Poopy Bottom

[Dia]

My female dwarf has been getting a poopy bottom for a few days. When I picked her up today, I noticed it quite a mess. The other day I was able to clean her with a wet paper towel, but today it seems as if I might have to try to give her a bath. (well just her back underside)

I am not really sure why she would be having this problem. Her diet consists of Oxbow BBT pellets (about 2/3 cup a day) Oxbow Timothy hay, and two salads which consist of Kale, spinach, parsley or other greens.

Any suggestions that might be better for her??? She is the only one out of the 10 rabbits here having this problem.

 

[Pipp]

How old is she? I'd start by cutting back on the pellets. Poopy butt is usually a carb or protein issue.

If that doesn't work, I'd test each vegetable to see if she has any sensitivities.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Dia]

She is 4. I have only had her for the last month. I adopted her from someone who no longer wanted her.

Should I just feed her hay for now?

 

[Pipp]

Hay and water for a short time would be good, yes. And maybe a little canned pumpkin.

Are you feeding her the same diet her previous guardian was feeding her? She could be making adjustments.

But it would be good to get her checked out. The common culprit is diet and/or a gut imbalance, but it can be a symptom of many things.

A vet can test for parasites. Is she spayed? She could use a general uterine, kidney and dental check.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Dia]

The previous people were feeding her some very unhealthy food. I only feed Oxbow here, so I been feeding her lots of hay and the Oxbow pellets, but for the first two weeks she was here I mixed the old food in with the Oxbow.

I was going to take her to the Vet, since this happened again.

No, she is not spayed. And she is over weight because the previous owners fed her pellets every time they saw her dish empty and green beans were her only fresh food.

I plan on getting her spayed as soon as her weight comes down.

 

[Pipp]

It could just be that she's too fat to be cleaning off her own cecals and they're sticking, or it could be the stress of the move allowed some opportunistic bug to multiple and cause problems, hard to say.

Definitely cut down on pellets, though. That's a lot for a chubby bunny. My dwarfs get pretty big salads but only a few tablespoons of pellets.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Dia]

Well I watch her when she tries to clean herself and it looks like she has a hard time, so you bring up a good point. I will cut back on her pellets and wash her once again today.

Hopefully I will be able to get her weight under control.

Thank you for your help and suggestions, I really appreciate it.

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

A word of caution on bringing the weight down. Do it slowly. A rabbit's liver is a very delicate organ and that is where fat is metabolized. Back off the pellets over a period of a couple of weeks. Give a smaller amount each day. If you have to go to anall hay diet to slowly bring the weight down, make sure it is a very high quality hay. If the liver has to metabolize a lot of fat, it can lead to a condition known as Hepatic Lipidosis....aka Fatty Liver Disease. To give you an idea of our pellet rations.....I have a couple of Flemish that weigh well into the upper 20 pound range and they get only about 1/3 cup pellets per day. Our smallest Dwarf and Polish get only a dozen or so pellets. You might want to consider addint a probiotic to help support the pH and the bacterial population in the gut. I prefer Bene-Bac but there are others. Do not use yogurt.

Randy

 

[tonyshuman]

I do want to mention that the first time you bring an animal into your home you want to have the vet-checked to keep your own bunnies safe. You also can't always rely on the previous owners saying "she's healthy," especially if they didn't spend much time with her in the first place. Things like mites, fecal parasites, and URIs can spread fast and then you have a problem x every bunny you have, not just x1. At least a quick vet checkover for some common things is good. I know at our shelter everybunny gets a drop of fur mite killer upon admission.

Good luck and I hope it's just dietary. You may want to have the vet do a fecal anyway.