Wasn't sure whether to put this in here or in health.
I am struggling with Poppy at the moment, and I am wondering what to try next. Both Bunny and Poppy have always had small, dark poos, and have been prone to stasis.
I have sort of reached what I would call a best case with their diet, but it really is such a balancing act, and I do still get it wrong sometimes. They have an eggcup of SS a day each, a handful of country garden herbs, and a scoop of profibre each. They used to have fresh veg, but cutting this out completely a few months ago, and introducing the pro-fibre has done wonders for the stasis risk, and we haven't had a single episode of stasis/gas since (touches wood!). I really kicked myself for not doing this sooner However, Poppy's output is still very 'unstable', and she has these bouts of sticky bottom
I have tried cutting down pellets a few times, but they both lose weight. Because they don't eat much hay, and don't seem to increase their hay intake enough if I cut out other things, I am so scared to reduce the pellets as it seems to be the only thing keeping the weight on. They have baled hay from a good farm, which does seem to rate above bagged hays for them.
What sorts of things can me and the vet try to get to the bottom of this? Would a poo sample/test be worth it, in case their is some nasty bug causing the upset? It is only Poppy that gets a mucky bottom, but they both have poor poops. Are there other diagnostics I can ask about? Should we do a head x-ray to see if there are teeth problems inside? Their teeth are checked regularly externally, but we've not had an x-ray to see what is going on inside the skull. What order should we try things in? Are there any other diet-related things I can try?
Thanks for any advice. I am keen to go to the vet with as much info/questions as possible
I am struggling with Poppy at the moment, and I am wondering what to try next. Both Bunny and Poppy have always had small, dark poos, and have been prone to stasis.
I have sort of reached what I would call a best case with their diet, but it really is such a balancing act, and I do still get it wrong sometimes. They have an eggcup of SS a day each, a handful of country garden herbs, and a scoop of profibre each. They used to have fresh veg, but cutting this out completely a few months ago, and introducing the pro-fibre has done wonders for the stasis risk, and we haven't had a single episode of stasis/gas since (touches wood!). I really kicked myself for not doing this sooner However, Poppy's output is still very 'unstable', and she has these bouts of sticky bottom
I have tried cutting down pellets a few times, but they both lose weight. Because they don't eat much hay, and don't seem to increase their hay intake enough if I cut out other things, I am so scared to reduce the pellets as it seems to be the only thing keeping the weight on. They have baled hay from a good farm, which does seem to rate above bagged hays for them.
What sorts of things can me and the vet try to get to the bottom of this? Would a poo sample/test be worth it, in case their is some nasty bug causing the upset? It is only Poppy that gets a mucky bottom, but they both have poor poops. Are there other diagnostics I can ask about? Should we do a head x-ray to see if there are teeth problems inside? Their teeth are checked regularly externally, but we've not had an x-ray to see what is going on inside the skull. What order should we try things in? Are there any other diet-related things I can try?
Thanks for any advice. I am keen to go to the vet with as much info/questions as possible