Orange Urine

[zenyah65]

Hi All,

I took Flops to the vet yesterday as the past day or two his urine seemed to be Orange and possibly have a little bit of blood in it, maybe slightly sludgy also.. the vet advised it could be Cysitis and has precribed Metacam twice a day and if it doesn't clearly within 4 days to go back for some xrays

They have access to fresh water in bowls and also a bottle but I'm not sure they use the bowls just yet. He is eating fine and I haven't fed him anything like carrots or peppers which could again his pee, I was just wondering whether anyone else have experienced this and what the most likely causes could be?

He eats plenty of a Timothy and meadow hay mix.

Any information would be great [emoji4]

Thanks all [emoji4]

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[tonibun]

Without being able to see the urine it is difficult to diagnose, but foods like fresh grass and Dandelions can make a rabbit's wee look different...It's usually nothing to worry about and I would imagine if a rabbit had Cystitis he would be quieter and probably off his food. The sludge is possibly an excess of Calcium which they excrete normally. So just monitor him as the Vet said. Didn't he prescribe any anti-biotics and how old is bunny?

 

[zenyah65]

Thank you, he actually has had a few fresh dandelions lately and does have access to the grass. I would say maybe he is a little quieter but still happy enough for some binkie!

Flop is about 1 and a half years old. The vet didn't prescribe antibiotics only Metacam.

I have also not yet been forgiven for taken him to see the vet..

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[Jack's-Jane]

Hi All,

I took Flops to the vet yesterday as the past day or two his urine seemed to be Orange and possibly have a little bit of blood in it, maybe slightly sludgy also.. the vet advised it could be Cysitis and has precribed Metacam twice a day and if it doesn't clearly within 4 days to go back for some xrays

They have access to fresh water in bowls and also a bottle but I'm not sure they use the bowls just yet. He is eating fine and I haven't fed him anything like carrots or peppers which could again his pee, I was just wondering whether anyone else have experienced this and what the most likely causes could be?

He eats plenty of a Timothy and meadow hay mix.

Any information would be great [emoji4]

Thanks all [emoji4]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

As Tonibun said, Orangey/Red urine can be caused by plant pigments in the diet.

Did the Vet do a dip test on a urine sample to check for the presence of blood/infection ?

Sludge in the urine can indicate 'bladder sludge'- a build up of calcium deposits in the bladder that can cause irritation/infection/cystitis/pain. The following links may be useful to read

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/generalities/Sludge.htm

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/further-reading/urolithiasis/

https://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/blog/bladder-sludge-in-rabbits-and-guinea-pigs/

http://www.greendale.co.uk/rabbit_urinalysis.html

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...t-for-rabbits-with-urinary-tract-disease/view

 

[zenyah65]

Thank you for the links, there was no dips tick test as it's hard to get a urine sample from him, he gets pretty stressed at the vets and when travelling. He did have some staining around his pee pee area however.

I am hoping the Metacam will clear this up.

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[Jack's-Jane]

Thank you for the links, there was no dips tick test as it's hard to get a urine sample from him, he gets pretty stressed at the vets and when travelling. He did have some staining around his pee pee area however.

I am hoping the Metacam will clear this up.

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It may be that he will need a course of antibiotics as well as the Metacam if he has an active bacterial infection causing the symptoms of cystitis.

 

[bunny momma]

It may be that he will need a course of antibiotics as well as the Metacam if he has an active bacterial infection causing the symptoms of cystitis.

Agreed.

 

[zenyah65]

Thanks all, if the Metacam doesn't work then I will take him back to see the vet [emoji4]

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[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks all, if the Metacam doesn't work then I will take him back to see the vet [emoji4]

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:thumb:

 

[zenyah65]

Hi All,

Flop and Snow were due their booster today, I told the vet that Flop urine is still Orange and she wouldn't vaccinate him, the lady I have seen is not my usual vet and she has given me Baytril and I am to give Flop 0.57ml twice a day, and also continue with the Metacam at 0.78 twice a day which I think is too much drugs to give him in one day.. He is 2.3kg.

Is this normal? I just feel its very high..

There is photo of the wee of white tissue one is tinged Orange. I must add that Flop seems fine in himself he is eating as normal and has two bowls of fresh water and a bottle. He runs around, still binkies and still likes exploring. The vet asked me if he was depressed... She honestly made me feel awful as if I am doing something terribly wrong...

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[Omi]

I can't advise on the dosage, but my rabbits eat a lot of wild forage and their urine is very, very often orange. I think if I were you I would attempt to get a urine sample from Flops and ask the vet to test it. I would be a little concerned to give antibiotics unless there is an infection. Also, presumably if it can be established that the colour is purely plant pigments, then Flop could have his vaccination.

 

[tonibun]

You are not doing anything wrong, maybe a little over-cautious, but this isn't a bad thing where rabbits are concerned. Looking at the photo it doesn't look like anything to worry about, their wee can be a lot deeper orange than that, almost like blood at times. I would say, although I am not a Vet, that if your bunny is well in himself then if you can get a sample for the Vet, I would hold off the Baytril for a little while longer and get the sample tested.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Hi All,

Flop and Snow were due their booster today, I told the vet that Flop urine is still Orange and she wouldn't vaccinate him, the lady I have seen is not my usual vet and she has given me Baytril and I am to give Flop 0.57ml twice a day, and also continue with the Metacam at 0.78 twice a day which I think is too much drugs to give him in one day.. He is 2.3kg.

Is this normal? I just feel its very high..

There is photo of the wee of white tissue one is tinged Orange. I must add that Flop seems fine in himself he is eating as normal and has two bowls of fresh water and a bottle. He runs around, still binkies and still likes exploring. The vet asked me if he was depressed... She honestly made me feel awful as if I am doing something terribly wrong...

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As both Baytril and Metacam come in different strengths ( in mg/ml) I cant comment on the dose rate as I dont know what strengths were prescribed. Did the Vet test a urine sample this time ? The wee on the tissue does not really look abnormal to me, but without testing a urine specimen it's impossible to say for certain that there is no infection. I think what the Vet was trying to ascertain when she asked if he was 'depressed' was if he seemed unusually quiet and 'not right' within himself. I dont think the Vet was implying that you are doing anything wrong The Vet was trying to find out if your Bunny was showing any obvious signs of being unwell.

I assume you checked out this link that I posted previously ? It shows just how much the colour of a Rabbit's wee can vary

http://www.greendale.co.uk/rabbit_urinalysis.html

 

[zenyah65]

Hi Guys,

Thanks all for the comments, I think I will try and catch a wee sample and see if they can test this [emoji4] He hasn't really had any behavioural changes, it's hard to tell how much he drinks as they have a shed conversion and with work I cannot monitor them all of the time. I am trying to change them over from a bottle to bowls so they have both at the moment.

Thanks Jack's-Jane I have previously looked at the link and it is very helpful [emoji4]

Appreciate it, thanks all [emoji4] I will let you k ow how getting a wee sample works out!

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[zenyah65]

Still waiting to hear from the vets as to whether they can test a urine sample if I can get one from Flops.

I am really struggling to give him Baytril, usually I put the Metacam on his Lettuce and he knows its on there but will eventually eat it, I have tried this with the Baytril but he point blank refuses. I have tried putting it on his favourite which is Banana but he still refuses. Lastly I have tried wrapping him slightly in a towel and holding him on the floor between my legs, and lifting his cheek up to get the syringe in but he trashes around so much.

He is not a handled rabbit and certainly does not enjoy it, he likes affection (a stroke and a kiss) but he is very independent.

I don't want to stress him out so much to get a very small amount of Baytril into him, does anyone have any tricks or tips on otherways to get him to take it? [emoji4]

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[Amy104]

For some reason bunnies seem to love the taste of metacam but Baytril is really bitter, it would be a lot easier to syringe feed it. If you struggle keeping the rabbit still you can gently wrap it in a towel so you can administer the meds safely.

 

[tonibun]

You can try putting the Baytril onto a Shreddie or mixing it with baby food. I would be sure he needs it before I gave it.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Still waiting to hear from the vets as to whether they can test a urine sample if I can get one from Flops.

I am really struggling to give him Baytril, usually I put the Metacam on his Lettuce and he knows its on there but will eventually eat it, I have tried this with the Baytril but he point blank refuses. I have tried putting it on his favourite which is Banana but he still refuses. Lastly I have tried wrapping him slightly in a towel and holding him on the floor between my legs, and lifting his cheek up to get the syringe in but he trashes around so much.

He is not a handled rabbit and certainly does not enjoy it, he likes affection (a stroke and a kiss) but he is very independent.

I don't want to stress him out so much to get a very small amount of Baytril into him, does anyone have any tricks or tips on otherways to get him to take it? [emoji4]

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I am afraid 'firm but fair' may be the only way to get the Baytril into him. It is vile tasting, where-as Metacam is sweet. You need to be firm with the handling as if you are nervous too he'll struggle more. By 'firm' I dont mean rough, just assertive.

This video, made by a Former poster on RU, may show you another way to try

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfROVhKTMxI

 

[zenyah65]

Thanks all, thank you Jack's-Jane, I will give it another go, Flop is a very stubborn bunny who likes to hold a few grudges. I will let you know how it goes this evening with the Baytril [emoji4]

On another note, my rabbits don't seem to drink a lot of water and never really have done. When I first got them the were on bottles and I have recently changed from a hutch to a shed.

They have water bowls which they don't seem to use, I have only ever seen Snow drink out of it once whilst they had the hutch and I was building their new shed. They also have a bottle in a holder which they don't seem to drink from either now, I have added a few more bowls of water in the shed to try and encourage them to drink more. They still both wee so they must be getting water?

I feed them Romaine, Sweet Gem and Rocket as a base food daily (they seem to be a little bored of rocket now) - is it possible they are getting their water from their veggies?

Any other suggestions for daily veggies would be great [emoji4]

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[tonibun]

Your rabbits will certainly be getting a lot of fluid from the salad food you are feeding. I very rarely give mine Lettuce but prefer Spring Greens or very green Cabbage. Herbs are popular as well as is forage like fresh grass and Dandelions. There is a list of foods you can give if you look on the Rabbit Welfare Association's website, it's like the bunny bible. Yes, it's no wonder they aren't drinking much water. Do you also feed some Pellets and of course Hay? Just remembered you mentioned a little bit of staining underneath, this could be caused by too much Lettuce as this can make some rabbits have very wet poohs.