STILL dealing w/ poopy butt

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 4sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 11 months ago by Dee.

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- 04/15/2011 at 5:24 PM
  Dee
  Participant
  704 posts
  Hi Everyone,
  
  I have posted on and off about my 3yr old dwarf male BunBun’s frequent poopy butt. Every time I think I have the problem solved, he gets it again. So far I have cut out all greens except for parsley and cilantro, stopped all treats and give small amounts of apple and banana each night. But still BunBun has had poopy butt in the morning. So it must be something we’re feeding him at night. I have a feeling it may be the banana , They will be heartbroken cuz that’s their FAVORITE food, but I have to fix this. Bun must feel miserable with poop all over him, and he hates getting butt baths. I also noticed that he postures in the litterbox when he has poopy butt. I always thought it was from bladder sludge, but now I think it’s just irritation.
  
  So I’m going to give only a few little pieces of banana tonight. If he’s fine tomorrow then I’ll know it’s the banana. If not, I’m gonna cut out the apple. If that doesn’t do it, the cilantro will go. I know parsley is fine with him- on nights he’s just had parsley he’s been fine. I feel awful depriving them of their banana, but I know it must be done. I’m hoping that if it’s just the fruit, I can start giving Bun some other greens again- he loved them so much .
  
  I have wondered if BunBun had coccidia- if this diet change doesn’t solve the issue, I will have a stool sample tested. I tend to think it’s not coccidia because the problem varies- some days he’s fine. There are a few questions I have though.
  
  Wouldn’t he have poopy butt all the time if it was coccidia?
  
  He was on Baytril for 10 days once- during that time he didn’t have poopy butt. When I switched him to SMZ (which is a sulfa drug) he got poopy butt again. Could Baytril somehow have changed the bacterial balance in his gut and helped it?
  
  If it was coccidia, would Nelli have it too?
  
  I really appreciate any insight or advice on this- it seems like such a simple thing to figure out, I’m frustrated that I can’t seem to do it. Mostly it’s my unwillingness to stop all greens/fruit because I hate to disapoint the bunnies. Thanks, everyone!
- 04/15/2011 at 5:42 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  fruits can often be the culprit. I would cut out the apple and banana every night. It may take more than one night to get it out of his system, so don’t rely on the results of just one day without it.
- 04/15/2011 at 11:14 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  Coccidia is pretty consistent and it is contagious. Regardless though, it is a good idea to get a fecal test, if this doesn’t improve soon, to make sure you aren’t dealing with an illness or some form of parasite.
  
  I had a bunny. Bailey, that had chronic poopy butt. We did a fecal test and it came up back showing that her poo had too much yeast — which is typical of a diet that is too rich, however, in Bailey’s case by the time I got a fecal test, I had taken out ALL treats, taken out rich pellets, and was very strict about her diet. for along while. Some bunnies do have a digestive tract that is extremely sensitive and overridden with bacteria even with attempts at the best diet. I don’t know if it was related to the fact she had been a severely neglected bunny when she younger,(She was actually taken away from an owner by animal care and control), or if was because she had a deformed spine that did caused pressure on her digestive system, or if it was that she had e.cuniculi., or it if it was due to stress from all of those things or things that I was not aware of at the time) But regardless, something there was a continious imbalance in her system that made it very challenging.
  
  I would also know when she had poopybutt when she would do that same sort of stance — stressed about the upcoming poopybutt bath. However, i had to do it for years and I got really quick about it, and she learned to just sit still, so it became much easier.
  
  i did find ways to minimize it though and I have a site page dedicated to it. https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/BaileysDiet/tabid/187/Default.aspx
  
  Hopefully, Bailey”s page will be able to help you out. Note: What worked for Bailey may not work for your bunny, but the goal of Bailey’s page is to help you figure out what is going on with your bunny. I had to cut things out and introduce things one by one. The system, not the results, is what’s important.
  
  OH…and it can take a few weeks to see a positive change once you make a diet change. The worst of it you can tell within a week, but to see consistent improvement, it can take up to a month AFTER you have made the change to the diet. That is what my vet told me. I know that makes it challenging though to figure out what is really going on.
- 04/16/2011 at 2:05 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Have to agree on the apple and banana I’m afraid. You might feel rotten taking it out the diet but they’ll likely come to relish an alternative. I sometimes give dry or fresh willow. Seems boring but they like it. Rose petals too. Or what about 1/2 teaspoon of canned pumpkin?
- 04/19/2011 at 7:17 AM
  Dee
  Participant
  704 posts
  Thank you so much for the great advice, MonkyBun, BB and Jerseygirl! I kinda needed to hear again that the fruit is a common culprit for PB- they love it so much I have a hard time not giving it, but this confirms that I really need to stick to the limits. And I will try the willow, pumpkin and rose petals- one at a time, of course! Mint could be good too- I have it growing right outside my kitchen door, so it’s in endless supply.
  
  BB, that page is awesome- very helpful! I had no idea that it could take so long for something to clear out of the bun’s system. I always get discouraged way too soon, obviously. The one green a week is a great system- and it’s interesting to see that you saw an improvement from giving smaller amounts of some foods. I thought it was just my imagination, but I noticed that a second serving of greens in the morning often gives BunBun PB.
  
  Well, I cut way back on the fruit and that eliminated the middle of the night PB. I was only giving parsley and cilantro for greens. He would be fine for hours after his dinner, but by morning he was poopy yet again.
  So last night I stopped the cilantro and only gave him parsley. This morning, he didn;t stink at all !!! So I gave him another serving of plain parsley and went to get coffee. When I came back, I smelled that lovely familiar odor and realized that the PB was back… again >.< .
  It seems like it might be that serving of parsley in the morning that sets him off. Unless he is reacting to the few bits of fruit he gets at night- it would be about 8 hours after he gets the fruit that the PB kicks in again. But I remember another time that he was OK and then got PB after I gave him greens for breakfast. So now I’m gonna try just small amounts of parsley at a time for the next week and see how he does. Hopefully it will work. After that, I will start introducing a different green each week to see how he reacts.
  I will keep you all posted !
  So last night I only gave him parsley
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