MimzMum
Wise Old Thumper
Hello all, I have a question for anyone knowledgeable on these subjects.
I continue to have issues with Pip, who went into full blown stasis at the beginning of the week and still appears to be having some difficulty. (Please see this thread: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?442904-Pip-U-D-post-55-Fully-recovered-I-hope-%29 )
I ran out of the usual hay that they eat earlier in the week and thought that might be why she went into ileus, as she didn't seem to eat at all after I couldn't provide it and then stopped drinking too. The result was an overnight stay in hospital that I would certainly not like to repeat. Jane thought it was cystitis (and considering Pip's past problems, I tend to agree) so I had the vet check Pip's urine but they claim they only found crystals and thought the whole thing was just a freak stasis episode.
The reorder of hay arrived yesterday and I gave them all some last night. It's a third cut timothy with no seedheads and little stalky bits, easier for old bunny teeth to chew. They've enjoyed this hay for years and except for a bad batch last summer full of brown leaf and that had us all itching from straw mites, it's been darned good stuff.
So after having a bit of this new box of timothy, I noticed today that Pip is starting to hold herself a bit funny again, lifting her tail and leaving small piddles in places other than her litterbox. She was not doing this after she recovered from her stasis and was eating only a small amount of oat hay and orchard grass by Oxbow.
I also saw some alarming color to a spot on her bedding today that I would swear was blood, but not sure if it came from her front or rear end as it looked like a mark she might have made while licking up the crumbs of her favorite treat on her bedding. I don't see anything resembling blood on either end of her, but that was what it looked like to me. I realize that certain foods can cause bunny urine to resemble blood but I've only seen a rust color come from her before, this looked really different. She did piddle a bit on a puppy pad about an hour ago that just looks brownish and silty...no sign of red or orange coloring.
Naturally I did not discover this until after hours again. I've been with her all day though and not noticed any other odd behaviour other than the occasional lifting tail and a bit more grumpiness on her part. Her eyes don't look as 'relaxed' as they were after she recovered from being at the vets. It's also stoking today (temps in the 70's-80's F) and I think we're all a little grouchy as a result. But what has alarmed me more is that she's not really drinking much again and in this heat that is imperative.
I cleared all the timothy out of her enclosure this morning and only replaced it with orchard. Tonight she is happily munching away at it and seems a bit better, not quite so tense. The ambient temperature has cooled considerably. I also had to clean her anal glands, they were packed full and I'm shocked the vet didn't do it, they had to have seen it since they obviously cleaned the rest of her botty and feet on Tuesday/Wednesday.
She is in and out of the litterbox and I'm not sure if it's to pee or poo, but at least she's not tummy pressing from what I can see. But I am now concerned that the timothy may have something else in it that is causing these episodes of bladder discomfort in her and I want to avoid it at all costs. (And of course I just shipped this box up, 25 lbs of it, and can't seem to use it for her, not sure I should use it for any of them, but Mimzy will only eat this or oat hay so I kind of have no choice with him. )
I am finding some odd weed like pieces that I actually had to wrangle one away from her last night. I'm not certain what it was and didn't think to keep it to show to either the vet or try to identify online, like the idiot I am. :roll: However, it is not a weed that I haven't seen before in this hay, much more so in the last few years and it tends to show up right before the quality of this hay goes pear shaped for awhile.
So on to my question after all that drivel...can timothy cause cystitis? Or oat? Or could there be something like alfalfa in the timothy (perhaps this was the weed I saw) that Pip is finding and eating that would be the source of her bladder issues?
Many TIA for any and all replies. :wave: xxxx
I continue to have issues with Pip, who went into full blown stasis at the beginning of the week and still appears to be having some difficulty. (Please see this thread: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?442904-Pip-U-D-post-55-Fully-recovered-I-hope-%29 )
I ran out of the usual hay that they eat earlier in the week and thought that might be why she went into ileus, as she didn't seem to eat at all after I couldn't provide it and then stopped drinking too. The result was an overnight stay in hospital that I would certainly not like to repeat. Jane thought it was cystitis (and considering Pip's past problems, I tend to agree) so I had the vet check Pip's urine but they claim they only found crystals and thought the whole thing was just a freak stasis episode.
The reorder of hay arrived yesterday and I gave them all some last night. It's a third cut timothy with no seedheads and little stalky bits, easier for old bunny teeth to chew. They've enjoyed this hay for years and except for a bad batch last summer full of brown leaf and that had us all itching from straw mites, it's been darned good stuff.
So after having a bit of this new box of timothy, I noticed today that Pip is starting to hold herself a bit funny again, lifting her tail and leaving small piddles in places other than her litterbox. She was not doing this after she recovered from her stasis and was eating only a small amount of oat hay and orchard grass by Oxbow.
I also saw some alarming color to a spot on her bedding today that I would swear was blood, but not sure if it came from her front or rear end as it looked like a mark she might have made while licking up the crumbs of her favorite treat on her bedding. I don't see anything resembling blood on either end of her, but that was what it looked like to me. I realize that certain foods can cause bunny urine to resemble blood but I've only seen a rust color come from her before, this looked really different. She did piddle a bit on a puppy pad about an hour ago that just looks brownish and silty...no sign of red or orange coloring.
Naturally I did not discover this until after hours again. I've been with her all day though and not noticed any other odd behaviour other than the occasional lifting tail and a bit more grumpiness on her part. Her eyes don't look as 'relaxed' as they were after she recovered from being at the vets. It's also stoking today (temps in the 70's-80's F) and I think we're all a little grouchy as a result. But what has alarmed me more is that she's not really drinking much again and in this heat that is imperative.
I cleared all the timothy out of her enclosure this morning and only replaced it with orchard. Tonight she is happily munching away at it and seems a bit better, not quite so tense. The ambient temperature has cooled considerably. I also had to clean her anal glands, they were packed full and I'm shocked the vet didn't do it, they had to have seen it since they obviously cleaned the rest of her botty and feet on Tuesday/Wednesday.
She is in and out of the litterbox and I'm not sure if it's to pee or poo, but at least she's not tummy pressing from what I can see. But I am now concerned that the timothy may have something else in it that is causing these episodes of bladder discomfort in her and I want to avoid it at all costs. (And of course I just shipped this box up, 25 lbs of it, and can't seem to use it for her, not sure I should use it for any of them, but Mimzy will only eat this or oat hay so I kind of have no choice with him. )
I am finding some odd weed like pieces that I actually had to wrangle one away from her last night. I'm not certain what it was and didn't think to keep it to show to either the vet or try to identify online, like the idiot I am. :roll: However, it is not a weed that I haven't seen before in this hay, much more so in the last few years and it tends to show up right before the quality of this hay goes pear shaped for awhile.
So on to my question after all that drivel...can timothy cause cystitis? Or oat? Or could there be something like alfalfa in the timothy (perhaps this was the weed I saw) that Pip is finding and eating that would be the source of her bladder issues?
Many TIA for any and all replies. :wave: xxxx