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Excess Drinking

D

Donald_DaisyDutch

New Kit
Hello All,

Hope you can help. Donald my 9 year old Dutch rabbit seems to be drinking an awful lot. I thought his water bottle was leaking so I bought a new one. I filled his new one up about 5pm last night and when I got in about midnight I realised that it was half empty. He is indoor and normally excellent health (apart from his teeth)

I know his age is old for a bunny but any advice would be great
 
Rabbits with a sore mouth often drink alot. Is he due a Dental (as you say he has Dental problems)
Impared Renal or Liver function can also cause excessive drinking. This is often accompanied by weightloss. Older Rabbits Kidney function may become less efficient and consequently they drink more and pass wee that is very dilute compared to what used to be 'normal' for them.
Diabetes is relatively rare in Rabbits and is not straightforward to acurately diagnose. Several blood tests are usually needed at specific stages in the digestive phases.
Renal damage as a result of Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (EC) will cause excessive drinking.

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/ecuniculi.htm

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result

I would consult your Vet to try to establish what is going on.
Good luck :)
 
what's the color of his urine? Is it almost clear all the time? Or is it yellow or milky orange-yellow?

Since your bun is somewhat in the senior age, regardless whether he has chronic kidney problem or not, one thing you could help your bun is to take him to his urine spot every 2 hr. Rabbits love to sit at 1 spot and hold their urine until they really need to go.

1 of my bridge bun Little Happy was suspected to have chronic kidney failure. In the end, he passed away due to cancer, so the above doesn't affect him. But I did notice his urine color is quite transparent (clear). And he loves to hold his urine until he really needs to pee.

Since then, I take all my buns to their urine spots whether I see them sit at 1 spot for too long. Give the above a try, there is nothing to loose.

Remember, if they pee every 2 hr. or so, it doesn't really matter if both kidneys are fully functional
 
Absolutely 100% agree with Jane - get to the vet! I've been through the same the thing and there are so many things that could be causing it. Really hope your bunny is better soon!
 
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