Soft poops for Weeks!

[Madalynster]

Hi, I have a 10 week old, male lion-head dwarf, I got him from a lady who practically tossed him at me. I haven't found out what he was eating before I got him and I got him when he was 8 weeks, so I started him with HAY of course but slowly started him with Oxbow alfalfa pellets, his poops were already pretty wet when I first got him. But they have been fluctuating, I have had him since October 3rd and since then I think he has had 3 days of normal poops. I am making a vet appointment next week because that's the earliest opening. But yesterday he had like wet poops that looked like they could have come out of a cat!!


But do you guys have any ideas??

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Are there other vets you could take him to that will see him sooner? Runny poops in such a young bunny can be very serious.

How's he acting? Is he still eating well? Drinking?

For now, I'd put him on a probiotic. Benebac or Probios or even children's chewable acidophillus if that's all you can find.

Also, make sure he's getting enough to drink. You don't want him getting dehydrated.

Hope some of the more experienced Infirmary Mods come along soon and offer some advice.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Madalynster]

Thanks, he is acting fairly normal, he is playful, peeing normally and has a great appetite. The only thing are his poops are just not normal. He also drinks a normal amount of water, he doesn't seem to like the water bottles so I give him a fresh bowl everyday. Luckily I was able to move up the appointment to Saturday but I still wish it was like, tomorrow...

 

[Madalynster]

I wish I knew what he was being fed before I got him, because he was only 8 weeks old and this is my second rabbit and Desmond was already 4 months old when I got him. So I don't know when rabbits are to be weened, I hope he didn't get taken away from his mother too early??

 

[tonyshuman]

There are 2 schools of thought. One is to put the rabbit on whatever they were used to eating before, to stabilize the GI tract. The other is to feed only hay and water until it clears up. Since you don't know what he had before, I'd try just hay and water (if he will still eat on that) and give a probiotic.

 

[Madalynster]

Thanks, I will definitely stop at the feed store tonight to get him a probiotic, also some more hay, I usually feed them timothy hay. Is that the best?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray: Nothing to add but our prayers. Blessed be.

 

[Maureen Las]

He possibly could have coccidia or another parasite so the vet visit is good thinking.

Keep his diet to hay and pellets and also give a probiotic like benebac.

This is a vulnerable age for a rabbit because the gut ph is unstable; if you see frank diarrhea thenhe should see a vet immediately .

There is a product thatwas originally soldto stabilize the guts in newborn foals ; it has now proven to be helpful for other mammals including rabbits. ; this would not be a treatmen for parasites, however, it would treat diarrhea in a young bun with unbalancedflora in the gut . Our wildlife rehab moderator, Randy, has saved many young cottontails and other mammmals with this product.

Check out the biosponge :

http://www.platinumperformance.com/Small-Animal-Bio-Sponge0153/productinfo/CBIOC150/

if you know folks who on horse you may be able to get a small amount of this product from them

 

[Madalynster]

Thanks everyone, I will keep you posted after we see the vet!
Thanks so much for all the help!!!! :biggrin:

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Oh also sometimes when I see loose stools I add oatmeal (rolled oats) to the pellets. I'm not sure what everyone else thinks about that but its almost always done the trick for my bunnies.