really strange stool

[Bill Jesse]

I have a 12 year old male dwarf and he has always had runny stool along with the regular pellets but now it is really odd. It is clear and looks like a faint brown transparent gel. He still eats a ton and drinks gallons, is alert and bathes but of course being 12 does sleep a lot.

He has had this clear stool for a few weeks and whenI mentioned it to a vet they said its probably an age thing. I have not changed his diet but he is known to root around in the garden and dig out weeds or leaves from bushes andI wonder if that is it.

He has been on a mostly pellet diet all his life with carrot and a smallpiece of apple daily. Every morning he gets a very thin slice of banana with a dusting of acedopholous (!) for his tummy. Has had that for years as well. Except for the gel stool and his age he appears very normal.

 

[MrBoejyngles]

Have you talked to the vet in the past about his runny stool? Is it an illness or is it just normal for him?

 

[Bill Jesse]

I have spoken to her about in over the years. She always figured it was from eating too much grass especially in the spring time. Never seemed concerned. But he gets it all year. The clear gel-like stool is only recent - the past few weeks.

 

[Pipp]

What kind of pellets is he getting and how much?

Mucus is usually a sign that the gut is trying to protect itself from an inflammation or a parasite or another problem.

I never go by bunnies' actions, they will never show signs they're sick. They stay bright eyed, active and well groomed.

But on the other hand, if he's had odd stools all this time with no ill effects, I doubt this is anything to panic about, although it also shouldn't be shrugged off.

Did the vet run the poop under a microscope or do a fecal float? If so, how often? A lot of parasites won't show up in a fecal float half the time or more.

The spring grass has a higher protein level, I think fall and winter have higher fiber and less nutrients. The poopy butt would have been logical in the spring and summer. Older bunnies need to have a lower protein intake to protect their kidneys, but those levels are usually more dependent on the type of pellets and maybe on whether he's foraging on clover, alfalfa and other higher protein sources.

Does he eat hay? If so, what kind?

I'd experiment a bit. Cut down on the sugars/carbs and increase the hay or greens and see if it makes a difference. (And note that small, wet looking stools are usual with a produce-heavy diet, it's just the roughage, not a sign of illness. A rabbit eating hay has big light poops, but both are healthy).

It could be a 'bug' as in a bacterial imbalance, I might try taking him off the acidophilus. It is a beneficial bacteria but it worries me that its not a natural addition to the diet and might be causing an imbalance, although I don't have a lot of experience with this one. Its usually reserved for treating rabbits taking antibiotics or having bacterial gut imbalances for whatever other reasons.

The trick will be experimentation to see what seems to make the difference.

If I recall you are getting his kidney and liver values checked with regular bloodwork, right?

He is getting a lot of sugar. How is his weight?

ETA: Its going to be important to keep a journal to figure out the timing. e.g., if it gets worse at regular intervals, it could be correlating to pinworm or other parasite cycles, or when he's foraging in certain areas of the garden or eatign certain types of hay or whatever. As we get older, our bodies will develop some weird intolerances, e.g. I can no longer eat MacIntosh or Delicious apples without intestinal issues but I can still eat Gala or Ambrosia.

PPS: Seeing as he does go outside and munches on grass, I'd start by giving him a dose of Fenbendazole/Panacur and see if that helps. It's a pretty safe drug, its not all that hard on them.

sas

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

Bill Jesse wrote:

I have a 12 year old male dwarf and he has always had runny stool along with the regular pellets but now it is really odd. It is clear and looks like a faint brown transparent gel. He still eats a ton and drinks gallons, is alert and bathes but of course being 12 does sleep a lot.

He has had this clear stool for a few weeks and whenI mentioned it to a vet they said its probably an age thing. I have not changed his diet but he is known to root around in the garden and dig out weeds or leaves from bushes andI wonder if that is it.

He has been on a mostly pellet diet all his life with carrot and a smallpiece of apple daily. Every morning he gets a very thin slice of banana with a dusting of acedopholous (!) for his tummy. Has had that for years as well. Except for the gel stool and his age he appears very normal.

i commend sedgewick for his age,,12-wow-.,does he get any grasses.??((-ie.timothy,orchard grasses in his diet.))---an overdose of yard greenswill cause a poopy bum.//.-the poops are not normal--clear,/jell,-this is a concern--the cecum produces cecotropes--there may be an influx of gi flora-or just too much bad bacterial infection,--definately take a sample to an exotic dvm specialist,,he may also require exam,possible radiograghs of the gi tract,,-i hope this will be of value to sedgewick,--sincerely james waller

 

[tonyshuman]

The gel is a mucus produced by the intestines, as Pipp said, when they're undergoing some kind of stress. I would check for parasites, maybe do a preventative de-worming. Since he does eat from the out-of-doors there are a wide variety of parasites he could pick up. We have a member who has some older and lesser-abled bunnies, one of whom picked up a tapeworm from eating grass. She was acting normally until she started passing mucus and segments of the worm!

Acidophilus is good but there are also probiotics that are specific for rabbits and animals with similar gut microbes. A good one is Bene-Bac, which you can get at the pet store, and another is ProBios, which you can get at a farm supply store. Both are also available online. They would be a good choice. Another product that might help is something called Bio-Sponge. It binds bacterial toxins in the GI tract to help clear up diarrhea and protect the bunny from getting sick from the bacterial toxins. It is harder to find, so will be best if you get it online.

A couple places you can get it: you'd only need a gram or so a day
http://www.platinumperformance.com/Bio-Sponge0153/productinfo/EBIOP4/

http://www.heartlandvetsupply.com/p-3927-bio-sponge-60cc-syringe.aspx

This is where I bought some to keep on hand:
http://www.entirelypets.com/platbio15cc.html

Does he eat any hay?

 

[Bill Jesse]

Interesting comments, thank you. I have tried keeping him indoors to see if the rooting in the grass was the culprit but it has not changed. These weird poops generally happen at evening or night. He does have a ton of other poop pellets but most are somewhat moist. He does have a bladder problem as he urinates on occasion when he is just sitting without going to his litter box. I put that down to old age.
As to hay he seems to get runny stool after eating it. I tried timothy a few years back and he was not fond of it. Now he has regular hay and still not big on it.
I have cut out the acidophilus starting this morning to see what does or doesn't happen. I am not expecting much as he has had this for years. And no these runny things are not cecotropes.
I am taking him into the vet this week for another once-over. Yes 12 is a long time but this is a rabbit who has bonded with me to the point that we spend hours together each day. Watching TV, reading or even now he is at my feet or sitting beside me on the sofa. There is a lot of mutual love.

 

[Pipp]

The cecum output (cecotropes) are called night droppings, that's the most common time for them.

What brand of pellets is he eating and most importantly, what kind of hay? If you're buying pet store bags of alfalfa, that could be a problem.

It's a problem for his kidneys, it's really high in protein, calcium and vitamin D, all very hard on the kidneys. Renal failure is the most common senior issue.

What color is his pee? Is it very clear? Is he drinking any more than usual?

Hope he's okay.


sas :clover:

 

[Bill Jesse]

These are not cemcum as he has those and the hay is not alfalfa hay but common orchard hay bought by the bale. The pellets are from a bulk wholesaler dealing with animals and has had the same ones since the beginning. I think they are 16% protein.
The urine is the same colour as always, a reddish yellow and its been checked.