Blood in urine - HEEEELLLLP

[Javotte]

Hi! I have 2 bunnies about 3 month old who are showing blood in their urine this morning. They are fed grass from the garden and pea pods and rabbit pellets. They have straw and hay as well. Their diet has not changed, we are careful not to give them wet grass. What is happening?:nerves1

Thanks for your help,

Natalie

 

[Flashy]

Hi Natalie,

First off, take a deep breath. The good thing is that you are a super rabbit owner because you are aware.

When you say blood in the urine, can you describe it a bit more? Could you maybe take a picture? Is it all red or are there obviosuly blood clots running through it?

 

[Javotte]

No it is a kind of red-brownish transparent peedle, so not clots in it... it is quite messy though, oh dear!

 

[Flashy]

Has it sat for a while before you noticed?

Rabbits can commonly have red wee and that's healthy and normal. It is something that can happen when something specific comes into the diet. It happens with dandelion leaves, carrots and other things that I can't remember off the top of my head.

This article might be worth a read. http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-1/red-urine.html It says beta-carotine can do it.

Urine also gets darker if it has sat for a while, which can also be a bit disconcerting.

If you have concerns then it is worth getting checked out by a vet to be on the safe side.

It might be worth reading the Urinary Tract Problems thread in our library.

 

[Javotte]

I do not know whether they sat for a while but they do get dandelion leaves and other wonderful stuff. God rabbits can be creatie with their peedle, I have another one specialising in milky white!:biggrin2: Thank you very much for you quick response, Take care, Natalie

 

[tonyshuman]

Yep, rabbit urine ranges from milky white to bright orangish red. Blood usually shows up as clots and swirls. On the other end of the spectrum, urine that is sandy and chunky can occur too, and that's a sign of bladder sludge. If it's still liquid and white, that's fine. They have a very interesting physiology for removing calcium from the blood and plant pigments, and that's why their urine is so strange.