HELP!! Bunny straining to pee 1 month post spay...

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BrownieDaisyandJasmine<3

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My three year old girl was spayed on Dec 11, 2022. She healed perfectly and all was well for a while until January end when I noticed her straining to pee.

She produced a drop of two, but in the next few hours went back to normal and did normal pee puddles too. Since then, I have noticed she strains occasionally, like one time in a week and then goes back to normal. Everything else is fine.

I took her to my local vet, not the one who spayed her as he's 12 hours away in a different city. We did xrays and nothing showed up. I gave him a sample too to test for UTI, and it came back positive. The vet said severe UTI and also said there was too much sediment, so he said increase water intake.

He gave her an antibiotic via injection, the name was really weird like cef+sul 0.2 ml and said he didn't want to start oral antibiotics as they would cause an upset tummy, and gave me vitamin c for rabbits, hamster, chinchillas. He also said that he feels the spay has gone wrong, because when he palpated her, he felt something like adhesions from the left over uterine stump.

Now even I know that he's wrong about not starting oral antibiotics because if the UTI is severe, then meds should be started asap and not just Vitamin C. I called the one who did her spay and he told me to give the enrofloxacin 15mg left from when she was spayed, 1ml for 5 days.

Should I start the enrofloxacin? And for how many days? Because I feel 5 days won't be enough for a severe UTI.

Also, about the adhesions, could that be causing the urine issues? Because I find it kinda weird that she strains at a fixed time once a week and then is perfectly normal for the rest of the week.

Could the adhesions become life threatening? I have read so many horror stories about adhesions to the bowels and how they cause recurring bouts of stasis until it finally causes bloat and takes the bun.😞 But she has never had a stasis bout. I also read that trying to fix the adhesions through another surgery would only cause much worse adhesions so it seems like an awful Catch 22.

If there are adhesions, can the symptoms be managed and the bun has a fair quality of life for the rest of its life?

Sorry for making it so long, I didn't know how to get it shorter.

Plz guys, help me out, I love her too much and I would hate myself for the rest of my life if my decision to get her spayed will cost her life 😥
 
How long ago was the injectable antibiotic given? Do you know the exact name of it? Has your bun been symptom free since then or is she still showing signs of bladder issues?

I don't think spay adhesions would be linked to bladder issues like this. That vet could have been wrong about the adhesions, especially if the vet isn't an experienced rabbit vet. It sounds more like it was just a UTI, with possible bladder sludge contributing.

Increased fluids can help, but often diet changes need to be made as well. What kind of diet does your rabbit have? Does your rabbit drink from a water dish or bottle? Also, is your rabbit very active?
 
Hi, JBun, thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough reply.

I googled the name and it showed ceftriaxone and sulbactim or sulbactam something like that. She just got it yesterday. I haven't seen straining as of now, last I saw her strain was Friday, but as i mentioned, she strangely strains only once a week, and is perfectly well the rest of the time. She does have cream colored deposits when she pees. When she does strain, she gets all weird and uncomfortable and refuses to eat for an hour or two, but always returns to normal after that as if nothing happened.

Also one weird thing i noticed is that her poos get perfectly golden and normal while on antibiotics and other times its darker, almost black sometimes, but perfect consistency, fibrous and dry and normal sized as well when crushed.

As for diet, she has Timothy hay unlimited, along with low calcium veggies twice a day, like green leaf lettuce, coriander, holy basil leaves, occasionally dandelions, one slice of cucumber, etc. I have recently started pellets she has around 2 tablespoons of it daily. And she has a bowl of water, she doesnt know what a bottle is yet, shes never been on it.

Yes, Id say shes fairly active, although today shes been a little lazy, but its getting warmer here so im hoping its just because of that. Shes pretty active when I take her to the nearby park for playtime and when its time for veggies or pellets; she runs and jumps like crazy at meal times and is very happy in the park.

Oh im praying he's wrong about the adhesions. Also, all the posts ive read about them are about vowel adhesions, no mention anywhere about bladder problems.

Please let the vet be wrong about it😥🙏🙏

Also about bladder sludge, does it maybe shift around the bladder occasionally and that's what is causing her to strain sometimes?

And should I start the enrofloxacin?
 
If the good rabbit vet said it was ok and that you should, then it would probably be a good idea to give the enrofloxacin. Especially since one injection of that other antibiotic isn't likely to be enough to clear up a UTI.

Though you're right about needing to give the enrofloxacin longer than 5 days. Could your good rabbit vet call in a prescription for some more enrofloxacin, to a pharmacy local to you? I would want to give at least 14 days, if the UTI really is severe. You may even need to do it for longer than 14 days, depending on how bad the UTI is.

The straining has to do with the calcium sediment building up in the bladder, to the point that it begins to obstruct urination. Then your rabbit manages to express that sludge out, and is ok until it builds up again. At least, this is my guess of what is likely occurring.

Were your rabbits pellets started just prior to all these bladder problems ? Are they an alfalfa based pellet, and what is their calcium content?
 
I do have some extra enrofloxacin left as I bought an extra strip of tablets so that won't be an issue. So Im thinking 18 days would be enough?

I hope that sludge building up is all there is to it. I have also bought the Sherwood urinary tablets, so I might give that a go as well if the uti doesnt clear up.

No the bladder problems started before i got her on pellets. Her weight was kinda fluctuating between 2kgs and 2.1 kgs so just to maintain that i put her on pellets. They are Timothy based pellets, I don't have the calcium content rn as i threw out the packet after pouring it into my container, but the brand is Versace Laga Cuni Sensitive.

I think the sludge might have built up because i had cut out all veggies at the time of her spay, because we had to travel 12 hours away to the vet and all the stress would have made her tummy upset. She was only on timothy hay for probably more than a month and she doesnt drink much water so that could be the cause.

Also about thr vitamin c, should I give her those?

And is there anything else i should do here? Im still kinda worried about adhesions. I might just be paranoid but my entire mental state depends on my buns living a long healthy life 🥲

I do want to take her back to the 12 hour away vet without giving it another thought, but funds are kinda tight.

Thanks for your reply 🙂
 
So update,

She has been very unlike herself since yesterday night. She didn't eat as much hay as she usually eats during the day, and last night didn't touch it at all. I got some fresh grass around 4 or 5 in the morning and she ate some of it. I also gave her simethicone once. She has since eaten very little, just some cilantro and a few more strands of grass and some fresh rose petals.

I took her to the local vet, and finally realised that he's not rabbit savvy at all, he didn't do an xray to check for blockage , or give subq fluid, or even listen for signs of stasis. On top of that, he handed me oral Amoxicillin.

There are no more vets around. Nearest is in another city as I have already explained, 12 hours by train.

We came home just now and she's been hiding in her house since.

Feeling truly hopeless and don't know what to do.
 
All I can say is to syringe feed her if you need to, and phone the good rabbit vet. Maybe they can advise you what next to do. Or maybe they know a local vet you could take her to, that the rabbit vet could then have a consultation with.

If you have any meloxicam for her, it's something I would want to give to help deal with any pain that might be contributing to the problem. You could also ask your rabbit vet about whether or not to give some meloxicam and how much.
 
All I can say is to syringe feed her if you need to, and phone the good rabbit vet. Maybe they can advise you what next to do. Or maybe they know a local vet you could take her to, that the rabbit vet could then have a consultation with.

If you have any meloxicam for her, it's something I would want to give to help deal with any pain that might be contributing to the problem. You could also ask your rabbit vet about whether or not to give some meloxicam and how much.

I gave her some meloxicam in the morning too. None of the vets are cooperative like that. Plus the one i took her to is the only one in my city.

She had a few strands of grass again. No poos.
 
She has done a few poos, 4 or 5 pellets. Can I rule out bloat? Because she is wanting to eat some of the things im giving her and also doing a few poos.


Also, should I give her subq fluids? How much?

Thank you for all your help.
 
If she is eating at all, and pooping, bloat is unlikely. Bloat causes severe pain, and a rabbit would be showing signs of that if they had true bloat.

You would have to ask your vet about giving sub q fluids.

The one thing to watch out for is signs of watery or pudding like diarrhea. If there was any leakage onto the fur, of the antibiotic injection your rabbit got from your local vet, and if any was ingested through grooming, that could cause dangerous digestive issues. If you see true diarrhea, that's an emergency and you should contact your rabbit vet immediately.

If your rabbits condition isn't improving or worsens , contact your rabbit vet right away. I don't know what can be done with them being so far away, but they're your best chance of getting the correct and safe care for your rabbit.
 
If she is eating at all, and pooping, bloat is unlikely. Bloat causes severe pain, and a rabbit would be showing signs of that if they had true bloat.

You would have to ask your vet about giving sub q fluids.

The one thing to watch out for is signs of watery or pudding like diarrhea. If there was any leakage onto the fur, of the antibiotic injection your rabbit got from your local vet, and if any was ingested through grooming, that could cause dangerous digestive issues. If you see true diarrhea, that's an emergency and you should contact your rabbit vet immediately.

If your rabbits condition isn't improving or worsens , contact your rabbit vet right away. I don't know what can be done with them being so far away, but they're your best chance of getting the correct and safe care for your rabbit.

She hasn't got any diarrhea, on the contrary, shes having extremely dry poos like extra golden. Just far too few. Shes also lost weight over this episode.
 
Shes going downhill really quick. She perked up a little bit yesterday night and even ate a fair amount of hay. But today morning shes just lethargic and doesnt want to eat at all. She did a lot of oddly shaped poos and then started producing watery cecotropes.

She doesnt want to move but bends down to try and eat the cecotropes but theyre too mushy. The vets wont cooperate. I called another one, he said to give lactobacillus tablets for the watery cecals so no hope there either.

Her skin feels very loose and wrinkled. Have gone out to get sub q fluids for that.

Please tell me if there's anything I can do here that might save her life. Anything at all that might have a small shot at helping her recover from this.

I will get her to the 12 hour away vet but cant do that unless she's a little stable.

Please, any help at all would be really appreciated.
 
So I think this might be due to the antibiotic injection causing antibiotic induced enterotoxemia. This is a very dangerous intestinal bacterial illness, and the correct medications need to be started immediately. Those medications are cholestyramine to absorb the bacterial toxins(which can prove fatal), metronidazole to try and get rid of the pathogenic bacteria, and sub q or IV fluids if there is diarrhea occurring or the rabbit is dehydrated.

But the cholestyramine is absolutely essential to get started immediately, to have the best chance of saving your rabbit. Studies have proven it protects a rabbits GI tract from pathogenic bacterial toxins. If you can get cholestyramine started and give sub q fluids, this may be enough to stabilize her to be able to save her.

(medication dosing info)
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/squirts.pdf
3. Antibiotics:
b. metronidazole at 20mg/kg Q 12 hours – PO only; Oral
administration provides immediate contact with intestinal pathogens that injections will
not handle as quickly or directly.

8. Absorption/adsorption of intestinal toxins:
Questran (cholestyramine resin) - by prescription at most major pharmacies DO NOT
ADMINISTER THIS AGENT FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR AFTER ALL OTHER ORAL
MEDICATIONS HAVE BEEN GIVEN, AS IT MAY INTERFERE WITH OR INACTIVATE
THE OTHER DRUGS.
Suspend about ¼ teaspoon in 10 ml of water, and allow to hydrate for approximately 10 minutes.
Give 1-2 cc of this suspension every 12 hours, but DO NOT give it within an hour of other
medications, as it may absorb them. DO NOT give any other medications for 4-6 hours after
Questran dose, as Questran will continue to absorb/adsorb substances from the gut lumen,
reducing or eliminating their efficacy.

https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/enterotoxemia-in-pet-rabbits-and-other-herbivores/
I am just making my best guess here, but if I'm right, this is absolutely an emergency.
 
So I think this might be due to the antibiotic injection causing antibiotic induced enterotoxemia. This is a very dangerous intestinal bacterial illness, and the correct medications need to be started immediately. Those medications are cholestyramine to absorb the bacterial toxins(which can prove fatal), metronidazole to try and get rid of the pathogenic bacteria, and sub q or IV fluids if there is diarrhea occurring or the rabbit is dehydrated.

But the cholestyramine is absolutely essential to get started immediately, to have the best chance of saving your rabbit. Studies have proven it protects a rabbits GI tract from pathogenic bacterial toxins. If you can get cholestyramine started and give sub q fluids, this may be enough to stabilize her to be able to save her.

(medication dosing info)
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/squirts.pdf
3. Antibiotics:
b. metronidazole at 20mg/kg Q 12 hours – PO only; Oral
administration provides immediate contact with intestinal pathogens that injections will
not handle as quickly or directly.

8. Absorption/adsorption of intestinal toxins:
Questran (cholestyramine resin) - by prescription at most major pharmacies DO NOT
ADMINISTER THIS AGENT FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR AFTER ALL OTHER ORAL
MEDICATIONS HAVE BEEN GIVEN, AS IT MAY INTERFERE WITH OR INACTIVATE
THE OTHER DRUGS.
Suspend about ¼ teaspoon in 10 ml of water, and allow to hydrate for approximately 10 minutes.
Give 1-2 cc of this suspension every 12 hours, but DO NOT give it within an hour of other
medications, as it may absorb them. DO NOT give any other medications for 4-6 hours after
Questran dose, as Questran will continue to absorb/adsorb substances from the gut lumen,
reducing or eliminating their efficacy.

https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/enterotoxemia-in-pet-rabbits-and-other-herbivores/
I am just making my best guess here, but if I'm right, this is absolutely an emergency.
Thank you so much. Im going out immediately to get the meds.

But should I start the cholestramine first or the antibiotic?

She has had a dose of subq fluids
 
Shes extremely lethargic now and is just laying in a corner. Meds are on their way.

Also csn you please tell me, what are the next steps immediately after she starts responding somewhat to the meds?

And how much of sub q fluids should I give?

I really cannot thank you enough for your help and advice.
 
Sub q fluids are about 30-50ml. However, if you've never given sub q fluids before, your vet should advise you on how to do this correctly, as the fluids need to be administered slowly at a certain rate.

Please keep in mind that I'm not a vet, and I'm just sharing what I would think is going on if I were in a similar situation, based on my own experiences and what I've learned through research. My guess of what could be going on with your rabbit is based on your rabbits deteriorating condition, the presence of watery diarrhea, and that she was given an antibiotic that could cause this kind of reaction. This is what seems the most likely cause to me, but there could be something else going on entirely, and this would take your rabbit vet doing tests to try and figure out what's going on.

I would get the sub q fluids in first. Make sure they are warmed to body temp first. That will usually help a rabbit become more responsive if they're dehydrated. Also make sure your rabbits body temp is warm. A sick rabbit will often become chilled, and a hypothermic rabbit will be less inclined to eat and will struggle to recover.

Then I would attempt syringe feeding, food mix warm. Hopefully your rabbit will swallow. If not, that's not a good sign. But if your rabbit will take some syringe feeding, if you have the meds, I would give the metronidazole, then the cholestyramine an hour after. Tthe antibiotic, it should be started first, followed with the cholestyramine an hour after giving the antibiotic, according to the info in the link I shared. If in doubt, phone your rabbit vet up if they'll advise you over the phone.

Both medications should be human grade. You just don't want to use the kind of metronidazole intended for use with fish.
 
I'm so sorry your bun didn't make it. You're in such a difficult situation without having knowledgeable rabbit vets nearby, to help you with your rabbit when there are serious medical issues you're trying to deal with. And some things like what your rabbit had, it's very difficult to save the rabbit even with an emergency rabbit vet immediately helping the rabbit, and that much harder when you don't have a good rabbit vet there to help. You really did do the best you could, given your circumstances.
 

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