The Mystery of Rabbit Poop
by Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
Unlike most other mammals, rabbits producetwo types of droppings, fecal pellets (the round, dry ones you usuallysee in the litterbox) and cecotropes. The latter are produced in aportion of the rabbit's digestive tract called the cecum. The cecumcontains a wild brew of bacteria and fungi that are normal andbeneficial for the rabbit. In fact, the rabbit cannot live withoutthem, since the cecal flora produces essential nutrients (e.g., fattyacids and vitamins) that the rabbit cannot produce on herown.
How does the rabbit get those vitamins? Sheeats the cecotropes as they exit the anus. Sound disgusting? Not for arabbit. When she's enjoying her favorite, home-made snack, she'll tellyou how delightful it is with that blissful, soft-eyed face andbutt-twitch that signals all is well with the world. Cecotropes are notfeces. They are nutrient-packed dietary items essential to yourrabbit's good health.
A rabbit usually produces cecotropes at acharacteristic time of the day, which may vary from rabbit to rabbit.Some produce cecotropes in the late morning, some in the lateafternoon, and some at night. In any case, they usually do this whenyou're not watching, which might be why some people refer to cecotropesas "night droppings."
Normal Intestinal Products
Anyone who lives with a bunny has seen aFECAL PELLET. These are the small, brown "cocoa puffs" that we all hopeend up mostly in the litterbox. They are round, relatively dry andfriable, and composed mostly of undigested fiber. Rabbits do notordinarily re-ingest fecal pellets, though a few bunnies seem to enjoyan occasional fecal pellet hors d'ouevre.
A normal CECOTROPE resembles a dark brownmulberry, or tightly bunched grapes. It is composed of small, soft,shiny pellets, each coated with a layer of rubbery mucus, and pressedinto an elongate mass. The cecotrope has a rather pungent odor, as itcontains a large mass of beneficial cecal bacteria. When the bunnyingests the cecotrope, the mucus coat protects the bacteria as theypass through the stomach, then re-establish in the cecum.
Runny Stool: When Things Go Wrong
Diarrhea
True diarrhea (unformed, watery feces) isrelatively rare in adult rabbits. It can be caused by intestinalparasites, such as coccidia (Eimeria spp.), roundworms, tapeworms, oranything that inflames the intestinal lining. Your rabbit-experiencedveterinarian will be able to examine a fecal sample (you shouldprobably provide the vet with a bit both fecal and cecal pellets) toexamine them for signs of parasitic infection.
True diarrhea is more common in babyrabbits. One of the most common causes is coccidia, and if you seerunny stool in your baby rabbit, you must get him to the vet as soon aspossible for treatment. In a baby rabbit, dehydration caused bydiarrhea can rapidly result in death. It is wise to consider runnystool in a baby rabbit a true emergency.
Unformed Cecotropes: Mushy or Runny Stool
The cecum is a delicately balancedecosystem. If the intestine is moving too slowly, or if the rabbit isgetting a diet too rich in digestible carbohydrates and too low incrude fiber, the complex population of bacteria in the cecum can become"unbalanced." This condition, known as CECAL DYSBIOSIS. Simply put,cecal dysbiosis means that the beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bacteroidesspp. and a variety of others) are outcompeted and outnumbered by lessdesirable inhabitants such as yeast (a fungus, usually Saccharomycopsissp.) or even very harmful bacteria such as Clostridium spp., related tothe ones that cause tetanus and botulism.
A rabbit suffering from cecal dysbiosiswill produce cecotropes that are mushy, pasty or even liquid. They areusually quite foul-smelling, and often stick to the bunny's back end ingreat, nasty clumps. These unformed cecotropes are not a primarydisease, however. They are a symptom of a disorder somewhere in thebunny's system. In order to cure the runny stool problem, theunderlying cause must be addressed.
The Causes of Runny Stool in Baby Rabbits
1. Weaning Too Young
If the bunny suffering from runny stool isa baby, how old is he? If younger than eight weeks, and not nursing,his runny stool problem may be due to his being weaned too young. Manypet stores will (illegally) sell rabbits younger than eight weeks ofage (and some as young as four weeks!), because that is when they arestill "cute" and more apt to be purchased on a whim. Sadly, many ofthese babies will succumb to intestinal disorders.
Unlike most mammals, baby rabbits have asterile lower intestine until they begin to eat solid food at the ageof 3-4 weeks. It is during this time that their intestines are at theirmost critical phase, and the babies need their mother's milk, whichchanges pH and provides vital antibodies that help the baby graduallyadjust to his changing intestinal environment. Without mother's milk, ababy starting to eat solid food is highly susceptible to enteritis(inflammation of the intestinal lining), which can cause fataldiarrhea.
At the first sign of runny stool in a babyrabbit, off to the vet! Treatment for diarrhea in baby rabbits willprobably include subcutaneous fluid thereapy, and administration oforal probiotics. Lactobacillus acidophilus powder (NOT yogurt, whichcan make the problem worse) suspended in clean drinking water andcarefully administered via syringe seems to help foster a healthyintestinal environment and may even soothe intestinal inflammation. Avery small amount of a clay-based product such as Kaopectate can helpsolidify the stool and stop the cycle.
2. Intestinal Parasites
As mentioned before, coccidial infection isvery common in some areas, and some vets will simply treat a babyrabbit's diarrhea as coccidia, even without a fecal test. Commonantibiotics used to treat coccidia include Albon and the potentiatedsulfas, such as Trimethoprim Sulfa (TMZ) or Bactrim.
The Causes of Runny Stool in Adult Rabbits
1. Mechanical Problems
* Obesity
Is the bunny with mushy stool stuck to hisbottom obese? If so, the cecotropes could be normal, but he can't reachthem as they are produced, and so smears them all over his bum intrying to reach them. Calorie reduction (first step: remove commercialpellet food and any starchy treats, replacing them with fresh, fragrantherbs) and exercise are in order.
* Arthritis
Similarly, a rabbit who is suffering fromdegenerative joint problems in the spine, hips, or other areas, may notbe able to reach his cecotropes easily. He ends up sitting on some ofthem, and squashing them into his fur. Arthritis can be treated by yourveterinarian, who may prescribe a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug(NSAID) such as Rimadyl (carprofen) or Meloxicam, though all the usualcautions for use of NSAIDS apply.
2. Dietary Problems
* Starch-rich Diet
Rabbits, like horses and cattle, are strictherbivores. The rabbit intestine--and its normal bacterial flora--hasevolved to feed almost exclusively on grass and herbs.>br> Does your rabbit get starchy treats such as oatmeal,crackers, bread or sweets? Some rabbits with very sensitive intestinescan suffer from runny cecotropes even from being fed commercialpellets. Fruit, as healthy as it is for humans, can be too much of agood thing for rabbits. The high level of sugar and starch in tablefruit makes them too rich for a bunny except as a very small,occasional treat. A diet too rich in digestible starch is one of themost common causes of runny cecotropes in companion rabbits.
* Fiber-poor Diet
A rabbit should be fed unlimited grass hay,such as timothy, brome, wheat or oat. DO NOT use alfalfa, as this isfar too rich in calories and protein for good rabbit health. If arabbit does not get unlimited grass hay to nibble on throughout theday, the muscles of the intestine may become flabby, and the normalperistalsis (muscular movements that push food through the gut) willbecome sluggish. This causes the passage of food through the cecum tobe too slow to properly "flush" the bacterial populations, and cecaldysbiosis can result. The high fiber content of grass hay also helps to"dilute" the starch of other dietary items, and helps to provide ahealthy intestinal environment. In preventing and curing a runny stoolproblem, it is very important to provide a complete and healthydiet.
3. Hidden Health Problems
When a rabbit is ill, in pain, or issuffering from emotional stress, the most common physiological responseis a slowing of the normal peristaltic movements of the intestine. Thisresults in cecal dysbiosis, with all the accompanying problems of runnystool, and possible inflammation of the intestinal lining (enteritis).
Some of the most common causes ofintestinal slowdown (and hence, cecal dysbiosis) in rabbits include
* Dental Problems
* Urinary tract disorders
* Upper respiratory infections
* "Head tilt"
These must be diagnosed and treated by aveterinarian who is familiar with such problems and knows how to dealwith them. The best way to solve the runny stool problem is to addressthe underlying health disorder, even if it requires that your vet takeblood for a complete blood chemistry and blood count, or a sample ofinfected material for culture and sensitivity testing.
Once the underlying problem is treated, therunny stool often resolves on its own. If the condition is not treated,it can progress to something worse, and eventually result in apotentially life-threatening condition, ILEUS, in which the intestinesstop completely, the bunny stops eating and stops producing any fecalpellets or normal cecotropes. If not treated, this condition is almostinvariably fatal.
Keeping Bunny Comfortable in the Meantime
While you and your veterinarian aretreating the problems that caused the runny stool, it's still importantto keep the bunny clean and comfortable. Dried cecotropes stuck to therear end are not only smelly and uncomfortable, they also attractflies, and can result in a life-threatening fly strike.
To prevent this, be sure to learn how to give your bunny a "butt bath"--SAFELY.
As you can see, the appearance of runnystool in a rabbit is not always a simple matter. It may require dietarychanges, good husbandry, and sometimes extensive diagnostic work andtreatment by your veterinarian. But it will all be worth it for a longlife filled with happy, nose-wiggling love.
