.. Can I breed a rabbit with GI issues?

[kaylalovesrooroo]

Can I still breed my rabbit if she is a little over weight and has been having runny poo? The vets say the runny poo is because of the treats I give her like grass and carrot leaves and some other stuff, she has had the runny poo for ages now and even if I don't give treats to her she still will have it, I was just wondering if she will have problems if I breed her? And if she will have problems giving birth or during pregnancy, it will be great if someone can answer this, thanks

 

[majorv]

What exactly do you mean by runny poo? Diarrhea or just really soft poop? Is it constant? Unless you know for sure what's causing it I'd be very leery of breeding her. Without knowing positively the cause you could be passing the problem on to the buck. JMO


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[kaylalovesrooroo]

It's soft poo very mushy and stuff And yes it is constant

 

[ladysown]

i would not breed her until you bring her weight down and get her bowels moving properly.

only animals in good physical shape should be bred.

If she has a weakness in her genetic line which is causing her to display poor digestive health (or you are unwilling to help her get into good digestive health) she should NOT be bred.

 

[JBun]

Did the vet test a fecal sample for parasites? Parasites can be one cause of mushy poop, as well as some medications. The other most common cause of mushy poop and cecal dysbiosis, is a rabbits diet. Sometimes it can be caused by the sudden introduction of a new food, fresh grass, a particular veggie, but most often I have found that it is due to too many carbs and sugars in a rabbits diet, from too many starchy and sugary treats and/or from too many pellets. If nothing new in the diet is causing it and your vet didn't find parasites in a fecal test done, then try eliminating treats. If you don't see improvement after a few days, I would try cutting back pellets next or even eliminating them altogether for a week to see if the poop will go back to normal. Once the mushy poop clears up, then you can slowly start reintroducing the pellets but end up feeding a reduced amount from before. You could also try cutting out veggies and fresh grass if the mushy poop doesn't clear up after cutting out treats and pellets. But I've found once treats are cut out and pellets reduced, that usually clears it up. And give lots of good grass hay, as it really is the best thing for rabbits with digestive problems. I have 3 rabbits with sensitive digestive systems. One can't have any pellets or it will cause problems with his poop and he'll get sick, the other two can have a very small amount of pellets but if I try increasing the amount they will always start to develop mushy poop. All 3 don't get to have any sugary or starchy treats. They get lots of grass hay and some leafy veggies. This restricted diet keeps the mushy poop away and keeps them healthy.

It's really not good for a rabbits health to let the mushy poop continue without making changes to try and fix it. It can affect their health because the mushy poop is their cecotropes that contain needed vitamins and nutrients, and they would normally ingest these. But when they are mushy and filled with bad bacteria, they won't eat them, so depriving the rabbit of the nutrients in them. Continued mushy poop can also lead to further digestive problems and make them more prone to getting sick. So it really is important to try and sort out what is causing the problem.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3012
http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/chronic_intermittent_diarrhea_in_rabbits.pdf

 

[RabbitGirl101]

I wouldn't breed a rabbit that had any past health issues, I usually sell those rabbits to a pet home unless they are a rabbit that means something to me than I keep them as a pet (Only have 2 rabbits that are my pet rabbits, my first rabbit and my showmanship rabbit) Look at her pedigree, what are her lines try to contact her breeder ask if they have experienced any health problems with that line (with the feces)
Also an overweight rabbit is not ideal to breed, She should not be breed at this point. It would not be healthy for her or her kits.