Fedex is sick I think..

[stacie07]

Fedex has been pooing big clumps ofwetpoo - not round balls. I picked him up and it was allmatted to his rump, and I had him out earlier. He was running aroundacting fine, binkying before and after he pooed. He doesn't seem sick.I picked him up later and it was all clumped to his rear..it smells badand I had to pull to get it off..? Any ideas..

His poo is gooey, has somewhat formed balls, and smells horrible, so Iam thinking maybe ISS. I took away is pellets so all he has is timothyhay and water.

 

[stacie07]

:sosadBumping..sorry



He really isn't feeling good I don't think. I tried to clean him up thebest I could and he just layed on his back while I was doing so - nostruggling or anything. The smell is horrible, but I cleaned him up thebest I could. Some of the fecal matter is just so matted to his poorlittle rump that I couldn't even get some of it off. I might go buyrabbit shampoo tomorrow and try to wash him up - would that be ok todo? I'm not giving him any treats or greens - only timothy hay andwater, and I gave him a fresh layer of bedding to sleep on. He isdrinking and eating his hay normally but surely he isn't feeling well.Any help, please?

 

[RO STAFF 2]

How old is he? I'd get him to a vetright away. Meanwhile, keep him hydrated with waterand/or Pedialyte.

He needs to be diagnosed before further treatment can be recommended.

Good luck with him. ray:

 

[cheryl]

could they be his cecotropes,they are the poopsthey are supposed to eat and they look like a bunch of little grapesand they smell really bad,sometimes a bunny can produce to many when hehas a diet that is to high in starch and or to low in fibre,i have alsoread that it can be caused by dental problems as well.

are you feeding your bunny to many pellets?sometimes if you over feed your bunny they produce to many,they cannot eat them all.



how long have you had your bunny for?



cheryl

 

[RO STAFF 2]

Stacie, you have a PM...

 

[stacie07]

Thank you everyone. I gave all the local vets acall today but none of them are savvy with rabbits. I've only had himfor about a week and a half. He did eat many of his pellets that I gavehim, so I took them away all together per advice of websites I'vevisited and have him on strict timothy hay. I'm hoping this will helphim, and hopefully one of the local vets can check him tomorrow.

 

[bunnydude]

ray:ray:ray:ray:ray:ray:ray:ray:ray:ray:

 

[RO STAFF 2]

If he's a baby, he could be reallysick. Don't mean to scare you, but that's a serioussymptom. You have to figure out it its cecals (in which caseits hay and water) or if its diarrhea (give him some oats and lots ofwater and Pedialyte if you can get it).

Either way, he could be in trouble. Watch him verycarefully. Where are you located? Did you check ourlists of rabbit-savvy vets?

If he starts to go downhill, any vet can administer sub-q fluids and dosome other treatments. Check out the links for poopy butt anddiarrhea in the Resource Center.

 

[cheryl]

i hope everything goes well for your littleboy,i know when i first got mine,i was feeding them way to many pelletsand they were over producing to many cecotropes,that they just couldnteat them all,and sometimes it would stick to their butt,i thought therewas something wrong with my bunny,so i took her to the vet,the vet toldme what to do,just give hay and just a few pellets,she was better in notime.

its good that fedex is still drinking water,she needs it at the moment,and plenty of fresh hay



let us know how he gets on



cheryl

 

[stacie07]

Well this is a roller coaster...

I replaced his bedding with something lighter than his normal beddingso I can examine any future poo (gross job but someone has to do it :?)and it seems to be normal once again. That changed really quick - onlya few hours ago it was as far from normal as you could get. He stillseems a bit mellow and isn't as hyper as usual.

I checked the rabbit-savvy vet thread but the closest one to my area is a 3 hour drive away.

ROStaff - I'm pretty sure he is at least a few months old, and he certainly doesn't look like a baby.

I'm going to keep his pellets away for one night anyway and see howhe's doing in the morning. If everything still seems normal I'll givehim just a little bit of pellets and see how things go. Thank youeveryone for your help - it is greatly appreciated. It's amazing howattached you can grow to a bunny over a week's time, but I really dolove my little Fedex! I got a great scare today..but hopefully it'sover!

 

[RO STAFF 2]

That probably means his poops are normal, but his cecals are not, so yes,hay and water are best.

Is he eating different food now than he was before? Differenthay? Pellets? Waseatingveggieswhere he was before? Changing his diet can trigger thesethings.

Keep us in the loop, thanks! Again, good luck to you and Fedex!

 

[stacie07]

No- he's still eating the same foods, just nopellets. I did give him a bit of romain lettuce and carrots today, butI think that was after he started with the nasty poo.

If it helps, the brand of pellets is Nutriphase..I bought it atPetsmart. It's a high fiber diet designed specifically for rabbits. Ican type out the ingredients if it would help.

Thank you

 

[RO STAFF 2]

Sorry, meant whether he was getting the samefood he was getting before you brought him home. Do you knowwhat he was being fed previously?

And if you wouldn't mind typing the ingredients (we haven't been ableto find them online), that would be great. We can post themin our Pellets section of the Resource Center.

(As well as the ingredients, it's good to know the protein, fiber,fatand calcium content).

Thanks!

 

[Just Jack]

Peg has recommended that I keep my bunnies onalfalfa pellets till they are about 6 months old (not giving themveggies till about then too). Someone else here can probablygive you the exact ingredients and nutrient levels a young rabbitshould be eating.

I'm going to be PMing you momentarily with a link to a website withrabbit savvy vets that I believe are in your area. I reallyhope it helps and I'm glad your bunny looks like he is doing better.

 

[stacie07]

Thanks ROStaff and Just Jack- I'm not sure what he was being fed previously at the pet store, but I can surely ask.

..now for the list of ingredients :shock:

Crude Protein (min)- 17%

Crude fat(min)- 3%

Crude fiber (min) 12% max 17%

Moisture (max) 12%

Calcium (min) .5% (max) 1.0%

Phosphorus (min) .4%

Salt (min) .25% max .75%

Vitamin A (min) 2500IU/lb

Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, ground oats, ground wheat, soybean meal, wheatmiddlings, ground corn, dried cane molasses, dicalcium phosphate, cornoil, calcium carbonate, salt, vitamin A supplement, choline cholride,yucca schidigera extract, DL-methionine, ferrous carbonate, manganousoxide, zinc oxide, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement,vitamin E supplement, copper sulfate, ethoxyquin (a preservative),niacin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin Kactivity), cholecalciferol (source of Vitamin D3), calciiumpantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin,folic acid, calcium iodate, cobal carbonate, sodium selenite,artificial color.

:shock:Whoo!

 

[RO STAFF 2]

Alfalfa hay as well.

Don't think these are great pellets, but maybe somebody else can weigh in on this.

Thanks so much for typing it out! That was a LOT of work.

:kiss:

 

[stacie07]

And to think I spend 8 dollars on a little bagof it :shock:Oh well, I have a different type of pellet mixthat I was given by the pet store owner from which Fedex came from,maybe I should try them?

Also, I think I'm going to give Fedex a "rump" bath tomorrow to try andget the rest of the nasty poo off his rump. Are there any safehousehold soaps/shampoos I can try? I'm not too sure our local betstore has special bun shampoo.

 

[stacie07]

And to think I spend 8 dollars on a little bagof it :shock:Oh well, I have a different type of pellet mixthat I was given by the pet store owner from which Fedex came from,maybe I should try them?

Also, I think I'm going to give Fedex a "rump" bath tomorrow to try andget the rest of the nasty poo off his rump. Are there any safehousehold soaps/shampoos I can try? I'm not too sure our local betstore has special bun shampoo.


Edit: Whoops, pressed the send button twice accidentally :embarrassed:

 

[RO STAFF 2]

According to Dana Krempels:

1. Purchase hypoallergenic, non-medicated pet shampoo from yourveterinarian or pet supply store. Hy-Lyte is a good choice, but anysimilar product will work as well. DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF HUMAN SHAMPOOON YOUR RABBIT. Rabbit skin is far more delicate and sensitive thanhuman skin--especially the scalp. Even baby shampoo is far too harsh,and can make the problem worse, not better.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12067&forum_id=17

 

[stacie07]

So would dog shampoo work? I think that's the only kind available here...:?