• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Cystitis/blood in urine

Elliegirl

Elliegirl

Young Bun
This is just asking for others experiences and thoughts. Poppy is under the vet already. On Friday I found a huge wee full of blood in the hutch she shares with her partner. Unsure who was responsible I separated them. It turned out it was Poppy and off we went to the vets. She was given baytril for 5 days. Yesterday was her last dose. I have 4 rabbits who are fed the exact same diet and the other 3 have no urine discoloration at all. As a VN I am 99% this is blood. Pebbles was a bit 'off' Friday afternoon/Saturday but by Sunday had picked up. Yesterday was a good day but at 9pm I found another huge blood red wee in the hutch and she was a touch 'off' again. This morning she refused her nuggets and ate very little greens. I've noticed she's gone from regular grooming of her hubby to not at all. I went to get her from the hutch to go the vet this afternoon and the nuggets had gone but she was lying down, stretched out, I had to look to be sure she was ok.

The vet again palpated her bladder/abdo and can still feel no obvious stones and this time no abs but metacam as he suspects she's possibly in pain (wish he'd given me that on first visit) We both suspect she is holding her urine because of pain which is why the huge ones, inbetween it's much smaller ones with less blood. She is approx. 2 years old and neutered.

Any one have any experience of bladder infections/stones etc. Interested to hear your thoughts. She's a foster bunny so have to use rescues choice of vet :(

Thanks in advance xx
 
My rabbit about 5 years ago had bleeding and it turned out to be cancer! Not saying it is, so I don't want to scare you.
 
Last edited:
I'm a veterinary nurse and I imagine all scenarios, I'm hard to scare! TY it's something I've thought of but its early days so everything crossed not xx
 
Bladder infections can be caused by bladder sludge, even if there are no actual stones present. If your Doe has not been fully emptying her bladder calcium deposits (which form the sludge) are likely to continue to build up and exacerbate any inflammation already present.

Has the Vet suggested diuresis/abdominal Xrays ?

Has a urinalysis been done ?

Whilst Baytril can be useful for treating UTIs a 5 day course is seldom enough. The infection is often located deep within the bladder wall and a much longer course of treatment is usually needed. Also, a urinalysis may identify a more appropriate antibiotic to use.
 
Elliegirl said:
This is just asking for others experiences and thoughts. Poppy is under the vet already. On Friday I found a huge wee full of blood in the hutch she shares with her partner. Unsure who was responsible I separated them. It turned out it was Poppy and off we went to the vets. She was given baytril for 5 days. Yesterday was her last dose. I have 4 rabbits who are fed the exact same diet and the other 3 have no urine discoloration at all. As a VN I am 99% this is blood. Pebbles was a bit 'off' Friday afternoon/Saturday but by Sunday had picked up. Yesterday was a good day but at 9pm I found another huge blood red wee in the hutch and she was a touch 'off' again. This morning she refused her nuggets and ate very little greens. I've noticed she's gone from regular grooming of her hubby to not at all. I went to get her from the hutch to go the vet this afternoon and the nuggets had gone but she was lying down, stretched out, I had to look to be sure she was ok.

The vet again palpated her bladder/abdo and can still feel no obvious stones and this time no abs but metacam as he suspects she's possibly in pain (wish he'd given me that on first visit) We both suspect she is holding her urine because of pain which is why the huge ones, inbetween it's much smaller ones with less blood. She is approx. 2 years old and neutered.

Any one have any experience of bladder infections/stones etc. Interested to hear your thoughts. She's a foster bunny so have to use rescues choice of vet :(

Thanks in advance xx
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Forum Ellie, and sorry to hear about Poppy.

This could be due to a very bad bladder infection, as you've put in your header. Has the vet tested the urine for bacteria? It can still be done even though she's been on Baytril, as the lab can be told she has been taking that and make allowances for it.

You may need a much longer course of Baytril, as you probably already know. Once your vet has determined whether there's infection, or indeed if any calcium deposits show up (indicative of bladder sludge) then the antibiotics can be adjusted accordingly.

Has she had Metacam for her pain?
 
Blood in urine can also be caused by kidney issues so I would want those checked before giving metacam for the pain.

I would be asking for the urine to be tested and an ultrasound of the bladder and kidneys.

Good luck
 
Thanks guys, you've pretty much echoed my thoughts. She's def feeling better on metacam but still 'off'. I'm not overly chuffed with this vet but she's a rescue and I have to go with their instructions :(

If the metacam doesn't 'fix it' (no idea why it would).....but anyway if it doesn't then she's off back for tests. This vet is great to a point but I don't feel he is much of a rabbit man and is quite old school, he was shocked when I mentioned I'd given my gigs baytril once!! I expected to come away with more antibiotics as well as metacam but didn't.

Now I know others think the same I have ammo to try and get on with further tests

THANK YOU xx
 
Hi, my bunny Benji had blood in his urine, the emergency vet said he couldn't feel any stones and said it was an infection, I went to my own vets when they opened on the Monday and my vet did ultrasound and xray and there plain to see was a very large bladder stone! So I would strongly recommend asking for xrays etc as that is the only way you can be sure of what you are dealing with. Benji couldn't wee at all and was 'screaming' in pain, it was awful! Glad to say he has now fully recovered after having the stone removed, the stone was analysed in Florida, and it was found to be from calcium deposits caused by diet, so now I have cut out parsley and kale from his diet as they are very high in calcium, so only coriander fresh grass and lots of hay for Benji.:wave:
 
Elliegirl said:
Thanks guys, you've pretty much echoed my thoughts. She's def feeling better on metacam but still 'off'. I'm not overly chuffed with this vet but she's a rescue and I have to go with their instructions :(

If the metacam doesn't 'fix it' (no idea why it would).....but anyway if it doesn't then she's off back for tests. This vet is great to a point but I don't feel he is much of a rabbit man and is quite old school, he was shocked when I mentioned I'd given my gigs baytril once!! I expected to come away with more antibiotics as well as metacam but didn't.

Now I know others think the same I have ammo to try and get on with further tests

THANK YOU xx
Click to expand...

You're very welcome - glad to be of help :D

How long are you going to give it on the Metacam before going for further tests?
 
Hi Mighty Max. She started metacam Thursday and yesterday (Monday) she was back to her bouncy lively self though her urine is now old blood brown colour. Again today she is her usual lively self so I have held off dosing her with the metacam today but any sign of an issue I'll give her a dose. Question is this if her wee is still mis coloured do I take her back to the vets if she is otherwise well.....? Opinions welcome, especially as vet was so vague and left it up to me really! I may be a VN of over 25yrs but I can't make that kind of call, especially as she's not my rabbit!! xx
 
Elliegirl said:
Hi Mighty Max. She started metacam Thursday and yesterday (Monday) she was back to her bouncy lively self though her urine is now old blood brown colour. Again today she is her usual lively self so I have held off dosing her with the metacam today but any sign of an issue I'll give her a dose. Question is this if her wee is still mis coloured do I take her back to the vets if she is otherwise well.....? Opinions welcome, especially as vet was so vague and left it up to me really! I may be a VN of over 25yrs but I can't make that kind of call, especially as she's not my rabbit!! xx
Click to expand...

Without a test for bacteria/infection in the urine, you're basically shooting in the dark.

That's what I have done in the past, and it gives great info on the way forward.

Glad to hear she is well in herself otherwise :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Alicia
UTI?
Replies
5
Views
206
bunny momma
bunny momma
L
**UPDATE***Cleo's fluctuating weight :(
Replies
10
Views
273
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
a reader of books
Could Sophie get some vibes? Another dental
6 7 8
Replies
148
Views
3K
Babsie
B
Back
Top