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Bunny hasn't pooped all day!

uniqueanneek

Alpha Buck
Rocky hasn't pooped all day! I change his litter tray at night time, and since last night it hasn't had a single poop in it - nearly 24 hours! It does have pee (a little) and he is still eating and drinking ok. I did catch him eating his cecotrophs (sp) earlier, but nothing in his litter tray or anywhere else.

Should I be worried at all or is it normal? I've been worried about him a bit lately, he finished antibioticts for a suspected UTI last week (Friday), and yesterday he did a kind of 'sludgy' pee which was cloudy and kind of dried a bit solid :shock:

He seems in good spirits and is running around and flopping out, so don't know how worried to be!
 
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Anyone?

I was just massaging his stomach before bed and my o/h made him run around with him for a bit, which he was doing, and was going loopy for his food, so I'm hoping that's good? He then had a big long drink and a few pellets.

If bunnies are not pooping are you supposed to encourage them to eat, or not incase they have a blockage and you don't want to worsen it?
 
if it's been 24 hours, i would phone the emergency vets now and try some cooled boiled water and tummy rubs.
 
Do you let him out and is it possible he has pooped in the garden ar somewhere? Mine, for the last 4 days has not used his litter tray but has waited till I let him out in the morning to go on the garden and he does it in one spot on there. If not, I'd ring a vet a see what they say.
 
Hi thanks for the replies, put some probiotic powder into his drinking water last night in the hope that things would get moving a bit (had them left over from last vet visit).

This morning he has about 6 poops in his tray which I am relieved about. Hopefully things will be moving along and getting back to normal now. Still not massively happy as it was just a few poops, but better than nothing. I wish he wouldn't scare me like this!!

I don't think I will be giving him any of those hard corn on the cob things you get at the petshop, as it says they're suitable for rabbits so I decided to buy him one as a treat after being having to go to vets twice last week and have injections. This is the only thing that he's had that's different, so I shall not be buying one again!!

Laura thanks for your reply, but I had only just seen it this morning - I was thinking that too but as he seemed so happy i decided to wait to this morning, and Cornishlass no he doesn't go outside, he's a free range indoor bun who normally always uses his litter tray, but I was on a poop hunt last night scouring the house for strays :oops:
 
Hi thanks for the replies, put some probiotic powder into his drinking water last night in the hope that things would get moving a bit (had them left over from last vet visit).

This morning he has about 6 poops in his tray which I am relieved about. Hopefully things will be moving along and getting back to normal now. Still not massively happy as it was just a few poops, but better than nothing. I wish he wouldn't scare me like this!!

I don't think I will be giving him any of those hard corn on the cob things you get at the petshop, as it says they're suitable for rabbits so I decided to buy him one as a treat after being having to go to vets twice last week and have injections. This is the only thing that he's had that's different, so I shall not be buying one again!!

Laura thanks for your reply, but I had only just seen it this morning - I was thinking that too but as he seemed so happy i decided to wait to this morning, and Cornishlass no he doesn't go outside, he's a free range indoor bun who normally always uses his litter tray, but I was on a poop hunt last night scouring the house for strays :oops:

That could've caused it, before I knew they weren't ideal I gave Charlie them and it stopped/slowed down the pooping, can you get some fresh pineapple or those bromelain tablets just to help things along, or some infacol, keep chasing him and give loads of hay, if the poops are smaller than usual and don't improve (ie get more abundant and bigger) then pop him to the vets- better to be safe.
 
is infacol that stuff you give to babies? I can pick some up on the way home from uni, how much should I give him?

His poops are a bit smaller than usual, will keep an eye on them.

Thanks!
 
those corn cob things should be banned - corn hulls are indigestible for rabbits and can cause a total blockage :? hopefully he's managing to pass it through if he's doing a few small poops - definitely wouldn't force feed if he's eating on his own, or let a vet give him metaclopromide, as it's likely there's a partial blockage made of these corn hulls and it needs bromelain tablets (one a day - holland and barret do 40mg chewable ones) which will help water soak in and keep it moving through, and also give water in a dish, warmed with a splash from the kettle, and put it right in front of him so he remembers to have a drink (my Benny is like that with forgetting it) - and fresh handfuls of hay as often as poss :)

I wouldn't rub his tummy incase you put pressure on the blockage, but encourage him to run about more and that will help his guts keep moving the corn husks along too - hopefully it will improve as the week goes on, but if he's not drinking much or goes quiet and looks uncomfortable, he will need painkillers from the vets and an injection of fluids - you should explain about the corn though as vets automatically give metaclop with stasis bunnies and it's not appropriate if they have a partial blockage (as I found sadly with my first stasis bunny - he'd been chewing roofing felt :( )
 
oh no! I now feel awful! Stupid me buying those things for him. :cry::oops:

I will just keep him running about then. He did seem to like being massaged last night tho. So Elve, do you think I should buy infacol too?

I just looked at the holland and barratt website for bromelain tablets are these the ones? The pineapple ones?

Do i just give him the whole tablet, or crush it up in his food? :?

EDIT I still have some metacam left over which is within it's shelf-life. Is this ok to use if he does look in pain? As I read on the leaflet that it shouldn't be used with GI problems as non steroidal anti-inflammatories can interfere with the GI tract. Is this the pain relief the vet would give him??
 
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As he has had a UTI and is now passing sludgey wee I think his reduced GI motility may actually be a secondary symptom of bladder discomfort. If he has a lot of calcium deposit building up in his bladder ( the thick sludge he passed is calcium ) this will cause cystitis like discomfort and possible infection. A Bun's guts 'automatically' slow down in response to pain. I think it would be a good idea to pop him back to the Vets to see if he/she can feel any bladder sludge/stones. Treating reduced GI motility is obviously important but it is essential to treat the primary cause too.

Janex :)
 
oh no! I now feel awful! Stupid me buying those things for him. :cry::oops:

I will just keep him running about then. He did seem to like being massaged last night tho. So Elve, do you think I should buy infacol too?

I just looked at the holland and barratt website for bromelain tablets are these the ones? The pineapple ones?

Do i just give him the whole tablet, or crush it up in his food? :?

EDIT I still have some metacam left over which is within it's shelf-life. Is this ok to use if he does look in pain? As I read on the leaflet that it shouldn't be used with GI problems as non steroidal anti-inflammatories can interfere with the GI tract. Is this the pain relief the vet would give him??

yep those are the tablets I use when they're moulting (like they all are at the mo) - my bunnies were deeply suspicious at first but now they go mad for their 'pineapple sweetie' and the 4 girls stand in a line waiting - sooo cute :lol:

If he likes tummy rubs then follow your instincts as you are his mum, but be gentle :)

not sure about metacam - I think my vet uses rimadyl but I haven't taken a stasis bun to the vets since that first experience - syringing water and infacol (yes I give 1ml infacol and 10ml water every hour when they are bad - at the lying down in pain stage) - I put asprin in my water but that's highly controversial I guess :)
 
I just got back from uni and there are a lot more poops in his tray now. he was very excited to see me and has been running around. I gave him a bromelaim tablet straight away and he munched it happily. He is now lying on my knee having some nose rubs as i type (one handed).


As he has had a UTI and is now passing sludgey wee I think his reduced GI motility may actually be a secondary symptom of bladder discomfort. If he has a lot of calcium deposit building up in his bladder ( the thick sludge he passed is calcium ) this will cause cystitis like discomfort and possible infection. A Bun's guts 'automatically' slow down in response to pain. I think it would be a good idea to pop him back to the Vets to see if he/she can feel any bladder sludge/stones. Treating reduced GI motility is obviously important but it is essential to treat the primary cause too.

Janex :)

He was last at the vets in Friday after finishing his week of baytril and metacam. she had a good firm feel of his bladder (as did the other vet we saw the week before when she prescribed his meds) and neither of them could feel anything. she did ask me if his wee had been sludgy but at that point it hadn't. I have slightly reduced his veg since i noticed his wee, just to eliminate any excess calcium he might be taking in. I have been checking thoroughly since my first vet visit and it was the one and only time i noticed sludgy wee, and it was the day after i had given him his corn cob thing :)oops:) so i think it is either because of that or coincidence (from too much veg at same time).

But I understand what you are saying and will be very vigilant at checking for any signs. He already seems a lot perkier tonight. O/H is enjoying getting to run round with him and wind him up lol.

I appreciate all the advice and will not hesitate to take him to the vet if the situation doesn't change (I have insurance so money isn't a worry)
 
awww glad he's OK :) If you encourage him to drink more that will help him pass calcium through as well. When I thought one of my piggies had stones I found this info http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/cystitis.htm and there are some good natural remedies on it for bladder problems, noteably the barley water. Also he mentions at the bottom that couch grass is good for this - it's that awful grass with runners that spreads everywhere so it's nice to know it has a use :roll: and he mentions a tincure of bearberry and echinicea - I found this one but didn't get around to using it as my piggie died https://www.yourhealthfoodstore.co.uk/details.php/p128_a_vogel_uva_ursi_complex.html uva ursi is bearberry :)
 
Ditto. I gave my bun those bromelaim tablet once a week, and since they are pineapple/papaya chew, it tastes good and they love it.
 
Awh thanks guys. He has pooped about the a little bit more overnight last night, so I feel a bit more relaxed. It's not quite as much as normal yet but I'm sure it will be soon. I'm just glat there is definitely movement!

He is drinking quite a lot now too, Elve. I put a dish down as well as his bottle and he would still rather sit at his bottle and drink for about 10 mins at a time ;)

I also already have some echinacea which is handy so I've given him some and will look into the others too. Sorry to hear about your piggy :(

I feel bad about having given him that sweetcorn thing :roll: :oops:stupid me. It will not be happening again! I remember seeing that our local P@H had one in the rabbit pen a while back too :roll:
 
Don't worry about it, I gave them to Charlie every week until I found out they were bad for them and then I binned them all (they were on 3 for 2). If places sell them as a natural treat for rabbits then your going to buy them, I've pretty much given up buying treats for mine now, they go nuts for extra pellets and their veg. I buy naturals stuff but not the ones with egg or millet seed, mine are fond of the fenugreek crunchies and carrot pellets (carrot ones are better for them) or I stuff toilet roll tubes with hay and dried herbs with a few pellets and wrap in brown paper- that keeps them occupied for a while. The odd bit of fruit goes down well too- they don't know any different. Glad to hear he's a lot better :)
 
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