chalky urine

[DustBun]

Dusty's urine is chalky. Is there something can do for him at home or is this an immediate vet visit? I just noticed it tonight. He seems to be drinking fine and he's eating normally. His poops are normal looking - it's just his pee.

 

[DustBun]

Sorry, Dusty's history: Dusty is an older male Lop, about 5 lbs. I dont know his exact age since he was a rescue and no one has been able to give me a definative answer on that. ANyway, he has horrible dental issues in the past and has had all his front teeth and one of his molars removed. He eats no hay although fresh hay is available for him but he does get pellets and about 2 1/2 cups of fresh chopped greens a day. I've had him less than a year and we've already made four major trips to the vet for various dental issues that, at least twice, have made him completely stop eating. We've been through a lot and I'm seriously hoping this is nothing major. I've added some 100% cranberry juice to his water bowl in hopes it will encourage more intake.

 

[maxysmummy]

how chalky do you mean?

to be honest all of our rabbits do chalky urine and always have. they are on a good diet and seem happy so we arent concerned.

if it's really thick and shes struggling to urinate/urinating outside of the box/urinating frequently but only tiny ammounts it could be a UTI.

push hay, push water and hopefully it will clear up

 

[DustBun]

it's only a little bit of urine, and on his matt, not in the litter box. it's very chalky... when he urinated on his matt all the fluid went through the matt and left a white chalky substance on the surface of the matt. he drank some today but not as much as I would like. he refuses to eat any hay - never has - but i'm trying to give him wet greens.

 

[maxysmummy]

hmm are you sure its abnormal or was it just because it was on a different surface? cause our rabbits urine is ALWAYS like that.

 

[tonyshuman]

Often our bunnies' pee will look like it has white sediment in it, especially if it is dried up or has been deposited on cloth. The sediments stay behind on the cloth and the liquid runs through. If they are very thick, like if you feel them there is substance there, not just powder, then it would be a concern. Otherwise it is normal.

Since he did pee in an unusual spot, that is also a possible sign of urinary problems. Depending on how thick the chalky bit was, it can probably wait. Adding cranberry juice could certainly help but it is best to have a second bowl that contains a bit of cranberry in addition to a plain water bowl.