Laura shares a simple home check for overweight rabbits

May 14, 2024

Just like in humans, an unhealthy weight and body composition in rabbits can lead to range of health problems. Our vet Laura Sulsh, shares a simple test you can do at home to check whether your rabbit could be carrying more body fat than is healthy. Laura also explains below, why Portland Vets’ nursing team are the perfect people to help you confirm and combat this.

Book a rabbit weight review with a nurse

Why excess body fat is a problem for rabbits

Vet Laura Sulsh, explains why it’s important to make sure your rabbit isn’t carrying too much body fat as this can cause health problems, such as:

Behavioural changes
Dental issues
Digestive disorders
Heart & respiratory issues
Heat stress in hot weather
Increased risk of flystrike (from not being able to reach their bottom to clean it)
Lethargy
Mobility issues, joint strain and arthritis
Reduced quality of life and a decreased lifespan
Reproductive complications
Skin conditions
Splayed legs
Urinary problems

Try this simple test on your rabbit

Laura suggests trying this at home if your rabbit is happy for you to do it:

Spine: Run your fingers lightly along the spine; if it feels softly rounded, that’s ideal. If the bones are too prominent or sharp, your rabbit could be under-weight. If the spine is difficult to feel, there is probably too much body fat.
Ribs: Feel along your rabbit’s sides with both hands; being able to feel their ribs under a slight layer of fat is ideal. If the ribs are difficult to feel, your rabbit may be overweight.
From Above: A pear-shaped body with a slimmer waist and shoulders is ideal. A rectangular or boxy shape suggests excess fat.
From The Side: A gentle upward curve towards the chest and shoulders is ideal. A straight line from the belly to the chest indicates excess fat.

If you think your rabbit could be carrying too much body fat, book a weight review with Portland Vets’ nursing team soon.

How Portland Vets’ nurses can help

Laura recommends talking to our veterinary nursing team in East Grinstead as they are highly experienced in caring for rabbits and helping owners manage their pet’s weight. Our nurses will first confirm if your rabbit is overweight and what their ideal weight and body composition should be. Then, from tailored diet and exercise plans to regular weigh-ins and support, you can count on our veterinary nurses to help you help your rabbit reach new goals.

By addressing these issues sooner rather than later, you can help prevent and manage obesity in your rabbit, and promote better health and longevity.

Book a rabbit weight review today

Carmine Di T.

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Excellent vets.

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Just want to say thank you to the whole team - always so friendly and patient with the humans as well as the pets 😉

Nicky

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I had to use the out of hours service for the first time. I was greeted by a new lady kalli who quickly re assured us that Bambi would be ok and checked her all over and gave us the medication and info about her injury and put us all at peace and mind without a worry. She did amazing keeping us calm while treating another dog at the same time. Was just impressed how quick and easy from start to finish at such a late and distressing time for us. She’s was brilliant. Hope you continues to stay with Portland vets as long as she can.

Sherrie O.

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Just want to say thank you to Ellie she is absolutely incredible, she has gone above and beyond to help me with my hamsters, Thank you so much for the excellent service, the staff in the front are friendly and professional as well, Such a lovely friendly team and environment. Thank you all.

June C.

1722957579

My dog Harry is unwell and the care and treatment he is receiving from all the staff at Portland Vets is fantastic. At a worrying time they really show they truly care. Thank you.

Miss T.

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Great service, always professional and very short waiting time.Professional after-care for our cats.

Daisy F.

1718430783

We visited the vets late last night, with our skinny pig the vet and the lady’s in the vets were absolutely incredible. Very professional, friendly, caring and loving towards myself and milo. I can not recommend these vets enough! In my eyes the cost is nothing when your pet is poorly and you receive such lovely care, Thankyou so much.

Sue B.

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Emergency appointment with my sons cat who was not yet registered. Excellent service . Got an appointment for 30mins after he phoned

Irene N.

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Thank you for being so great and updating on our kitten and being with him till the last minute ❤️🌈

Lynne S.

1711701593

Great staff.They most certainly care for our pets.Thank you to you all

Matt B.

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Big thanks to Ellie for her professional, caring and support during our sad time today.

Odette S.

1710515656

Very caring, sensible and knowledgeable advice given.

Tina T.

1710250923

My 2 kitties were neutered and microchipped today, handed them over was so relaxed and the same picking them up, the staff are always friendly and polite. One of the best vets I have ever been too. Lucy kept me updated all the time, it was nice. Thank you my kitties are very happy just not forgiven me yet.

David R.

1709497446

Both our dogs are registered there very friendly and very good service

Julia A.

1707226061

Friendly and helpful reception staff and vet Tori was so kind and considerate to my pet. Excellent service as always. Thank you.

Adam B.

1707118465

New pup owner and new to the area, made so welcome and excellent care

Jonathan P.

1706637472

Portland's are a lovely vet! The animal comes first, which we as a family love.

JFD

1705594616

Excellent vets, excellent admin staff, great premises. What more could you wish for your pets?

Sue H.

1704787093

All the staff at Portland Road vets, East Grinstead are wonderful, nothing seems too much. Kind, helpful, caring, everything an animal owner would want personally & for their much loved & adored pet. Thankyou.

Beth S.

1701597939

Ellie is absolutely incredible, such a brilliant, compassionate and understanding vet. I cannot thank her enough. Valerie has been so helpful too. We've had a lovely experience here recently, thank you all x

Tony F.

1701195261

The team in East Grinstead handled the death of our Yorkshire Terrier, Tatti, with great sensitivity and understanding, in what was a difficult time for us. Thank you so much. Tony & Lloika.

Daniel P.

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Thankyou so much to the Team, and especially Lucy, was very anxious about bringing my cat in today, but I knew as soon as I had a chat with the nurse she put them nerves to rest. I would definitely recommend to anyone to bring their pet here!!! Thanks guys x

Cath S.

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We've always had such a great service from all the staff at Portland vets. With 3 dogs and a cat we visit regulary through the year for vaccinations, check ups and occasional illnesses/injuries.We recently had to say a sad farewell to our 18 year old cat Tigerlily and this upsetting event was made more bareable with the care and empathy given by not only the vet Lucy but the receptionist Jilly too.Over the past 9 years we've always had a great service with kind, welcoming staff who go the extra mile to make the patients vet visits as relaxing, calm and stressfree as possible.With a dog that is wary of strangers the staff have gone above and beyond to help Amber settle and are very understanding of her behaviour.We can't thank them enough for their excellent service.

mark Z.

1699974267

My Bloodhound stole and ate 2 large mince pies. I contacted Portland at East Grinstead, a totally professional member of staff answered the phone and recognized the serious nature of the situation. She made an immediate appointment and asked me to come in now. The short version is these vets know what they are doing, the staff we saw were outstanding. The Vet was one of the best I have come across, super knowledgeable and genuinely cared. I have no reservation about recommending this vets to anyone, without compromise they saved my dog from being seriously ill. Watson and I thank you all

Nicola H.

1698951329

Always really helpful and caring. Cooper is a hound with a bit of beagle in there somewhere, hence he loves to sing, very vocal. Laura is a great vet, very thorough and explains everything and both my dogs love her. Wouldn't go to anyone else. A true professional. Thank you for always being there for my boys.

Lindsey B.

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Could not be kinder, what an amazing team thankyou for everything

Chantelle A.

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I can not say thank you enough to the entire team at Portland vets for how well they looked after my little frenchie. It was such a worrying few days but knowing how well he was being looked after with the constant updates from nurses, really did help put our minds at ease. I wish you weren't so far away otherwise i'd have switched all my of my dogs over to you.

Paul C.

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Sensitive and caring. ❤️

pauline B.

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Lovely warm atmosphere staff very efficient and pleasant

Alice S.

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So lucky to have such a great Vets in East Grinstead!

Patricia W.

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Very good food and service 👍

Rebecca M.

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I can’t express how wonderful Portland vets have been. My little pug Daisy has been very unwell, everyone involved in her care has been fantastic. From the Vet Laura, who has been super attentive, updating us on Daisy’s condition and being so compassionate and professional. To the reception staff who have been so polite and helpful. I cannot thank you enough.

Sandra G.

1690805717

Very lovely staff and the vets are great to go to looks after your sick animal

H B.

1689170288

I have been going here for several years now, really friendly team, quick to respond on email and phone, great vets and very knowledgeable. Also one great vet here too for exotic pets. There is enough parking, easy app for mobile as well to contact the team and in a good location.

denise G.

1688800930

Could ask for better treatment from the reception staff to the vets very proffesional and more than helpful. Everything explained as well

Vince T.

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Excellent care, always. Nothing is to much trouble, all staff kind, caring and understanding, with the best receptionists. Always able to book an appointment, even at short notice, and they have always treated my dog as if it was 1 of their own, so lucky I found them.

Daniela G.

1688483311

Always super nice! My cat absolutely loves going to the vet. I had an emergency some months back, and they were ready to help and did help after my cat fell off a flight of stairs. I would definitely recomend

Pat N.

1687940061

Brilliant service very caring staff, appointment went well

Dave M.

1686323799

Couldn't be happier with the service and care. They look after my Akita and my cats, nothing is too much trouble.

Tina B.

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Sadly, we had to say goodbye to one of our dogs recently. From my tearful telephone call to book the appointment, right through to her passing with the vet's help, we were dealt with in the most caring, compassionate and sensitive way. The staff at this practice are the best and I wouldn't take my pets anywhere else.

Kathryn

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Really friendly vets! Best we’ve been to! The staff are very friendly, their customer service is great, and they also have a useful app where you can send photos if you think your pet might have an issue, and it saves having to make an unnecessary appointment if they don’t! :)

Gary H.

1682495147

Lovely staff who take the time to explain things fully. They look after our pets beautifully.

S B

1681673343

Lovely place. The vets, the staff and the whole set up. Unlike many places they respond promptly and helpfully to emails too!

PAPER

1681320757

Kindest staff ❤️

Jan H.

1680028948

Really great service, compassion from all the team here. Thank you All

David P.

1677911115

Great team

John W

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We had the very sad journey today and I have to say everyone was amazing. Our vet gave us an honest view and after some time we decided to let our treasured dog to sleep. The time given while the decission was made and throughout the process was amazing, nothing was rushed, nothing was any trouble, everything was explained and while this was our first time with this vets I would recommend them to anyone. Amazing care for our feelings and the attention paid to make this process as best it could of been was just amazing. While I am heart broken as are my children I have to say everything was handled with the upmost of care and respect and I shall be eternally greatful for the way everything was dealt with. RIP our amazing Harry. Thank you all for your help and support last night.

JPAP

1677325579

I had to take my cat (Molly) to a vet quite urgently and wasn't registered to one.Portland Vets were fantastic. From making my initial call through to when we arrived, seeing the vet and leaving.Everyone was so lovely. A special thanks to Katy, the vet. Katy was so thorough with Molly and with us too. We fully understood everything thanks to Katys explanation.Thank you so much to all at 'Portland Vets' ❤️

Steph R.

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Really happy with Portland Vets. They are friendly and approachable and the service is much better than other vets I have used.

Paul W.

1671748565

Fantastic with our dogs.

Debra B.

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Caring, attentive vets, veterinary nurses and very helpful receptionists.

Gill C.

1667513244

Very friendly and knowledgeable vets. Our pet tortoise goes there to hibernate and they keep us fully informed at all times.

Larissa G.

1666450307

Clínica veterinária excelente!!

Jamie T.

1660717925

So much time and care given. Never rushed. They go above and beyond. This place is brilliant

angela T.

1659092686

I had to take ou dog to this practice for an out of hours emergency appointment, we are registered with their Horley branch. They were amazing with him, he had to be admitted over night and needed emergency surgery the next morning. Fantastic service from the moment you step in the door, communication was brilliant, talked through every step of the way, it was a horrible weekend of worrying made a whole lot better knowing he was in the best possible hands.I'm pleased to say he is doing well but even if he hadn't come through I know he wouldn't have had a better chance than with this team. I have owned dogs for over 30yrs and had them as a child so im speaking from experience with different vets over many years, these vets really do care about your animals, I actually chose these vets when an awful large chain took over my previous vets because I had used the lovely Laura before at one of her previous positions and although she doesn't work at Horley I knew if she worked for the company then they had to be a good team as I know she is a vet that cares for the animals, I've so far not been proved wrong as every vet we have seen has been great. We were lucky enough to have Laura look after our dog and perform his operation, as I said before it was so lovely to know he couldn't have been in better hands. I just wish you were 24/7, although he still received great care from the out of hours vets, they are all based such a long way away from us, I wouldn't want to be taking a sick animal that far, thankfully moving him from you was only half the time it would have taken from home. I understand the reasoning behind it all, it is just a shame it's all going over to the large chains again, I think private hospital care would have been cheaper and they knew we didn't have insurance cover as we had already reached our limit.**I need to point out my concern over prices is with Vets Now and not with Portland Vets, for all the surgery and treatment he received from Portland I believe their pricing was very fair, it was the price for the care at Vets Now that really hit hard, I know it is out of hours but so was Thursday and Friday night at Portland!

Alison F.

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I took my cat Patch in today, this was his final journey, I would just like to thank Alex and the staff for showing Patch and myself care and compassion. I really appreciated. Thank you

Laura H.

1657274809

My goldie recently came for an op and I was so impressed and grateful for the amazing care he (and I) recieved.Thank you 😊

Sue B.

1657214623

All good, arrived 5 mins early, seen straight away. Routine appt so no stress involved for pooch. Saw one of her favourite nurses.

Chantal C.

1654253581

Always receiving great service when my cat needs it. Staff is very professional and friendly. I have a fearful cat but she feels comfortable to be handled by the vets.

Paul A.

1648831115

Always friendly and giving you the confidence to leave your pet in their hands

PFH S.

1646258723

Thank you to the whole team for all the care today to Annie during her surgery.5 Star service from being greeted at reception, meeting the vet for pre-op assessment, to updates from the nurses and handover tonight on collection.Annie has had better care than a human would get in a top private hospital.

Patrick R.

1644909974

Super friendly staff!

Adrian F.

1644663799

My cats go here and there so good with the cats the staff are brilliant friendly

Megan D.

1636889173

Wouldn't trust anyone else with my puppy!!

Chrissie

1636885734

They have really looked after our cat well. We usually see Lucy (vet) and really feel like she cares.