• 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.

Excessive drinking/urination and weightloss

Buzzwizz619

Warren Scout
I had Bobby from the RSPCA 3 weeks ago, 8-9 year old castrated male. Suffers from sever spinal arthritis.

First week he was ok, drank more the Charlie but he's bigger than Charlie and it wasn't considerably more. 2 weeks ago started drinking 750ml sometimes abit more a day.

Ran in house bloods, kidneys and liver fine. Calcium higher, vet wasn't worried and advised repeat bloods in a month.

March weighted 3kg, 11 days ago 2.5kg, yesterday 2.2kg.

Teeth checked, a few small spurs but nothing the vet us worried about, no history if dental issues despite being seized on welfare grounds.

Urinalysis normal, SG very low but apparently that can be normal for rabbits.

Lateral xrays taken conscious, forwarded to an exotic vet as the vet wasn't really sure what he was looking at. Bloods sent to the lab for a diagnostic profile and haemogram, should be back this morning.

Eating amazing, he LOVES food to the point I'm pretty sure he would eat anything I offered him. Diet of hay from Tinothyhay.co.uk, excell senior nuggets and mostly forage (hawsweed and willow mainly).

His bum is soaked from all the urinating. He was perfectly litertraned but now he wees on blankets, litter trays lined with newspaper, wood shavings, more newspaper and topped with hay but still not keeping him dry.

Any ideas?
 
I hope the exotics vet has some ideas for you, this must be very worrying :(

As I understand it, wood shavings aren't great for bunnies - they can cause respiratory problems. I wonder whether he'd be a bit drier with something like megazorb?

Was he weighed at the same time of day each time? Our bunny can vary by 0.5kg depending on time of day (less in the morning).
 
My little Doughnut has just survived myxi and she was soaking wet for 2 weeks then suddenly her tail and hocks were red raw because of it. I called my exotic vets to see what to do and they suggested F10 barrier cream. You can use sudocream but it has zinc in it so they can't lick off too much. I also got her shaved so the fur doesn't pull the skin. She still ended up having little nicks on the back of her legs. I then got warm water and soaked cotton wool in it and clean her, then dried her with a towel and put the hairdryer on a cool heat. Once dry I then applied the barrier cream. It really did help. Just trying to make him more comfortable and avoid the skin getting red to the point it did for Doughnut.


My specialist did mention spinal arthritis to me as she was constantly wet initially. She's been on tramodol for 4 weeks now, but I wonder if your little one could be on this to take the pain away so may squat properly to urinate.

Sorry no other advice but my exotic vet specialist also recommended alfalfa hay to put on weight.
 
Last edited:
Is the blood test going to include testing for EC ?

A raised calcium level can be indicative of a tumour somewhere, but this is certainly not always the case. Have you noticed any behaviour that resembles that of an entire Buck ?

Is he on medication for his arthritis ?


Severe spinal arthritis can mean that the Rabbit is unable to adopt the correct position to urinate and so they can be prone to getting very wet/urine scald. Chronic pain can also lead to excessive drinking and a very high water intake will lead to urinalysis showing low SG.
 
Puppy pads are useful for keeping a rabbit drier - try them on their own or under hay - wherever he normally wees. At least it will stop him sitting in urine. You may need to do regular bum baths / wipe down with a damp cloth to prevent urine scald. Some nappy creams are also useful as a barrier treatment.

As an aside, even small dental spurs can cause quite a lot of problems - and they won't resolve on their own. Hay eating is really good, but any weight loss may be compounded by dental issues and I would be inclined to get them sorted when he is fit for an anaesthetic, but before he loses too much more weight.

I hope you find a cause for the problem. It sounds like he is in good hands.
 
As I understand it, wood shavings aren't great for bunnies - they can cause respiratory problems. I wonder whether he'd be a bit drier with something like megazorb?

I make sure the woodshavings are sandwiched between the newspaper so they dont actually come into contact with them. I used to use megazorb for my small furries but I found it seriously dusty to the point it triggered my asthma.

My specialist did mention spinal arthritis to me as she was constantly wet initially. She's been on tramodol for 4 weeks now, but I wonder if your little one could be on this to take the pain away so may squat properly to urinate.

He does suffer from sever spinal arthritis, he was previously on metacam however when he became PUPD we started him on cartrophen which cant be given with metacam as we initially suspected renal failure. I think Tramadol can be given with cartrophen though so i will look into it :)

Is the blood test going to include testing for EC ?

A raised calcium level can be indicative of a tumour somewhere, but this is certainly not always the case. Have you noticed any behaviour that resembles that of an entire Buck

The EC test is £70 plus VAT and my understanding is the results arent conclusive, they just show if they have been exposed. So we have started him on Panacur just encase it is EC. Ive never actually had an entire buck however based on the fact i have easily bonded my 2 males Id say hes behaving normally for a castrated male. The xrays didnt show any obvious tumours however the next step is a fecal smear and ultrasound, primarily of heart and liver.

Bloods from the lab have come back as pretty much inconclusive.

Puppy pads are useful for keeping a rabbit drier - try them on their own or under hay - wherever he normally wees.
Ive got some puppypabds now, i was rather worried out him eating them but hes a good boy and doesnt seem to be a chewer.

As an aside, even small dental spurs can cause quite a lot of problems - and they won't resolve on their own.
This is what im on the fence about at the moment, the plan atm is to cover all other bases and if no improvement then go for the dental. I feel at this point i need to leave the dental as a last resort due to the risks of the GA, especially when we arent sure its actually the cause of the problem.

Hes eating really well but im not supplimenting with critical care and oats and ive just ordered some burgess Dualcare.
 
charlie

I had Bobby from the RSPCA 3 weeks ago, 8-9 year old castrated male. Suffers from sever spinal arthritis.

First week he was ok, drank more the Charlie but he's bigger than Charlie and it wasn't considerably more. 2 weeks ago started drinking 750ml sometimes abit more a day.

Ran in house bloods, kidneys and liver fine. Calcium higher, vet wasn't worried and advised repeat bloods in a month.

March weighted 3kg, 11 days ago 2.5kg, yesterday 2.2kg.

Teeth checked, a few small spurs but nothing the vet us worried about, no history if dental issues despite being seized on welfare grounds.

Urinalysis normal, SG very low but apparently that can be normal for rabbits.

Lateral xrays taken conscious, forwarded to an exotic vet as the vet wasn't really sure what he was looking at. Bloods sent to the lab for a diagnostic profile and haemogram, should be back this morning.

Eating amazing, he LOVES food to the point I'm pretty sure he would eat anything I offered him. Diet of hay from Tinothyhay.co.uk, excell senior nuggets and mostly forage (hawsweed and willow mainly).

His bum is soaked from all the urinating. He was perfectly litertraned but now he wees on blankets, litter trays lined with newspaper, wood shavings, more newspaper and topped with hay but still not keeping him dry.

Any ideas?
dear buzzwizz619,--an elderly buns requirements are greater,especially with a disability-ie,arthritis..--diet and meds as you already list,-have a large inventory of ie old towels,linen,cotton,etc.--place him in his own area,for ease of cleaning,and set him up with all the normal stuff,ie timothy hay/bin[accessible-no major effort for him to reach]-bowl of pellets,some treats,and water bowl..-for pain use metacam[low dosage],--simethicone for tummy issues..--and weigh him[KG] before and after meals..-if he gets along with Charlie that is a plus[buddies].--otherwise he will need a mirror so he doesnot feel alone. http://www.medirabbit.com -sincerely james waller from the other kent -usa--sorry I should have read more,-I use only grasses for a poop box,they can eat and do their thing..you are correct there are safe meds and unsafe meds for rabbits,-the link enclosed has a lots of info,there are also safe and unsafe weeds and woods.--:love::wave:
 
Last edited:
Just wanted to give a quick update on how Bobby is doing, I noticed for the last few days he wasn't eating hay at all (but fine with nuggets and veggies), I also noticed that with the support of critical care and a huge pile of nuggets he was drinking far less and didn't have a soggy bum.

He also became aggressive to Charlie last night completely unprovoked which is very unlike him, even though it's only 10 days into bonding Bobby isn't a bully unless Charlie is hurting his arthritis.

Took him back in today expecting a heart and liver ultrasound but popped him on the scales first. Since Tuesday with the supportive feeding he has gained 200g.

The bunny savvy vet was in today and she checked his teeth and the "small spurs that aren't anything to worry about and won't be causing problems" were actually pretty bad spurs!! And a "step" (not entirely sure what that is she did explain but I was in 9 year old bunny needing a GA mental melt down mode)

So today he's had his dental (while I spent the first half of the day trying not to cry ��) he's still.pretty sleepy but that's probably not helped by the fact he had vetergesic.

He's awake sitting up, hope off is he's mad at me and has water some Dandilions and some critical care.

So HOPEFULLY he will be ok now, we've taken him off the.metacam and onto tramadol as the bloods do suggest he is pre-renal but hopefully based on the reduction of the PUPD with supportive feeding and the weight gain he will soon be back to normal and hopefully he will be less angry at Charlie now.
 
What a day you've both had ! Pleased that the vet diagnosed the dental problem, and that Bobby has come through ok. Sending lots of eating and pooping vibes for him xx
 
Just wanted to give a quick update on how Bobby is doing, I noticed for the last few days he wasn't eating hay at all (but fine with nuggets and veggies), I also noticed that with the support of critical care and a huge pile of nuggets he was drinking far less and didn't have a soggy bum.

He also became aggressive to Charlie last night completely unprovoked which is very unlike him, even though it's only 10 days into bonding Bobby isn't a bully unless Charlie is hurting his arthritis.

Took him back in today expecting a heart and liver ultrasound but popped him on the scales first. Since Tuesday with the supportive feeding he has gained 200g.

The bunny savvy vet was in today and she checked his teeth and the "small spurs that aren't anything to worry about and won't be causing problems" were actually pretty bad spurs!! And a "step" (not entirely sure what that is she did explain but I was in 9 year old bunny needing a GA mental melt down mode)

So today he's had his dental (while I spent the first half of the day trying not to cry ��) he's still.pretty sleepy but that's probably not helped by the fact he had vetergesic.

He's awake sitting up, hope off is he's mad at me and has water some Dandilions and some critical care.

So HOPEFULLY he will be ok now, we've taken him off the.metacam and onto tramadol as the bloods do suggest he is pre-renal but hopefully based on the reduction of the PUPD with supportive feeding and the weight gain he will soon be back to normal and hopefully he will be less angry at Charlie now.
dear buzzwizz619,--alright bobby,-I am glad he made it through the anathesia[dental]-with an elderly bun it is always a concern..glad to hear about the meds/blood work etc.--note metacam is safer at a low dose,ask the dvm about asprin based otc meds,--tramadol is a [rabbit safe??]synthetic[opiod],very addictive whereas a body adjusts to a low dose,then one day it doesnot work and you need more at attain the same level of relief,now you are an addict,as it repeats,and repeats.here is a link for the post care http://www.medirabbit.com and http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html must get the gitract fully functional..--sincerely james waller from the other kent -usa
 
Just a quick update to let you all know Bobby is doing AMAZING. His water consumption has reduced massively? He even did a wee yesterday that had a orange colour too it rather than the pure water he was urinating before
He no longer dives on the critical care like he is being starved and I watched him yestersay sit and eat hay for 15 minutes continuously!!

Now I just need to address the issues with the broken bond ��
 
So pleased to hear that Bobby is doing so much better now, and I hope that continues ! Good luck with the rebonding :thumb: Good boy Bobby, keep munching on that hay :D
 
Back
Top