Rabbit has smelly mushy poop

[Xxventanaxx]

My rabbit lux for the last two days hasnt really pooped much and only ate half her food daily but has not been pooping at all really.  Tonight I went to check her and she had so much poop compacted in her fur from sitting down i had to give her a bath.  Its coming out like mush a bit but also regular is coming out as well. Look like really thick black oil. It wont stop coming out.  Im wondering if you had a clog and it finally past so everything is coming out now.  She is 100% alert and herself which is good.  Do you think maybe she just had a blockage and it worked its way out?

[Xxventanaxx]

it might be Soft cecotropes cause its sticking to her big time but its all coming out

[Bam]

Hi Xxventanaxx and welcome back to BB!

How does she seem now, energy and appetite-wise? Still good? Have you started to see any formed poop yet?

It’s not very rare for buns to get a partial GI blockage. When/if the blockage resolves, it sometimes comes out in the form of a “plug” of sticky poop.

Hopefully this was just a one-time thing, but it’s obviously important to keep a close eye on her -if she stops eating and pooping again she should be seen by a vet. The cause of a one-time partial blockage is as a rule not possible to find, but if it reoccurs it needs to be investigated. Sometimes it’s about teeth, the bun might have a dental problem that prevents it from eating enough hay, and without enough hay the bunny tummy can’t function properly.

For now you should make sure she’s properly hydrated and eats her hay. If she’s getting leafy greens you can serve the leaves wet as a way to get more water in her. Exercise is also very important because exercise helps the intestines move the food through. Obviously dont chase her around or anything, but do encourage natural physical movement.

 

 

[Xxventanaxx]

Went to sleep and woke up and she had a bunch of solidish poops attached to her butt which were SOOOO much bette then last night but she still didn’t eat so we are goin to take her to the vet this morning. We are going out of town Saturday night for 24 hours and I just need to make sure she’s ok. Might need just a dose of critical care to feel better. This has happened before

[Bam]

Solidish poop after a bout of sticky poop is indeed better!

It’s very wise to see a vet, rspecially since yiu are going away for the weekend! A vet can give her sub q fluids to ensure proper hydration and perhaps a gut stimulant (f ex metoclopramide). They can take a look at her molars with an otoscope, it’s not rare for middle aged buns (and Lux must be middle aged now – crazy how time flies!) to develop molar spurs that can make them unwilling to eat certain things, especially tough food like hay. Not eating enough hay means the teeth can’t wear properly and then you have something like a vicious cycle.

(General PSA: Critical Care is rarely wrong, the exception being a suspected partial blockage. If a bun has a suspected blockage, only very small amounts of CC (about 2 ml) should be given until the bun can be seen by a vet. Water or cool hay tea can be syringed though, since hydration is key for the treatment of a blockage).

Fingers very crossed for her continued recovery!

 

[Xxventanaxx]

Yeah it was better but I just wanna make sure. It will be a nice quiet house for 24 hours for her. Yeah she’s going to be 8 already. She’s been such a good girl. It was very very stinky also I’m like wow this isn’t normal. Cleaned her twice and all. I’ll keep you Informed. You guys have always been great

[Xxventanaxx]

She’s got a little mass in here could be a hairball they said. Not a tumor which is good. Giving her a medicine once every 24 hours to try and pass it. I think it’s her new bed I got her that’s fluffy…. I’m hoping all is alright. Will keep you guys informed

[Xxventanaxx]

She’s I guess chattering since it’s a little pain I guess she has. I hope she will pull through

[Xxventanaxx]

On two medicines one for pain and one to push the mass out. Hope all is well. Wife has to stay home this weekend to take care of her

[Bam]

Oh goodness, I’m sorry your wife has to stay home! Sounded like you were planning a lovely weekend away 😔

But great that you did see a vet. I would expect nothing less from you tbh, Lux is an admirable 8 years old and I do remember the circumstances from way back when.  Wasn’t long ago at all I just randomly happened to think about you and Lux and your wife and your dog.

My guess is the painkiller is meloxicam (substance name) and the med to push stuff through is metoclopramide or a med with similar action. Sounds like great choices of meds for this particular ailment!

 

[Xxventanaxx]

Yeah I need to be on here more you guys are great: and thank you so much for thinking about us ;). Dog is great and we have an 18 month old daughter now who loves lux. And it’s ok if I didn’t spend all the money on a concert and hotel I would stay home but wife told me to still go cause she knows how much I want to go. I’d be home before 24 hours. And yes that is the med. sucks seeing her chatter cause I know that means she’s in pain but doc said let’s try this and see if it works if not might need surgery to remove it in which I will do it. Got a little cataracts but she’s old. Still my baby

[Bam]

A loud chatter can mean pain. It doesnt always though. My Bam could chatter quite loudly during a tummy massage when his tummy was acting up. Difficult to explain perhaps, but it was like he appreciated it even though it caused him (temporary) pain. He always came through just fine.

And yes, surgery is sometimes needed. This as a rule means the surgeon makes an incicion though the abdominal wall, then manually massages the part of the intestine where the blockage is – until it dislodges. My great rabbit vet does these type procedures.

Cataracts will eventually happen to all of us. It can be a sign of ec, so I’m just mentioning that here for general awareness.

You seem to have a great wife 😍 and it’s truly lovely to hear you folks have a daughter now 😍 She chose her parents well, I think.

[Xxventanaxx]

How long do these medicines take to really start working. Lux stomach now feels like there’s a hard lump in it but it shifts a lot. She just sits there, I feel so bad and don’t know what it’s from. I hope she’s ok. We have critical care also going to give her soon. If the doctor thought it was a complete emergency she would’ve told us to bring her to a hospital right

[Bam]

If there’s a hard lump it indicates a blockage or impaction. Only give a small amount of critical care, like 2 ml every 2-3 hours. Syringe water and/or cooled hay tea more often.

Hay tea is hay steeped in water, much like tea. Let it cool, then sieve off the liquid. It is tasty for rabbits plus it contains micro nutrients.

Dont go “overboard” with the motility drug -worst case scenario is that it causes the intestine to rupture. The pain med is very important though.

How is her general demeanour? Alertness, energy, willingless to move, interest in the surroundings?

[Xxventanaxx]

She’s a little still right now. She’s alert though. Not really moving but I wouldn’t want too either when I’m in pain in my stomach. She does look around a lot. I just don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and she’s gone… that would wreck me.

I will say this I picked her up to hold her and her stomach is so much softer now then it was an hour ago. I wonder if it’s starting to break apart

[Bam]

Oh good, softer stomach is good!

Making her move around a bit every 30 mins or so can be good. Of course rabbits too need rest during the night, but in an acute situation like this, a bit of “exercise” can be benefical. GI trouble tends to generate extra gas and the gas needs to get out, or it can cause quite considerable pain.

Next time you pick her up, try to elevate her butt a bit to help gas escape. Then put her down som distance away from her favorite spots, so she must hop to her preferred spot.

Also make sure she keeps warm. You can make a rough assessment of that by feeling her ears. In a nice indoors environment, her ears should not be cold. If they are, you can warm her by sitting her in your lap and pulling your shirt over her, so your body heat warms her.

[Xxventanaxx]

It got a little harder again but there’s tons of gurgles which is good. How many doses does this medicine usually take?

[Xxventanaxx]

If the doc thought something really bad they would’ve sent her to the hospital right

[Bam]

If the doc suspected sth really bad they wouldve kept her and put her on iv fluids (“drip”) and probably more heavy duty painkillers.

Gurgles are good, it means there is movement in the intestines. She still needs a bit of exercise to pass the gas. But it’s a good sign!

Its not possible to say how many doses. That is entirely individual. When I’ve had metoclopramide prescribed for buns the course of treatment have been like 5-7 days.

[Xxventanaxx]

So after 2 doses her not back to normal yet is normal?

[Bam]

Oh yes, that’s way to soon to tell.

[Xxventanaxx]

Should I take her to the hospital tonight or tomorrow or let the meds work?

[LBJ10]

Has she pooped at all yet? I mean, since you have been giving her the meds. It sounds like there is something in there and the gurgling is it trying to move. Is she cold at all? Sometimes their body temperature will drop a bit when going through a GI episode. Warming her up can help.

[Xxventanaxx]

she is so much more alert now but belly is still a little oblong and ballish feeling.  She is running around when i take her out of her cage now and shes grooming herself as well.  She has not pooped yet but it could take time since she hasnt been eating anything but the critical care we are giving her.  Her body is warm but ears are a little cool.  Lets just say since the two doses we have given her so far she seems a lot more better and not animatronic where she didnt want to move

[LBJ10]

I’m glad to hear that she has been more alert. How is she doing today? I’m hoping she passed whatever was in there.

[Xxventanaxx]

Brought her to the hospital just in case. Said temperature is great and now stomach is so much softer then 4 hours ago. But need too see what’s in the stomach

[LBJ10]

Sometimes the vet will do sub-Q fluids to help flush things out. Not sure what your vet has tried.

[Xxventanaxx]

She sadly passed away 🙁

[Bam]

You did all you could. Vet care, excellent supportive care at home with all the appropriate meds, then admitted to in-patient vet care in a 24/7 h animal hospital. It’s not humanly possible to do more. When push comes to shove, we’re all just humans, and we are not in ultimate control of things.

Lux was a lucky bun.

Binky free, sweet girl.

 

 

[LBJ10]

Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that Lux didn’t make it. 🙁  You were definitely doing all you could for her. Sometimes these things happen and we just don’t know why.

[Xxventanaxx]

Thank you all for being amazing.

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