My bunny has runny stool need help!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 15sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 10 months ago by Bam.

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- 05/29/2016 at 10:22 AM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  It was Friday night when I noticed my bunny was acting very differently than usual. So I took him out and I noticed that his bottom was all messy. So I looked up on the internet of what this could be, and the thing that mostly came up was runny stool. I heard it’s life threatening if not treated in time, and no vets are open at the moment. I have tried feeding him hay and giving him water. He does not eat much hay, but does drink some water. If I can get some help on how to help my bunny fight through this it will be very much appreciated.
- 05/29/2016 at 11:07 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Hi chago
  
  How old is your rabbit. The severity depends on how runny the stool is. If very watery, then he really must be seen by a vet. They can become dehydrated very fast.
  
  If it is sticky, dark brown poo stuck to his hind end, this may be mushy cecal droppings from a gut imbalance. Sometimes it can be corrected with diet. Grassy hay and water diet is good. However, sometimes harmful bacteria (like E.coli or clostridium) can overgrow in the gut and cause this. In which case he may need to go on an antibiotic.
  
  What is his normal diet?
  
  Here is some further reading:
  http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
  http://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
- 05/29/2016 at 11:17 AM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  He is going to be a year old soon. His behind seems to be wet all the time, and I have not seen any poop droplets anywhere. He diet consist of pellets and occasionally give him a small piece of carrot.
- 05/29/2016 at 11:46 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  His behind is wet with urine? Rabbits usually keep themselves very clean. It sounds like something is going on if he is always wet.
  
  Does he use a litter box with an absorbent litter?
  
  Do you know his weight and how much pellets he would eat in a day? A grass Hay should be the majority of the diet, pellets are more like a small supplement.
- 05/29/2016 at 11:57 AM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  He is not wet because of his urine because I never seen his rear that wet after he urinates. His litter is not really absorbent. I give him about a quarter to a half a cup of pellets and at the moment I don’t know how much he weighs.
- 05/29/2016 at 3:37 PM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  I got an update on my bunny’s condition, at the moment it looks like he has been pooping, but the drops are different in size. Some are regular, some are smaller then usual, and some look a bit wet. Another thing is that he is very skinny and looks like he does not want to eat, but still drinks water. Something else that changed was that his whole belly area is very dirty from his poop. I would like to take him to the vet, but none are open right now. Hopefully he will start getting better.
- 05/29/2016 at 3:48 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17031 posts
  If he has droppings, ie it’s not all mush/runny stools, it’s just great. When a bun has true diarrhea, there are NO drops, just watery/mucos-y stools. that the drops are irregular in size now means he’s had a gut slowdown or a tummy upset and not eaten as much as he normally does. This can right itself if he starts eating again.
  
  You can give him a butt-bath, meaning you don’t bathe the whole bun, just the dirty areas. Or you can try and rub corn starch into the dirt and then brush it out – buns don’t love being bathed. If you bathe his belly, make sure you dry him properly after so he doesn’t get cold.
  
  Will he take a yummy treat and eat it? If he’s not eating anything you can syringe-feed him some pellets soaked in water. If you can get him to eat hay that’s of course best of all, but it might not be possible.
  
  I hope you can help him make it through until the vet opens. Is he willing to move around? Moving around helps the intestines work like they should. It also helps him pass gas if he has gas (gas can be very painful for a bunny). You can give a very, very light massage to help his intestines move, but don’t if his tummy feels bloated. Here’s a nice instruction-video on a light tummy-massage: bunny massage
- 05/29/2016 at 4:07 PM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  He moves at times, but most of the time he sits. I will look into cleaning his areas a bit, and also giving him a small massage. Thx for the information!
- 05/29/2016 at 4:13 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17031 posts
  If he just sits, it could be gas that’s making him uncomfortable. If stores are open, maybe you could get him some baby gas drops (simethicone). It’s bunny safe and helps break big gas bubbles up so they can be passed. You give 0,5-1 ml per hour for 3 hours, then 0,5 ml every 2-3 hours.
  
  Also see to it so he keeps warm. If you can sit him in your lap it’s good, perhaps with a light fleece blankie over him, human body-heat won’t make a bun overheat but it’ll still warm him up. Buns with tummy-trouble often gets hypothermic, and that slows things down even further.
- 05/29/2016 at 4:51 PM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  Yes I’m pretty sure he is having some gas problems because he is showing the symptoms of it. I’m very relieved now that I know it’s not runny stool. I will be buying some baby gas drops later today. Thanks so much for the help!
- 05/30/2016 at 10:15 AM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  Okay so I have been giving my bunny some baby gas drops every 2-3 hours now, and it looks like he has been pooping a bit more, but he really does not want to eat and he is getting a skinny. He most of the time sits with his back arched up, and from what I have seen that means he feels bloated. How do I help him get rid of this bloat and what could I try to feed home at the moment? I’m also looking for a vet that can help me with this problem.
- 05/30/2016 at 10:34 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17031 posts
  The best thing is if you can get him to move around, it’s a little bit like when a horse is colicky. Since this seems stubborn, you should try and get hold of a vet. A vet can x-Ray him to see if there’s a blockage or lots of gas, give a motility drug (metoclopramide, cisapride, ranitidine) and administer subcutaneous fluids with vitamins.
  
  At home there’s not much you can do except what you’re already doing – simethicone, light massages, syringe-feeding pellet slurry and keeping him warm.
- 05/30/2016 at 10:35 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Yes, try find a vet and get the poop tested for coccidia. His not wanting to eat, weight loss and mushy poop are all symptoms.
- 05/30/2016 at 5:26 PM
  chago
  Participant
  8 posts
  After trying my best to get my bunny back to it’s best, it was not enough sadly. He passed away today, but I know he is in a much better place now, a place where there is no suffering. I wish I could have acted quicker and have taken him to the vet on time. He will always be with in my heart <3 forever and always. RIP Thumper
- 05/30/2016 at 11:05 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  I’m very sorry, chago
  
  ***Binky Free Thumper***
- 05/31/2016 at 4:44 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17031 posts
  I’m so sorry that you lost him.
  
  Binky free, Thumper.
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