Diarrhea/unformed poop

Hi everyone,

I'm new so I hope this post is ok!

I have 2 bunnies, Wilbur and Bambi. Wilbur is a 7 year old mini loo and has recently been suffering with a bad tummy. On Saturday we came home to a puddle of diarrhea on the carpet in their room. However he's been eating and drinking like normal and is very much acting like himself. It's also worth noting that I haven't fed him anything different, just his meadow hay, veg and small amount of pellets. But since the bad poop episode I've just been giving him hay (and water obviously).

The day after, there was no diarrhea and then Monday and Wednesday there was a tiny amount of runny poop. So Wednesday evening I took him to the vet who has ordered me some fibreplex which I'm picking up today.

She said if that doesn't help, then to bring him back in with a stool sample which they'll send off to be tested. Our other rabbit Bambi is fine and her poop is normal, so it mustn't be a contagious infection.

Since yesterday evening he's been doing normal hard poops (some have been very small) and a few soft poops, but not diarrhea. Am I right in thinking that it could be unformed cecotropes as he's also doing hard poops? It's very confusing, but I'm hoping the fibreplex might help harden things up.

Thanks in advance.

Hi and welcome to the forum :wave:

Yes, it could be unformed cecotropes, which you are seeing. They will usually be quite smelly and are also different in appearance, but that's sometimes difficult to appreciate if they are squashed Have a look at this link:

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-droppings.asp

I hope that the Fibreplex helps.

Wilburandbambi said:

Hi everyone,

I'm new so I hope this post is ok!

I have 2 bunnies, Wilbur and Bambi. Wilbur is a 7 year old mini loo and has recently been suffering with a bad tummy. On Saturday we came home to a puddle of diarrhea on the carpet in their room. However he's been eating and drinking like normal and is very much acting like himself. It's also worth noting that I haven't fed him anything different, just his meadow hay, veg and small amount of pellets. But since the bad poop episode I've just been giving him hay (and water obviously).

The day after, there was no diarrhea and then Monday and Wednesday there was a tiny amount of runny poop. So Wednesday evening I took him to the vet who has ordered me some fibreplex which I'm picking up today.

She said if that doesn't help, then to bring him back in with a stool sample which they'll send off to be tested. Our other rabbit Bambi is fine and her poop is normal, so it mustn't be a contagious infection.

Since yesterday evening he's been doing normal hard poops (some have been very small) and a few soft poops, but not diarrhea. Am I right in thinking that it could be unformed cecotropes as he's also doing hard poops? It's very confusing, but I'm hoping the fibreplex might help harden things up.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

dear wilburandbambi,-here is my link for sanity. http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html this is a very useful website.-sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa

How is Wilbur doing now?

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your help!

We got back from holiday on Saturday and had our bunny sitters coming in whilst we were away. He's had barely any soft poop at all since we've been home which is a good sign.

Unfortunately he's lost weight which is worrying considering he was already a little underweight. I've bought 2 new types of hay - meadow (which smells a lot nicer and is much greener than his old meadow hay) and Timothy, as I suspect he's not been eating enough hay. When I took him to the vets, she said his teeth looked fine so I'm hoping there's no issues there.

So far he seems to be liking the new stuff! I've also been re-introducing greens (Savoy cabbage) back into his diet in hopes it'll help him put on a bit of weight, and this doesn't seem to be upsetting his tummy so far which is good. I have noticed his poops have been very small and dark which I know is perhaps a sign of him not eating enough or lacking fibre. I hope the new hay and some greens will sort this out. I'm wondering if some critical care will help?

Thank you so much!
Beth

Wilburandbambi said:

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your help!

We got back from holiday on Saturday and had our bunny sitters coming in whilst we were away. He's had barely any soft poop at all since we've been home which is a good sign.

Unfortunately he's lost weight which is worrying considering he was already a little underweight. I've bought 2 new types of hay - meadow (which smells a lot nicer and is much greener than his old meadow hay) and Timothy, as I suspect he's not been eating enough hay. When I took him to the vets, she said his teeth looked fine so I'm hoping there's no issues there.

So far he seems to be liking the new stuff! I've also been re-introducing greens (Savoy cabbage) back into his diet in hopes it'll help him put on a bit of weight, and this doesn't seem to be upsetting his tummy so far which is good. I have noticed his poops have been very small and dark which I know is perhaps a sign of him not eating enough or lacking fibre. I hope the new hay and some greens will sort this out. I'm wondering if some critical care will help?

Thank you so much!
Beth

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I'm glad that he's improved. You are right in thinking that poo which is small and dark is a sign of his gut slowing down a bit. The new hay and greens should help this. Rather than Critical Care, you could consider feeding FibaFirst as a treat. This would provide more calories and at the same time more fibre: https://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-food...afirst-monoforage-feed-for-rabbits-2kg-p-9029

For peace of mind I would have the poo tested. I had one of my rabbits tested recently after intermittent diarrhea and soft poos and it cost less than £50.

He may have something you can treat (mine has coccidiosis which is treated over 9 days) or he may get the all clear and then you can really focus on dietary changes knowing that's the right thing to do.

Thank you! I'm going to wean him back on to pellets soon so I'll get some of this.

Thank you, that is a good idea! The vet did give me a tube to get a sample, but as he's not done any soft poop in the last 2 days it's not been possible to get a sample of it. Could I take in normal dry poop for them to test?

I'd call the vet and check but I imagine the parasite is present in lower numbers or something.
Took me ages to have the test done because he kept seeming to respond to diet changes so I didn't think it was parasites.

Thank you. I'm going to ring and book him in for tomorrow. I've noticed a yellow damp patch of fur next to his mouth so I'm getting really worried. He's so thin I just don't want him to fade away.

Let us know how it goes. I hope he's alright x

So, I ended up taking him yesterday evening as they had a free appointment. The vet didn't seem too concerned about his poop now it's solid again, but like me she was really concerned about how underweight he is. He's only 1.2kg , so she advised to put him straight back on pellets and continue with the veg and has prescribed some antibiotics incase there's anything underlying and also because he's so thin he's prone to infection. She said the dribble patch could be a sign of dental issues but she couldn't even think about sedating him to check because of his weight.

He's still not really been eating anyway near enough hay, and I think that's why he's lost so much weight. I remembered a specific brand of Timothy hay he used to love so today I went and bought some of that, and so far he's been eating lots of it, so I really hope that continues. He's also back on pellets, I'm giving him 2x heaped tablespoons a day and will up it a little bit gradually over this week.

I'm taking him back in to the vets Monday for another check, and to make sure he's gaining weight. I hope he's gained atleast half a kg by then!

Thanks everyone.

Gosh he does sound in a bad way
Did the vet check his teeth with an otoscope at all?
I'm glad to hear he's eating the hay again. It might be worth looking at readigrass too - most rabbits seem to really enjoy it and it could be useful to mix in with the hay to encourage eating but still get good nutrition and fibre in to your rabbit.

Obviously do what's right for you but my vet didn't think the fecal test was necessary either and Obi's poos can be fine for weeks at a time but he still had this parasite.

It also might be worth looking at allen and page breeder and grower pellets. Unfortunately I think they're only available in a huge bag but they were the only thing that would keep weight on my old french lop while also still being respectable nutrition-wise.

Hi again!

He's never looked this bad in all his life, he's a bit unsteady too. It's really difficult to see him like this. He's the first pet I got as an adult and he's been through so much with me so I just really want him to get back to his normal self again!

Yes she did and she couldn't see any obvious problems, but she said ideally she'd sedate him and have a proper look. I think he probably does have a dental issue somewhere, I'm not sure what else the wet patch by his mouth could be caused by.

Oh that's great thank you, I'll pick up some readigrass at the weekend, he's still not eating quite as much hay as he should be, but I'm glad he's finally eating some. He's eating pellets and veg ok, though I have to spread it out throughout the day as he'll eat a little bit and then stop, maybe his stomach is small so he's getting full? Today he feels slightly heavier so I think he's starting to put weight on - yay!

I was a bit annoyed she didn't want to test the sample, but I think if in a week or so he's still not right i'm going to take him to a specialist rabbit vet in Bristol I've found online to get him checked over.

Will have a look at those pellets you've suggested also.

Thanks for all your advice so far!

I fully understand. My Lola (who I've had for 10 years) went off her food about a month ago and she's been improving but still not back to herself or well enough to bond back to her partner. When it all started it was touch and go on whether she'd still be there at the end of each day. We had to risk dental surgery when she hadn't really been eating for about four days and that was really scary.
Rabbits are so delicate that it often feels like you don't have a right and wrong decision, it's just which risk you want to take.

I really hope you get some weight back on to him so he can be sedated for the dental. Is he on pain relief? Someone recently recommended tramadol to me to replace metacam and it really helped Lola. It's also kinder on the kidneys should there be any issues there.

Lola has been eating in stops and starts too. The vet can't give me any real answers on why but I wonder if it's related to the parasite that the other rabbit (Obi) has - she will obviously be carrying it too and perhaps it's affected her in a different way. The vet did say that when the gut balance gets upset (like when she stopped eating due to the teeth) you can find that things like a parasite which has previously been harmless will multiply and become a problem.

In the end I just handed the poo to the receptionist and told her I wanted it tested. I'm not saying Wilbur definitely has anything but if you want it done then don't let the vet put you off. I wish I'd had it done much earlier.

Oh no! I'm glad she's on the mend. That's the thing, you have to anaesthetise them to sort out the issue or risk it and wait until it might get worse. Yes you're completely right, they're delicate little creatures.

He's not on any pain relief at the moment but I was thinking he probably should be. On Monday he'll have his check up and I'll push for some pain relief and poop sample check. If she disagrees I'm going to give up with them and take him to the special exotic/rabbit vet. Sometimes I just feel like I might have a better idea of what's going on than this vet! When I mentioned he wasn't eating enough hay all she suggested was to give him more hay (!?)

Do you get tramadol from the vets? He's been on metacam before but I don't have any in the house currently.

Like you suggested, there could well be a parasite too, I just want to know for sure what's going on.

I'm picking up some oat readigrass tomorrow and keeping my fingers crossed he'll like it!

Good ideas all round. So many vets are useless when it comes to rabbits

The tramadol was from the vet on prescription but I had to ask for it. It comes in little pills that I grind up and sandwich between two thin slices of banana (one twice a day for lola, who is 1.8kg). It could have been coincidence but the amount of poo lola did in the 24 hours after I put her on tramadol was about twice what it had been for the previous few days so I really think it helped her more than metacam did.

BattleKat said:

Good ideas all round. So many vets are useless when it comes to rabbits

The tramadol was from the vet on prescription but I had to ask for it. It comes in little pills that I grind up and sandwich between two thin slices of banana (one twice a day for lola, who is 1.8kg). It could have been coincidence but the amount of poo lola did in the 24 hours after I put her on tramadol was about twice what it had been for the previous few days so I really think it helped her more than metacam did.

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dear battlekat,-metacam is a nsaid,-tramadol is a synthetic opiod..-I am praying that your dvm explained this.-true they are both pain meds,[concerned about dosae]-but different/reprocussions for misuse-or diagnosis,--I realize a good exotic dvm are few and far between..--here is a link that I know will back up my concern http://www.medirabbit.com dr.esther van pragg [scientist]-and has spent her life with rabbits.-please review lots of valuable info---sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa

Wilburandbambi said:

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your help!

We got back from holiday on Saturday and had our bunny sitters coming in whilst we were away. He's had barely any soft poop at all since we've been home which is a good sign.

Unfortunately he's lost weight which is worrying considering he was already a little underweight. I've bought 2 new types of hay - meadow (which smells a lot nicer and is much greener than his old meadow hay) and Timothy, as I suspect he's not been eating enough hay. When I took him to the vets, she said his teeth looked fine so I'm hoping there's no issues there.

So far he seems to be liking the new stuff! I've also been re-introducing greens (Savoy cabbage) back into his diet in hopes it'll help him put on a bit of weight, and this doesn't seem to be upsetting his tummy so far which is good. I have noticed his poops have been very small and dark which I know is perhaps a sign of him not eating enough or lacking fibre. I hope the new hay and some greens will sort this out. I'm wondering if some critical care will help?

Thank you so much!
Beth

Click to expand...

dear wilburand bambi,--yes critical care will help,[to stabilize]--cabbage causes unnecessary gas/[infant]-simethicone required,.chewing/eating grasses[very good]-for teeth and gitract.-quality pellets are where rabbits get their actuall food/vitamin supply..70%grasses/20%pellets/10%treats.-- http://www.medirabbit.com sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa