Red Urine question

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gmacarroll

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I've recently adopted a rabbit (Professor Jonathan Withers) from the humane society where i work. He was deemed un-adoptable because people complained that his red urine looked like blood. He is a very sweet boy and i couldn't let him to euthanized for such a stupid reason (rescue organizations were all full, so he couldn't be sent to a rabbit rescue that could deal with the issue more). In any case, i was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this? He's been in the shelter since May 29th and has had red urine the entire (i've read it's supposed to go away within 2-3 days). We also stopped giving him vegetables to make sure it wasn't that causing it. The vets say he has excess porphorin pigment in his urine, however i was wondering if this could be caused by some underlying problem. He is otherwise quite healthy (or seems to be). I'm going to be taking him to my own exotic vet shortly after i get him (get him friday after being neutered) so i will discuss his issues there as well, however i'm just wondering if there are specific things i should bring up during my vet appointment.

thanks!!!
Prof. Jonathan Withers <3 http://www.petlynx.net/PetLynx/jsp/cas/view/view.jsp
 
Make sure that his urine is tested when you take him to the vet ... for blood ..

just in case :?
, however normal rabbit urine is orangeish red at times so if your shelter is not familar with rabbits they might mistake it for blood....
 
They know it isn't blood, they have tested it. personally i don't think it looks like blood but apparently others do (people complained about him being up in adoptions, not realizing that it would get him killed). It was really really red when he first came in, however it's still an orange red color (moreso red than orange). I'm just afraid that it's something more serious. I will definitely get his urine checked out though, thank you for that advice. I hope he's ok, i'm willing to pay his vet bills but i'm kinda hoping he's not sick (for obvious reasons lol).
 
i like this story,,this rabbit now has a good owner/home,,vegys do make for a redish urine,,and i think you are awesome to adopt this little guy,just awsome,,if it were blood ,i would think it very serious,which the rabbit has shown no ill signs,but having it teasted,doesn,t cost that much/peace of mind,...god bless you,,sincerely james waller
 
I have a bunny who's urine would turn red from a certain type of food. I switched him to something better, and now his urine is a pale orange, at most.
 
Yep, red urine is normal as long as it's uniformly red. Blood usually shows up as swirls of red in the urine. Since they tested him for it, he's probably a-ok. It is true that plant pigments (porphyrins) cause dark colors in rabbit urine. It depends on the food you feed, so some darker leafy greens may be worse than others. If it doesn't bother you, don't worry about it. Changing food or playing with veggies to see what the cause is may make it go away.

That really is a stupid reason for him to be considered unadoptable! Anyway, I'm glad he has a safe home with you! It may be worthwhile to check his kidney/liver function with blood tests at the vet if you're concerned at all, as well. Most vets recommend doing that annually for rabbits over the age of 4, and I have it done with my guys when I first adopt them.
 
ya, it's prob a good idea to get his kidney/liver checked out (not sure how old he is, but his previous family had never taken him to a vet or anything). Someone from work was telling me it may be an excess amount of iron in his system and subcutaneous fluids will help to get some of them out. might ask about that too...

thanks for all the wonderful comments, it's really me who is the lucky one, he's a good boy (tho i'm sure he'll be a little hellion lol).

and thank you for the links, they were very helpful!!!!
 
Concentrated urine is also much darker, and can indicate dehydration in some rabbits. I have seen cases where red urine was due to an underlying health problem. If he appears healthy otherwise, and urine tests have come up normal, I would not be overly concerned.

Pam
 
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