Why these three measures matter so much in a sick rabbit
A rabbit's gut must keep moving, and weight, appetite, and droppings are the three windows you have into whether it is. Weight tells the longer story — steady loss across days points one way, stability reassures — while appetite and droppings tell the urgent story of the last few hours. A rabbit who stops eating and passes little or nothing is an emergency in a way owners of dogs sometimes underestimate, because gut slowdown escalates quickly in this species. Your log turns worry into evidence. When you phone the practice, being able to say when your rabbit last ate with enthusiasm, how droppings have changed since yesterday, and whether weight has dropped since last week lets the vet triage accurately and tell you whether to come in now or monitor tonight with a clear threshold for calling back.
Weight: same scales, same time, written down straight away
Weigh once a day during illness, at the same time, using the same method: rabbit in a familiar box or carrier on kitchen or pet scales, the container's weight subtracted the same way each time. Record the figure immediately with a note on anything that could distort it, such as a wet dewlap or a full bladder before a hop to the litter tray. Do not weigh repeatedly through the day chasing reassurance; single daily figures at a consistent moment produce the trend line the vet actually wants. Place each figure beneath the previous days' so direction is visible, and note whether your rabbit feels bonier along the spine and hips than last week — your hands detect change one number can miss.
Appetite and droppings: concrete words, compared with normal
Vague entries waste the log. Instead of ate a bit, write what was offered and what happened: refused spring greens, ate half the pellets over an hour, hay untouched since morning, or demolished the herb handful then stopped. Note favourite-food response separately, because a rabbit refusing even the most loved treat is telling you something stronger than one skipping a routine pellet portion. For droppings, record quantity since the last entry, size compared with this rabbit's normal round pellets, and consistency — smaller, drier, strung together with fur, soft, or absent. Add water intake by marking the bottle level or noting bowl refills, plus a line on demeanour and posture: bright and moving, quiet in the corner, hunched with teeth grinding, or stretched out relaxed. Photograph droppings beside a coin-free familiar object only if your vet asks for images; otherwise your consistent written comparison against normal is enough.
Using the log at the surgery and knowing when not to wait
Bring the log to every appointment and read the trend aloud rather than handing over pages silently. State when eating slowed, when droppings changed, what the vet previously advised, and what you have given or changed at home since, in the log's order. Between appointments, the log also defines your own action points. Contact the vet the same day — urgently if the practice advises — when your rabbit has eaten nothing for many hours, when droppings have stopped, when breathing looks laboured, when the belly seems bloated and the rabbit is restless or grinding teeth, or when a rabbit already being treated goes backwards on any of your three measures. Never let logging delay that call; the record supports the consultation, it does not replace it. As recovery comes, keep logging a few days beyond the return of normal appetite so the file shows the full arc. KinsLe keeps that illness record where it belongs with Pet Passport, holding the weight series, appetite notes, and vet visit summaries together in your rabbit's own packet for the next time they are needed.