Weird thing in poop?

[marinabunny]

I examined Fluffy’s poop and found this weird/white wormy-looking thing. It wasn’t moving or anything, my thoughts are also that it could be mucous but im not sure. This is the second time I’ve found this. I also found some other poops in her litter box that were strung with fur.

Any ideas ?

[LBJ10]

Looks like mucus to me.

[vanessa]

Mucous.

[marinabunny]

Do any of you know what causes mucous? Her diet hasn’t changed at all, although she has been very gassy.

[LBJ10]

It’s generally a sign of inflammation in the GI tract.

[marinabunny]

I guess that makes sense because for the past 2 weeks I’ve been hearing these really loud gurgling noises from her belly. She has chronic gas/stasis issues so it would make sense if her GI tract is inflamed…also she’s been on metacam a lot so that might’ve contributed.

Is there generally any treatment for this, like medications and such? Or is it usually just left alone?

For now, I’m holding off on taking her to the vet since she seems to be eating/pooping fine, plus we always end up coming out with a bill of $200+ :s
She does seem a bit uncomfortable near the belly and less active but I’m gonna continue to monitor her.

[Azerane]

What’s her diet like? How many pellets, and what types and amounts of greens/veggies and treats does she get every day.

[marinabunny]

1/4 cup of pellets. She basically gets no treats, and for veggies I usually give her romaine, green leaf lettuce, and cilantro (nothing too gassy that I know of). I haven’t changed her diet suddenly/recently either.

[LBJ10]

It depends on what the problem is. If she is still eating and pooping, then she probably isn’t in immediate danger. Has the vet recommended anything in the past? Simethicone? Tummy massages? Metacam would actually help reduce inflammation and help with the pain.

[marinabunny]

I’ve been giving her tummy massages and simethicone every day but the gas won’t stop I only stopped giving her metacam because it didn’t seem to be working and I read about it either causing or worsening ulcers.. So I didn’t want to take the chance.

[LBJ10]

Has the vet given any indication what the problem is? Have you tried adjusting her diet? Perhaps she is sensitive to the pellets or veggies.

[LBJ10]

Another thought is dental issues. If I recall correctly, Fluffy has had molar spurs in the past.

[marinabunny]

Sorry for the late reply. The vet isnt sure what causes her to have these chronic GI stasis/gas problems. We’ve done a bunch of tests, and whenever we go in she is treated for stasis and a month later all the problems come back. And then back to stasis treatment…

She did have molar spurs which were filed down but then not too long after, she went into stasis again. So I don’t think the problem is her teeth but I feel like its her abdomen. She lies down a lot and seems uncomfortable.

Also in regards to her diet, she never had issues with it before in the past so I don’t think that’s it either. I might make a vet appointment to atleast discuss with the dr (just have to convince my mom to drive me!)

Sigh. I wish rabbits could just speak to us and tell us what the problem is.

[LBJ10]

Hmm, ulcers? It’s hard to know. Poor thing.

[marinabunny]

I took her to the vet. She palpated Fluffy’s abdomen and didn’t find anything abnormal other than a bit of gas. She suggested to cut pellets completely out of Fluffy’s diet, which im not too sure about because she isn’t a big hay eater… I mean she eats enough hay but I’m still afraid of totally cutting the pellets out. I think I might look into Sherwood Forest pellets, which I’ve read has helped some bunnies with sensitive tummies. I’m wondering if anyone here has used them and noticed any difference?

For now, we have her on metacam and trimebutine atleast for a week to see how she does. If she doesn’t improve they were thinking of giving her zantac for ulcers, and then possibly some blood work/x-rays

Oh and her molar spurs are back although they aren’t that bad and aren’t affecting her eating yet.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Molar spurs, even mild ones, can cause GI upset, particularly gas from my experience.

I reduced my buns to about 1 TBSP pellets per day due to frequent unexplained GI issues in both (frequent gas episodes). It has helped quite a bit. I like them to have some pellets but I just make sure they get a good variety of greens and plenty of high quality hay.

[marinabunny]

Hmm.. I’ll monitor her then, about the spurs. She’s kind of a complicated bunny so I don’t like having her under anesthesia unless absolutely necessary.

LPT how much do your bunnies weigh? Mine is 4 lb and gets 1/4 cup of Oxbow pellets, so maybe I’ll try reducing it to a tbsp. I think I’d still feel comfortable with a tbsp rather than nothing. Also how much greens and how much of a variety do you have to feed then? I know you have to increase their greens when reducing pellets, but I’m wondering if too much can also cause a problem.

[jerseygirl]

{{{Fluffy}}} I hope this treatment helps her out. Im not real familiar with Trimebutine. A quick search tells me it’s one of the newer meds they’ll use for rabbits.

Reducing pellets to Tbsp sound good. You don’t want to reduce food too quickly. I’ve read about many stasis-prone rabbits that do really well on a natural forage diet. It can be hard to get hold of suitable plant material though, depending where you live.

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