mucus around droppings

[Bam]

Bam is not feeling well. He will only eat very little. There is a gelatinous substance among his droppings plus some unformed stools, very wet. He’s been this way since yesterday. I’ve given simethicone and water by mouth and rubbed his belly for log periods (an hour, half an hour etc). He’s been moving about today but not like he normally does. He will eat a few leaves (apple, dandelion, plantain (Plantago major)) and he’s ate two craisins. Pee is thickish and yellow. Thing is, I’m at my mothers house about 80 km from the nearest animal hospital and I don’t have a car, there is no way I can bring him to the vet until Monday on the earliest.

 

I googled and found this on mucoid enteropathy and it was really scary:

Mucoid Enteropathy

Mucoid enteropathy is a distinct diarrheal disease of rabbits, characterized by minimal inflammation, hypersecretion, and accumulation of mucus in the small and large intestines. While the etiology is unknown, it may occur concurrent with other enteric diseases. Predisposing factors include dietary changes, dietary fiber <6% or >22%, antibiotic treatments, environmental stress, and challenges with other bacteria. Clinical signs are gelatinous or mucus-covered feces, anorexia, lethargy, subnormal temperature, dehydration, rough coat, and often a bloated abdomen due to excess water in the stomach. A firm, impacted cecum may be palpable. The perineal area is often covered with mucus and feces. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and necropsy findings of gelatinous mucus in the colon. Rabbits may live for ~1 wk. Treatment is unrewarding, but intense fluid therapy, enema removal of mucus mass, antibiotics, and analgesics may be tried. Prevention is the same as for any rabbit enteropathy.

 

There’s no mucus and feces around his perineal area and I can’t tell if his belly is bloated because he’s chubby. And as for palpating his cecum I’d have no idea how to. He’s had a change of diet continually this last month or so with fresh leaves of many kinds, all rabbit-safe but several of which he hasn’t had any of all winter. Otherwise nothing new exept the presence of another male bun in the same appartment, but they haven’t had any contact.

Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do? He’s not happy. He’s definitely not.

 

 

[RabbitPam]

Is it possible to call or email your own vet, explain your situation (being away and not able to get back till Monday) and ask if you can get advice for now while scheduling an appointment with her for as soon as you arrive back home?

Unfortunately rabbits can get worse fairly quickly, so I think you need a vet’s opinion, even if you can’t get in for 2 more days. Another thing to do is look in your mother’s local phone book (or online) for “Exotics” vets. Those are the ones who treat rabbits. My own vet, for example, only treats exotics and birds, not cats or dogs. It may help you find someone locally if he gets worse and you don’t want to wait.

[Bam]

Thanks! I did call the animal hospital (in Sweden, any emergency vet will be located at an animal hospital in a bigger city, the nearest one being 80 km away) and they said to keep doing what I’m doing. I’ve fed him pellets soaked in water in a syringe, and simethicone and rubbed his belly and last night he was much better and ate some leaves and even pellets, he even jumped up to me on the sofa to beg for treats and I gave him a craisin.

This morning he he came to get his breakfast, then decided not to eat. There are stains like spillt coffea on his rag-rug and his droppings are minute, but no more of the small gel-like clumps. I gave him 2 ml of the pellet-water mix in a syringe, I only have the tiniest 0,5 ml syringes and now he’s flopped on his belly after having groomed himself.

What could this be? Coccidosis?

[Bam]

Yesterday, Bam was fine again, cuddly and energetic. Today too he seemed almost back to his normal self but then just a few minutes ago he gave a spluttering noise, a splashing or sputtering sound like a wet sneeze or cough. I have heard, I now remember, him making a similar noise lately but very infrequently, not once a week.

He doesn’t drool, no wetness around nose, his eyes are fine, big and clear, no wetness or any kind of irritation. He now eats again, even hay. I thought perhaps he’d eaten some of his rag-rug and that that was what had caused his stomach problems, so I exchanged it for a fleece blanket.

And then just when I thought he was alright again came that spurting sneeze/cough. Anyone recognize this description? Any clue as to what it can be?

[LittlePuffyTail]

There are many things that can cause sneezing. I think a vet check is definitely in order, as soon as you are able to bring him. With the mucus poops and now the sneezing, it’s a good idea.

[Bam]

I’ve got one scheduled for Thursday next week. He’s not sneezed again.

He will mostly eat plantain. I’ve picked lots for him. No more mucus in stool, but there is sth that’s not quite right. He’s very alert and wants pellets (but he can’t have but a few because he’s still overweight.) He’s lost 4 ounces in a month. He needs to lose another 4. Perhaps this new diet with lots of leafy greens and just a little pellets and no treats has upset his system? Or perhaps he’s been eating carpet-fibres because he’s been hungry? He always has plenty of hay but he only eats very little.

Hope the vet can give some answers. I can of course get an emergency-appointment for him should he get worse. I’m back in my own home now and there’s a big well-renowned animal hospital with 24/7 service in my town.

Thank you so much for your answer. It really means a lot. I get so worried and I don’t have any rabbit-owning friends to ask.

[Author]

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