Increased urination

[Basil the Bun]

Hi everyone,

I posted in the past about my rabbit having a UTI. We were prescribed meds and the issues he was having went away very quickly.

About a month ago, I noticed that my rabbit again was drinking a lot therefore urinating a lot. It’s been at least a year since he last had a UTI. When I noticed this, I stopped any “extra” food and stuck with his daily standards; romaine, orchard hay and very small amount of kibble. Any extras I had been feeding him were things he has had in the past and I was giving small quantities (i.e. few sprigs of parsley stems).  With no changes, I brought him to the vet who gave us meds to treat as a UTI.

He’s still drinking a ton therefore urinating a lot. It’s really bothersome because he’s peeing in his crate. I used to put down a pee pad as a back-up and I’d change it once every few days; I’m now having to change it 1-2x a day. We’re about 1 1/2 weeks into the 2 week meds. 

His urine looks/smells the same. He’s still happily eating and pooping. If I had to point out one change, it’s that he’s eating more hay and seems to want to hang in his crate more than usual. Oh, and he’s shedding a lot right now. Otherwise, he’s his usual self. Still thumping at me if I don’t feed him as soon as my eyes open up in the morning 

Any ideas? Next step are x-rays ($$$$) if no improvement. I can’t keep up with cleaning his pee and changing his litter (equine pine BTW)

All jokes aside, I’m getting tired of rabbit ownership (I know, I know…probably not the best thing to say on a rabbit forum) . He’s a lot of maintenance – way more than my dog. I grow tired of feeling like I need to monitor him so closely; how’s his poop? How’s his water intake? Is he OK? I’m also very tired of the mess. I still take great care of him and give him attention/pats, let his roam the house, etc. but man, it’s just a lot of work for an animal that doesn’t return as much (IMO and experience). 

[Boing]

Hi Basil,

Your story sounds sadly familiar. Have you asked your vet about the possibility of E cuniculi? It often causes increased urination. It’s incurable, but symptoms are alleviated and it goes dormant with 28 days of this stuff. The test is expensive, but the medicine is not. Maybe you could convince them to give it a go. If it’s not it, it’s harmless medicine.

As for the clean up, I understand. It had gotten to the point where every 6 hours wasn’t frequent enough for Cincinnati. At one point, I actually was using clumping litter, with the vet’s blessing. I work, so the 6 hours routine was impossible most days. Something had to give. It was also insane: doing a box four times a day including the middle of the night should be no one’s status quo.

Thankfully, there’s carefresh! I love this stuff. I’ve tried so many litters. Nothing touches this for absorbency. It’s available at Petsmart and lasts a surprisingly long time. It’s vacuum sealed, so you need to fluff it in the box. Then a bag lasts for several weeks.

I’m sorry that you’re getting tired of rabbits. I’ve been there. The care of Cincinnati is not what I signed up for. Daisy is ~10% of the work he requires, if that. That said, he is a life, and I love him. Love isn’t something you say, it’s something you do. It’s the only feeling that is also a verb. Basil won’t find a better home. Surplus rabbits, even healthy ones, are a dime a dozen. If there are any minors around, consider what rehoming him would teach them too.

I don’t see the point in the dog comparison, they’re totally different species with different ways of communicating. Every species I’ve ever interacted with has “returned” just as much as any other, just in different ways. You have to be quiet to ‘get’ something out of the less demonstrative. Besides, 99% of dog owners don’t realize their dog’s potential, by not doing one of three, necessary things: socializing; training; grooming. I love dogs that can check those three boxes.

How about trying carefresh and a high sided cat litter box?

[kurottabun]

One of the members here (Asriel & Bombur) has a bunny Bombur who would dribble pee due to E.Culi, so I think that can really be a possibility. Like Boing said, you could discuss it with your vet and see if you can put bunny on Fenbendazole just to see if he improves.

I think of all people, the people here would understand how much commitment a rabbit takes and how difficult it is to have one. I’v always wanted a dog (still do) because they just seemed more “loving” and would come up to you for attention while most bunnies seem to only hunt you down for food, but I’ve come to realise that bunnies have their own love language and they are well, simply different. Which is totally reasonable considering they are completely different species (predator vs prey). Bunnies are also difficult to care for because exotic vets are so uhm, exotic – it’s so difficult to diagnose when there’s something wrong with a bunny, and dumping in so much money to treat something when we don’t even know what it is can be extremely frustrating.

I do think though that there’s an immense sense of satisfaction when you see your bunny nursed back into health because of your care. Whatever your decision is, I hope it’s best for you and your bunny both.

[Asriel and Bombur]

As Kurotta says, my little monster Bombur has EC, with all the kidney issues. We first noticed something was up because he was peeing outside his litter box and drinking 2 bowls of water a day, then he started dribbling. Poor boy ended up with urine scald for a good month. The vet wanted to test for EC from the get-go but we treated with antibiotics first for a UTI, which did nothing. He’s been on about 4 rounds of Oxibendazole for his EC and the dribbling has gone and now he only pees outside the box like once a week, but the excessive thirst is still there.

I agree with the others it is very much worth a shot to test and pre-treat for EC. EC can show as a false negative on the test, meaning he could have it but the test still shows as a negative. Which is why treating for it anyways is a good idea.

[Basil the Bun]

Thanks for the helpful replies. It may be a fluke but the urination has decreased the past two days. Fingers crossed. If no real improvement, I’m going back to my vet next week and asking her about EC testing/treatment. I mean, it doesn’t hurt.

I guess the tone of my post makes it seem like I was doubting keeping my bun but rest assured, I’m in it for the long haul with him. I know I give him the best life he’d ever have and I know he loves me (bunny kisses <3). We have ups and downs, and he's my first and last rabbit, but he's mine until the end

[LittlePuffyTail]

Glad to hear that.

[Boing]

Me too!

[Author]

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