Could this be coccidia or am I just overthinking?Help please!

[lynne2809]

Hi everyone. 2 days ago I noticed that my 2 year old male lionhead’s poops were a bit strange. Some were small and hard while others were normal, but others were large and oval-shaped. Some of them were also tear-drop shaped, but I only noticed if I really looked hard. He was acting normal and eating and drinking fine, so I just encouraged more hay and backed off on the treats. His poops stayed like that until the next day, but then they seemed to improve. Last night I noticed 2 very small strings of brown mucus in his poop- they were so tiny that I wouldn’t have even seen them if I had not been searching for them. Again, everything else was normal. I went to bed and woke up this morning and his poops were completely back to normal. I looked online and it suggested that it could be coccidia. He just had his yearly exam last week and he was very healthy, but we did not do a fecal, so I am bringing a fecal sample to the vet first thing tomorrow for them to run to see if he does have any parasites. I am going out of town in 3 days and I will be gone for a week, so i am really worried that he has coccidia because I don’t know how the pet sitter would administer his meds (he is very hard to medicate). My thought is that if this were coccidia, his poop would probably be getting worse and not better, is that correct? He also had an episode of stasis just 4 months ago and he has gone through a few phases of his poop being wonky for a few days, so maybe this is just another little episode of that. I’m also wondering if it could have just been due to a decrease in water or hay consumption? I have attached a picture of what his “weird” poop looked like (the pictures of the poop in my hand) and what it looked like yesterday morning and this morning in his litterbox. I am such a helicopter mom and I love my bun to death, so I have been really worried. If anybody could offer any advice I would really appreciate it!!

 

[JBun]

Coccidiosis is possible. Those are things that will occur with a rabbits poop when they have it. But it can also happen with some digestive upset from something they ate. And like you said, if it was coccidiosis, I would also presume the poop would either be getting worse or at least still be the same abnormal poop you've been seeing. But if you're concerned at all, having a fecal float can help rule it in or out. Though for the best accuracy, taking a 3 day sample to the vet is a good idea, to have the best chance of finding evidence of the eggs that are shed.

 

[lynne2809]

Coccidiosis is possible. Those are things that will occur with a rabbits poop when they have it. But it can also happen with some digestive upset from something they ate. And like you said, if it was coccidiosis, I would also presume the poop would either be getting worse or at least still be the same abnormal poop you've been seeing. But if you're concerned at all, having a fecal float can help rule it in or out. Though for the best accuracy, taking a 3 day sample to the vet is a good idea, to have the best chance of finding evidence of the eggs that are shed.

Thank you! I am bringing a sample to the vet first thing tomorrow morning. Considering he is still acting normal, eating normal, drinking normal, etc. and his poops are more or less back to normal, I don’t really think he has it (I hope). I’m just concerned about how he will get the medication if he does have it since I will be out of town for 4 days, but I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

[lynne2809]

If he tests positive tomorrow (Monday), do you think it would be a terrible idea for me to wait to start medication on Saturday (when I return from my trip) since he is doing so well otherwise- to avoid the pet sitter having to attempt to medicate him and then risking him going into stasis from the meds?

 

[lynne2809]

Coccidiosis is possible. Those are things that will occur with a rabbits poop when they have it. But it can also happen with some digestive upset from something they ate. And like you said, if it was coccidiosis, I would also presume the poop would either be getting worse or at least still be the same abnormal poop you've been seeing. But if you're concerned at all, having a fecal float can help rule it in or out. Though for the best accuracy, taking a 3 day sample to the vet is a good idea, to have the best chance of finding evidence of the eggs that are shed.

Good news! I brought a sample to the vet this morning and no parasites were seen on the fecal float, but they are sending a sample out to the lab just to confirm the results. That makes me feel SO much better about going out of town for a few days. I am still a bit worried about why his poop was so irregular, but I assume it could be due to dehydration, stress, or a decrease in hay consumption? He just had his annual exam last week and everything looked great and the doctor did not have any concerns, so I am trying not to worry.

 

[lynne2809]

Hey everyone, just another little update. I’m 99% sure that his poops were “off” because he was starting to shed (I didn’t notice it at first because it was coming from the bottom layer of his coat, so I couldn’t see it). Yesterday afternoon he passed a ton of very oddly shaped poops that were different sizes and all connected by hair. I gave him a few really good grooming sessions with my hair buster comb. He was still eating and drinking very well, so I just let him be and I woke up to an absolutely perfect pile of poop this morning with very minimal hair. I’m going to brush him really well today and tomorrow morning before I leave. I also let his pet sitter know to keep an eye out for his poops and to let me know if anything concerning happens. The pet sitter is a close friend of mine and she also has a bunny, so she definitely knows what to look for. Other than keeping plenty of fresh hay and water available and brushing him before I leave for my trip, does anybody have any tips to make sure that he does okay while I’m away? I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday) and I will be back Saturday afternoon. I am quite a helicopter mom and I have a ton of anxiety about his health and I’m always scared of him going into stasis since his episode in August when he had to be hospitalized at a teaching hospital for 4 days. I’ve attached a picture of his poop yesterday afternoon (the picture of the poop in my hand) and a picture of his litter box from when I woke up this morning. I know that the picture of the abnormal poops isn’t “good,” but how concerned should I be if that happens again while I am on my trip? I assume that isn’t TOO abnormal for a lionhead to experience while shedding?

 

[JBun]

Good quality grass hay and good hydration, are the two best things for good gut motility. So along with the brushing, him eating lots of hay and drinking well is about all that can be done to mimimize the chances of digestive issues occurring.

 

[lynne2809]

Good quality grass hay and good hydration, are the two best things for good gut motility. So along with the brushing, him eating lots of hay and drinking well is about all that can be done to mimimize the chances of digestive issues occurring.

Thank you so much! He seems to be completely back to normal now. He’s eating tons of hay and his poop looks fantastic, so I’m not worried about leaving him with a pet sitter now. I do have one more question if you don’t mind- how likely is it for a bunny to aspirate on 1 cc of baby gas drops? I gave him some 3 days ago when he seemed gassy, he is super hard to medicate so about half of it made it into his mouth and the other half ended up on his nostrils and face and he ran off and groomed himself. It’s been 3 days and he’s acting normal, and eating and drinking perfectly, but he did have a sneezing fit yesterday of about 6-7 sneezes- they almost sounded like coughs. I did buy a new bag of hay the day before and it seems to be extra dusty, so I’m thinking that is probably the cause, but of course now I am overthinking this and worried that he has aspiration pneumonia from the Simethicone. Since it’s been 3 days, I assume he would be getting much worse if it were aspiration pneumonia and it would be pretty obvious at this point? He hopped up on the bed to play this morning and has been playing, eating, and drinking normally today with no discharge from his eyes or nose. I was thinking that if it were aspiration pneumonia, I would probably know by now?