Calcium build up

Took my bunny to the vet this morning as he had stopped eating and pooping. He was x-rayed and diagnosed with a calcium build up in his bladder and they 'flushed' him out. Now he is back home and thankfully eating, drinking a pooping again quite happily. Any way the vet told me that I need to watch his diet, no carrot tops or anything else with a high calcium content, I was so suprised at the carrot tops, he loves those.
So can anyone tell me which fresh veg he should have?

Some pellets are higher in calcium too e.g. Science Selective. One of mine had bladder sludge 3 years ago when they were on these pellets, I moved over to Oxbow Bunny Basics as it is hay based and lower in calcium.

The veg I mainly give are spring greens, herbs and the sometimes kale and spinach as treats and carrot tops are a definite treat due to the high calcium content.

Also you can try to increase fluids as it helps to flush it out e.g. give a bowl rather than a bottle.

Glad your bunny is OK.

Thanks, I will get down to the shops tomorrow. We normally give them carrots, apples, celery and peppers, are these ok? The vet also told us to change over to excel pellets so we grabbed some of those. She also gave us some sloppy food which we are having to syringe feed him with every 2 hours so I'm hoping that will top up his fluids to start him off.
He never drinks that much, our other rabbit goes through her bottle twice as quickly as him. Will a bowl of water encourage him to drink more?

My bunny, Artie, has problems with calcium in his bladder, I was given the following information sheet from his vet, Frances Harcourt-Brown.

FEEDING RABBITS WITH URINARY TRACT PROBLEMS

Rabbits with urinary tract problems such as kidney stones, bladder stones and 'sludgy urine' can benefit from a diet that contains sufficient, but not excessive amounts of calcium and is low in phosphorus. An increase in water intake and urine flow is beneficial to dilute excreted calcium in the kidneys and bladder.

INCLUDE:
Fresh Grass. This is the ideal food for rabbits, it has a high water content and has the correct amount of calcium and phosphorus.
Fresh Greens. These are mostly water and will therefore increase water intake which is beneficial. mostly, choose plants from the moderate and low calcium groups although the occasional plant from the high calcium group won't hurt.

High calcium plants: kale, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, watercress, parsley.
Moderate calcium plants: cabbage, spring cabbage, celery, lettuce, most culinary herbs and many garden weeds that rabbits enjoy such as raspberry, bramble leaves, leaves from fruit trees, ground elder, young dock leaves, groundsel, chickweed.
Low calcium foods: peas, beans, bread, banana, apples, carrots.
Wild plants such as dandelion, goosegrass, yarrow and plantain have diuretic properties ie they increase the flow of urine. Although these plants have a high calcium content they also have a high water content and are enjoyed by rabbits and are beneficial for rabbits with urinary tract problems.

Only offer SMALL amounts of a pelleted or extruded food especially if the rabbit is overweight. Dry foods have no water content.

Small quantities of fruit juice containing Vitamin C might be beneficial. Fruit juices are sweet and palatable and therefore increase water intake. Theoretically, they could also acidify the urine and decrease the amount of sediment that is formed. Cranberry juice is a traditional remedy for bladder problems but apple, pineapple or blackcurrant juice can be used instead.

AVOID:
Mixed cereal rations. Cereals, such as sweetcorn, wheat, oats and barley have a high phosphorus content that is potentially harmful.

(Green oat hay is alright as is oat/wheat grass as it’s just the seed part that is high in phosphorus).

Alfalfa in any form.
Vitamin or mineral supplements that go in the water or on the food.

Artie's problems were discovered the same way - he must have been in so much pain that he stopped eating.

Thanks Bunny Buddy, that's perfect, just what I needed to know. hopefully he will be completely better soon. I will print off his new 'menu' and keep it in the kitchen so he can have a perfect diet.

Just to add to this, alfalfa is also called lucerne, and is present in many pellets, including Excel. As was mentioned earlier, Oxbow sell a pellet that is timothy hay based.

SarahP said:

Just to add to this, alfalfa is also called lucerne, and is present in many pellets, including Excel. As was mentioned earlier, Oxbow sell a pellet that is timothy hay based.

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Oh, thanks for that, that's slipped under my radar - poor bunny is still on Excel, albiet a very small amount, but will look at changing to Oxbow.

Try giving bottled water that has a low calcium content - you can check the calcium content on the side of the bottle. The low ones are 15-10 mg . Your own tap water may be much much higher depending where you live. (mine is so high its amazing it comes through the taps).