Dougal is only eating greens :( Help!

[DougalBun]

My 1 year old lionhead is usually the biggest fan of ALL food! But two weeks ago he suddenly stopped eating anything other than spinach. He won’t touch his hay or pellets or even carrot and banana.

We went straight to the vet and they gave him critical care, metaclopramide, panatol for worming, and an injection to speed up his digestion. Still nothing

We’ve been back a few times and all they have given him is repeat of the above medicines.

Im giving him critical care in order for him to get some calories on board but his behaviour hasn’t changed, he’s still fairly lively and binkying etc and he’s pooping regularly although a little on the small side.

Two days ago we went and had his small spurs filed down, he’s recovered from the anaesthetic but is still only eating greens?!

I’m concerned because he’s losing weight and he hates being force fed the critical care

I’ve tried changing his hay and pellets and treats – nothing works

I don’t know what to do

[Liv]

Hi there!

I’m sorry that you’ve had this scare! Not knowing what’s wrong with your bun can be so overwhelming. Anyway, since he seems to be a fan of spinach, I would suggest that you stop giving it to him freely and instead mix it in with his hay/pellets. You can chop it up and toss it together with a pile of hay, or mix it in with a bowl of pellets. Alternatively, you could hide one leaf under the pile so he smells it but can get to it. Finally, since spinach is such a pungent veggie, you could try and get some juice of it (via a juicer or food processor) and spray that onto his hay/pellets.

I hope that Dougal starts to feel better! 

~Liv 

[Bam]

Hi and welcome!
2 days after a molar filing the gums can still be sore, and that may be the reason why he’s still not eating hard food. I ask for a painkiller when my bunny has his molars ground.
Too much spinach is not good for a bunny, it’s a veg that should be given in moderation (it contains oxalate). Have you tried romaine or kale? Those are greens that can be fed daily.
Hopefully your bun will start eating again within a week, molar spurs are a very common reason for bunnies to reject certain food-types.

[Author]

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