Bladder Sludge?

[Jenk]

I've attached a photo of a white substance found in my new guy's litter boxfor the week thatwe've had him (though it seems to be decreasing). My vet thinks that it's bladder sludge; sherecommends dietary changes and x-rays (possibly blood work);but I'm trying to avoid expensive (possibly unnecessary) diagnostic tests, though,after spending so much on itfor my girls.

My guy is 5-6 mos. old; I've no idea how long he may have had sludge. He spent about five weeks at the shelter, where hewas fed about 1 C. of alfalfa-based pellets, mixed hay and greens. (I've been told that no HRS member at the shelter noticed sludge in my guy's urine.) I'm feeding him the same pellets/qty. and hay (timothy) but cut out greens after he had really mushy poops.

Is he at a medical risk (and in need of x-rays) now, or is it possible that dietary changes could reverse things? As I've said, the sludge seems to have decreased over the course of this week.

I know that buns don't do well with immediate dietary changes; but I want to move as quickly as is safely possible to help stop the sludge and prevent him any serious issues. Should I decrease his pellet qty.now (maybe to 3/4 C.), or should Istill feed 1 C. of pellets but start mixing in timothy pellets now? I guess that I could slowly start re-introducing greens, too.

I should note that he's still spunky and has a good appetite/thirst.

Thank you,

Jenk

 

[Leaf]

Does the calcium in alfalfa hay cause sludge? How old is he? I may be off track but maybe cut back on alfalfa and start introducing more timothy?

Personally, and it's just me, I'd give him more time before startig tests on him since you've seen a decrease in the time he's been with you.

 

[Jenk]

Leaf wrote:

Does the calcium in alfalfa hay cause sludge? How old is he? I may be off track but maybe cut back on alfalfa and start introducing more timothy?

I'm not sure about alfalfa hay and its influence upon sludge.

I want to convert him to timothy pellets but don't want to rush his gut too much so as to cause him digestive issues. The vet did recommend that I start converting him now, since he'sestimated to be 5-6 mos. old.

Personally, and it's just me, I'd give him more time before starting tests on him since you've seen a decrease in the time he's been with you.

For all I know, stress could increase calcium passed from the body. And if that's the case, time and dietary changes would likely work wonders.

But I wonder if he was passing sludge at the shelter and no one really noticed; I've no idea how long he may have had it. And I don't know how long a bun can have it before a more serious problem is work.

 

[Maureen Las]

Jenk
please allow this rabbit to adapt to new surrondings

yes it is fine to cut out the alfalfa and just give timothy You are improving his diet.

No your new bun will probably not have any problems if you begin to switch over to timothy pellets slowly now because this rabbit is not Zoe or Emma

The chalky urinary discharge occurs occasionaly in one of my buns then goes away. I have never taken him to a vet for it ..he is fine.

Give this rabbit some time to adjust.

If it is decreasing in you bun then let it go and see if it continues to diminish

 

[Jenk]

angieluv wrote:

...Please allow this rabbit to adapt to new surrondings

The chalky urinary discharge occurs occasionaly in one of my buns then goes away. I have never taken him to a vet for it ..he is fine.

If it is decreasing in you bun then let it go and see if it continues to diminish

I didn't knowthat sludge could occur spontaneously and not indicate an underlying problem.

My pets' new primary vet suggested that I consider having x-rays taken and possiblygive him Sub-Qs.(No, I don't think that she's trying to take advantage of me, as another vet has done.)

I will start slowly converting him to timothy-based pellets.

 

[polly]

What I have found with all my rabbits is that they all have different pee. I don't know what the others think but I would think it strange to find bladder sludge in such a young bunny more like a bit to much calcium in the diet probably from alfa alfa.

I wouldn't go spending lots of money having him tested let him settle in and change him over and then reassess the situation. I can tell you that I have perfectly healthy rabbits that do thick wee thats like that sometimes make sure he has plenty of water and that he is drinking well.

 

[tonyshuman]

It *looks* normal to me, at least in that size picture. My guys will sometimes have white stuff in their urine, especially if it's a bit dried. However, if a rabbit-savvy vet said it is sludge by seeing it, then I would agree with them. Sludge occuring spontaneously would be bad, but chalky pee, especially pee that dries white, is not the same thing as sludge, it may just mean that he ate some broccoli the day before. Sludge is of a completely different consistency--a much thicker pee, not just one that contains white crystals. I wouldn't go for an x-ray first, I'd do bloodwork first. A bladder or kidney stone is the only thing you'd be able to detect in an x-ray and not with bloodwork (I think). I'm sure switching him to Timmy pellets is a good idea anyway. Best of luck!

 

[RexyRex]

I've had chalky pee like that with all 3 of mine at one time or another, I think that it's just how it starts to dry. Mine have pee that is always changing. Sometimes it clear yellow, other times it's orange/red and sometimes it's a bit "thick" looking.

 

[downtownbuns]

I have a lot of experience with sludge. Sludge can look white, yellow like mustard, or grey. It is thick like toothpaste. What you are showing with this picture, may or may not be sludge. When the vet saw this bunny, did he say that the bladder felt like a tube sock filled with sand. That is how my vet explained what my bunnies bladder feels like when he has sludge. They sometimes like to do an x-ray to see how much of the bladder is filled with sludge. If it is quite full, bunny may need to do a bladder flush. An x-ray can also let the vet know if a bladder stone is present. My bunnies get sludge and they are on a strict low calcium diet. You might find this link helpful.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

The vet may want to put the bunny on antibiotics like Bactrim or Baytril. Sub-Q fluids are quite helpful. In the above link, it is recommended to use valium to relax the sphinter. This has helped my bunny, in addition to this, the vet has him on Metacam too. Hope this helps.

 

[Jenk]

downtownbuns,

I always appreciate information, but you've rather freaked me out. :shock:

I'm confused; nearlyeveryone else has suggested that I keep an eye on his urine. The vet suggested x-rays and sub-Qs. My husband will possibly blow a gasket if we pay anymore in vet bills this year. (We've been through a lot in that regard.)

Oh, boy...

 

[downtownbuns]

What I said in my previous post was that by looking at the picture, it may or may not be sludge. It is hard to tell by a picture. My intent was not to freak you out, but to let you know what I have experienced with my bunnies, and the attached link was to give you helpful information. I can understand freaking out about the expence. I have lost count of how much we have spent in vet bills on my buns this past year. Sorry, maybe I should not have posted at all.

 

[Jenk]

downtownbuns wrote:

What I said in my previous post was that by looking at the picture, it may or may not be sludge. It is hard to tell by a picture. My intent was not to freak you out, but to let you know what I have experienced with my bunnies, and the attached link was to give you helpful information.

I found a small amount of the white stuff in my guy's litter box last night. It was a rather thin layer and hard to feel, due to hay bits being in it, as well. But if I had to guess, I'd say that there was a very slight gritty feel to it.

He visited the vet exactly one week ago; she didn't notice any abnormality regarding the feel of any organs, so I'm thinking that his bladder didn't feel odd to her then. (She palpitated his abdominal area very thoroughly, far as I could tell.)

Is it possible for a rabbit to have sludge but for it to not cause any major issues, as long as the diet is changed?

I can understand freaking out about the expence. I have lost count of how much we have spent in vet bills on my buns this past year. Sorry, maybe I should not have posted at all.

I've sent you a PM regarding vet bills....