Could my bunny have megacolon ?

[Bunnymom1115]

Hi all! I’m new to the forum and seeking some advice about my 2.5 year old male bunny Salem. We adopted him in January 2019 and we also have a 2 year old female Netherland dwarf, Luna. When we adopted Salem, we were told he was a holland lop and lionhead mix. However, he is all black with upright ears and has very soft long-ish fur, but doesn’t have the traditional lionhead mane, which made me question if this was in fact the mix of breeds he was. I bring this up because Salem sometimes makes poops that are a little irregular in shape. I’ve done my research on megacolon but I’m still not positive and wanted to reach out in case anyone who is familiar with the condition can help. I groom him often but sometimes he can still make “strings of pearls”, so I wonder if the less-rounded poops he makes are due to that and possibly not megacolon. His diet and behavior are consistently great, but I still wonder if everything is okay with him and if it’s possible he could have the “En En gene”. I will attach a picture of some of his stool for reference in case that’s helpful. Thanks in advance for anyone who can help! I really hope I’m just overthinking this🙏🏻

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[Bam]

String of pearl-poop and oval poop are signs of gut slowdown. Cowpile syndrome (megacolon) is a more serious condition. Megacolon buns tend to have frequent episodes of painful gas and shapeless poop. They also have trouble keeping weight on due to malabsorption of nutrients.

I think perhaps you are overthinking a little bit. Your bun’s poop looks nice and full of hay 💚 He could have a little slow gut, innervation of the gut is very complex. I dont think this is cause for alarm though. It’s very good that you brush him often, keep doing that.

[jerseygirl]

I agree, nice hay poops there! Because they are not too much larger then his round ones, I don’t think its cause for concern. Some will produce ovals poops now and then. If it were 2-3 time larger or if was quite wet, then Id be more inclined to think something was amiss.

[Bunnymom1115]

Thanks so much for the reassurance! I really appreciate the advice and second opinion♥️

[LBJ10]

You bunny is all black, correct? If so, then he would be en en, not En En. En En is what people often refer to as a Charlie. They are almost all white, with color on their nose and ears. Megacolon is tied to the “broken” gene, which creates the broken/spotted pattern in rabbits. Two copies of the dominant form (En) is what puts a rabbit at risk of having megacolon. Here is a nice article from MediRabbit, complete with pictures of poop: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Mega/mega_en.htm

I agree with the others. The poop in your photos looks like normal hay-filled poop to me.

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