Chalky urine.

[ChandieLee]

Howdy.
I had posted about Belle in another part of the forum; about her being smelly... even after being cleaned.
I had asked about her urine being chalky, so someone told me that I should post here.
Is chalky urine normal?


Actually, now that I remember, Belle peed near Necro's cage, and it was white, but it also looked like oatmeal? I looked in her cage to see if there were other urine puddles like that, but there weren't.
Should I be concerned?

 

[Pipp]

If it's chalky and very thick (like toothpaste or I guess oatmeal), that's bladder sludge and it has to be treated asap, it can cause more damage internally.

She really needs to be drinking a lot, and it's likely best to see a vet and have the vet give her an infusion fluids (under the skin) and possibly flush her bladder (?) or whatever it is they flush.

Because her urine has also been smelling bad, really best not to leave it. (I meant to mention that in the other thread, sorry if I didn't). She could have an infection.

Be prepared to take in a urine sample. Putting some clean bubble wrap in her litter box might work if she pees on it and you can collect the pee by sucking it up into a syringe or a dropper or something. Get the sample in ASAP. If that doesn't work, the vet will probably have toexpress her bladder.

You'll have to monitor her calcium count. How old is she? What kind of pellets is she getting? Does she eat a lot of veggies? What kinds?

Hope she's okay. :clover:



sas

 

[ChandieLee]

Thanks for the reply.

Belle is roughly 8 months old.
She (and Necro) eat Nature's Gold Rabbit Food.
And, she won't eat lots of veggies because she's very picky :?
She'll eat lettuce, and a little bit of broccoli and that's about it.
And for treats, she gets a little bit of oats and Cheerios-not the honey nut kind.

In my other thread, a lot people seem to think that maybe her scent glands need to be cleaned... maybe that's causing the really strong smell?
I'd like to clean them (just to rule that out if it's not the problem),and I read up on it, but I'm still not sure on how to do that.


Again, thanks for the reply.

 

[Pipp]

Scent glands can smell pretty skunky, but I've never had much of a problem with them personally (until I clean them). You can tell pretty easily if that's the same smell once you pull back the openings, you'll get a good whiff.:yuck Check out the advice/links in the other thread and see what you think.

But Is Belle leaking urine? Is her bottom wet and/or poopy at all?If her urine isthick ANDshe smells, there's cause for concern, I'd be inclinedto look beyond scent glands.

The urine could be the culprit, or as Randy noted, it could be a poop or cecal matter issue, several ailments cause strong odors in that regard.

Is she eating lotsof hay? The food you're feeding her is very high in carbs and low in fibre, I'd startslowly switching to a better quality of food, especially if she's not eating many veggies. A lot of Timothy or other low-calcium,highfibrehay (not alfalfa) is essential.

You're also going to have to ease off on cereals, etc, she'll end up with 'poopy butt' or obesity/weight issues,whichleads to a variety of other problems.



sas :?

 

[ChandieLee]

Well, my boyfriend just checked the openings- and boy does she smell!! :nerves1

I'm not sure if she's leaking urine... her bum is kinda orangey though.
I also just checked her cage, and the rets of my living room, for possible sludge, however, I found nothing. All of her urine the cage is pretty much just chalky now, however, not thick like toothpaste.
She will eat hay, but she likes to pee in it more than she likes to eat it :?

Easing off the cereals is a good idea it seems, because she's getting kind of rounder.
What kind of snacks would be healthier?

Thanks again.