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Does anyone know anything about metabolic disease in rabbits?

I think she's referencing her other thread:



So I guess which metabolic diseases would account for high struvite crystal count?

Diabetes Insipidus ?

I had a Bun diagnosed with it.
He responded well to Desmopressin

Sorry for quick reply, will try to post more later.
 
Ive got my bun at the vets right now, the vet thinks she might have Diabetes, she is having more blood tests!
 
Sorry, for not being clear. I am just over whelmed. The vet did mention insipidus
diabetes and metabolic disease. For some reason I was thinking that it was 2 different things.

Julie does eat and drink all the time but her other vet thought that was normal for her. She pees on herself a couple times a day most days but is very active and acting her normal happy self within herself. She does get mad when I have to rinse the pee off. She is loosing weight but the doctor had me take her off all pellets. She is on hay and greens that are low in calcium. The vet says she can have unlimited hay and greens. Her hay is unlimited but if I gave her unlimited greens I would have to buy out every single grocery store in the state. She never seems to have enough. She is crazy hungry. Oh and the sore hocks seem to be sore when they are urine soaked. If I can wash them off often they look pretty good.
 
At first she said it would only be for 2 weeks before her second urine test. She wanted her to eat a lot of hay. The hay she said would make her drink more and the extra water and all the fiber from the hay would help her to pass the the oxalate calcium crystals. The greens would help with vitamins.

Now that the oxalate calcium test is 0-1 (it was greater than 50) she said that
she still didn't want her on pellets because the diet without pellets was working so well. I told her that she was loosing weight. She said not to be concerned about her weight. She was a little pudgy on her vet visit but she had said at that time she did not need to go on a diet just exercise an extra hour. Yesterday she told me if I was concerned about her weight not to weigh her.:roll: If I give her pellets they might block the crystals from peeing out. That is what she said.

Jane, does that sound right to you?
 
Sorry, for not being clear. I am just over whelmed. The vet did mention insipidus
diabetes and metabolic disease. For some reason I was thinking that it was 2 different things.

Julie does eat and drink all the time but her other vet thought that was normal for her. She pees on herself a couple times a day most days but is very active and acting her normal happy self within herself. She does get mad when I have to rinse the pee off. She is loosing weight but the doctor had me take her off all pellets. She is on hay and greens that are low in calcium. The vet says she can have unlimited hay and greens. Her hay is unlimited but if I gave her unlimited greens I would have to buy out every single grocery store in the state. She never seems to have enough. She is crazy hungry. Oh and the sore hocks seem to be sore when they are urine soaked. If I can wash them off often they look pretty good.

The two can be different things - diabetes insipidus is a metabolic disease, but there are others. I seem to remember she drinks a lot? eating and peeing a lot, losing weight despite a good appetite all are signs of diabetes. I think you're right that the sore hocks are probably a result of the urine scald. I dont know about rabbits, but dogs and cats with diabetes dont usually urinate on themselves though? :? If she's hyperactive it could be hyperthyroid? though never heard of it in rabbits (tho i am a student).

I'd be interested to know why he doesnt want her on pellets, as i'd have thought she need to maintain body condition? although perhaps there is a link with the crystals?:?
 
The two can be different things - diabetes insipidus is a metabolic disease, but there are others. I seem to remember she drinks a lot? eating and peeing a lot, losing weight despite a good appetite all are signs of diabetes. I think you're right that the sore hocks are probably a result of the urine scald. I dont know about rabbits, but dogs and cats with diabetes dont usually urinate on themselves though? :? If she's hyperactive it could be hyperthyroid? though never heard of it in rabbits (tho i am a student).

I'd be interested to know why he doesnt want her on pellets, as i'd have thought she need to maintain body condition? although perhaps there is a link with the crystals?:?


I am very confused about her peeing on herself and wondering if it is really part of her medical problem. Let me explain: She always pees in her litter box except when she is in her cage. She is not locked in the cage. It is a too small cage that I want to just do away with but she loves it. She has a water bottle and a hay basket in there. She has a water bowl and another source of hay in a different part of the kitchen. She is free ranged in the kitchen and has supervised hopping time in the rest of the house.

She spends most of her sleeping time between the cage and in a sleeping box
which is right next to her other hay source. Both are equal distance to the litter box but the cage is a straight shot. When she is in the sleeping box she actually has to go aound stuff. She never pees in the sleeping box just the cage. I have locked the cage for today and no pee accidents.

Okay now I have seen how she gets pee soaked in the cage. She is lying stretched out and the pee comes out and she continues to lay there.

I have tried to put a liter box in the cage. As I said the cage is small. She can't stretch out with the box in there and pulls it and flips it trying to pull the box out of the cage.

Even stranger, she will sleep under the kitchen table or in different parts of the the house all stretched out and does not pee. She hops back to the litter box.
 
I am very confused about her peeing on herself and wondering if it is really part of her medical problem. Let me explain: She always pees in her litter box except when she is in her cage. She is not locked in the cage. It is a too small cage that I want to just do away with but she loves it. She has a water bottle and a hay basket in there. She has a water bowl and another source of hay in a different part of the kitchen. She is free ranged in the kitchen and has supervised hopping time in the rest of the house.

She spends most of her sleeping time between the cage and in a sleeping box
which is right next to her other hay source. Both are equal distance to the litter box but the cage is a straight shot. When she is in the sleeping box she actually has to go aound stuff. She never pees in the sleeping box just the cage. I have locked the cage for today and no pee accidents.

Okay now I have seen how she gets pee soaked in the cage. She is lying stretched out and the pee comes out and she continues to lay there.

I have tried to put a liter box in the cage. As I said the cage is small. She can't stretch out with the box in there and pulls it and flips it trying to pull the box out of the cage.

Even stranger, she will sleep under the kitchen table or in different parts of the the house all stretched out and does not pee. She hops back to the litter box.

So the peeing might be behavioural? :? Have you tried making the entire cage into a litter tray? i.e. lining it with something waterproof like lino, then something soft and absorbent so she'll still want to lie on it eg megazorb, a towel, and hay on top for softness and munchies? perhaps then at least if she pees it will be absorbed quickly and she is less likely to get it all over herself.

If she only ever has accidents in that one spot, and when lying down, i'd be surprised if it was part of her condition, particularly if she is peeing properly elsewhere as well.
 
So the peeing might be behavioural? :? Have you tried making the entire cage into a litter tray? i.e. lining it with something waterproof like lino, then something soft and absorbent so she'll still want to lie on it eg megazorb, a towel, and hay on top for softness and munchies? perhaps then at least if she pees it will be absorbed quickly and she is less likely to get it all over herself.

If she only ever has accidents in that one spot, and when lying down, i'd be surprised if it was part of her condition, particularly if she is peeing properly elsewhere as well.

I don't know what megazorb is. I did try putting a towel in there thinking that it might help. She actually pulled it out of the cage. She eats all litter as if it was dinner. I use Lonestar bedding in her litter box but have to cover it with a grate or she eats it. If I just put hay on top she knows and digs the litter up to eat it.

The cage has been locked up all day and no pee problems. She is trying desperately to get the cage open though.
 
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