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Cystitis

spadge77

New Kit
Hi All

think our bun has cystitis - he is fine in himself , quite happy and cheerful in fact more cheerful now than past few weeks when he s been a grumpy bun. So his symptoms - he has stopped using his litter tray for wee , and does puddles here and there , his fur in his bum area is damp, he is more smelly , he is drinking more ! also looks in discomfort when he wees. He has pellets and he has small amounts of kale and spinach. I have recently discovered these are high in calcium and could be the culprit ! Vets appointment later but I am looking for advice on what he can eat and what he can't - pellet recommendations and of course fresh stuff . How does the vet usually treat cystitis ? - many thanks
 
Hi All

think our bun has cystitis - he is fine in himself , quite happy and cheerful in fact more cheerful now than past few weeks when he s been a grumpy bun. So his symptoms - he has stopped using his litter tray for wee , and does puddles here and there , his fur in his bum area is damp, he is more smelly , he is drinking more ! also looks in discomfort when he wees. He has pellets and he has small amounts of kale and spinach. I have recently discovered these are high in calcium and could be the culprit ! Vets appointment later but I am looking for advice on what he can eat and what he can't - pellet recommendations and of course fresh stuff . How does the vet usually treat cystitis ? - many thanks

With antibiotics - try take a pee sample with you for the vet to test :)

I wouldn't worry about food too much - someone else may be able to help with this, plus you could ask the vet later.

Hope your bun starts to feel better after seeing the vets xx

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
Hi All

think our bun has cystitis - he is fine in himself , quite happy and cheerful in fact more cheerful now than past few weeks when he s been a grumpy bun. So his symptoms - he has stopped using his litter tray for wee , and does puddles here and there , his fur in his bum area is damp, he is more smelly , he is drinking more ! also looks in discomfort when he wees. He has pellets and he has small amounts of kale and spinach. I have recently discovered these are high in calcium and could be the culprit ! Vets appointment later but I am looking for advice on what he can eat and what he can't - pellet recommendations and of course fresh stuff . How does the vet usually treat cystitis ? - many thanks

The Vet may try to get a wee sample from your Bunny to test for infection. But if the bladder is very tender this may not be possible. If infection is suspected a course of antibiotics would be prescribed. Also, it may be necessary for the Vet to prescribe a non steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic eg Metacam. Cystitis can be painful.

On gentle palpation the Vet may be able to feel the presence of sludge/stones. However sometimes an abdominal Xray is needed to obtain a definitive diagnosis.

There are other possible causes of the symptoms you describe, so the Vet may suggest additional diagnostics.

These links contain some useful information :

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

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

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

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


If Bunny is soiled underneath he will be at risk of urine scald and flystrike

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

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/flystrike/


If your Rabbit does have bladder sludge then this diet sheet provides good advice

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

Good luck at the Vets x
 
Hi All

think our bun has cystitis - he is fine in himself , quite happy and cheerful in fact more cheerful now than past few weeks when he s been a grumpy bun. So his symptoms - he has stopped using his litter tray for wee , and does puddles here and there , his fur in his bum area is damp, he is more smelly , he is drinking more ! also looks in discomfort when he wees. He has pellets and he has small amounts of kale and spinach. I have recently discovered these are high in calcium and could be the culprit ! Vets appointment later but I am looking for advice on what he can eat and what he can't - pellet recommendations and of course fresh stuff . How does the vet usually treat cystitis ? - many thanks


Sorry to hear about your bun.

Cystitis is usually treated with antibiotics - either Baytril or Septrin in the first instance. These usually clear up the problem really well!

Kale and spinach, whilst containing calcium, are not usually the culprits for such as bladder sludge, as pellets are more than likely the cause of that. Also the more sedentary lifestyle of our domestic bunnies which means that sediment stays in the lower part of the bladder and accumulates.

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

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

In addition, veggies and fresh grass have moisture along with the food value, which is much better than dry food for a sludgy bun. However, this may not apply to your own bun and only an X-ray will be able to rule this out.

I should try and collect a wee sample and take it to the vet. Try and get this as sterile as possible, perhaps in a syringe. Your vet may be able to express the bladder, but if bunny has just had a pee then there may be nothing to express.


Some info on diet here:

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

think our bun has cystitis - he is fine in himself , quite happy and cheerful in fact more cheerful now than past few weeks when he s been a grumpy bun. So his symptoms - he has stopped using his litter tray for wee , and does puddles here and there , his fur in his bum area is damp, he is more smelly , he is drinking more ! also looks in discomfort when he wees. He has pellets and he has small amounts of kale and spinach. I have recently discovered these are high in calcium and could be the culprit ! Vets appointment later but I am looking for advice on what he can eat and what he can't - pellet recommendations and of course fresh stuff . How does the vet usually treat cystitis ? - many thanks

so back from vets have anti b and anti inflammatory - typically he seemed much improved in the hours before his appointment and tonight he is quite chilled. Thanks for all of your replies - we are going to look for a low calcium pellet if anyone can advise of a nice tasty one that would be good - he wont have many , main diet hay and some fresh herbs and veggies
thanks
 
so back from vets have anti b and anti inflammatory - typically he seemed much improved in the hours before his appointment and tonight he is quite chilled. Thanks for all of your replies - we are going to look for a low calcium pellet if anyone can advise of a nice tasty one that would be good - he wont have many , main diet hay and some fresh herbs and veggies
thanks


Frances Harcourt Brown said in the link I posted above:

It can be seen from this table that it would be easy to ingest a high amount of calcium by eating a lot of 'low calcium' nuggets or pellets but almost impossible to ingest too much calcium from 'high calcium veggies', such as watercress or kale.



You have a comparison chart for dry food here:

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp
 
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