Sick Bunny!

[Bambilover]

Ok within the past 10 hours Bambi has had very bad diherea(sp?). She has been eating and drinking (her water bottle was almost empty which is normal for her). I have not changed her diet so it has been the same. Cocoa has been quarenteened in one of the extra bedrooms since last night and only came in contact with Bambi once when she was running around and sniffed his cage when he had just arrived home. Could she possibly be sick because of him? I am planning on calling the vet in the morning because it is actually closed right now. Should I be really worried? She also has been grunting and squealing everytime I touch her which makes me think she actually is hurting right now. I am very very upset because I would absolutely die if something happened to her.

[bunny04]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your bunny.

The grunting and squealing is a sign of pain, not to scare you but yes you should be worried because diarrhea in rabbits is serious it does not go away on its own, if left untreated it is deadlly, they can die within a couple days. In rabbits diarrhea or watery stools are caused by a decrease in intestinal motility and as the intestinal motility decreases, the material in the cecum is retained for excessively long periods of time which changes factors such cecal pH and volatile fatty acid production resulting in alterations in the flora. This is when Clostridium and E. coli can overgrow, produce iota toxins and thus wreak havoc on the body (from an article).

For the diarrhea i would take the bunny to a rabbit savy vet. The main thing to keep in mind is to keep the bunny hydrated, because rabbits with diarrhea quickly get dehytrated and It is important that the bunny eats to keep the gut moving or it can lead to problems like Stasis (discussed in this website http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html). Make sure you eliminate all treats and greens while the diahrrhea is active. High fibre food is reccommend like hay and high fibre pellets.

What is your bunny’s diet?

Foods that are high in calories, protein, starches, (example like rabbit pellet mixes with corn, nuts, fruit, seeds are really unhealthy) and low in fibre can be a cause of diarrhea. As well, stress, parasites, and diseases such as Coccidiosis, Tyzzer’s Disease, and Mucoid Enteritis can also cause diahrrhea.

To determine if its parasites i would reccommend you get a fecal test done by vet.

The following websites contain information on diarrhea, some great sites with good info, take a look

http://www.islandgems.net/diarrhea.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=670&S=5

In the mean time make sure your bunny is hydrated and is eating..when the vet opens i would reccommend you take Bambi in since she has very bad diarrhea its serious, needs proper medication and vet care.

I really hope she gets better soon. Keep us posted on the situation.

[Binkles]

You need to get her to an emergency vet RIGHT NOW. If she has true diarrhea, she needs those fluids back in her FAST.

Bunnies can die within hours of having a blowout. Irregardless of what the underlying problem actually may be, you need to have some inraveinous fluids into your bun IMMEDIATELY.

[babybunsmum]

oh no!  the poor poor thing

i have no idea if cocoa could have passed something on to bambi… its possible that bambi could be reacting to having another bun in the house.  i do not have experience with this… hopefully others with experience will respond soon.  i think the most important things are that bambi is eating, drinking & pooping – even if the poop is not right at least her system has not stopped.  def goto the vet as soon as possible.  ((((((bambi))))))

edit:  by the time i responded others had already done so too with more specific advice… good luck & keep us posted ok?

[Binkles]

For the record, Binkles had a blowout once -probably from too much watery foods. And it scared the CRAP out of me.

We took her to the vet to have her rehydrated intreveinously (we also had to isoflourine her to do this..><) and she was fine the next day. In order to get the fluids in, you don't really need a rabbit-savvy vet either. Just isoflourine and hydration.

[Bambilover]

I just called the vet and the only local emergency vet does not take rabbits. They only do cats and dogs. They gave me information on how to keep her stabilized for the night but I am going to take her to the vet first thing in the morning.

[BinkyBunny]

What information did they give you? If they don’t take rabbits, how do they know what will stabilize a rabbit? It’s not the same as a treating a cat or dog. I know your vet’s office is closed now, but many times vets will leave an emergency referral on their recording when you call after hours. You might want to check. I am really concerned, because rabbits normally don’t show or express pain unless it’s very serious. She could have gas, she could have an injury, but anytime a bunny is in pain, it can cause so much stress it can shut everything down.

Does her stomach feel bloated? Is she grinding her teeth at all? Poor thing. I would keep trying to find an emergency vet that knows how to treat rabbits.

Keep us updated

[LittlePuffyTail]

Oh my! I hope your bun is okay. It’s so hard when they are sick! I know how much it sucks to only have vets who don’t do rabbits in an emergency. Take care of your bun, we’re all here for you.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Oh my! I hope your bun is okay. It’s so hard when they are sick! I know how much it sucks to only have vets who don’t do rabbits in an emergency. Take care of your bun, we’re all here for you.

[Bambilover]

Update!

I took Bambi to my rabbit savvy vet this morning at 8:00 and they currently have her on fluids and she is stabilized. There is no signs of major dehydration but they are putting her on fluids just to make sure she will be alright. They said if all goes well I will be able to take her home tonight. I brought her bed and her toys so that she will feel more comfortable. Last time I checked on her she was laying in her bed happily munching on some hay. And her droppings are solid again. As for the grunting I think she was trying to be territorial because everytime I tried to take her blanky to wash it she would start grunting at me. I guess I must have been overreacting on the squealing part because the vet was telling me that it wasnt the kind to where she was in pain. Just trying to tell me to leave her stuff alone!

Now I totally know how mothers feel. I’ve been worried sick.

Binky Bunny- as far as the emergency vet only taking on dogs and cats but giving info on the rabbit: I had actually called an emergency vet that was 2 hours from me after I called the one that was local. They had told me to make sure that she kept eating (mostly high fiber foods) and drinking. Plus make sure she keeps moving around. I stayed up all night watching her and she was eating her pellets all night and occasionally drinking in between so if things seemed to get just a bit worse I would drive 2 hrs to the nearest emer vet.

[Bambilover]

Oh I forgot to add.. Bambi started being territorial ever since Cocoa was brought home so I’m guessing that is normal. But then again I never really tried taking her blanky away while she was actually in her cage or in the other part of her hutch eating.

[babybunsmum]

phew!  so glad she’s stabilized!  you must feel exhausted today.  i wonder why the runny poops?  

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Glad she’s better!! Did they say it was true diarhea (rare in rabbits) or poopy bum, stasis, iss? Just curious! *hugs*

[Bambilover]

Posted By Kokaneeandkahlua on 03/04/2008 9:15 AM
Glad she’s better!! Did they say it was true diarhea (rare in rabbits) or poopy bum, stasis, iss? Just curious! *hugs*

They said it was poopy bum.. eh.. so that was the most expensive diagnosis of poopy bum I have ever seen. But oh well.. I’m just glad she is ok and there isn’t anything else wrong with her. I just got her home. She came home to a big surprise waiting in her hutch! New toys!! Unfortunatly it will be awhile before I can buy her new toys as the vet bill made me choke but I would be willing to spend every penny I have to make sure my baby lives out her life to the fullest and the best.

[Sarita]

Well “poopy bum” is a symptom of something so that just doesn’t make sense to me. Did they say what caused it or give you any advice how to alleviate it?

[ConnBunnies]

I’ve never had a sick bunny – Thank Goodness. I thought that it might help if I shared this story though.

When we first brought Mango home to bond with Hopscotch she had loose poos. Boy did they smell too!!! The vet and the ladies at the rescue says that it is very common for the stress of a new home or new bonding candidate to cause runnier stools and an odor. It is a combination of stress and marking of their territory. Boy was I glad that it only lasted a few days and all is fine now. Perhaps things will get back to normal once both bunnies are used to sharing their homes.

Valerie

[skunklionshow]

Its my understanding that often what we humans call diarhea is really loose stool.  Loose stool is more soft & mushy vs. totally watery/ liquidy.  So maybe that would help for clarification sake.  I know when I initially got Oreo, she had loose stool.  The vet stated that it was due to stress, w/ moving to a new home and new cage mate.

Jessica grunts and makes like a pig sound at me when she’s upset that I’ve invaded her space.  Its not so much as a squeel but more like a higher pitched, drawn out grunt.  I can’t really explain it, except that it reminds me of sounds I’ve heard from pigs.  She also has a flittery high pitched sound she makes when trying to get Leo’s attention!  I think overtime you start to know there specific sounds and what means what.  Just like how mommies can tell what babies want from their cry.  Did the vet think it was just stress?  Did the also give you some of that belly flora stuff…what’s it call alphocidious…lipididious…beneficious…sorry I really can’t remember.

[Bambilover]

Posted By Sarita on 03/04/2008 1:32 PM
Well “poopy bum” is a symptom of something so that just doesn’t make sense to me. Did they say what caused it or give you any advice how to alleviate it?

I found out what caused it. My niece was feeding bambi corn and too many carrots. I told her that it is not healthy for her to eat corn and to give her so many treats during the day. That must of been what caused the poopy butt. Anyway the vet also clipped Bambi’s claws for me for free as I don’t have the best kind of clippers so Ms. Bambi got a pedicure after her ordeal. She was totally pampered and enjoyed the staff’s hugs and kisses. They totally fell in love with her.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Happy ending, yay! Glad to hear everything is O.K.

[Gravehearted]

ooo glad you were able to find out what the problem was and hope the poopy butt will stop without the corn and so many carrots

[RabbitPam]

I just read your whole thread now, and was very relieved to hear that she’s better.

Is “poopy butt” when the stools are very soft and mushy, so th bun is messy on its own fur as well as in the cage? My bun had this a few times, and it was always due to a treat that he didn’t digest well, like certain fruits. The corn and carrots make perfect sense. By the way, keeping family members from sneaking snacks to your pet can be hard sometimes. One day about 4 different relatives slipped him a little treat, one at a time, not knowing the others had just done so. He pigged out!

I want to learn more now so when I get a new little one I will be more informed than last time, when I would wing it and call vets. (ie, do not need to call for flops, DO need to call for mushy poops, but not for cecal poops) It’s a lot to learn for new bunny moms. Bambi is very pretty, BTW.

[osprey]

Firstly, I am glad that your bunny is OK now!  Corn and carrots, yikes no wonder she had problems with her tummy.  Those foods are loaded with calories and carbs, hard for a bunny to digest.

I have experienced problems first hand with “poopy butt” and coming into a new home.  Almost every foster that I’ve had has gotten a bit of poopy butt the first few days.  The stress of a new environment, coupled with a different diet at a new place can often lead to poopy problems.  The saddest is the bunnies that I have pulled from the shelter, who are used to a diet of cheap pellets and water.  I give them greens and hay, and their system goes crazy for a little while until they get used to it.

Now, the most common “poopy butt” is actually cecal droppings getting smeared on the bunny’s fur.  For a little Poopology 101 if you don’t know what I am talking about, rabbits produce 2 kinds of poops – fecals, which are the little raisins that they drop all over, and cecals, which sometimes look like little grape clusters and other times look like big logs.  These have a distinctive nasty smell to them, and are wet and squishy.  Fecals are hard and dry, and turn to powder if you crush them.  The cecals come out and the rabbit is supposed to eat them, as a way to redigest some of the fiber she has consumed.  if a bunny is stressed, they are too upset to remember to eat the cecals, and they get dropped and sat in, which causes poopy butt.  A diet with too many calories causes too many of the cecals to be generated, so bunny just leaves them behind, causing the same problem.

My opinion only, I am not a vet, please use your own judgement:

Poopy butt is messy, smelly and indicates a problem with bunny’s diet, but as long as the bunny is producing fecals and eating, I would say small bouts of it do not warrant a trip to the vet.  If it persists, or if the bunny shows signs of pain or refuses to eat, then a trip to the vet is in order.  Persistant poopy butt sometimes shows up in some bunnies, and can be eliminated with dietary changes.  I know of at least one bunny, for example, who cannot tolerate pellets, even timothy ones.  They give him gas and poopy butt, so he eats only hay and veggies.

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