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Rabbit not herself, please help

P

pyates

Young Bun
Hi everyone, my Millie has been a bit out of sorts for a while now. About 3 weeks ago I started to notice her urine was becoming very orange and even red with possible blood. She was also less litter trained, but it was not a total loss. I took her to the vet and he thought it could be UTI so we came home with Baytril. After about 3 days she started to improve and I stopped seeing the possible blood.
Now about a week later she has started to produce quite a lot of wet cecotropes every evening and of course doesn't eat them. This has happened for 4 days now. She is producing dry droppings the rest of the day although they are somewhat smaller than usual. I think her urine has started to smell a bit fishy, unless she is urinating out of the tray in places I can't see. . This evening i thought i saw a small trace of blood in her litter tray again but I can't be sure. She's eating, but not as much as usual, and not as crazy active and not going out as much. Generally a bit down.
I took her back to the vets yesterday and they took some bloods. Results won't be back for another couple of days. I have read about ISC (Intermittent Soft Cecotropes) and I dont think her case is diet related, so that means it could be a sign of something more sinister. Does anyone know what this might be? I have a terrible feeling this is something serious and am desperately worried.
 
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Baytril may be affecting her cecotropes. Antibiotics can affect gut flora, and hence the cecotropes won't be the same.
Is she on any pain relief as well (eg metacam)? It can help a lot and often helps to improve appetite.
Is she eating normally? Were her back teeth checked when you went to the vet? Spurs can reduce the amount they eat and the preference for different types of food.
Does she have access to water at all times? Bowls tend to be better than bottles to get them to drink more, which is important with UTIs.
Did your vet get a urine sample to test? It's usually an on the spot test (eg visual, dipstick, microscopy)
Rabbit urine can change colour quite dramatically with certain plant pigments eg dandelion leaves. It can go through a range of colours (white, orange, brown) up to looking like blood.

I would contact your vet again with an update, and preferably a urine sample to test. She may need more / different antibiotics, for instance. It's worth keeping an eye on her weight as well (weigh her weekly) and top up feeds with eg Critical Care (syringe feed or off a saucer) if needed.
 
Is she spayed ?

If the course of Baytril was only 7-10 days this is often not long enough for UTI infections. Infection often being deep within the bladder wall. A course of at least 14 days is often needed.

Bladder sludge could also be involved. A build up of calcium deposits in the bladder eventually resulting in a thick sludge that irritates the bladder wall causing recurrent cystitis and UTIs. Eventually bladder stones can form, the kidneys can be effected too.

I would go back to the Vet and request further diagnostics including urinalysis, blood test for checking renal function and possibly abdominal Xrays to check for bladder sludge/ stones

If she isn’t spayed then of course the risk of Uterine Adenocarcinoma has to be considered

The cecotroph problem might be the result of her being on abx. You could try giving her some Fibreplex for 5-7 days, it might help.

https://www.animeddirect.co.uk/prot...KVHIQ0WNCfOg58WkxV9-ULqqeC6diaHUaAg6_EALw_wcB

You can buy it from your Vet but it is likely to cost you A LOT more.
 
Thanks for the fast replies, this is really appreciated:

@Shimmer
-re Baytril, she was only on a 5 day course and its now 10 days or more since this completed. Do you think this could still be affecting her?
-she's not on any pain relief yet, but I agree it could be helpful
-She's not eating as well as usual, her back teeth were checked visually as far as possible at the time of the first visit
-no urine test yet, I agree it looks like the next step

@InspectorMorse
-yes, the course was only 5 days (1 injection at the vets and 4 days at home). Should I ask my vet about this short time, I know he is always warning against too much use of abx in rabbits?
-he did mention bladder sludge/stones as a possibility, but went straight for UTI to eliminate that first
-she is spayed
-as I mentioned to @Shimmer she finished her 5 day abx course at least 10 days ago, could this still be affecting her?
-re Fibreplex, I did actually give her some probiotic pellets (Protexin) whilst she was on the meds

So it looks like a urine test is a good next step, I will call the vet this morning and arrange. The blood test results should be available tomorrow or Friday.
 
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I have no more to say than the above great advice given already but I hope she starts to improve soon!
 
I would say that the course of abx was just not long enough. I would ask for a urinalysis to establish the exact bacteria involved and identify the best abx to treat it with.

I have never known of a case of a severe UTI resolve with just 5 days of Baytril.
 
OK so urine sample delivered to the vets. Tomorrow we should have both blood and urine test results and hopefully better see what the problem is. Thanks again everyone.
 
pyates said:
OK so urine sample delivered to the vets. Tomorrow we should have both blood and urine test results and hopefully better see what the problem is. Thanks again everyone.
Click to expand...

The urine sample needs to undergo Microscopic, culture and sensitivity testing. This takes a few days as the culture has to grow so the bacteria can be identified.
 
OK so bloods came back fairly normal (phew!), and urine test (just a simple one, not culture) didn't show anything such as blood in urine. No sign of any more infection so I'm told. So next step will be to probably sedate and have a proper look at the back teeth, I think previously it was just a cursory look whilst she was conscious which I know is always a bit inconclusive. I did notice the last 2 or 3 days she seems to leave the stalk of the hard broccoli piece until last or even overnight, whereas previously she always demolished it straight away, so maybe there is a tooth issue.
 
pyates said:
OK so bloods came back fairly normal (phew!), and urine test (just a simple one, not culture) didn't show anything such as blood in urine. No sign of any more infection so I'm told. So next step will be to probably sedate and have a proper look at the back teeth, I think previously it was just a cursory look whilst she was conscious which I know is always a bit inconclusive. I did notice the last 2 or 3 days she seems to leave the stalk of the hard broccoli piece until last or even overnight, whereas previously she always demolished it straight away, so maybe there is a tooth issue.
Click to expand...

Has she ever had a dental before?
 
Millie's wet cecotrope problem seems to be getting worse. At first they were the exception rather than the rule, now it is the other way around with not that many normally formed dry droppings today. Also, before she finally passes the cecotropes, she will sit motionless in her litter tray for up to 10 or 15 minutes at a time. I was in the shed just now cleaning litter trays and feeding for about 45 minutes and she passed 3 lots of wet cecotropes.

She's still eating, but not as much and not as enthusiastically as usual. Given her situation I cut out the pellets and greens today, so she has only eaten hay, grass and a few leaves in the garden. Still drinking a bit. But not happy and not my Millie.

Does anyone know why the cecotrope problem would be getting worse and why she sits for ages in her tray? She is supposed to be having an anaesthetic tomorrow for a dental check but I'm wondering and worried if thats wise in her current condition? I'm also wondering if sharp teeth spurs could really be causing all this tummy upset and if there's another cause.
 
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I would follow your gut feeling and discuss it with your vet in the morning. They may reassess her and suggest other treatment or delaying the dental if they don't think she's fit for an anaesthetic.
 
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