Chronic UTI issues

[lopbunnymom]

I have a fixed year and half old male mini lop and he is bonded two fixed 2 year old holland lop sisters. I adopted him about a year ago. Not long after getting him, his UTI issues started. Constantly peeing outside of the box which had a horrible smell. At one point he even got urine scald. He has blood work done, urine analysis and 2 sets of x-rays and everything was normal. After months of meds and even a fluid treatment he seemed better. I still check his bottom every week and use cornstarch if needed. He is feed oxbow garden select, unlimited local hay, lots of fresh greens and I give him the Sherwood UTI tablets daily. This morning while he was eating his pellets he peed all over the place. It was a lot and light yellow and didn’t smell that bad. I quickly grabbed him, rinsed his but, dried and groomed him.
Not sure what to think, any thoughts?

[Sirius&Luna]

Has he been checked or treated for EC (e. cuniculi)? EC is a parasite that many rabbits are born with, and can often cause, among other things (such as head tilt), kidney problems which show up as excessive peeing, lack of control over where they pee, drinking excessively, and a constantly damp bum and legs.

The problem with EC tests is that they often show false negatives. The treatment is cheap and easy, so many vets will just treat on suspicion. It’s a 28 day course of fenbendazole (sold as Panacur in the UK). It can recur throughout the buns life, and they may need multiple courses.

What meds has he had so far?

[lopbunnymom]

Griff was first given SMZ TMP for 10 days. Enrofloxacian for 14 days and than a second round for 21 days. Finally he was give Orbax for 28 days. Bene-bac was also given with the meds.

I emailed my vet to see if he was ever tested for e. cuniculi. But I know we never talked about that specifically.

[Sirius&Luna]

Thanks for the list! Those are all antibiotics, and benebac is a probiotic to counter the effects of antibiotics on the gut. Antibiotics would be the correct treatment for a UTI, but since the vet has tried 3 different antibiotics, and none of them have worked it’s worth considering if it’s actually a different issue.

It doesn’t look like he has been treated for EC, so I think that would be a good next step.

Is your vet a rabbit specialist? It’s odd that they wouldn’t have raised EC if they are.

[lopbunnymom]

He is taken to a rabbit specialist and I have kept in close contact with the shelter manager. I am now a bit concerned for my girls. Hopefully my vet gets back to me. I am willing to try anything to get him better.

[lopbunnymom]

My vet has not tested for that yet. Based on his history/tests, he thinks that is unlikely, he wants to see him before he decides what is next. He has an appointment on Tuesday.

[Sirius&Luna]

I wouldn’t worry about your other buns. Many bunnies carry this parasite without ever getting sick, and most are born with it from their mums. Some vets will recommend treating all bunnies, some will just recommend treating the sick one.
Here’s some useful info if you want to read more https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/disease/e-cuniculi/

[Sirius&Luna]

Oh sorry, my post got moderated cos of the link so ended up being posted after your reply.

50% of rabbits carry this parasite so I would be interested to know why he has immediately ruled it out if he hasn’t tested for it.

It’s always a good idea to have an actual vet appointment though. Let us know how it goes!

[Wick & Fable]

What does his diet consist of? It’s a long shot, but some rabbits are more sensitive to diuretics than others.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[lopbunnymom]

My girls are 4.5 lbs and he is 5 lbs. Between the 3 of them they get a heavy 1/4 cup of oxbow garden select twice a day. Unlimited local hay, they go through bale of hay (timothy/orchard mix) in 2 months. A nightly plate of greens, base of Romaine, green or red lettuce and at least of 2 other greens. Depending on the season, baby bok choy, turnip greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, arugula or collard greens. They live together in a 3 story bunny abode and get to run in the basement at least 2 hours a day.

As far as the vet goes, he has not been since March. I talked to receptionist and she said they take blood for the test for EC. See what happens on Tuesday.

Thanks!

[Wick & Fable]

I think dandelion greens may be diuretics… according to Google, the French word for dandelion means to pee the bed? Haha. I’m unsure if it’s just the flower and/or the greens itself? For one of my rabbits, I can not feed parsley because it made him pee way too much and too forcefully (you could hear it very aggressively). It seemed he was particularly sensitive to the diuretic effect of parsley.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[lopbunnymom]

Thanks for the info. I give them just a few leaves of the dandelion at time when it’s available. I do watch the parsley because their urine definitely does smell stronger. The funny thing is that my husband gave them greens last night; needless to say I knew they got to much parsley. Griff has not had an accident in the last 2 nights. It’s upsetting that he seems fine for a month or 2 and than relapses and I can’t think of anything that I have changed.

[lopbunnymom]

Took Griff to vets last night. The vet said he really looked good. He said he does not have a UTI. Considering his history, he thinks he has developed incontinence. The vet proscribed proin for the next 2 weeks.

[BinkyBunny]

Did the “fluid” treatments help when they were given?  Does he have any white chalky swirls in his urine?  When he had a urine analysis, do you recall what he was tested for?

[lopbunnymom]

When the urine analysis was done, some amount of bacteria was found, but it was not growing. They put him back on antibiotics and I did the fluid treatment to help him flush out his system. He got better, but it was not a dramatic difference between any other treatments. He has never had any white in his urine. His first sign he is in trouble is he pees outside the litter box. I will say this time it was light yellow and didn’t smell and he was acting normal.

[lopbunnymom]

I know it has been September since my last update. I hope if someone finds this blog in the future, it may help another rabbit parent.

I did have Griff tested for EC in December and that came back negative. Also at that time, he had another urine analysis and there was no active infection. He was still having incontinence issues so the vet increase his Proin dose.

Over the last two months, we slowly decreased his dose of Proin. As of today, he is not on any medicine and has not had any incontinence issues or UTIs.

Thank you all so much!

[Bam]

Absolutely lovely to hear! Thank you for the update! ☺

[Author]

Messages