Calcium in Urine

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This topic has 8sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by skibunny8503.

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- 04/15/2011 at 7:42 PM
  skibunny8503
  Participant
  1338 posts
  I’ve first noticed it a few days ago when Gracie peed on the laminent floor that there’s some calcium in her urine. Today I noticed a dried pee spot in their cage that had some calcium spots that were dried up. I’m trying to cut back on their pellets a little and they’ve been eating orchard hay. I’m making an appt. for the vets to get her bum shaved on Monday anyways but I thought I’d get some suggestions since the vet isn’t open on the weekends as to what I can do to help her.
- 04/16/2011 at 1:50 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  I often see this but I’ve never really thought it was a bad thing. I thought they were supposed to pee out excess calcium.
- 04/17/2011 at 12:47 AM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  Has she had any change in her diet recently? Like Jersey said it is normal for bunnies to excrete out some extra calcium, but I think it’s something you have to watch if it becomes consistent and/or thickens.
  
  Having a bunny, like Jack, who does have problems with how his body processes calcium, has made me more aware of how much is too much. He was always one ot have some calcium excretion,—not much but then as he aged, it became a serious problem for him, and he developed a bladder stone, and now if he doesn’t drink enough water, his urine gets thicker (when it dries, it actually turns to powder) and he can also get thick sludge if I don’t manage it properly with fluids I would rather see sludge than have it build up to a stone, but sludge can scar and irritate the bladder so that’s not good either. (So I just am careful to make sure that if he doesn’t drink enough water, then I give him sub-q fluids).
  
  It would be nice though to have a solid answer with photos of what would be considered “normal healthy calcium excretion” in comparison to something that would be considered a health issue, so people can feel more confident about whether it’s a real problem or not for their bunny. (hmmmm…..something to work on. Great to research and talk to my vet about )
- 04/17/2011 at 7:02 PM
  skibunny8503
  Participant
  1338 posts
  I haven’t seen anymore as of today but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t done it in the litter box and I didn’t see it. We cleaned them out today…so much hay in it. It was like chalky spots in the urine. I was thinking it was calcium but maybe it is sludge. I’ll keep an eye on her though. She does seem to be drinking lots of water, which is good for her to do. I’ve been giving her metacam every so often when I feel she needs a pick-me-up when her legs are dragging.
- 04/17/2011 at 9:57 PM
  Malp_15
  Participant
  601 posts
  One of the vets I work with told me that one of her old buns got sludgy urine from the high amount of calcium in alfalfa hay and pellets. I don’t know what you are feeding, but if it is lots of alfalfa, maybe switch out some of it for timothy?
- 04/18/2011 at 9:26 AM
  skibunny8503
  Participant
  1338 posts
  She eats Oxbow timothy pellets but we’re trying to cut back from a cup to a little more than 1/2 a cup and gradually go down to a cup (since the 2 of them share). We got Orchard (I think it’s 1st cut maybe) since I read that has less calcium. There’s some pieces that my husband thought were alfalfa but I think that place is pretty good with their hay. It’s thicker sticks that come out but they don’t have flowers on them. There’s not too many in there. They get about a 2 cups of greens and she doesn’t get any treats (maybe a tiny raisin once in a great while) because they usually upset her tummy.
  I should excrete her more often though, I’ve been getting a bit lazy on doing that. :/
- 04/18/2011 at 9:30 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Actually it could be due to her disability and she is not able to posture correctly to urinate.
- 04/18/2011 at 9:36 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  I might also suggest you read this answer about sludge/calcium in rabbits diet recently posted by Dana Krempels on April 1, 2011:
  
  en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/201…alcium.htm
- 04/18/2011 at 3:49 PM
  skibunny8503
  Participant
  1338 posts
  Thanks for the link Sarita! Wish they sold dandelions in our grocery store; have to wait until warmer weather and I’ll pick some for her. I know her vet said to excrete her but to be honest I have been lacking in that department. *bad bunny mom* I have noticed she’s been drinking more water than she used to, I have to fill up both bottles almost every day. I’ll keep an eye on her and try to excrete her more…she hates when I do it though. But I’d rather see sludge than her having a stone.
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