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Excessive drinking & urinating.
- Thread starter Sooz
- Start date
lilbun
Warren Veteran
Although kidney disease is the most common cause other possibilities are diabetes melitus and diabetes insipidus (not sure whether rabbits get this). Pain can cause excessive thirst, as can heat. Thyroid problems cause excess thirst in cats and humans but i'm not sure about rabbits. E.c. can damage kidneys and cause pu/pd.
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
Dental problems can cause excessive drinking and consequent PU.
I have had one Bun with Diabetes Insipidus and he responded well to Desmopressin
I have had one Bun with Diabetes Insipidus and he responded well to Desmopressin
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
AFAIK testing for DM in Rabbits is not as straight forward as in other species (oh what a surprise
) I think several samples are needed at specific times of day.Hopefully Marie or rodneyvet will see this thread and help us out........again !!
Happy Hopping
Wise Old Thumper
Get your vet to feel the kidney, they can easily determine by touching it whether it's chronic kidney failure or not. Regardless whether it's chronic kidney failure or not, you should still take your bun to his urine spot every 2 hr. Rabbits love to sit at 1 spot and hold their urine until they really need to do their business.
I do this everyday. I take those 2 monkey to their spot just before I go to bed, then I wake up after my 4 hr. REM, I then take them to their spot, then I go back to bed. Then I wake up after the 8th hr., and I do the above again. So at night time, max. duration of my 2 buns holding urine is 4 hr.
During the day, I take all my buns to their urine spots every 2 to 3 hr., whether he needs to or not, as long as he is at that urine spot, his nature would be to do his business, this way, his kidney shouldn't get any worse. Remember, if they pee every 2 hr. or so, it doesn't really matter if both kidneys are fully functional
If it's in fact chronic kidney failure, it's highly possible that only 1 kidney is in chronic failure or partial failure, so to preserve the other good kidney, you have to do the above daily.
1 other thing, if your house has 2 level, make sure there is an urine spot on both levels. To create a new urine spot, all you need is to soak a towel w/ his urine, and put at a spot that you want him to do his business
I do this everyday. I take those 2 monkey to their spot just before I go to bed, then I wake up after my 4 hr. REM, I then take them to their spot, then I go back to bed. Then I wake up after the 8th hr., and I do the above again. So at night time, max. duration of my 2 buns holding urine is 4 hr.
During the day, I take all my buns to their urine spots every 2 to 3 hr., whether he needs to or not, as long as he is at that urine spot, his nature would be to do his business, this way, his kidney shouldn't get any worse. Remember, if they pee every 2 hr. or so, it doesn't really matter if both kidneys are fully functional
If it's in fact chronic kidney failure, it's highly possible that only 1 kidney is in chronic failure or partial failure, so to preserve the other good kidney, you have to do the above daily.
1 other thing, if your house has 2 level, make sure there is an urine spot on both levels. To create a new urine spot, all you need is to soak a towel w/ his urine, and put at a spot that you want him to do his business
I'm a bit baffled by your advice Jason, the rabbit in question has absolutely no problem in urinating at all....it's the fact the litter trays (one on each level) are now constantly saturated (and the rabbit then pee's anywhere and everywhere else) and a giant water bottle is lasting just 2 days that is worrying me.
Hugo's There
Wise Old Thumper
I have a pair of sisters with similar problems, kidney function etc is all fine, we still haven't got to the bottom of it :?
I had an elderly rescue bun who also had symptoms with no obvious cause...all his tests came back clear too.
Thanks for everyones input.
Jazzy B Bunny
Wise Old Thumper
Eclipse had this, Blood and urine tests found nothing
Snowberry
Wise Old Thumper
I was given the same advice by the same person when I had a problem with Graham drinking lots. Absolutely terrified me and Grahams cleared up with just some anti-biotics in the end.
I don't believe it's a UTI as the rabbit has been on various abx for nearly a year now, and as I said, isn't incontinent.
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
I don't believe it's a UTI as the rabbit has been on various abx for nearly a year now, and as I said, isn't incontinent.
Maybe that's your answer then :?
i have been told that rabbit do not get DM, however if it is never tested for 'because' they don't get it, how do they know it is rare?
We wondered if Kizzy might have had it, the problem is you need to run a fuctosamine test, which we did, we got the results back but the labs had no normal valus to compare it with (they didn't tell us that before we sent it off):roll:.
On another thread this came up and Marie said her practice often gets called for normal ranges for a fructosamine test because of this, so she will be able to tell you more.
I'm sure the vets on the forum can advise you better.
We wondered if Kizzy might have had it, the problem is you need to run a fuctosamine test, which we did, we got the results back but the labs had no normal valus to compare it with (they didn't tell us that before we sent it off):roll:.
On another thread this came up and Marie said her practice often gets called for normal ranges for a fructosamine test because of this, so she will be able to tell you more.
I'm sure the vets on the forum can advise you better.
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Can you explain why? I did wonder but had never heard of these symptoms in relation to antibiotic usage.
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
They can get DM but it is rare and less straightforward to diagnose. More than one blood test is required I believe.
Sorry my post ended abruptly, Tabatha head submitted it before I was ready:roll:, have editted and finished what I was trying to write.:lol:
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
I dont know !!
I have read that sometimes a Rabbit who has a chronic bacterial infection will drink more. All tests may give no answers as to why and in the article I read it was suggested that the increased drinking *might* be an instinctive response -like flushing out toxins.
I think the article was by Dana Krempels but I cant for the life of me remember where I found it !!
Ok thanks, I'll have a look tomorrow and see if I can find it. There are other options we need to rule out too though, so will start with those.
Cheers
