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Advice 're UTI

binkygirl2013

Young Bun
So after an episode of statis in February, my bunny Roxy had a couple of wees behind the sofa which was highly unusual for her but I put it down to the stress of me medicating her and everything was fine after that. Last month I was away and my parents had both rabbits at their house and when I went to collect them noticed one of them had wee'd on their fleece blanket and it looked at bit chalky then when I got them home Roxy again had a wee behind the sofa but I wondered if it was just territory marking being back home.
Although she seems fine in herself, still eating and playing around there were a couple of days last week where I thought she seemed a bit sad and was sitting with her back pressed right up against the wall so I decided to take her to the vet. I told her all of the above and she had a good feel underneath her and took a urine sample which she says had traces of blood in it. She's now on a 10 day course of Sulfatrim for UTI and we have metacam as well. I just wondered if anyone had any advice of what to do with a bunny with UTI...is there any food I can give her that will help?
And being the weirdo I am, I am convincing myself that it is something more serious and she is in kidney failure or something, would there be more symptoms if this was the case? Shes still the exact same weight she's always been so I'm hoping that is a good sign...
 
Maybe she had an infection in February, which resulted in her not eating, and now she is on the medication hopefully it will clear up. It's good she hasn't lost any weight. :thumb:
 
Maybe she had an infection in February, which resulted in her not eating, and now she is on the medication hopefully it will clear up. It's good she hasn't lost any weight. :thumb:

Thanks tonibun, I did wonder if that's what had caused that statis in February. I really hope she hasn't been in pain since then :( although she's been happy and playful until last week.
 
So after an episode of statis in February, my bunny Roxy had a couple of wees behind the sofa which was highly unusual for her but I put it down to the stress of me medicating her and everything was fine after that. Last month I was away and my parents had both rabbits at their house and when I went to collect them noticed one of them had wee'd on their fleece blanket and it looked at bit chalky then when I got them home Roxy again had a wee behind the sofa but I wondered if it was just territory marking being back home.
Although she seems fine in herself, still eating and playing around there were a couple of days last week where I thought she seemed a bit sad and was sitting with her back pressed right up against the wall so I decided to take her to the vet. I told her all of the above and she had a good feel underneath her and took a urine sample which she says had traces of blood in it. She's now on a 10 day course of Sulfatrim for UTI and we have metacam as well. I just wondered if anyone had any advice of what to do with a bunny with UTI...is there any food I can give her that will help?
And being the weirdo I am, I am convincing myself that it is something more serious and she is in kidney failure or something, would there be more symptoms if this was the case? Shes still the exact same weight she's always been so I'm hoping that is a good sign...


I am sorry to hear that Roxy has a UTI. The 'chalky' wee may be indicative of her having 'bladder sludge' - ie a build up of calcium deposits in her bladder. This can go on to irritate the bladder wall causing inflammation and possibly infection. The medication your Vet has prescribed will hopefully address both the infection and any inflammation.

I am assuming that Roxy is spayed ?

These links may be worth taking a look at :

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Cystitis_Ele.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HypercalciuriaRabbits.htm

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/Differentials/Blood_urine.htm

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

If your Vet has recommended making dietary changes to try to lower Roxy's intake of calcium this diet sheet provides good advice :

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...t-for-rabbits-with-urinary-tract-disease/view
 
So after an episode of statis in February, my bunny Roxy had a couple of wees behind the sofa which was highly unusual for her but I put it down to the stress of me medicating her and everything was fine after that. Last month I was away and my parents had both rabbits at their house and when I went to collect them noticed one of them had wee'd on their fleece blanket and it looked at bit chalky then when I got them home Roxy again had a wee behind the sofa but I wondered if it was just territory marking being back home.
Although she seems fine in herself, still eating and playing around there were a couple of days last week where I thought she seemed a bit sad and was sitting with her back pressed right up against the wall so I decided to take her to the vet. I told her all of the above and she had a good feel underneath her and took a urine sample which she says had traces of blood in it. She's now on a 10 day course of Sulfatrim for UTI and we have metacam as well. I just wondered if anyone had any advice of what to do with a bunny with UTI...is there any food I can give her that will help?
And being the weirdo I am, I am convincing myself that it is something more serious and she is in kidney failure or something, would there be more symptoms if this was the case? Shes still the exact same weight she's always been so I'm hoping that is a good sign...


Hiya binkygirl :wave:

Urinary Tract Infections are very common in rabbits and are easily treated with Sulfatrim or Baytril.

The way to determine whether a rabbit has any calcium build up in the bladder (sludge) is to do an X-ray. But short of that, it's an idea to get the diet as good as possible :)

Pellets contain a lot of calcium and veggies are very low, no matter how many she eats:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food

This shows that food which contains lots of moisture is very good (over dry calcium rich pellets) as it works better for the rabbit's digestive system.


Frances also gives a diet sheet here:

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


If you'd like some info on foraging, which many of us here:

http://www.kanin.org/?q=node/193

http://www.actionforrabbits.co.uk/Plants toxic to rabbits.pdf

http://www.actionforrabbits.co.uk/Toxic & Safe Plants v2.pdf

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/foraging

And a very good book written by Twigs Way called 'Foraging for Rabbits' which can be purchased from the RWAF bookshop
 
I am sorry to hear that Roxy has a UTI. The 'chalky' wee may be indicative of her having 'bladder sludge' - ie a build up of calcium deposits in her bladder. This can go on to irritate the bladder wall causing inflammation and possibly infection. The medication your Vet has prescribed will hopefully address both the infection and any inflammation.

I am assuming that Roxy is spayed ?

These links may be worth taking a look at :

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Cystitis_Ele.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HypercalciuriaRabbits.htm

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/Differentials/Blood_urine.htm

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

If your Vet has recommended making dietary changes to try to lower Roxy's intake of calcium this diet sheet provides good advice :

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

Thanks so much Jane, it makes for interesting reading. Yes Roxy was spayed at 4 month old and shes now almost 5 years old. We haven't discussed diet yet, I have to take a urine sample to her next week so she can test it again and take it from there. I thought I had it about right with their diet but maybe not :? They have unlimited Timothy hay constantly, they get a very small amount of excel pellets on a morning and a handful of greens around 6pm which include celery, broccoli, cucumber, rocket, parsley, kale, romaine lettuce, watercress, spinach although these are alternated so they don't have the same thing everyday. Although Roxy eats a lot of hay she doesn't eat as much of the greens as Oscar does and I don't think she drinks as much as him either...maybe I'll try to put a bit fruit juice in the water to encourage her to drink a bit more. Then again I just presumed the chalky wee came from Roxy given the presence of blood in her urine and subsequent diagnosis but it could be possible it was from Oscar, it's hard to tell when they share the same litter tray :shock:
 
Thanks so much Jane, it makes for interesting reading. Yes Roxy was spayed at 4 month old and shes now almost 5 years old. We haven't discussed diet yet, I have to take a urine sample to her next week so she can test it again and take it from there. I thought I had it about right with their diet but maybe not :? They have unlimited Timothy hay constantly, they get a very small amount of excel pellets on a morning and a handful of greens around 6pm which include celery, broccoli, cucumber, rocket, parsley, kale, romaine lettuce, watercress, spinach although these are alternated so they don't have the same thing everyday. Although Roxy eats a lot of hay she doesn't eat as much of the greens as Oscar does and I don't think she drinks as much as him either...maybe I'll try to put a bit fruit juice in the water to encourage her to drink a bit more. Then again I just presumed the chalky wee came from Roxy given the presence of blood in her urine and subsequent diagnosis but it could be possible it was from Oscar, it's hard to tell when they share the same litter tray :shock:


Bear in mind that chalky wee doesn't necessarily mean there's an excess of calcium in the urine :D
 
Thanks so much Jane, it makes for interesting reading. Yes Roxy was spayed at 4 month old and shes now almost 5 years old. We haven't discussed diet yet, I have to take a urine sample to her next week so she can test it again and take it from there. I thought I had it about right with their diet but maybe not :? They have unlimited Timothy hay constantly, they get a very small amount of excel pellets on a morning and a handful of greens around 6pm which include celery, broccoli, cucumber, rocket, parsley, kale, romaine lettuce, watercress, spinach although these are alternated so they don't have the same thing everyday. Although Roxy eats a lot of hay she doesn't eat as much of the greens as Oscar does and I don't think she drinks as much as him either...maybe I'll try to put a bit fruit juice in the water to encourage her to drink a bit more. Then again I just presumed the chalky wee came from Roxy given the presence of blood in her urine and subsequent diagnosis but it could be possible it was from Oscar, it's hard to tell when they share the same litter tray :shock:

That's OK, all the links are probably a bit 'information overload' !! I dont think you are doing anything wrong re your Rabbit's diet. One of the links I previously posted explains calcium metabolism in Rabbits and it may be that Roxy's current UTI is not even related to hypercalciuria.

Do your Bunnies drink from a bowl or a sipper bottle ? Generally speaking Rabbits tend to drink more from a bowl. If your Vet does suggest moderating the calcium intake of your Rabbits then another suggestion is to use bottled water, especially if you live in a hard water area. One of our RU members, SarahP has done a lot of research into finding the best bottled water (ie the one with the lowest calcium content) and I believe that the best brand is Ashbeck. It's cheapest from Asda at £1.06 for a 5 litre bottle.
 
Bear in mind that chalky wee doesn't necessarily mean there's an excess of calcium in the urine :D

Thanks MightyMax, knew I could rely on this forum for great advice and info! My vet did say that chalky wee doesn't necessarily mean bladder sludge and she didn't seem too concerned about that. I didn't think the amount of pellets I gave them would make a difference, I cut them right back a couple of year ago after my last vet said she thought Roxy was a bit podgy :shock: Maybe I'll just cut them out all together. They are indoor buns and although they have access outdoors, I don't have grass unfortunately. Maybe I need to go foraging!
 
Thanks MightyMax, knew I could rely on this forum for great advice and info! My vet did say that chalky wee doesn't necessarily mean bladder sludge and she didn't seem too concerned about that. I didn't think the amount of pellets I gave them would make a difference, I cut them right back a couple of year ago after my last vet said she thought Roxy was a bit podgy :shock: Maybe I'll just cut them out all together. They are indoor buns and although they have access outdoors, I don't have grass unfortunately. Maybe I need to go foraging!


You're welcome :)

Foraging is fun and it's freeee!!! And gather bunches of grass as it will most likely go down a storm :D

I've had buns with chalky wee and since changing their water to filtered I have had no problems whatsoever. Even chalky looking wee hasn't meant bladder sludge.

I use a water filter, and Frances Harcourt Brown suggests that low calcium water might be beneficial. SarahP is the guru of low calcium water you can buy in the shops (I always say that!) and if you search the Forum you'll find lots of threads discussing it. There was one recently.

Nickybunny also has *a lot* of experience with bladder sludge so if in future you need advice I would certainly recommend that lovely lady :)
 
Thanks everyone:love: They have a water bowl and there's always plenty water for them. I don't even know if my water is hard or soft, I drink a lot of it myself though so maybe I should invest in a filter!
I have often thought about picking dandelions and grass from my parents garden but would these be safe for my buns? Would I need to wash them first?
 
I always wash forage but you don't have to worry too much if buns are vaccinated. I knew you would get some super advice but hope your rabbit will soon be better.
 
Thanks everyone:love: They have a water bowl and there's always plenty water for them. I don't even know if my water is hard or soft, I drink a lot of it myself though so maybe I should invest in a filter!
I have often thought about picking dandelions and grass from my parents garden but would these be safe for my buns? Would I need to wash them first?


I don't and as far as I know, Frances and most others don't either.
Frances also doesn't worry about a bit of dog pee on the forage!
 
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