Moist (Megacolon) Poops...Irritation from Greens?

[Jenk]

Does this situation sound like a bad reaction to greens?

I'd had Zoe on a hay-only diet for a few months' due to her previously havingoverly-moist fecals the last time I'd tried her on greens (which wasn't the first time).

I beganfeeding her a few mint leaves (1-3 per day) with a plant enzyme/probiotic compound on them (to help her better digest them, I'd hoped). She did okay for 11 days'; then, yesterday, I noticed a number of her fecals had turned overly moist. They don't have visible mucous strung between them, but I suspect that her gut's irritated whenever the exterior of her fecals becomes rather slick to the touch.

Today, they're still moist on the outside (but not what I'd call slick); still, they have a somewhat noxious odor.I'm wondering if it's time to give up on greens entirely, give her another 2-3 weeks on hay only (to "reset" her gut) and then try her on pellets (which she's not had since she was a baby).

Thank you,

Jenk

 

[Maureen Las]

I didn't respond to this because I don't know what the cause of the overly moist poops are?
mega colon poops would be wet,misshapen and various sizes ranging from huge to tiny.
At this point you could probably just see how they are tomorrow before you make up your mind what to do.

Some days my buns poops are moister or drier than theanother day and it generally has not been problematic

my mega-colon bun (RIP ) Gabriel always had moist big and small poops no matter what I did so I did allow him to have greens

This probably is not a help at all but I don't really know the answer.:?

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

It could be a fiber issue, too much of it. It could also be that and the enzyme you're giving her. I would consult your vet. Keep us posted though, please.

 

[Jenk]

AngelnSnuffy wrote:

It could be a fiber issue, too much of it. It could also be that and the enzyme you're giving her. I would consult your vet. Keep us posted though, please.

In the past 16 months', I've learned that even rabbit-savvy vets are in the dark about the cause of this condition.

I've been told by (most) people to always have good-quality hay available tomy megacolon bun. I've had three vets recommend hay and greens only. A few other folks have suggested a pellet/hay diet. And at least one person has said that a hay-only diet works for those rabbits who need it.

To be honest, her fecals are more normal-ish when she's fed hay, though they can become overly-dry if she doesn't suck down a ton of water.

At this point, I'm almost ready to stop the greens for another few weeks', and then attempt to slowly re-introduce pellets. (She's not had them since she was a baby, so I don't know how they might affect her. But I do know that her fecals were the same as her sisters when they, as babies, at soley hay and pellets.)

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Jenk wrote:

AngelnSnuffy wrote:

It could be a fiber issue, too much of it. It could also be that and the enzyme you're giving her. I would consult your vet. Keep us posted though, please.

At this point, I'm almost ready to stop the greens for another few weeks', and then attempt to slowly re-introduce pellets. (She's not had them since she was a baby, so I don't know how they might affect her. But I do know that her fecals were the same as her sisters when they, as babies, at soley hay and pellets.)

That sounds like a good plan! I would even stop the enzymes during this time to see exactly what could be causing it. Then start greens slowly again and if no problem, the enzymes could be the culprit. You can also try to flavor the water to get her to drink if needbe with a little apple juice.

 

[Jenk]

AngelnSnuffy wrote:

...I would even stop the enzymes during this time to see exactly what could be causing it. Then start greens slowly again and if no problem, the enzymes could be the culprit.

She's had issues with greens in the past before I'd even heard of the digestive enzymes; so I'm reluctant to view them as the problem. Not saying that couldn't be the case, but I can't say.

I think that she's a typical megacolon (En-En factor/spotted) bun who can't tolerate many greens. (I've been feeding her 2-4 parsley leaves/day for about a week now.)