Poopy Butt

[sarah222296]

I adopted a 2-3 year old unspayed female from a rescue almost a week ago. I've dealt with gi stasis with my bunnies before but never poopy butt, so I'm not really sure exactly what to be feeding her right now. She came with some cheaper pellets and didn't really have any issues until I gave her some timothy hay. (I thought thats what you were supposed to give them when they have poopy butt?) Her poops are very strange looking, they are formed, very soft and covered in white chunky mucosy type goop. There not cecals I'm seeing, this has been going on for about 3 days. Yesterday i pulled the pellets and have been feeding just timothy hay, also i went to the store today and bought some bene bac powder to sprinkle on the hay. Does anyone think I'm going overboard or is that about what I should be doing?
side note- she is very hydrated, drinking lots of water i check before and after work to make sure she isn't getting dehydrated.

 

[LakeCondo]

Had they not been giving her hay at the shelter? If not [for some strange reason], then it may be a gut readjustment. Otherwise, I really don't know. Was she eating veggies & have you changed them?

 

[tonyshuman]

I am a bit suspect of the rescue because not many reputable rescues will adopt out young adult bunnies without desexing them unless there is another underlying medical condition. It is possible they weren't giving her hay, and/or she was living in poor conditions and may have been exposed to parasites. How much mucus are we talking? Could it be tapeworm segments or another internal parasite (worms, coccidia)?
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Parasite/Parasites_main.htm

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/GI_diseases_main.htm

If she has settled in to your house ok, she shouldn't be having mucus in her poo. I would have it checked by a vet as it could be a sign of impending GI slowdown/shutdown or intestinal parasites. The Bene-Bac is a good idea but may not be enough.

 

[sarah222296]

they straight up told me they gave greens every other day, there was no mention of hay nor did i see any in the pens. There aren't any reputable rabbit rescues within 3 hours of me so i thought i'd try this place, i know someone that got a rabbit from them and she didn't have any problems but I should have known I would. I'm taking in a a fecal sample to work with me today(I work at a reg vet) and I'm going to send it out to see if it's parasites, if not I'll be taking her to the only rabbit savvy vet which is kinda far but o well. Also i was cleaning off IT's bottom and I'm almost positive she is a HE. Not a huge deal but is there a way to report these kinds of *rescues*? These people clearly shouldn't be running a shelter.

 

[sarah222296]

Its a noticeable amount of mucous its not like bits of tapeworm, I've seen what that looks like in kittens and puppies etc. Its like a thick whitish coating that can be a little chunky. I actually havent seen any chunks today and the mucous looks slightly less today but it's still there. I'm going to put a note on the sample for the lab to pay special attention for signs of coccidia, that's my best guess. I really don't think it's diet at this point.

 

[SteviesMom]

Sometimes mucus in the stool can be a sign of irritation of the intestinal lining. Could be caused by a diet change or even stress. Good luck!

 

[sarah222296]

i would prefer it be from diet change, ill find out if its a parasite tomorrow. If the rescue I got him from mistook him for a her than I wouldnt think he was too well cared for =(

 

[JBun]

The mucous in the poop sounds like it could be mucoid enteritis. If it is, it might not have been giving her hay that set it off, but the stress of being in a new place. Bacteria can take over in the gut, so an antibiotic may be needed, along with the probiotic, if it isn't already starting to clear up and get better. Rabbits can easily die from this, so you certainly aren't going overboard with being concerned and trying to treat her. You'll want to make sure she is eating as well as keeping her hydrated.

 

[sarah222296]

I have a motility med at my house actually, I usually use it for cases of stasis it's metaclopramide. I haven't given him any I was kind of mulling it over in my head as an option, if it's not a parasite I'm going to bring him in with me tomorrow and see what the vet I work with says.

 

[sarah222296]

It's coccidia! Got the results this morning, putting him on antibiotics.

 

[JBun]

I'm glad you were able to find out what the problem was. I haven't ever had to treat it myself, but I've heard that toltrazuril works the best for coccidia. I hope your bun is feeling better soon.

 

[sarah222296]

Yeah our clinic doesnt have that on hand so my boss prescribed sulfamethoxazole. No diarrhea or anything and my bun loooves the taste so i guess the 2 weeks im going to have to put off getting him fixed will be worth it if he wont give me trouble taking the meds.