Red urine from female rabbit

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taylerhill

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I just got a new rabbit yesterday. She is a 3 month old mini rex. She seems happy and active. But her urine is red. Do rabbits go into heat? It seems early for her to be in heat. I put a white towel in her hutch last night for her to sleep on and she peed on it, which shows the red. I attached a picture of the stains on the towel. Any suggestions??

20171224_085255.jpg
 
Since I've had her she's only eaten pellets and hay, but I've only had her for a day now so I'm not sure what she had been eating. I'll keep an eye on it and see if it goes away in a few days and go from there
 
It looks more dietary/ territorial to me. Something like blood in the urine would be more of a thin strand of blood in yellow urine. Even something like cilantro (generally considered healthy for rabbits) causes orange/red urine like that. Some pellets can cause it too, but not commonly. Generally it doesn't mean much.
 
Hello and Merry Christmas everyone...
Has your bunny's urine went back to yellowish/normal?
Our bunny seems to be having similar issue... We noticed reddish color urine a couple days ago but she was also probably stressed/territorial as she was in another environment (an emptied bathroom). We had her litter box and some towels so she could rest/sleep on, but she preferred to do her business on them and not use her litter... Same looking spots like image in OP.
We looked up some info online as to the reasons this might happen and we've come across all kinds of info ranging from food to cancer. She gets hay and 2 cups of greens daily (1 morning/1 night) and a tiny bit of seed/roughage mix (Living World Classic) as a treat. Her greens contain romain lettuce, cilantro (which apparently gives a reddish coloration to urine), fennel, dill, mint, broccoli and parsley (little quantity and not often) an inch sized piece of carrot or small wedge of apple. We try as best as we can to give her the best diet as when we found her (yes, she's a rescue.. Some idiot thought leaving her in a park just before temps started to hit freezing!), she had a sizeable dewlap, not large enough to be problematic or worrisome but still, result of bad feeding habits the previous owner put her through.
So we also don't know her age, but I saw her because we managed to check her and she's definitely a girl...
Though the reason I'm writing all this is merely an introduction to more freaking-us-the-heck-out continuation of things.
She's been back home and in her cage almost 48 hrs now and yesterday her urine was clear and we thought that that was it, stress of not being in her comfort zone, back in her hutch etc... But this morning, we saw blood traces in her litter and even a few clots... Her demeanor hasn't changed, she still pretty calm, affectionate, cuddly... Eating normally, her greens and hay also active, we let her out of her cage often to run about (supervised, of course)
She has the habit to "hump" which we figured is due to her not being spayed and just before I went back online and found this post, she had done it again as my gf was trying to pet her but she "sprayed" a little blood jet (sometimes liquid would come out)
We're quite stressed with this (though Lapina doesn't seem affected one bit!) specially if this is an urgent situation as we've found it very difficult to find a vet who knows rabbits even more so this time of year when everyone's off...

Your insights and suggestions are highly appreciated
 
Orangeworks, your rabbit's diet sounds great with the exception of that Living World Classic. That should not be fed at all. It contains seeds (not good for rabbits - they are not rodents) and corn. The hulls of corn are indigestible to rabbits and so should not be fed either. Their advertising is both false and deceptive (and unhealthy).

The apple slice or carrot piece you give her is perfect for a treat choice. Just stick with that and forget that LWC junk.

(Carrots could also change color of urine.)
 
Hello and Merry Christmas everyone...
Has your bunny's urine went back to yellowish/normal?
Our bunny seems to be having similar issue... We noticed reddish color urine a couple days ago but she was also probably stressed/territorial as she was in another environment (an emptied bathroom). We had her litter box and some towels so she could rest/sleep on, but she preferred to do her business on them and not use her litter... Same looking spots like image in OP.
We looked up some info online as to the reasons this might happen and we've come across all kinds of info ranging from food to cancer. She gets hay and 2 cups of greens daily (1 morning/1 night) and a tiny bit of seed/roughage mix (Living World Classic) as a treat. Her greens contain romain lettuce, cilantro (which apparently gives a reddish coloration to urine), fennel, dill, mint, broccoli and parsley (little quantity and not often) an inch sized piece of carrot or small wedge of apple. We try as best as we can to give her the best diet as when we found her (yes, she's a rescue.. Some idiot thought leaving her in a park just before temps started to hit freezing!), she had a sizeable dewlap, not large enough to be problematic or worrisome but still, result of bad feeding habits the previous owner put her through.
So we also don't know her age, but I saw her because we managed to check her and she's definitely a girl...
Though the reason I'm writing all this is merely an introduction to more freaking-us-the-heck-out continuation of things.
She's been back home and in her cage almost 48 hrs now and yesterday her urine was clear and we thought that that was it, stress of not being in her comfort zone, back in her hutch etc... But this morning, we saw blood traces in her litter and even a few clots... Her demeanor hasn't changed, she still pretty calm, affectionate, cuddly... Eating normally, her greens and hay also active, we let her out of her cage often to run about (supervised, of course)
She has the habit to "hump" which we figured is due to her not being spayed and just before I went back online and found this post, she had done it again as my gf was trying to pet her but she "sprayed" a little blood jet (sometimes liquid would come out)
We're quite stressed with this (though Lapina doesn't seem affected one bit!) specially if this is an urgent situation as we've found it very difficult to find a vet who knows rabbits even more so this time of year when everyone's off...

Your insights and suggestions are highly appreciated

Usually when the urine is a reddish/orangish color, this is from plant pigments in the food they eat and perfectly harmless.

However, if you are seeing spots or streaks of red in the yellow urine and blood clots, then this is a medical problem that will need vet treatment right away. It could be a simple UTI that just needs antibiotics to clear it up, or it could be something more serious like uterine cancer. In the link that blue eyes posted, there are some pictures of what blood in the urine might look like. So if you think you are seeing blood, I would find a rabbit savvy vet right away and get your bun in.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Also, well done to you for rescuing the poor thing.
 
Red urine is extremely common. Bloody urine looks completely different (brownish) so anything that is reddish orange is normal. Hannah always has deep orange/red urine while Otto's is yellow and slightly cloudy - they eat the same diet, so it's just differences between them.
 
Usually when the urine is a reddish/orangish color, this is from plant pigments in the food they eat and perfectly harmless.

However, if you are seeing spots or streaks of red in the yellow urine and blood clots, then this is a medical problem that will need vet treatment right away. It could be a simple UTI that just needs antibiotics to clear it up, or it could be something more serious like uterine cancer. In the link that blue eyes posted, there are some pictures of what blood in the urine might look like. So if you think you are seeing blood, I would find a rabbit savvy vet right away and get your bun in.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Also, well done to you for rescuing the poor thing.



Hi sorry to jump on your post, but my female bunny (not neutered) has had red urine every now and then for years! I was never worried, but you talk about red spots at the end of urinating can be serious and this is what she has been doing. What do you think? Photo attached. View attachment IMG_1516485824.556242.jpg
 
Usually when the urine is a reddish/orangish color, this is from plant pigments in the food they eat and perfectly harmless.

However, if you are seeing spots or streaks of red in the yellow urine and blood clots, then this is a medical problem that will need vet treatment right away. It could be a simple UTI that just needs antibiotics to clear it up, or it could be something more serious like uterine cancer. In the link that blue eyes posted, there are some pictures of what blood in the urine might look like. So if you think you are seeing blood, I would find a rabbit savvy vet right away and get your bun in.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Also, well done to you for rescuing the poor thing.



Hi sorry to jump on your post, but my female bunny (not neutered) has had red urine every now and then for years! I was never worried, but you talk about red spots at the end of urinating can be serious and this is what she has been doing. What do you think? Photo attached. View attachment IMG_1516485931.318830.jpg
 
With an intact female, I would be worried about ovarian / uterine cancer. The risk is very high and it can strike young, which is why it is strongly advised to spay all females as soon as they reach their adult size. But it might also come from an infection. If you haven't already, I also think you should see a vet quickly...
 
That looks like it's time for a vet visit. That IS blood in the urine. How is she doing?



She seems fine in herself, but still lots of red in urine. Sometimes it's even completely red. Could it be dehydration as she isn't drinking all that much water? Thinking of going to the vets just in case. I really wish they were spayed when they were younger, but it wasn't widely available for rabbits 7 years ago here and now she's coming 8 I think the risk of operating is too high for me to put her through.
 
That looks like it's time for a vet visit. That IS blood in the urine. How is she doing?


Urine today has orange as well that looks like a pigment? Daisy had a little carrot yesterday which I've heard can cause it? It also looks rather cloudy, so maybe she's getting too much calcium? However I'm still planning on getting the urine tested in case. I would hate for there to be something wrong, that could be prevented/ helped early. View attachment IMG_9570.jpg
 
With an intact female, I would be worried about ovarian / uterine cancer. The risk is very high and it can strike young, which is why it is strongly advised to spay all females as soon as they reach their adult size. But it might also come from an infection. If you haven't already, I also think you should see a vet quickly...


Vet has confirmed it is blood in urine, but thankfully I have spotted it very early. It is either ovarian cysts or bladder stones. Daisy will be x rayed for bladder stones and will have them removed if so. If there is no bladder stones, she will be spayed to remove the cysts. Very glad I took her to the vets and found the urine early because it means it's only the beginning of a cyst and she hasn't lost enough blood to become ill. Everyone crossed surgery goes well!!
 
With an intact female, I would be worried about ovarian / uterine cancer. The risk is very high and it can strike young, which is why it is strongly advised to spay all females as soon as they reach their adult size. But it might also come from an infection. If you haven't already, I also think you should see a vet quickly...


Vet has confirmed it is blood in urine, but thankfully I have spotted it very early. It is either ovarian cysts or bladder stones. Daisy will be x rayed for bladder stones and will have them removed if so. If there is no bladder stones, she will be spayed to remove the cysts. Very glad I took her to the vets and found the urine early because it means it's only the beginning of a cyst and she hasn't lost enough blood to become ill. Everything crossed surgery goes well!!
 
That looks like it's time for a vet visit. That IS blood in the urine. How is she doing?



Vet has confirmed it is blood in urine, but thankfully I have spotted it very early. It is either ovarian cysts or bladder stones. Daisy will be x rayed for bladder stones and will have them removed if so. If there is no bladder stones, she will be spayed to remove the cysts. Very glad I took her to the vets and found the urine early because it means it's only the beginning of a cyst and she hasn't lost enough blood to become ill. Everything crossed surgery goes well!!
 
That looks like it's time for a vet visit. That IS blood in the urine. How is she doing?



Vet has confirmed it is blood in urine, but thankfully I have spotted it very early. It is either ovarian cysts or bladder stones. Daisy will be x rayed for bladder stones and will have them removed if so. If there is no bladder stones, she will be spayed to remove the cysts. Very glad I took her to the vets and found the urine early because it means it's only the beginning of a cyst and she hasn't lost enough blood to become ill. Everything crossed surgery goes well!!
 

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