to have a chase in monring and hide n seek and chew of his cottage but none of that at all today. Yesterday was the same but at least he played once and ran and jumped about and binkied around. Today it is nothing. He looks so sad and I feel hlepless. I so not know what to do for him other than get him into the vets asap.

The vets open at 8am, so going to phone right away.

I am worried about ste too, I have already been getting depressed over it, he does not know I have but feel helpless for him too. I have a lot orf worry and serious things going on with ste and we do not know yet wehter he needs anohter up and now Dougal like this, it is heart breaking. I feel ill myslef all the time too and feel the depression gripping at me, right now I am tearing up as just feel ****.

Oh sweetie, I am so very sad to read this, I think you need a cuddle Do let us know how you get on at the vets. I am sendng lots of loving and de-stressing vibes.

Thank you Bugsbunny love, Binky is fine.

Hugs

JO xx