New rabbit poopy butt? Help! (Resolved)

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doggie0506

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, Ontario, Canada
Yesterday I got a new rabbit (my first one) and I noticed that it's bum had poo on it when we got it, the breeder said to leave it so we did. Now I have notced that I have not seen any poo but there us a thick mucase type thing in the cage and it's bum is still kind of dirty. The rabbit breeder gave us some of the food he feeds and we have been feedeing that as well as Timothy hay. I'm not sure if it us diariah (spelling?) or what but it has a bad smell to it aswell. Is it just from stress or should we take it to the vets? Does anyone know what it is?
 
doggie0506 wrote:
Yesterday I got a new rabbit (my first one) and I noticed that it's bum had poo on it when we got it, the breeder said to leave it so we did. Now I have notced that I have not seen any poo but there us a thick mucase type thing in the cage and it's bum is still kind of dirty. The rabbit breeder gave us some of the food he feeds and we have been feedeing that as well as Timothy hay. I'm not sure if it us diariah (spelling?) or what but it has a bad smell to it aswell. Is it just from stress or should we take it to the vets? Does anyone know what it is?
I think you should definitely plan a vet visit to determine exactly what's going on and how to treat it.
 
Uhoh. Mucus is a bad sign. In young bunnies mucus can be produced when there's an imbalance in the GI bacteria, and the bad ones grow out of control. The body tries to keep things moving through the intestines, and that's why you see the mucus. It sounds like mucoid enteritis to me, which ideally should be treated by a vet. The bad bacteria can release toxins into the body of the rabbit and poison it, and dehydration from pooping/diarrhea can be very dangerous as well.

There have been a few mucoid enteritis threads lately, please see them for advice on how to treat her.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=50888&forum_id=16
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=51016&forum_id=16

Please get her to a vet right away. The rate of survival for mucoid enteropathy is not good at all.

If I had known there was mucus involved, I'd have said something in the other thread--sorry! I thought it was perhaps just uneaten cecal poops stuck to her butt.

edit: I found these links to be quite helpful:
http://www.threelittleladiesrabbitry.com/mucoidenteritis.php

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/171319.htm

http://www.showbunny.com/gastrointestinal.html

 
Take his pellets away. Make sure he has water.
No fruits or veggies!
Give him hay & if you have any uncooked original oats those seem to help get rid of the diareah as well :)
He most likely has a poopy bum because he was probably just weaned off of mommy's milk.

Keep us updated :) Also whereabouts in Ontario do you live?
 
It is probably mucoid enteritis (spelling?) since the breeder we got it from also sells rabbits for meat then the pellets he fed were probably low in fibre and high in carbohydrates but I havnt seen any little poop at all just the greenish brownish clearish mucas type stuff. :( :( :(:(:(:(:(:(
(we live near Barrie, 2 hours north of Toronto)
 
I think I might get a different one tommorow I'm not very attached to this one. I do feel bad about the whole situation though :(:(.
 
Well maybe you can do something to help the one that you have right now ..:?
This rabbit is seriously ill and needs a vet visit but in the mean time you can get a syringe and syringe some electrolyte infant drink to him so that he will not get more dehydrated. You canget this type of liquid drinkat any pharmacy or chain dept store; it is known as pedialyte in the US.
The bunny will also benefit from a probiotic ( microorganisms that are healthy for rabbit intestinal tract; they can be found in a product called benebac at any pet store chain or you can get a equine probiotic at a farm store. the one most familar to me is called Probios
if you can get to a vet the vet may give you an antibiotic with anti inflammatory properties called metronidazole or Flagyl.
Please try to save the bunny that yougot from such a horrible breeder.
Give this bun lots of hay rather than pellets
if you want to get a healthy bunny instead of keeping this ill one you should be warned that rabbits are not easy pets and often have one disorder or another.; it may be wise to educate yourself on the problems that may arise from owning a rabbit as they can be healthy one day and ill the next so cannot just be replaced but should be cared for,
 
I understand that rabbits are not just disposable items and have a life and feelings but it could be dead by tomorrow :( I feel soooo bad about this but I will try my best to save this rabbit it has lots of hay and a full water bottle. I'm going to try get it to the vets by tomorrow (BTW what us the price of an average checkup?). If this rabbit dosnt make it I think I might adopt one from a local shelter (that's what I wanted to do in the first place)

The breeder had over a hundred rabbits some of them looking quite ill. I felt sooo bad buying a rabbit from there :( and I feel even worse now :(:( The rabbits he had were definitly for meat. I don't know what to do should I bring the rabbit back, should i keep it, I don't know what to do.:( any suggestions?:(
 
You might lose the rabbit but if you bring him back he will not be taken to a vet or even thought about .I understand that you care ; I can feel it in your post so even if you can not save him best to keep him in a quiet comfortable place or possibly have him euthanized if the situation does seem hopeless :(

Sorry that this episode turned out so negative for you ... / but the rabbit is better off with you

and yes a shelter is abetter alternative to get a rabbit in the future...

I think I came across as harsh in my post but I understand that you are already suffering from this...:(


 
I see where you are coming from and I agree that should keep it, and it does have the cutest ears and it is so curious about everything it has no fear if the dog and loves exploring the cage/shed we built for it. I know that it may not last much longer but I'm determined to nake it as comfortable as possible. I feel bad for it though it has had a pretty bad life all around:( thankyou for your help angieluv. I will be sure to give updates.
 
You're a good rabbit person :)
Even if the rabbit dies it will still have someone who cared about it a little at the end;

more than the other rabbits at the breeders will ever get.
 
I just checked the rabbit and it seems like it is doing soo much better than yesterday, it has lots more energey and is running around everywhere! :) I'm soo excited! It's bum seems to be cleaner too. But since it has a run to outside it's got dirt on it's back paws/legs. It's starting to play with it's toys and insists on reorganizing every peice of straw and every toy I have in there! Rabbits are silly sometimes. BTW he/she still needs a name.
 
Ok, that's good to hear. It's a very sticky situation, since the breeder would have probably culled the rabbit if you had returned her, but that breeder is very irresponsible for selling a sick rabbit. I'm glad he/she's doing a lot better today. How is it eating? Is it drinking, pooping? I'd still keep it on a hay, water, and pedialyte diet only until normal cocoa puff poops are found.

The cost of an office visit here is $25, and an annual exam is $35. Medicines are $10-15 each, and you'd probably need several. Emergency vet visits here start at $70 for coming in the door. In my area we actually have very reasonable prices compared to the rest of the country. I do recommend getting the rabbit to a vet soon to make sure everything is ok, get some basic info on gender, etc. It's good to have your rabbit seen by a vet annually.

A butt bath can help with the dirt, you may want to put straw down on any puddles.

Edit: I want to stress that until she has round, brown poops, she's not out of the woods, and may still need vet care. Diarrhea in young bunnies can be caused by a number of factors, including stress, poor husbandry, viruses, and bad diet, but they always lead to an overgrowth of the bad bacteria in the intestines, such as clostridium. These bacteria release toxins into the body of the rabbit that make it feel sick. Vets have drugs to neutralize these toxins, including Questran and Bio-Sponge, plus antibiotics that can help re-balance the bacterial population, like Flagyl which angieluv already mentioned. At the very least, a probiotic is needed to help re-balance the GI bacteria. Critical care is found at pet stores, probios is found at feed stores, and even human acidophilus capsules can be given--just cut open the capsule and sprinkle the powder on her food or dissolve in water and give orally via syringe. Do not give yogurt as the lactose in it can cause further digestive upset.
 
Thanks for the info. I it still afraid of touch and people, do you have any suggestions let me know. It is still having diarria and i havnt seen any normal poops yet and I'm it is drinking but it hasn't eaten much :(
 
How long has it been having diarrhea? A very good food for it right now would be Critical Care, which is a high-fiber mix of stuff that will get her blood sugar back up and get things moving through. It can also be force-fed via syringe because she's not eating on her own. Problem is, you can only get this from a vet. If her diarrhea has not cleared up, and it seems to have been about 24 hours, she needs to see a vet. The vet can get her fluids and nutrition and determine what other medicines may be needed. To be honest, for me, a baby rabbit with diarrhea is a situation in which I think the best response is to take her to the emergency vet, immediately upon discovering the diarrhea. Some other members may have had success with home treatment, but I have been helping in the Infirmary for a while now and I have not come across a diarrhea story that ended well IF the rabbit didn't go to the vet. All the ones that have a happy ending include vet care.
 

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