cecal dysbiosis? Update

[AbbyGirl]

OK.  I’ve been reading about this on this website http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html.  I’m not sure if this is something to worry about or what I should do about it.  It sounds like what Hugo is going through.  Here’s the rundown.

I’ve had Hugo for 2 weeks now and he never had this problem before.  It started 3 days ago?  I would wake up and his towel would have smeared poo on it.  He seems to not have that problem in his littler box.  I saw his lay down today and he did it on the carpet.  It is definitely his cecals that are so soft now. 

I switched him to the Timmy pellets 9 days ago.  He gets about 1 1/2 cups a day right now.  I’m still trying to get him down to 1 cup. Which would be the max amount for his weight.  I started giving him about 5 cups of romaine, cilantro, parsley and celery a day.  Sometimes I’d give him a carrot with it and he gets about 1/4 cup chopped apple.  That’s about 4 Tbsp which is right for his weight. 

He’s not much of a hay eater.  He is eating a little more since I’ve been taking a tough love approach with his pellets to cut back.  He seems to eat a little more since I’m trying the orchard grass hay. 

He’s still drinking fine.  He’s also being very frisky, playing and getting into things.  The only other thing I noticed is that I can hear his tummy making noises from 5 feet away. 

Any thoughts or opinions would be much appreciated.  I know I’m probably over reacting but I want him to be as happy and healthy as can be.  Thanks for your help.

[RabbitPam]

You’re not overreacting at all. In fact, when there is a digestion problem, it’s important to have a vet see him to find out what is going on. We can only speculate here, but if you can hear his stomach making noise and see runny cecals, it is definitely a problem happening.

I would see the vet and maybe print out what you wrote above since it is a clear statement of how he’s been eating lately. My speculation is that 5 cups is too much, and with so many different greens, fruits, and changes to his diet his system is out of whack. Food changes for bunnies must be gradual. Even cutting back must allow for a longer period of time without the desired change or weight loss just because it needs to be a gentle progression. I think a tough love approach is not a good idea when it comes to diet and bunnies. So I’m hoping that it’s just a reaction to the current food he’s getting, but I think he should get checked out. The vet can determine where he is at the moment, and how you should proceed with his diet over the next few weeks. Hopefully he will settle down in his tummy. Glad he seems ok otherwise.

[AbbyGirl]

Thank you. I though a 2 cup minimum per 6lbs is what I was suppose to be feeding him. He is between 10-12 lbs. He has gone through a lot of changes between his hay and pellets. I know he was getting fresh food at his foster home. I just don’t know what kinds. Thank you again for your advice. It’s actually what I thought you’d say. =)

[RabbitPam]

LOL

Someone once said that if you are sick and ask a surgeon, he’ll recommend surgery.

Here, if you’re bunny is off and you ask me, I’ll always say see a vet.

What’s his breed again? Spockie was a mini rex that got up to 8 lbs, but he was never considered fat. Some bunnies are robust.

[AbbyGirl]

He is a Flemish Giant. He is actually skinny and I am trying to help him gain weight. That’s why I’m so concerned. He is eating and begging for food just fine though. =) I’m just trying to ration his pellets because he won’t eat any hay if he has other food to chose from. We’re down to about 1 1/2 cups a day without him being aggressive now. He was eating 3-4 cups when we brought him home because they let him over indulge.

[RabbitPam]

Aw. He’s just a big baby.
That sounds good, just maybe the greens are too much together and too fast. Maybe cut out the celery and fruit and let him eat more of less variety.
Still want those cecals and noises checked.

[AbbyGirl]

I’ll be calling tomorrow.

[AbbyGirl]

I just laid down by Hugo because I could hear his tummy again. It sounds like it’s churning and popping like ours would when we don’t feel good. I put my hand on his tummy and I could actually feel everything I was hearing. I saw him move his legs twice and grind his teeth loader than his usual I like that grind. I’m really hoping he’s ok now. I’m wishing I would have noticed this earlier. (as he climbs on my laptop and looks at me to say “play with me not that thing!)

[AbbyGirl]

This is the advice I just got from the shelter I got him from. I’m not sure about it. Is this OK to do?

Take away ALL veggies and fruit and ANYTHING wet. Give him only pellet and hay. You can mix up some plain white rice and give him that as well as it is bland and a great binding agent. I usually mix a spoonful or two of yogurt on the rice or some applesauce or banana or applesauce baby food. I would limit his diet to those things for a day and see if things calm down.

[bunnymum16]

i never heard of rice being fed to a bunny.i know it has a lot of starch and carbs which is not good for bunnies if given a lot.if it is temporary,it probably will be ok but i wont recommend it as part of their regular diet.

[AbbyGirl]

She said for 1 day that it was binding. I’d never heard of it either or yogurt. She said the yogurt would help get his gut back on track.  She said with the tummy grumbling it sounded like soft stool or the start of diarrhea.  Probably from all the sudden diet changes.

[Beka27]

I wouldn’t give him rice or yogurt. That is “breeder” thinking, they fix the symptoms, but not the cause. The last thing a bunny ever needs is “binding” up.

I’d take him into the vet this week. I think he’s on way too many pellets, even for a bunny his size, that’s way too many in my opinion. From the pics I saw of him, he doesn’t look overly skinny. I would be interested to hear what a vet recommends his weight be at. His weight should not be based on breed standards, but rather his frame. Any weight he does gain, should be gained in a long period of time, over the course of months.

I doubt it’s the veggies causing all these issues.

[Sarita]

I agree that maybe get him to the vet and see what the vet recommends for his diet and how to put some weight on him. Rice and yogurt no to that.

I’m sure it is all the diet changes.

[AbbyGirl]

Thanks guys. I didn’t think that sounded right. I’m trying to cut back his pellets still. It’s been a hard thing to do since he gets aggressive because he use to having as much as he wants. I’m not trying to get him to put on weight quickly but in a healthy way. He also doesn’t look skinny in his pictures because he is really fluffy right now. Still shedding. When you pet him you can feel his spine and hip bones still. He lost about 4 lbs before we got him.

[Sarita]

He wants his pellets :~) Hopefully this will encourage more hay eating. I think he’s just gotten alot of changes in his diet and that is causing the problems. Hopefully he will adjust soon.

[AbbyGirl]

Thanks. I’ll be calling in about a half hour. Poor things tummy doesn’t feel good. =( I’m sure it’s from all the changes. Now to fix it.
He has been eating a lot more hay. Orchard grass. He ate almost 1/2 lb bag yesterday. So I ordered a box of Oxbow last night.

[Beka27]

Good. The Big Box of hay is going to be your best bet economically, unless you were able/willing to go to a farm and actually buy and store a bale.

[AbbyGirl]

I do have someone who will give me hay for free but he is so picky about which kinds he’ll eat. We weren’t able to get any from her yet and I was running out.

[Author]

Messages