Poopie Butt

S'more has been getting really bad poopie butt for the past few months. This is a picture of her butt and her box. I couldn't get a better picture of her butt because she doesn't like coming out of her cage. We only have two spayed girls out of six girls and they both get poopie butt and gross scent glands, but, S'more gets it worse! Any ideas?

I call it Sticky BunsIt's prettycommon in some lops that get gigh protein diet, when I fed my Mini Lops18% proetein feed it was a real problem, now that they're on PurinaShow (16%) I haven't seen any Sticky Buns, even with the babies.

Another cause could be a bit of GI distress, sometimes if too muchcarbohydrates are eaten, bacteria can gow in the pooled sugars in thehind gut (cecum), causing the loose stools (they're actually liquifiedcecotropes). Other times it's a viral thing, much like we get "stomachflu". I'd give her loads of hay, or straw, and cut back on pellets andtreats for a few days. Do make sure it gets plenty of water, if notdrinking you may need to help her by syringe feeding some water and/orPedialyte.

Thank you so much Rick!! We use Purina (thegreen bag) and we give them Kaytee hay. I will try putting somePedialyte in her water. If that doesn't work should we try Benebak?



Also, just adding, S'more is a Dutch!

I have Dutch too, but haven't had near theSticky Bun problem with them as with the lops. Gofiguregreen bag is 18% protein isn't it? You might tryadding some rolled oats (like Quaker Oats), a couple of tbs/day mighthelp to dry up the stools. Or switch to a 16% feed, Lebas (Frenchrabbit nutritionist) reported that for maintenance rabbits only require13% protein. Growing kits and lactating does need more-15-18%.

The Oats made her fat so we give them oats once a week. The green bag is 16%

Interesting, I haven't used anything but PurinaShow for years, years past they had a chow that was 18%. I guess onlythe Adv Formula Professional is 18% now.

Oats shouldn't put on fat unless fed too much, it is lower in cqaloriesthan most feeds. When I feed oats i reduce the amount of pellets by thesame amount as the oats, essentially this reduces the total protein andenergy fed, puts nice firm flesh on my rabbits.

My dutch bun use to get that too. I cut back onthe greens- its been like a month now and he got so much better. Hegets greens about twice a week now, but i'll have to look to see howmuch protein is in his feed....min is 15% but he has been eating a newfeed that has a min of 16%.

What is the difference between Timothy based pellets and Alfalfa based pellets? Is one better than the other?

I assume that timothy based is best for adults and alfalfa for youngins so they get the extra calcium and can grow and stuff.

juicyjuicee wrote:

I assume that timothy based is best for adults and alfalfafor youngins so they get the extra calcium and can grow andstuff.

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I was talking about protein wize and for S'more's recovery! We are planning on taking her to the vet ASAP!

I LuV MaH BuNs wrote:

What is the difference between Timothy based pellets andAlfalfa based pellets? Is one better than the other?

Click to expand...

Oxbow Bunny Basics/T (Timothy) isspecifically designed to meet the particular nutritional needs of adultrabbits. Timothy grass hay provides the fiber necessary to maintaindigestive health.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 14.00 %
Crude Fat (min) 1.50 %
Crude Fiber (min) 25.00 %
Crude Fiber (max) 29.00 %
Moisture (max) 10.00 %
Calcium(min) 0.35 %
Calcium (max) 0.85 %
Phosphorus (min) 0.25 %
Salt (min) 0.50 %
Salt (max) 1.00 %
Vitamin A, IU/kg 20,000
Vitamin D, IU/kg 880
Vitamin E, IU/kg 140
Copper, mg/kg 20

Ingredients
Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Salt, Limestone.


------------------------------------------------------------


Oxbow Bunny Basics 15/23 is an alfalfa-based pelletcreated especially for the specific dietary needs of the young oractive rabbit. Alfalfa hay, which is the main ingredient, is used toprovide an optimized, balanced protein source and contains the aminoacids required for the growth and health of your rabbit.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 15.00 %
Crude Fat (min) 2.00 %
Crude Fiber (min) 22.00 %
Crude Fiber (max) 25.00 %
Moisture (max) 10.00 %
Calcium(min) 0.50 %
Calcium (max) 1.00 %
Phosphorus (min) 0.25 %
Salt (min) 0.50 %
Salt (max) 1.00 %
Vitamin A, IU/kg10,000
Vitamin D mg/kg 400
Vitamin E, IU/kg 140
Copper, mg/kg 13

Ingredients
Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Limestone, Salt, Cane Molasses.

Rainbows!

Usually timothy based pellets will be a bitlower in protein, major difference is usually the lower calcium contentof timothy vs alfalfa. Non producing adult rabbits don't require asmuch calcium. Low calcium can present problems in pregnant doe, itprevents normal action of oxytocin in stimulating labor contractions.Growing rabbits need it for bone growth.

When I have had some with poopie butts, I givethem watered down grean tea (half water/half tea) or lipton tea. I alsogive them oats, it has worked for me.



Qadoshyah

Hiya!!

Thanks for all of the advice!!

For those who don't already know, S'more is one of my bunnies (..,too ).

I have started reducing pellets by up to 40%...so now they all getabout 3 oz. Hopefully they'll make up the difference with timothy hay.This morning they all still had leftover pellets...except for Binkie& Rosie (which is typical...lil piggies ).

They are not currently getting greens, however I gave them all somedandelion greens yesterday...Mooshu was having none of that though(very picky lil gurl).

None of them are currently getting any treats (sad bunnies ).

We're a bit concerned about S'more. I'm thinkinga trip to thevet may be in the near future. She's not in any distress. She eating,drinking and peeing okay. She's poopinokay, but her poopsseem to have gotten a bit smaller lately (they always were on the smallside, though). She recently finished a light molt, but she's never hadproblems with furblock..and we were giving her papaya as well.

The ongoing poopie butt I think is from her cecotropes. I'm hoping thatit just the fact that she's maturing and may need some dietaryadustment. And maybe some treatment to get her system back on track.

I'll try to give her some Nutri-cal tonight. We also have to clean her up again, and give her a good check over, too.

Poor baby gurl

We'll do one change at a time and keep a close eye on her.

I started to give them all some rolled oats and I'll see how that goes for a few days.

I also want to switch S'more over to timothy based pellets. The PurinaI use is alfalfa based, but all of the buns are old enough that theydon't need the alfalfa. S'more is our oldest at about 3 years, andBinkie is the youngest at about 9 months. I can't afford to switch themall over, but I can switch S'more if it will help her.

**whew!!**

~Jim

If you're worried about cost, try Kaytee'sTimothy Complete. It's way cheaper than Oxbow and prettydecent in comparison. Not as much fiber, but still prettygood.

naturestee wrote:

If you're worried about cost, try Kaytee's TimothyComplete. It's way cheaper than Oxbow and pretty decent incomparison. Not as much fiber, but still pretty good.

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There are several brands of timothy based pellets convenientlyavailable for me, except Oxbow. I haven't been able to find a supplierof Oxbow products that is a reasonabletraveling distance.

For one bunnie the cost is really not a factor.

For all 7, I go through about 50# of pellets in a month. I usually buy a 25# bag every 2-3 weeks. 25# of Purina goes for $7.50.

You might cut down on the pellets and just givea lot of timothy hay at this point until S'mores dries up a bit;besides the extra fiber won't hurt scrape her system clean.I'd give her NutriCal daily, whether she liked it or not, along withsome canned pumpkin just in case she is low on her fiber.

It's encouraging that she's still pooping and eating anddrinking. Make sure that she stays hydrated.Tetracycline might be something to consider if thiscontinues.

Will keep your baby in my prayers. Please keep us posted.

ray:

-Carolyn

You could also try a no-pellet diet. Here's some info.

http://www.leithpetwerks.com/Bunfun/nonpellet.html

We last cleaned S'more up a few weeks ago.

She had crusted poops, fur was groomed away,and skin was very irritated. We cleaned her tushie w/ water, dried herwell, and applied antibiotic/pain relief ointment. We also trimmed someof the fur that seemed more prone to soiling.

Her daily diet had been adjusted over the last4-6 weeks to unlimited timothy hay, unlimited fresh water, and 4-5 ozof pellets. Greens and treats were eliminated. 1 tspn of rolled oatswere given 1-2 times a week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night 7/18

She had a lesser amount of crusted poops thanbefore, some of the fur that was groomed away had grown back, but theskin was still very irritated.

We cleaned her tushie w/ warm water, used babyoil to break down poopies, dried the area well, and appliedantibiotic/pain relief ointment.

Yesterday by 10pm she had consumed:

1 ½ oz pellets

2 tsps rolled oats

small amount of timothy hay

½ inch of Nutri-cal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7/19/05

This morning she had pooped and peed. Not largeamount, but reasonable considering her intake.Poops are uniformlysmallish (small pea size), black (or very dark brown), and relitivelyhard (although bunnie poops dry pretty fast).

I emptied her bowl and gave her 1/3 cup offresh pellets, cleaned and filled her water bottle, added fresh litterto her pan, and made sure her hay rack and sleepie box were full offresh timothy hay.

She nibbled a few oats and a little bit of hay.

She doesn’t seem as active as usual, but isvery alert and responsive. Uppity ears and bright eyes. Eyes, ears andnose clean. Breathing is normal. Fur is in good condition. She seems tohave lost some weight over the last few weeks that we attributed to herdiet adjustment; however she was overweight and still has good weighton. She doesn’t seem bloated and her tummy is quiet. No indications ofpain such as tooth grinding.

There will be someone home most of the day so we can keep an eye on her condition.

We are picking up canned pumpkin, Pedialyte,and a syringe today, and will begin to force liquids and fiber thisafternoon if necessary.

We have a 7pm appointment with the vet today.They also gave me the information for the emergency facility that theyrefer to, just in case.



~Jim

Sending good thoughts your and S'mores way..... hope things turn out ok! Good luck at the vet!