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Advice Please - Tummy problems in an older rabbit

TheBee

TheBee

Mama Doe
Hi All,

I adopted a pair of nine year old rabbits from a rescue in September and they are overall in wonderful health. However we do seem to have an issue with Betsy’s tummy. Apologies for the photo but this is what I am waking up to at the moment. Aside from this, her poos are large, golden and perfectly formed! I have decided to cut out all wet food, veg etc as I suspect this could be a trigger as to what sets it off. I have also cut down her pellets from them sharing a reasonable handful to three or four each. She is seriously bereft at this as she lives for her food. They are good hay eaters. In herself, she is her normal, feisty self - no signs of illness or discomfort. There have always been bouts of this since she came to live her, but generally clear up after a few days.

What I am wondering is, what can I feed them to try and manage this? I don’t want them on a hay only diet, they are nine years old and their food is a major source of happiness for them. I looked at hay based pellets, but am concerned re what is actually in them in terms of some are very high calcium etc. I don’t want to do more harm than good. Is there a pellet made entirely from hay does anyone know? Also, what dried forage are favourites? Since I’ve had them she’s been massively unimpressed by anything remotely forage like, I think she likes something a bit more substantial!

Any help or advice much appreciated.

Thank you x

 
Last edited:
TheBee said:
Hi All,

I adopted a pair of nine year old rabbits from a rescue in September and they are overall in wonderful health. However we do seem to have an issue with Betsy’s tummy. Apologies for the photo but this is what I am waking up to at the moment. Aside from this, her poos are large, golden and perfectly formed! I have decided to cut out all wet food, veg etc as I suspect this could be a trigger as to what sets it off. I have also cut down her pellets from them sharing a reasonable handful to three or four each. She is seriously bereft at this as she lives for her food. They are good hay eaters. In herself, she is her normal, feisty self - no signs of illness or discomfort. There have always been bouts of this since she came to live her, but generally clear up after a few days.

What I am wondering is, what can I feed them to try and manage this? I don’t want them on a hay only diet, they are nine years old and their food is a major source of happiness for them. I looked at hay based pellets, but am concerned re what is actually in them in terms of some are very high calcium etc. I don’t want to do more harm than good. Is there a pellet made entirely from hay does anyone know? Also, what dried forage are favourites? Since I’ve had them she’s been massively unimpressed by anything remotely forage like, I think she likes something a bit more substantial!

Any help or advice much appreciated.

Thank you x

Click to expand...

There looks to be a lot of mucous passed which is usually indicative of inflammation within the GI tract. Personally my first step would be to consult a Vet as even though Betsy is 'well within herself' repeatedly having episodes of passing mucous with fecal/cecal poo is not 'normal'.

As well as a full examination the Vet may suggest some diagnostics such as a full blood profile and testing of a sample of her poo.

Has Betsy ever been wormed ?

Is she maintaining her weight ?

Does she seem to drink a lot of water ?

With regards to her diet, there are pellets which are nothing but 100% grass. For example https://www.dengie.com/horse-feeds/grass-range/grass-pellets/

As I said, before making any big dietary changes I would want to consult a Vet to try to establish if Betsy's symptoms are related to any physiological problem as opposed to a dietary problem. Good luck :)
 
Thanks for the response. We did see our vet with this a few months ago, but I can re book her in to be seen again. It might be that the photo is misleading due to the puppy pad, but there was no mucous that I could see - just very runny (liquid?) poo. She is maintaining weight and was last wormed when she came to me, but again this can be repeated without issue. I may ask the vet to do a test of a sample, as whilst it isn’t affecting her quality of life I am loathe to go down the blood test road. At almost ten years old I wouldn’t put her through anything invasive. I will definitely have a look at those pellets also, thank you.
 
It's definitely worth getting her checked over at the vet - rabbits can go downhill very quickly, so nipping things in the bud before they get out of control and need more stressful or invasive treatment can only be a good thing. Blood tests are fairly routine and are often done with no sedation from a vein on the outside of the ear, so there is just a small shaved area. She would probably need one if she does get any worse, so, again, it is worth considering doing it now rather than later so that her general health can be properly assessed. External examination has its limitations.

There are different brands of pellets available. Some seem to cause more issues than others in sensitive individuals. Others on here may be able to advise better. Grass-only pellets seem to be a decent compromise.

As for the greens, you could try some high fibre forage such as bramble leaves, willow twigs & leaves, apple twigs & leaves, etc. which usually go down well and are beneficial to a rabbit's digestion. Whatever you do, make any dietary changes slowly to avoid further upset.
 
TheBee said:
Hi All,

I adopted a pair of nine year old rabbits from a rescue in September and they are overall in wonderful health. However we do seem to have an issue with Betsy’s tummy. Apologies for the photo but this is what I am waking up to at the moment. Aside from this, her poos are large, golden and perfectly formed! I have decided to cut out all wet food, veg etc as I suspect this could be a trigger as to what sets it off. I have also cut down her pellets from them sharing a reasonable handful to three or four each. She is seriously bereft at this as she lives for her food. They are good hay eaters. In herself, she is her normal, feisty self - no signs of illness or discomfort. There have always been bouts of this since she came to live her, but generally clear up after a few days.

What I am wondering is, what can I feed them to try and manage this? I don’t want them on a hay only diet, they are nine years old and their food is a major source of happiness for them. I looked at hay based pellets, but am concerned re what is actually in them in terms of some are very high calcium etc. I don’t want to do more harm than good. Is there a pellet made entirely from hay does anyone know? Also, what dried forage are favourites? Since I’ve had them she’s been massively unimpressed by anything remotely forage like, I think she likes something a bit more substantial!

Any help or advice much appreciated.

Thank you x

Click to expand...


Hi there

I've had a similar issue with a rabbit of mine and I found that changing the pellet feed made a whole lot of difference. I too couldn't go down the hay only route.

You could take a sample to the vet to be tested. Mucous and runny poo often indicates inflammation in the colon:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/drop/Drp_en.htm

You could also try Fibafirst sticks, which I find keep the weight on and don't upset the tummy (at least here they don't!)

https://supremepetfoods.com/fiba-first-2/


Or maybe try this alternative?

https://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-food...care-plus-digestive-health-formula-1kg-p-5639
 
TheBee said:
Thanks for the response. We did see our vet with this a few months ago, but I can re book her in to be seen again. It might be that the photo is misleading due to the puppy pad, but there was no mucous that I could see - just very runny (liquid?) poo. She is maintaining weight and was last wormed when she came to me, but again this can be repeated without issue. I may ask the vet to do a test of a sample, as whilst it isn’t affecting her quality of life I am loathe to go down the blood test road. At almost ten years old I wouldn’t put her through anything invasive. I will definitely have a look at those pellets also, thank you.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you have seen these links

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/drop/Drp_en.htm

https://rabbit.org/the-mystery-of-rabbit-poop/
 
Shimmer said:
It's definitely worth getting her checked over at the vet - rabbits can go downhill very quickly, so nipping things in the bud before they get out of control and need more stressful or invasive treatment can only be a good thing. Blood tests are fairly routine and are often done with no sedation from a vein on the outside of the ear, so there is just a small shaved area. She would probably need one if she does get any worse, so, again, it is worth considering doing it now rather than later so that her general health can be properly assessed. External examination has its limitations.

There are different brands of pellets available. Some seem to cause more issues than others in sensitive individuals. Others on here may be able to advise better. Grass-only pellets seem to be a decent compromise.

As for the greens, you could try some high fibre forage such as bramble leaves, willow twigs & leaves, apple twigs & leaves, etc. which usually go down well and are beneficial to a rabbit's digestion. Whatever you do, make any dietary changes slowly to avoid further upset.
Click to expand...


I agree with Shimmer :)

There's also a good thread about fibre and rabbits' tummies:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ried-given-your-stasis-prone-buns-tree-leaves


And I wonder if any of the poo looks like something in this link that I posted first:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/drop/Drp_en.htm ??
 
Thanks for all the advice. Don’t worry, I have rescued/rehomed and owned hundreds of rabbits so I realise how fast they can get poorly/about sudden dietary change etc, however I have never experienced this particular issue before. I’m not overly concerned as although I know that something is not right, she is fine in and between and this has been ongoing since September. I definitely don’t want to go down the blood tests route yet, though.

I had forgotten all about Fibafirst, that is definitely something I will introduce more as that would be a perfect solution to her feeling like she hasn’t eaten – she’s beside herself watching me feed the others! Mightymax, what did you change the diet to/from to make the difference please?

She’s on Selective which I’ve fed ever since I started keeping rabbits many years ago, and I dont believe that it is the pellets particularly causing the issue, but could be a contributing factor. I definitely think that greens are, too. Despite the symptoms not displaying for a day or two after consuming veg, there is a definite link, I’m sure.

I’m at the vets this eve with one of the others, so will make an appt for Betsy and speak to her re testing a sample. I am at work at the moment but will certainly read through the links tonight. All advice is much appreciated – Thank You x
 
TheBee said:
Thanks for all the advice. Don’t worry, I have rescued/rehomed and owned hundreds of rabbits so I realise how fast they can get poorly/about sudden dietary change etc, however I have never experienced this particular issue before. I’m not overly concerned as although I know that something is not right, she is fine in and between and this has been ongoing since September. I definitely don’t want to go down the blood tests route yet, though.

I had forgotten all about Fibafirst, that is definitely something I will introduce more as that would be a perfect solution to her feeling like she hasn’t eaten – she’s beside herself watching me feed the others! Mightymax, what did you change the diet to/from to make the difference please?

She’s on Selective which I’ve fed ever since I started keeping rabbits many years ago, and I dont believe that it is the pellets particularly causing the issue, but could be a contributing factor. I definitely think that greens are, too. Despite the symptoms not displaying for a day or two after consuming veg, there is a definite link, I’m sure.

I’m at the vets this eve with one of the others, so will make an appt for Betsy and speak to her re testing a sample. I am at work at the moment but will certainly read through the links tonight. All advice is much appreciated – Thank You x
Click to expand...


You're very welcome :)

Yes I know you're very knowledgeable concerning rabbits, and I didn't go down the blood test route either :) I think you are absolutely right that the pellets are not the whole story and that veg may well be having an impact.

I'll have a cobble together of what I did to solve the problem and get back to you :)
 
Ah Thank You, Much appreciated.

Hope that didn’t come across as know-it-all-y! There is plenty that I don’t know of course, I just didn’t want anyone worrying that I was going to do damage by swapping diets or anything drastic! xx
 
This is Betsy, her head just out of the pellet box. As you can see, she’s not a rabbit who takes kindly to being denied food :lol:

 
TheBee said:
Ah Thank You, Much appreciated.

Hope that didn’t come across as know-it-all-y! There is plenty that I don’t know of course, I just didn’t want anyone worrying that I was going to do damage by swapping diets or anything drastic! xx
Click to expand...


It certainly didn't to me :)

Anyone who Panacurs a new entry for 28 days is either very brave or knows their stuff ;)
 
Apologies again for these disgusting photos. But I saw the ‘stuff’ being deposited this evening. It isn’t diarrhoea, it’s literally water (brown water) and it’s when she does her perfectly formed normal poos :? Seeing it quite literally drip from her did worry me. So much so I considered the emergency vets (where I had arrived back from 30 seconds earlier with someone else!), but clearly this is how/what has been happening each time, I’ve just never witnessed it. She’s fine in herself still, poor girl. But we’ll definitely be ringing the vets as soon as they open tomorrow :(


 
TheBee said:
Apologies again for these disgusting photos. But I saw the ‘stuff’ being deposited this evening. It isn’t diarrhoea, it’s literally water (brown water) and it’s when she does her perfectly formed normal poos :? Seeing it quite literally drip from her did worry me. So much so I considered the emergency vets (where I had arrived back from 30 seconds earlier with someone else!), but clearly this is how/what has been happening each time, I’ve just never witnessed it. She’s fine in herself still, poor girl. But we’ll definitely be ringing the vets as soon as they open tomorrow :(


Click to expand...



Anything here might help?

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/drop/Drp_en.htm


Would you be able to get a sample to take to the vet?
 
Sorry you're going through this, but please let me know what your vet thinks as I have a bunny with a similar issue.

It's different from what I can tell but definitely have experienced the puddles of poo liquid [emoji38]

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
TheBee said:
Apologies again for these disgusting photos. But I saw the ‘stuff’ being deposited this evening. It isn’t diarrhoea, it’s literally water (brown water) and it’s when she does her perfectly formed normal poos :? Seeing it quite literally drip from her did worry me. So much so I considered the emergency vets (where I had arrived back from 30 seconds earlier with someone else!), but clearly this is how/what has been happening each time, I’ve just never witnessed it. She’s fine in herself still, poor girl. But we’ll definitely be ringing the vets as soon as they open tomorrow :(


Click to expand...

It could be spurious diarrhoea AKA 'overflow diarrhoea'

I think you are wise to be consulting the Vet today. Good luck :)
 
She’s had bloods and I’ll be dropping a sample in once I obtain one, of both her normal poo and of the liquid if I can manage to get it into a pot. Could of course be a number of causes, but we will see where we go from here. Bloods back on Tues x
 
TheBee said:
She’s had bloods and I’ll be dropping a sample in once I obtain one, of both her normal poo and of the liquid if I can manage to get it into a pot. Could of course be a number of causes, but we will see where we go from here. Bloods back on Tues x
Click to expand...

Topping up the vibes for her xx
 
TheBee said:
She’s had bloods and I’ll be dropping a sample in once I obtain one, of both her normal poo and of the liquid if I can manage to get it into a pot. Could of course be a number of causes, but we will see where we go from here. Bloods back on Tues x
Click to expand...


Hope all goes well :thumb:
 
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