Blood in urine or pigmentation?

[Bobby_John]

Hey guys! I'm new here. My bunny (1.5 yo male), is quite active and playful. I noticed, however, deep red coloration in his urine. Is this a cause for worry? He is on a diet of Fenugreek leaves, cabbage, celery, lettuce, sometimes tomatoes and rarely carrots. This happened 3 times today (the deep red in his pee). He is otherwise active and eats well. Of the 3 times, 2 times there were no stains when it dried up. This image is the third time and it's fresh.

 

[JBun]

Have you introduced any new foods into his diet, including any changes in pellets or hay? You say there are no stains when it dries. What does it look like dried?

 

[Bobby_John]

Hello, JBun. Thank you for your reply. When it dries up, there's nothing. Like, water drying up. No sign of pee in that area.
But this third time, it seems to be turning brownish.
There has been no change in his diet, however, we introduced new pellets 2 days back and a complete house makeover. Could that possibly be it? There really aren't any veterinarians that treat rabbits around where I stay.

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

I have a rabbit that since I brought her home (8 weeks old) has similar pee (my other rabbit I got from the same breeder has the same thing). For her it’s just pigment, and it passed down to all three of her babies. My rabbits pee out redder and browner when she lost her litter. It looks like my buns but you won’t know unless you get it tested.

 

[JBun]

Did the first two puddles start out as spots of red in the urine, or the whole urine spot was reddish throughout? And was it a lighter red than that, or a different color? It's possible it could be the new pellets, but usually when it's plant pigments, it will have more of an orangish red look. I've only seen bright red like that when it's been blood or when beets were fed. Look at the photo in this link. One shows actual blood spots in the urine.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Urine

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

Did the first two puddles start out as spots of red in the urine, or the whole urine spot was reddish throughout? And was it a lighter red than that, or a different color? It's possible it could be the new pellets, but usually when it's plant pigments, it will have more of an orangish red look. I've only seen bright red like that when it's been blood or when beets were fed. Look at the photo in this link. One shows actual blood spots in the urine.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Urine

I don’t know if you meant me, but their pee is orange. I only really had my one female’s pee get really red because she lost her litter.

 

[JBun]

I don’t know if you meant me, but their pee is orange. I only really had my one female’s pee get really red because she lost her litter.

My post was for the OP.

 

[Bobby_John]

The first two times weren't spots of blood - the whole puddle looked red-ish. It looked like this, but not this bright. Probably because they were on a different surface? But there aren't any signs of that now. This one's been a while now, and the stain is quite prominent still. :/

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

The first two times weren't spots of blood - the whole puddle looked red-ish. It looked like this, but not this bright. Probably because they were on a different surface? But there aren't any signs of that now. This one's been a while now, and the stain is quite prominent still. :/

I can’t answer other questions @JBun will, but I do know how to remove the stains. Spray a white vinegar, lemon juice, and warm water mix on the stain and then if you want even put clothes stain remover on the spot (I use Shout).

 

[JBun]

If you aren't certain if it's plant pigments or not, you may be able to contact a non rabbit savvy vet near you, and just ask if you could bring in a clean urine sample to be tested for blood. I would hate to say this is plant pigments and later find out your rabbit actually had a UTI or kidney problem. The urine is just too red for me to say it's for sure not blood.

 

[Bobby_John]

Thank you @dogwoodblossoms and @JBun ..
I will have a regular vet check him. I shall update this thread with the feedback. Meanwhile, I'm just hoping and praying there isn't anything seriously wrong

I guess it's worth mentioning that a similar thing happened about a month or two ago as well. Just that I had noticed it a little too late and the litter cloth had absorbed most of it, so it was much lighter, but surely a bigger patch.

 

[JBun]

If you wanted to try only feeding the old pellets(if you're in the middle of transitioning to the new pellets), or just removing pellets for a day(as long as your rabbit is eating hay really well) to see if the urine goes back to normal, then if it does, you would know it's the new pellets causing the urine change. If the new pellets have alfalfa in them, that could explain it as well. Alfalfa is known to cause color changes in their urine.

 

[Bobby_John]

Update : So, I took Bobby John to the vet today. It was blood. The vet did an ultrasound and took a couple of X-rays, and said it was sludge. There is possibility of UTI too, and put him on medication. Thank you all for your responses.

 

[Catlyn]

Glad to read that his problem has been discovered and is being dealt with! Wishing a fast recovery for him!

 

[Suzyq12!]

Hey guys! I'm new here. My bunny (1.5 yo male), is quite active and playful. I noticed, however, deep red coloration in his urine. Is this a cause for worry? He is on a diet of Fenugreek leaves, cabbage, celery, lettuce, sometimes tomatoes and rarely carrots. This happened 3 times today (the deep red in his pee). He is otherwise active and eats well. Of the 3 times, 2 times there were no stains when it dried up. This image is the third time and it's fresh.

Hi,
Hi
I have rescue rabbits and urine is colored when they eat veggies like Kale that is high in certain nutrients.

Hey guys! I'm new here. My bunny (1.5 yo male), is quite active and playful. I noticed, however, deep red coloration in his urine. Is this a cause for worry? He is on a diet of Fenugreek leaves, cabbage, celery, lettuce, sometimes tomatoes and rarely carrots. This happened 3 times today (the deep red in his pee). He is otherwise active and eats well. Of the 3 times, 2 times there were no stains when it dried up. This image is the third time and it's fresh.

Hi, I have rescue rabbits for many years. This is very common with certain veggies that contain lots of potassium like Kale. They produce a rusty reddish urine. It is normal and no cause to worry. The picture you posted looks a little redder than I am use to… but you do give different veggies. Mine eat Kale, Cilantro, parsley, a few pieces of banana . Also carrot tops! Bunny Love sent your way! Take care.

 

[JBun]

Update : So, I took Bobby John to the vet today. It was blood. The vet did an ultrasound and took a couple of X-rays, and said it was sludge. There is possibility of UTI too, and put him on medication. Thank you all for your responses.

I'm really glad you were able to get that checked. Bladder sludge can be a tricky thing to manage with some rabbits. I had a rabbit with it, and found with him that I had to be really careful limiting high calcium veg/greens. Not all bladder sludge prone buns will need lower calcium veg, but he did. But eliminating all calcium isn't good either, as they still need adequate calcium in their diet. He was also on a pellet free diet, though for a separate health issue, but a low calcium pellet is usually needed for rabbits with this, and sometimes even further limiting pellets or eliminating them. Not sure if your vet gave any dietary advice, but here's some info about it.

https://rabbit.org/bladder-disease-and-bladder-stones-in-the-rabbit/
https://rabbit.org/bladder-stones-and-bladder-sludge-in-rabbits/
https://rabbit.org/lowering-blood-calcium/

 

[FuzzyBunny ph]

Hi,
Hi
I have rescue rabbits and urine is colored when they eat veggies like Kale that is high in certain nutrients.

Hi, I have rescue rabbits for many years. This is very common with certain veggies that contain lots of potassium like Kale. They produce a rusty reddish urine. It is normal and no cause to worry. The picture you posted looks a little redder than I am use to… but you do give different veggies. Mine eat Kale, Cilantro, parsley, a few pieces of banana . Also carrot tops! Bunny Love sent your way! Take care.

While reading the thread, I thought it was just pigments from the veggies the bunny has been eating too. But they had a vet check up and tests showed that its sludge with the possibility UTI