Please Help!

[LuvRun]

Hello, we have a sweet mini mixed lop named Dallas. We got him when he was about 12 weeks old. He is one and a half years old now and was neutered last October. We love him so much but we noticed shortly after we got him that he has intermittent soft cecotropes. It said to just put him strictly on Timothy hay which we did. When we took him in the vet tech said he can’t just live on hay and to give him pellets. So we got him high quality ones that are Timothy hay based. And still problems with the poop all over and gobs of it sticking to his fur. The vet didn’t seem to know much about his condition. I don’t know what to do. He is my daughter’s bunny and I just picked him up today and he is ghastly thin. I was shocked and wanted to cry. My daughter gives him fresh Timothy hay daily and he never runs out, but something is wrong. I noticed a lot of poop globs stuck to him. I gave him pellets tonight which he happily ate, but he’ll pay a price for it. We can’t win. He needs to gain some weight and yet he can’t because of the mushy cecotropes. What to we do? Please help, we love him dearly and he is such a sweetheart. I had a Netherland dwarf that lived 8 years but never a problem with cecotropes. We will take Dallas to a vet soon but they seem to not understand what he has. Any insight would be very appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mac189]

Is your vet rabbit savvy? A lot of regular vets are stumped when it comes to rabbits. I imagine you are monitoring what and how much he is fed, even if your daughter is very responsible, kids can make mistakes or not fully understand everything a rabbit needs. While vet techs are awesome, listen far more to what the vet says, techs can make mistakes and may have far less experience, not to mention low population states such as ND and MT tend to not have very strict guidelines for the level of training a vet tech needs.

He certainly needs a rabbit savvy vet, weight loss in rabbits is very serious and there could be another underlying condition causing the cecotropes rather than diet, although that very well may be the issue.

What is his diet exactly?

 

[JBun]

If he is thin then it sounds like there is something else going on. Rabbits can live on a hay only diet just fine, provided they eat it really well and the hay isn't too coarse/too low in protein, plus a salt lick is provided . I've had rabbits that had to be on a hay only diet for years, and they stayed perfectly healthy.

If the hay you feed is a soft to medium coarse hay with a mix of leaf and stem, and your rabbit was eating it really well, there shouldn't have been a problem with your rabbit being able to maintain weight unless there is an underlying health issue causing the mushy cecals and weight loss. Sometimes parasites can cause this type of problem. So can liver problems. So in the very least a fecal float might be needed to check for parasites. If nothing is found then a blood test may be needed to check kidney and liver function. If your vet isn't very experienced with rabbits, if possible I would suggest finding a more experienced rabbit vet.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[zuppa]

Agree with all said above and please check out the link in the #3 there are many rabbit savvy vets listed and hopefully you can find one near you.

It is important to diagnose properly before you start taking steps and giving medicine etc.

If you could describe his diet in details, also what kind of pellets, brand, name, ingredients, percentage for fiber, protein, calcium, how long ago his problems with cecals started and how long ago he's off pellets. What is his breed/some pics maybe, size, weight, how much weight he lost, can you feel his ribs/spine, how about his fur, does it look healthy or patchy etc. How much water does he drink, what water you use etc.

Feel free to post some pics of his poo and cecals, usual and when it's mushy. We love pics.

 

[LuvRun]

Is your vet rabbit savvy? A lot of regular vets are stumped when it comes to rabbits. I imagine you are monitoring what and how much he is fed, even if your daughter is very responsible, kids can make mistakes or not fully understand everything a rabbit needs. While vet techs are awesome, listen far more to what the vet says, techs can make mistakes and may have far less experience, not to mention low population states such as ND and MT tend to not have very strict guidelines for the level of training a vet tech needs.

He certainly needs a rabbit savvy vet, weight loss in rabbits is very serious and there could be another underlying condition causing the cecotropes rather than diet, although that very well may be the issue.

What is his diet exactly?

Timothy hay, occasionally a tiny sized bite of banana, spring mix and carrot. It flares up the mushy poop so we back off. Rabbit savvy vets are hard to come by here. Had one but retired. I’ll check around tomorrow. Thanks so much!

 

[LuvRun]

Agree with all said above and please check out the link in the #3 there are many rabbit savvy vets listed and hopefully you can find one near you.

It is important to diagnose properly before you start taking steps and giving medicine etc.

If you could describe his diet in details, also what kind of pellets, brand, name, ingredients, percentage for fiber, protein, calcium, how long ago his problems with cecals started and how long ago he's off pellets. What is his breed/some pics maybe, size, weight, how much weight he lost, can you feel his ribs/spine, how about his fur, does it look healthy or patchy etc. How much water does he drink, what water you use etc.

Feel free to post some pics of his poo and cecals, usual and when it's mushy. We love pics.

He has been strictly on Timothy hay. Occasionally we give a bit of apple and banana. Sometimes carrots and spring mix. Seems to all flare up his mushy cecals. Had an 1/8 cup of Oxbow essentials adult rabbit food on Friday, June 5th. Other than that just Timothy hay........Oxbow Essentials Rabbit pellets: protein:14.00% Fiber(min):25.00% Fiber(max)29.00% Calcium(min)0.35% Calcium(max)0.75%
Yes, I can feel all his bones. He is a mini mix lip. His coat seems well and not patchiness. I’ll send pics in morning of the mush.

 

[LuvRun]

Agree with all said above and please check out the link in the #3 there are many rabbit savvy vets listed and hopefully you can find one near you.

It is important to diagnose properly before you start taking steps and giving medicine etc.

If you could describe his diet in details, also what kind of pellets, brand, name, ingredients, percentage for fiber, protein, calcium, how long ago his problems with cecals started and how long ago he's off pellets. What is his breed/some pics maybe, size, weight, how much weight he lost, can you feel his ribs/spine, how about his fur, does it look healthy or patchy etc. How much water does he drink, what water you use etc.

Feel free to post some pics of his poo and cecals, usual and when it's mushy. We love pics.

It started a week or two after we bought him in November 2018. ( mushy cecals)

 

[LuvRun]

It started a week or two after we bought him in November 2018. ( mushy cecals)

Also he was 2.80 pounds in October 2019. He’s definitely lost that. I’ll have to weigh him.

 

[LuvRun]

Also he was 2.80 pounds in October 2019. He’s definitely lost that. I’ll have to weigh him.