Straining to urininte

[shiv]

One of our rabbits has been straining to urinate for about 4 weeks. We have tried everything at the vets - xrays and medicines but he doesn't appear to have improved that much. He strains to urinate but after managing to go he is fine and eats and runs around as normal. A few times he has been unable to go and the vet has managed to help him to go by massaging his bladder. X rays show nothing. his bladder seems to be fine and he has no crystals etc. He seems to get better but then after a few days he seems to be straining again. We have got him on zantac, lopsicom and baytril. He is also onto Lapizole in case it might be ecuniculi as the vet said that it could be nerve related. He is over 6 years old but very healthy other than this. We largely keep them indoors but they do have an outside run. Any other ideas what it might be?

 

[ra7751]

Umm....my first thought would be is your vet rabbit experienced? Why is your rabbit being given Zantac and Baytril? Zantac is a histamine 2 blocker. It reduces acid in the stomach. The beneficial bacteria that digests food in a hind gut fermenter digestive system requires an acidic environment. Blocking acid will cause damage to the beneficial bacteria in the GI and eventually lead to digestive upset. Baytril is an antibiotic and antibiotics should be used only when there is a confirmed bacterial infection. Baytril for the most part is obsolete and has been so misued (as in this case) that most of the bacteria it was designed to treat has become resistant. Baytril can also have a negative impact on the kidneys if the animal is dehydrated. I have never heard of lopsicom and a quick search didn't lead to any results. Lapizole is a verson of Fenbendazole. It has been the standard treatment for E Cuniculi for several years. The problem with using that drug is that it doesn't penetrate the blood/brain barrier so it can't get to the EC to treat it. We are currently using Ponazuril (Marquis) to treat EC. Just treated one of my NZs and she is back to normal.

I didn't see a couple of very important comments. Has a blood chemistry been performed? If not, I would highly suggest it. And I would be popping this rabbit with fluids....sub-q or IV preferred. I would certainly be interested in the kidney values. It really sounds to me as if your rabbit is in renal failure.

Randy

 

[shiv]

Thanks for the reply Randy. The vets are well qualified and also have an excellent reputation. Initially he was given marcobyl but this didn't appear to work hence the change to baytril. This seemed to be effective immediately and he was well for the 10 days that he was on it as soon as it finished he seemed to relapse a little and he is back on it. The have taken urine samples etc / xrays and nothing seems to show as being a problem. Today they did mention take a blood sample but I think the delay may be due to the amount of money we have spent so far and them trying to keep our costs down (Today they didn't even charge us for the visit that was on Sunday). Also they have been confused as when he isn't going toilet he is in good shape running around and eating well. Today he seems to be fine but we know that he could be straining again at any time. Usually the vet would expect him to be off his food / depressed etc if it were something other than nerve related. The other medication I mentioned was Loxicom - I had misspelt it.

 

[ra7751]

Umm....I think I would talk to your vets about dropping the Zantac and the Baytril. As I mentioned, Zantac changes the pH in the gut and you don't really want that. Since it appears you have arenal problem, I would look at something other than Baytril. The Loxicom is a NSAID...known as Metacam in the US. Hydration is essential when using NSAIDs.

I would suggest supplementing hydration by sub-q infusions. It sounds as if your vets are banking on a possible infection. Culturing a UTI is a bit tricky sometimes. But discuss the possbility of discontinuing the Baytril and use Convenia. This drug is a cephalosporin and is safe only as an injectable. In rabbits, I dose it more often than labeled but at labeled amount. I know about expenses...but a CBC would probably give an excellent picture about what is going on with the renal system.

Something I didn't see mentioned...is he neutered?

Randy

 

[shiv]

Thanks Randy. Yes he has been neutered.

 

[Nummy]

I know in your post you mentioned that your rabbit has had xrays, I just had a simillar problem with my rabbit in January. He was straining to urinate too and I took him to the vets and nothing was found. My rabbit ended up having a complete urinary blockage. I took him back to the vet and found out that there was a bladder stone. I asked why it was not noticed when I brought him in for the last visit and the vet said that sometimes it can be in a spot where they can't detect it right away. There are only a few things that could be the problem with yor rabbit, he could be straining because of an infection or it could be a stone. Is there any blood in the urine? Or is the amount of urine unusualy less than normal? If you notice some of those signs it could be a stone. I wish you and your rabbit the best of luck in trying to get to the bottom of this.

 

[Amy27]

My rabbit did this when she had a bladder stone. My rabbit also ate fine and ran around most of the time she had a stone. It wasn't until it got really bad she wouldn't eat or move. My rabbit has had 2 stones and both times she would seem fine, eating and running around and then all the sudden she would get really bad and both times I took her to the emergency vet and the stone was found.

This may not be what is wrong with your rabbit since x-rays have been taken. Are you able to get copies of the x-rays on a disk and post them here? I also agree with Randy that I would start sub q fluids.

Good luck.