Unusual poop (Pictures included)

[Rebecca&Oscar]

Hi I’m new here and my best friend is a 6 year old cheeky mini lop rabbit named Oscar who is the king of my world❤️.

I tired to attach some photos however it is saying the type is not allowed. They look like cecotropes however they look like normal poops inside.

Recently Oscar has been leaving mushy poops with his normal poops, these poops are darker and seem to have less hay in them and more protein (if that is a thing). I found some information about Intermittent Soft Cecotropes (ISC) and have put him on a hay only diet to see if this helps his stomach, he has been on this for 6 days. He has just done some of the squishy poops in question (which I am concerned about as he has been eating only hay) and I am looking at introducing greens again on Wednesday and pellets down the track. He is happy, alert and active and I am monitoring his water (as he gets a UTI every January/February so that has been treated but I like to monitor afterwards) which has increased again but I believe that is because of the increase in hay. I am looking to see my vet after having him on this diet for a week to rule out diet concerns in which I am thinking a fecal test might be a good idea (is that a thing?)…

My question is has anyone seen this type of poop before and have been told what has caused it?

[DanaNM]

Hi there, welcome

It could be a bit of a cecal imbalance. Switching to hay only is a good first step. Is he eating lots of hay? Some buns benefit from a probiotic, Bene-bac (the gel form) is a good one. A fecal test would be good to rule out parasites.

The only experience I’ve had with this was with a very sick bun, so it’s good that your guy is doing well otherwise!

How is his weight? With true cecal dysfunction the bun will lose muscle mass as they have trouble absorbing nutrients, so tracking his weight would also be a good idea.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Rebecca&Oscar]

Warning I have attached photos of the poops in question.

I am giving him unlimited timothy and oaten hay which he is eating a fair amount of. His weight has been the same for over 4 years (2kg). He is acting like himself just the strange poops are concerning so I will try introducing greens tomorrow to see how he goes. I will record his weight as well. And book into the vet next week.

Thanks for the advice

[Wick & Fable]

I assume the gray stuff is litter, not poop. If that’s not the case, please correct me!

For the larger poop in the 2nd image, I’m reminded of a poop that may be encapsulating fur, and as a result, is just quite large. Is your rabbit going through a molt/large shed right now?

There is irregularity and softness there, especially in the first image. It’s great that you’re really emphasizing the hay — when you’re monitoring him, is he actually eating a lot of it? Is there less hay consumption than usual? A part of me is bias against oat hay because I know my Wick only ate the seed heads and it kept him from eating the actual fibrous part of the hay. Do you see this in your rabbit?

Recording weight is a great habit to get into (as well as really looking at poop… we’re good at that, haha).

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Rebecca&Oscar]

Gray stuff is litter yes.

He has just begun molting in patches (like he does) and I have gave him a brush yesterday… could have ingested some before that?

Yes they are soft, the inside is more of a thick paste? not like his normal poops where you see the hay inside. These only appear early morning late night, left over cecotropes?

He will sit and eat the hay for 10 minutes have a break and then return to a different hay stack and repeat (I give him timothy and oaten in 4 areas so he has access).

I was against the oaten hay because of the seeds and reading some posts about getting them stuck in their throats. I did however struggle to get timothy hay so had too and now I provide both.

I find it funny how I can ask a question about poop and everyone is ok to respond and give advice. That’s what happens when you have a rabbit

I have a vet appointment today as his stomach has been making loud gurgling noises in the last 12 hours and I am concerned it is GI Stasis so want to get on to that as soon as possible. During the night I gave him a bunny massage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M) which worked great for 6 or so hours so now to the vet.

[Rebecca&Oscar]

I have just been to the vet and they have said it is a “mild case of diarrhea” in which he has prescribed a Probiotic powder to see if this helps his gut. He also said to try this first before doing a fecal test.

We will be continuing with the hay diet (the vet said he knows lots of rabbits that are on a hay only diet because of upset stomachs) and reintroduce greens when his poops regulate.

He is acting normal and weight is unchanged which is great and I will be monitoring his weight once a month to ensure he is getting the right nutrition and to notice when something isn’t right.

Also, the loud gurgle noises I heard are a good sign apparently as it means the gut is moving. He listened to the gut and said it sounded good no GI Stasis (YAY!)

And thank you for your advice  much appreciated 

[jerseygirl]

I find it funny how I can ask a question about poop and everyone is ok to respond and give advice. That’s what happens when you have a rabbit

Haha yes! But poo photos are so very useful!

Moulting can certainly upset their system somewhat. Personally, I even believe hormonally, not just the risk of more fur ingestion.

Another factor I’d always have check out is teeth. Weird poos it gut upsets can relate back to teeth. So worth having those looked at whenever you’re at the vet.

Yes they are soft, the inside is more of a thick paste? not like his normal poops where you see the hay inside. These only appear early morning late night, left over cecotropes?

Perhaps it was a bit of a cecal impaction then? The fibres may not have separated adequetely and caused an upset in that part of his gi system.

The hay diet & probiotic sounds like good first approach. Perhaps some Zantac or cisapride I’d vet thinks is useful. They have more effect on the hind gut.

You are spoilt for rabbit-specific clinics in Melbourne! Are you far from either of those?

[Rebecca&Oscar]

He does have spurs in his back teeth however we regularly check them at the vet and they are not causing a problem yet (no abscesses or red marks around the teeth) and I have been advised to monitor him to ensure any changes in his eating habits are brought back to the vet so they can help him. He is eating normally so we are not concerned in that regard.

We will see how he goes with his probiotic and I will update this post 

I have a rabbit clinic in Melbourne but it’s over an hour away :/ however, I have a vet clinic (5 minutes away) that has two vets that have knowledge of rabbits and are super helpful and are used to me being a ‘crazy rabbit lady’ hahahahaha

[Rebecca&Oscar]

Soooo Oscar has been on the probiotics (which he loved, never seen him voluntarily have medicine) until 21st March and after that his poops have been great. I have introduced parsley (which he loves) gradually which did not agree with his stomach and resulted in quite a bit of mushy poops (not night droppings). That was the only green leafy vegetable he eats and unsure what to try next…

Today he did a completely different poop I have never seen before it was like the mushy ones inside however the outer coating was a texture of a clear shiny substance that was difficult to break…

So confused, worried and I feel like I’m letting him down. He is acting like himself so I don’t know what to do…

Could it just be him? Maybe I just keep him on just hay forever?

Some advice would be appreciated

[Bam]

It could just be him. Some buns are prone to weird poop. Hay is the most important food so he doesn’t actually have to have fresh greens. Fresh greens are a great addition to a bun’s daily menu, but not for buns that cant tolerate fresh greens.

You could try and dry some parsley for him if you want to give him something a little extra. My bun Bam was prone to mushy poop, I found that he tolerated dried greens a lot better than fresh. Herbs dry well in room temp if you hang them up in little bouquets, then store them in brown paper bags. I used to dry parsley stalks for Bam.

You dont happen to have pics of the poop with the difficult to break outer coating? I have a hard time picturing it in my mind. An irritated colon can sometimes result in poop coated with thick mucus.

[Rebecca&Oscar]

I have attached a photo of the hard to break poop. The glossy bit up the top was the difficult part to break with the bottom of the poop being what I broke and what was inside. I thought mucus but not too sure. 

I was told some bunnies live on hay only diets because of an upset stomach however his poops have only been like this for the last 2 months and I have had him for 6 years. Maybe the change in poop is because of his age? He is turning 7 in June.

Thank you for the advice. I have some fresh parsley I will dry and see if that helps also.

I will make another VET appointment tomorrow to see what we can do to help him, just feel helpless but he is acting normal so I know he isn’t in pain.

[Bam]

Cecals are covered in very tough, extremely sticky mucus. It looks rather like cecal dysbiosis. There can be a disturbance in the assortment of poop into cecals and fecal poop. This can, for example, be an innervation problem or a problem with gut pH. I would keep him on the probiotics, it wont harm and it could help the disrupted gut microbiota.

An extended period (+3 months) on hay only is sometimes needed to get a bun’s tummy back on track.

Buns can have sticky poop for a very long time without seeming to suffer from it. It often takes a long time to sort out. Meanwhile its of course important to weigh him regularly so you see if he starts to lose weight. A good variety of hay is important too, if hay is to be his only food source.

Wed be happy for updates. This topic never gets old!

[Author]

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