Anyone here have a rabbit with diabetes ?

[HippityHopMom]

I have read it is very rare for a rabbit to have diabetes.   My vet also stated it is very rare.   I am curious how many here at Binky Bunny own a rabbit that does have diabetes ?     If so, how are you treating this ?    What diet do you use? 

[Sarita]

I would imagine that it would be very much the same as a person with Type 2 diabetes. Do you have a rabbit you suspect has diabetes?

[HippityHopMom]

Yes I do.   She is a Holland Dwarf Lop.    I have had her since 2008.  She was full grown when I got her & her background was unknown then, therefore,  I do not know her age.   She was the best & most perfect house rabbit up to a year ago.   She roamed free 24 hrs a day.  I have nice furniture etc … she never chews furniture or wires.  She would run back 3 rooms away and use her litter box 100% of time.   I could not have asked for a better bunny.       Then a little over a year ago,  I noted changes.  She began peeing often different places in the house ….. my dogs soft beds.  I think because they are soft under her feet and the cushion beds move some when she stepped on them …. so she thought it was something like litter.   So, I had to make some changes  last winter for my dog and his beds.

Then she began #2 all over the house.  Gradually, a change in her appetite.  She acted like she was starving and to the point she was going to hurt herself getting to food.   I work from home and therefore I feed her all day.   One day, when she found my chair left pulled out to a table in my butlers pantry, she jumped into the chair and onto the table trying to get into jars of food.   The first time she did this, I was downstairs and heard loud noises upstairs.   I thought someone had broke into our house.   I heard the jars falling off the table.   I got a gun, called neighbors to stay on phone with me …. and went upstairs to find it was my adorable sweet Bonnie Lee was the one making all the noise.        I would feed her more and more …. then more and more potty and pee on the floors.       She has all the signs.  She drinks a great deal of water.   Her litter pan gets very wet fast now that I have had to cage her.   I have bought her a huge cat litter pan that has the sifting tray in it .   The plastic built in sifter tray is working well to keep her feet clean and dryer .   I have to change it daily or at least every two days.  

[Sarita]

Have you had any bloodwork done on her? I would start with that. Many times rabbits with urinary tract issues including bladder sludge and bladder and kidney stones suddenly lose their litter box habits.

I’ve only had one rabbit friend who had a very obese older rabbit actually diagnosed with diabetes – which I think must have caused many other issues because she passed away right after she was diagnosed with diabetes and the vet had to do some research on diabetes in rabbits.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m sorry to hear you are having health issues with your bunny.

I agree with Sarita, if you haven’t done bloodwork, then I suggest it asap. Have you discussed the symptoms with a rabbit savy vet?

I don’t know of any rabbits diagnosed with diabetes but I have a horse that has insulin resistance. Bunnies and horses are very similar so I would assume the diet would be similar. My horse is not allowed sugar or starch (no carrots, apples, very limited fresh grass). Exercise is very important. There are no shots for horses like for humans and cats. Not sure about bunnies.

[Beka27]

I haven’t heard of a rabbit with diabetes but I suppose it would be possible, or like LPT said, some degree of insulin resistance. Rabbit diets should already be very, very low in sugars and starches. What is her diet like each day (types of foods and amounts)?

We had a member years ago who had a gorgeous Holland Lop who was drinking an obscene amount of water, he was finishing a 32oz water bottle in less than a day. She couldn’t fill it fast enough. He had all kinds of testing but I don’t recall what (if anything) was concluded. I’ll try to find that thread.

You said these changes started occurring over a year ago. When was she at the vet last?

Your profile says you have two rabbits?  The other is still in good health?  Are they bonded together and sharing food/water/litterboxes?

[Sephora]

My dwarf bunny was diagnosed with diabetes 2 months ago.  The diagnosis was based on the ketones in her urine. I originally took her to an exotic pet specialist vet as I correctly suspected a urinary tract infection. She is so good about using her litter box and was having accidents around the house.  This vet said the two conditions often go together and both are uncommon for bunnies.  She is not overweight, but I may have been feeding her too many fruits and starchy snacks.  It’s all green leafy vegetables, Timothy Hay and some Timothy Hay pellets. She is doing much better and the accidents have stopped. I do wonder how this will affect her life expectancy. She is not quite the same spunky bunny. She is 5 years old.

[Bam]

I’m sorry your bun got diabetes. It is as you say quite uncommon in rabbits (it might be under-dignosed though. Rabbits get high blood sugar when theyre stressed, so it elevated blood glucose is very common find in rabbit blood tests, and it doesnt mean diabetes). I doubt you caused it by feeding her fruit and starchy food -lots and lots of buns get fruit and carby pellets and never develop diabetes. There is most likely genetics at play here, but once you know your bun has diabetes, it is of course vital that you keep her on a strict diet.

Ketones in the urine doesnt necessarily mean diabetes though. If your bun’s urine was tested bc she hadn’t been eating, that could have been what causes the ketones – but a vet would obviously know that and not just assume your bun has diabetes. You need further tests to see if it is diabetes or sth else. There is a blood test that shows how the blood glucose level has been the last 2-3 months (HbA1c).

Diabetic ketosis causes weight loss, heavy thirst and ample amounts of urine. (Polydipsia and polyuria in med-speak). This is a consequence of high blood sugar. (I removed the part I wrote here about diabetes bc its not really relevant in this thread).

It seems you have managed to turn this around with life style changes, and that is truly great.

Its not possible to say how this will affect your bun’s life span. Diabetes progresses very differently in different human individuals, and I assume its the same for buns. Maintaining a healthy weight and a good diet plus ensuring a healthy amount of exercise can make a huge difference for humans, dogs and cats, but sadly it’s not enough for all individuals. Those measures are still very powerful. Nowadays for humans with controlled diabetes and access to good healthcare, life expectancy is the same as for non-diabetics, but it is still a lot easier to closely monitor blood glucose in humans than in rabbits.

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