Acting Funny/Bad Poop (RIP Lola)

[Kohana]

So it started yesterday. She didn't really come roam out of her cage at all yesterday; she just kinda laid in one spot. She seemed tired and/or a little depressed to me as her eyes were droopy. Usually she comes and runs around the living room and lays down in the middle of the carpet. I thought she might just be tired but this morning she was the same. She also hasn't used the litterbox for her poops for the last two days as well. She will go pee in them but not poop.

Then this afternoon I found some weird poops. They were all clumped together and quite moist. They aren't cecals cuz they are bigger and more gooey than that.

I lightly touched her tummy but it doesn't seem bloated at all. She still seems to have some of an appetite (as she ate her salad this morning) but not as much of one as usual.

I am at a total loss as to what could be wrong with her. I was searching through the forums but couldn't really see anything. Any help or suggestions anyone may have would be greatly appreciated.

- Location: Edmonton, AB

- Description (Breed, color., weight): Castor Mini Rex, about 4 lbs.

- Age: 2 1/2-3 years

- spayed/neutered? yes

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? no
- When did they last use their litterbox? this morning
- Any unusual behavior? seems very tired and/or depressed - doesn't seem to want to leave her cage

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? was at the vet once a few months ago for sneezing - turned out to be nothing of concern

- Diet - what does your bunny eat? 1/4 cup of pellets with a handful of a mix of romaine lettuce and cilantro in the morning - another handful of the salad mix for supper - 1/8 cup of pellets before bed
- when and what did s/he eat last? this morning

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? hopping normally, just doesn't seem to want to move too much

- any weight loss? dunno

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach? no

- has the rabbit been outdoors? no

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

Kohana wrote:

So it started yesterday. She didn't really come roam out of her cage at all yesterday; she just kinda laid in one spot. She seemed tired and/or a little depressed to me as her eyes were droopy. Usually she comes and runs around the living room and lays down in the middle of the carpet. I thought she might just be tired but this morning she was the same. She also hasn't used the litterbox for her poops for the last two days as well. She will go pee in them but not poop.

Then this afternoon I found some weird poops. They were all clumped together and quite moist. They aren't cecals cuz they are bigger and more gooey than that.

I lightly touched her tummy but it doesn't seem bloated at all. She still seems to have some of an appetite (as she ate her salad this morning) but not as much of one as usual.

I am at a total loss as to what could be wrong with her. I was searching through the forums but couldn't really see anything. Any help or suggestions anyone may have would be greatly appreciated.

- Location: Edmonton, AB

- Description (Breed, color., weight): Castor Mini Rex, about 4 lbs.

- Age: 2 1/2-3 years

- spayed/neutered? yes

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? no
- When did they last use their litterbox? this morning
- Any unusual behavior? seems very tired and/or depressed - doesn't seem to want to leave her cage

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? was at the vet once a few months ago for sneezing - turned out to be nothing of concern

- Diet - what does your bunny eat? 1/4 cup of pellets with a handful of a mix of romaine lettuce and cilantro in the morning - another handful of the salad mix for supper - 1/8 cup of pellets before bed
- when and what did s/he eat last? this morning

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? hopping normally, just doesn't seem to want to move too much

- any weight loss? dunno

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach? no

- has the rabbit been outdoors? no

sounds like a digestive tract disorder...click on this link the mystery of rabbit poops -- http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html more timothy/orchard and water,..pm me if needed...sincerely james waller:wave::rose::bunnydance:inkbouce:

 

[tonyshuman]

I would try to encourage her to eat hay by cutting back a tiny bit in the other stuff, and give her a probiotic. In addition, encouraging her to drink more water would be good. Pedialyte or another infant rehydration drink is great for hydration too. It sounds like she might have a gut bacteria imbalance, and probiotics, hay, and water are usually the solution for that.

 

[Kohana]

Thanks I took her to the vet today and they gave me some antibiotics to give her for the next 5 days. They also gave me some Oxbow Critical Care powder that you mix with water. I have to feed it to her 4 times a day. The vet said she definitely has a digestive tract imbalance and it is good that I brought her in now so that we could solve it before it got worse. I also threw out her old hay and bought her some completely new stuff in case the old stuff had some funny weeds in it or was starting to mold. I am hoping she will feel better soon.

Thanks Everyone is so helpful here.

 

[tonyshuman]

That's good to hear. The critical care has some probiotics in it too, to get the good bacteria growing again as well.

 

[Kohana]

UPDATE: So I haven't seen any improvement in Lola at all in the passed few hours, she actually seems to be worse. Now she won't move at all, not even to use the litterbox. She won't eat, I tried syringe feeding her some of the critical care that the vet gave me but she won't swallow it. Her mouth just stays full and it squishes out. I tried syringe feeding her some pedialyte but she wouldn't swallow that either. I am getting very worried and I don't know what to do. I have her wrapped in a towel to keep her warm.

Also I should note that her poops went from very tiny to bigger and mushy. And her urine has become a dark yellow and almost the consistency of a gel.

Is there anything else I can do? I'm at a total loss :tears2:

 

[tonyshuman]

Oh that is not good to hear. Can you keep her warm? Is your vet open at night? Can you do some gentle belly massages? How about some pain medicine?

 

[tonyshuman]

If you can't get her to take any water in, she may need sub-cutaneous fluids, which usually have to be given by a vet (unless you have vet or nursing experience).

 

[Kohana]

Is that the fluids under the skin? They did give her some of those at the vet today. Just because she was a little dehydrated. Unfortunately my vet won't be open until the morning so I won't be able to take her in until tomorrow. I will try feeding her some more pedialyte and critical care in a bit. Hopefully she will ingest something...

 

[tonyshuman]

Yeah, I would focus on the pedialyte right now. It sounds like her blood sugar may be getting a bit low--is she sleepy or lethargic at all? Pedialyte has electrolytes and a small amount of sugar that can help hydrate her and give her a little energy.

It's good that she got some sub-q fluids earlier. What is the antibiotic they gave her? Also, you might put out a bowl of pedialyte with a bit of fruite juice in it to see if she'll drink on her own. The stress of force feeding might make her too upset to eat/drink.

 

[Kohana]

Yea she is very lethargic. She doesn't want to move at all. She is just staying wrapped up in the towel.

I will try giving her a bowl of pedialyte with some apple juice mixed in right now. And if she hasn't drank any in an hour or so should I try syringe feeding it to her again?

They gave me Baytril for her. I am supposed to feed her 0.35 cc in the syringe once a day for 5 days. I mixed her dosage for today into some canned pure pumpkin as she wasn't drinking, but she only ate a bit of it.

 

[tonyshuman]

That sounds like a good idea. Unfortunately, I don't know what you can do if she won't eat or drink and continues to be lethargic. I really worry when my animals act lethargic and out of it. The opposite of this would be "bright, alert, and responsive" in vet terms, and when they're not like that it's worrisome for sure. It might require an emergency visit if she doesn't perk up in a few hours.

fingers crossed--

edit: I'm also not sure about the Baytril--usually that's not given with GI bacterial issues, more often for urinary tract infections, upper respiratory, etc. They usually use metronidazole, which is antibiotic, antiparasitic, and anti-inflammatory. Gut issues can be bacterial or parasitic, usually. Baytril doesn't do much to gut microbes, but at least it doesn't hurt the good ones much.

Anyway, right now the focus is to get her drinking, active, eating, and able to regulate her body temperature herself.

 

[Kohana]

Tried giving her a dish of pedialyte mixed with apple juice but she won't touch it. So I tried syringing a bit into her mouth but it just dribbled out. She tried getting up out of her towel and she had to struggle to get up. She was really shaky. When she moved out of the towel I saw that she had pooped a huge clump of poop. It was all mushed together. There was a little urine that wasn't gel-like.

 

[tonyshuman]

I really don't know at this point. It depends on what you want to do, how long you're willing to wait to see if she improves before deciding if she needs to go the vet. ray:ray:

 

[Kohana]

I think I am going to end up taking her to the emergency vet as soon as my boyfriend gets home from work with the car (which should be in the next half hour). Thank you so much for all of your help. I really, really appreciate it.

 

[tonyshuman]

That's probably the best. I've tried to get some input from some other people but I don't know if they're up right now. Best of luck to you guys.

 

[dquesnel]

I am really glad you are taking her to the emergency vet. They will do everything necessary for her, and I bet they run a blood panel.

To me this doesn't sound like typical stasis, it sounds more like renal failure or even possibly liver failure. Sometimes it can come on so quick, and caused by an infection that may have been impossible to see. It doesn't sound like her fluids are being filtered properly and obviously the condition of her stool is not normal. A blood panel will show you his levels and whether or not organs are functioning as they should.

Does it seem like she is pooping appropriately for what she is eating? meaning, is as much coming out as it seemed going in? She may be having really bad gas pains, some rabbits are known to behave extremely lethargic with those pains. However she would also not have eaten her salad in the morning if the gas was so bad.

Bloodwork and fluids, and remember a rabbit in shock (with a low temperature) will not be able to absorb sub q's so if her temp is low it may be better to hydrate her intravenously.

Wishing all the best for you tonight.

 

[Pipp]

Sorry this is late, I've had a bunny issue of my own here.

Yeah, without x-rays and/or a blood panel, you really won't know. Nothing against the Vet, that is the first line of treatment, but if she continues getting worse, further testing is needed.

The digestive upset is soemthing that almost always comes with any ailment, so its always the chicken and the egg.

I would NOT try to force feed her quite yet. She's been nibbling, so her gut isn't going to be shutting down (which is the true definition of stasis). The fluids that she got will keep her going. I would very carefully monitor her temperature.

Hope she's okay.

PS: The ER Vet should give you a break on the price if you've seen a regular Vet, they usually consider that a referral, at least in these parts.

sas :clover:

 

[Kohana]

Thanks for all of your help everyone. But with a broken heart I say that very unfortunately Lola passed away just as we pulled into the parking lot of the emergency vet. She was not doing well at all. She was quite limp and all of a sudden she let out a terrible whine and started kicking and I think that was the end. I don't know what happened or how she died but I do know that I will miss her forever.

RIP Lola, My Love Bunny :hearts

 

[Happi Bun]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Perhaps she had a blockage and complications?
Either way *big hugs* to you. :hug:

:bunnyangel: Bink free Lola :rainbow: