bun has digestive issues?

[existenziell]

My bf's rabbit, Lily, has been having what appears to be digestive issues. She is a Holland lop, between 2 and 3 months old.

Ever since he got her (almost a month ago), she has been having diarrhea on and off. Not all poops are diarrhea, just some occasionally. And some look like blackberries. She has been eating and drinking normally. She has been acting as energetic as always, too. She binkies and runs a lot when she is out for exercise.

She is getting alfafa hay and young rabbit Oxbow pellets. No veggies, fruit, or treats.

Today I was petting her and heard some gurgling noises coming from her belly. She has also been having a hard time keeping herself clean down there and smells pretty bad, despite our efforts to try and help her.

Is there something wrong with her? The gurgling is a new development. She doesn't seem to be sitting or laying down weird either.

Here is a picture of her:

 

[KeltonB]

Not sure about the gurgling, but check out this thread for information on the "blackberries" and the related odor. I suspect they are actually cecals.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f14/pl...sitting-poop-struggling-keep-him-clean-73847/

 

[JBun]

If she is having true watery diarrhea, then she needs to be seen by a vet right away. Rabbits can dehydrate quickly from having diarrhea. Plus it is caused by a parasite/bacteria and that can cause serious digestive damage, and can even be fatal.

The blackberry looking poop is normal. Those are called cecotropes, and it's actually eaten by rabbits to get some of the nutrition that they need.

If it is just soft mushy poop that she is having, it can be caused by veggies/fruit, too many carbs and sugars in the diet, and parasites/bacteria. The most common cause is too many sugars and carbs. Since you don't give her veggies or treats yet, it is most likely that she is sensitive to the sugars and grain in the pellets, and it is causing the digestive problems. Another possible cause may be that the alfalfa hay is causing upset too, as it can if it is introduced into the diet too quickly. I would suggest getting some non grain grass hay and start giving her unlimited grass hay and less alfalfa hay. Also you will want to decrease the pellets quite a bit too, and keep decreasing til the soft poops stop. Depending on how bad it is, it might even be a good idea to stop pellets for a few days, until the poops are normal again and the gurgling stops. Then you can gradually reintroduce them into the diet, very slowly in small amounts, but not give her as much as before, and if you see soft poop again, she is getting too much and you need to cut back a little. Some rabbits can't tolerate pellets at all without them causing digestive problems. I have a rabbit that can't have any pellets or he will get GI stasis. You may also want to get some pet probiotics like Bene bac gel. It can help get the gut flora back in balance. The gurgling is from the gut flora imbalance, and the bad bacteria causing gas and soft poop. So it's not a good thing to be hearing loud gurgling. If you are concerned at all about it being parasites, or her condition worsens, or the poop doesn't clear up after making the diet changes, then you should take her into the vet. Soft poop can progress into GI stasis and a blockage, so it's something you want to get sorted out.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/drop/Drp_en.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Bunny_201.pdf
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

 

[existenziell]

Yeah, she does eat a lot of pellets. Is western timothy hay okay to give? That's kind of all we have on hand at the moment.

I am concerned about the parasites thing. She plays with Hegel and Olivia. I don't want them to catch anything.

Thanks for the advice. We'll try the diet change and see how that works out.

 

[JBun]

Timothy is a grass hay, so it's just fine. Parasites aren't often the cause, diet usually is, but parasites are always a possibility. As long as my rabbit is acting fine/normal, and doesn't seem to be in distress, and the poops don't worsen to diarrhea or start having mucous in them, then I will usually start with the diet changes and reducing pellets. So far that has solved soft poop problems for my rabbits. Though I do know of other peoples rabbits that had soft poop and it has ended up being coccidiosis. So I just put that out there as another possibility. Usually with cocci, the symptoms are much worse than just mushy poop, but it can happen with mushy poop being the first sign of it.

 

[minmelethuireb]

Alfalfa is good for rabbits under 6 months, but Timothy hay can also be given to any rabbit. Your rabbit should get unlimited quantities of hay. With the pellets, you should be okay limiting her to about 1/2 cup daily if she's around 4-8 pounds. The bag says unlimited for young rabbits, but that could upset some rabbits' stomachs.

If your concerned about parasites, you can find a local vet who sees rabbits and take a poop sample to them for a fecal float. A fecal float itself is inexpensive, but if she's never been seen by a vet before they'll probably requrie that she get an exam as well.