Constant Poopy Butt

[Krashkource]

I have a four year old Holland Lop that has constant Poopy Butt. I have tried almost everything short of shaving that area to prevent problems but it continues. He had e cuniculi early on in his life that caused a cataract and head tilt but he has no other issues.

I took him to the Vet to see if there was a bowel problem or anything and they couldn't detect why it is so constant.

Do any of you have suggestions on what to do? I am pretty much out of ideas and could really use the advice.

 

[JBun]

Did the vet test a fecal sample for parasites/bacteria? How long has this been going on, what have you tried to correct it and have you tried a grass hay only diet, and what is his regular diet-type and amount of pellets, hay, veggies, treats, supplements?

 

[Krashkource]

The fecal sample came back as clean, no parasites, unwanted bacteria or fungi were found.

As for diet, he has unlimited timothy hay, pellets (Kaytee Timothy Complete) and some fresh greens such as Kale and Cilantro. He gets a single yogurt drop a day to round it all out.

This issue really started when he hit 1 year old, he has had a poopy butt for several years now that I have had to clean regularly.

 

[JBun]

It sounds like your rabbit has something called cecal dysbiosis. It's an overgrowth of bad bacteria in a rabbits cecum, leading to the mushy poop that you are seeing. It is usually caused by too much sugar and carbs and not enough fiber in the diet. This can be from not eating enough hay, and too many treats and/or pellets. Less commonly it can be caused by a sensitivity to a particular veggie. It is something that is important to correct because cecotropes need to be reingested by rabbits so they are getting the needed nutrition from them. When the cecotropes are mushy, rabbits won't eat them, thus depriving them of important nutrients.

With your rabbit, I would suspect it is from the treats and pellets. Best thing to do is stop all sugary starchy treats permanently. So no more yogurt drops. You will also need to cut out pellets for a while. Then feed unlimited timothy hay(or other grass hay) only. You are probably ok continuing the greens as I doubt they are the cause. You do want to make sure that your rabbit is eating plenty of hay to make up for the lack of pellets. It may take several weeks before you see any improvement because it is such a long term problem for your rabbit. Being on the hay only diet will give the bacteria in your rabbits cecum time to stabilize. Once your rabbit doesn't have any mushy poop for at least a week(or maybe longer because of how long it's been going on), then you can try reintroducing pellets, slowly and gradually increasing amounts each day, only a pinch at a time. And keep an eye out for mushy poop returning, or smaller than usual fecal poop. Your rabbit most likely won't be able to have the same amount of pellets as before, or may not be able to tolerate any without it causing a poopy bum. A pelletless diet is possible. You just make up for it with veggies and hay.

http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/chronic_intermittent_diarrhea_in_rabbits.pdf
http://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
http://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/

 

[ladysown]

what are you feeding this rabbit?

Knowing this would help us better be able to advise you.

 

[rabbit_friend]

The diet has already been posted. Are you feeding the Timothy Complete with or without the alfalfa? I would also recommend dropping the yogurt treats (for sure), but I would recommend gradually switching away from the Timothy Complete to another pellet from a different manufacturer. I had a long-term problem with mushy poop with all 5 of mine, and since we've reduced the Timothy Complete, the poos have been a lot better. I would also drop the cilantro, as I've found with mine that anything with a soft, quickly wilted leaf like cilantro exacerbates poopy butt. Kale can also be gas-producing, which can cause poopy butt as well. Try more fibrous herbs, such as Italian parsley, dandelion leaves, romaine or escarole lettuce, thyme, dill, oregano. Lots of people swear by plantain leaves (the weed, not the banana-like plantain!) and strawberry/raspberry/blackberry leaves for regulating the gut in rabbits. Some people like Sherwood Forest pellets (alfalfa, timothy, flax and some vitamins) because they contain no soy or wheat to upset tummies, but mine responded badly to either the alfalfa or the higher fat content (5%) in these pellets. It's worth a try though (very small amounts to start with).

Intestinal disorders can also be due to some chronic and low-level disease or pain going on -- if he has had e.c., the parasite may be becoming more active again as he gets older. Have you tried some pain meds for a few days to see if that helps him? You could also try changing the water on the off chance it has high levels of something that is causing an imbalance -- minerals or bacteria or other contaminants. You don't mention what specifically you've tried changing, so I don't know if you've already tried that.

Parasites might still be the problem -- one negative fecal won't tell much since most parasites shed intermittently. You could do some repeat fecal tests at intervals of a few days, but for parasites, I would expect the poopy butt to be more cyclical and intermittent, not constant. Has he had any stasis episodes along the way, or abdominal pain, or is it just the poopy butt?

 

[Krashkource]

Thanks for the advice, I have been giving him the Timothy Complete without Alfalfa since I heard that can cause upset stomach in bunnies. I have tried different water sources (bottled and tap) as well as changing out with different veggies.

As for the parasites he shouldn't have much if anything. His last checkup I had another test completed to see if there were any ideas from the Vet and nothing came up. Thus far I have done around 3 separate tests and nothing has really come up.

I will try and pull the Timothy Complete away from him for a bit and see if that helps.

 

[Geoff]

Did you mention if he is overweight? That can also be a cause of 'poopy butt' (too fat to eat all the 'night feces' resulting in a constant 'poopy butt' situation). I totally agree with the above comments about 1) stopping the yogurt drops and 2) stop all pellets. Hay and greens would be best for your bunny and I would give it a good month or so before you find that is not working and try something else. This diet will also help him lose a bit of weight if he's overweight.

 

[ladysown]

do make sure if you stop pellets that you are finding a way to add trace nutrients to their diet.

Rabbits need more than clean hay and washed veggies. They need salts and minerals, they need variety.

Pellets should NOT cause a rabbit to have poopy butt.
Bunny could have a poor digestive system, be fat, be getting into something you aren't aware of.

But it's a holland lop. Holland lops (at least many that I have been exposed to) frequently have what I call a lazy digestive tract that reacts poorly for whatever reason.

I would trim all hair away from his butt frequently so that he can keep himself clean easily.

 

[Krashkource]

Thanks to everybody for the suggestion, I got my bunny on a better diet and he seems to be doing better already. After weighing him he is indeed overweight which I am hoping some exercise and hay for a few months can cure. Only problem is he is angry about loosing his yogurt and isn't as social at the moment, I think he's holding a grudge.

 

[rabbit_friend]

Curious whether you switched to a new pellet, as I am still wrestling with the pellet question myself (mixing Kaytee with Oxbow at the moment but not happy about it). Yeah, mine were upset too when I quit their nightly apple slice. Try to find some other tidbit that's healthier that he likes and he'll forget all about yogurt drops. One of mine loves mint leaves, or basil, or thyme, and all go crazy over some extra fennel fronds or dandelion leaves right before bed. That (and a few pellets) is their "treat" now. It's good to have something before bed to gauge whether they're okay.

 

[Krashkource]

Thought I would drop in and give say thanks to all of those who helped me to diagnose the issues with my bunny. He is doing quite well and has lost a significant amount of weight and appears to be back to normal. He is more active and seems to be more playful.

Here's a vid I made from the other night as he did his evening mess up the kitchen more routine. I had to take it before I brushed him since that seems to make him grumpy.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRNfeJ8bAsI[/ame]

 

[JBun]

Haha, that is one happy bun!!! I love all the popcorning and 180's he does. So cute

That's wonderful to hear the he is doing well now. Out of curiosity, what diet changes did you end up making and is the poopy bum completely cleared up?

 

[Cloud_the_bunny]

Awe! He's precious! 😊🐰

 

[Krashkource]

I put him on a diet from his pellets and took away his yogurt treats. He now gets new hay every day and a small handful of Timothy Complete pellets for his daily nutrition. Every now and again I give him some banana or other fruit and other fresh veggies. He still has the occasional soft stool issues but nothing major. Once his weight issue was solved over the last few months he also seemed to become more active which also helped to get rid of the issues.

 

[blue eyed white]

I enjoyed that video. He looks very happy and healthy :clapping:

 

[squidpop]

I put him on a diet from his pellets and took away his yogurt treats. He now gets new hay every day and a small handful of Timothy Complete pellets for his daily nutrition. Every now and again I give him some banana or other fruit and other fresh veggies. He still has the occasional soft stool issues but nothing major. Once his weight issue was solved over the last few months he also seemed to become more active which also helped to get rid of the issues.

Love the video, made me happyopcorn2

So, along with more hay, less pellets and treats, did you also cut back on the veggies and fruit quite a bit?