Poopy butt?

[ChandieLee]

So Bailey isn't feel too well it seems. She's eating, and drinking, but she's a little lethargic, sitting in a hunched position and has a poopy butt. I cleaned it off yesterday, but it's there again. I've made an appointment for Friday because that's what was available, but what can I do for her now?

 

[OneTwoThree]

How old is she? Any changes in her diet?
If she's hunched, there's a possibility of GI Stasis, have you tried pineapple or simethicone? Or gently massaging her belly?

 

[ChandieLee]

No changes, and she's roughly 3.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours used to hunch up when she had gas--simethicone worked and some massage.

 

[ChandieLee]

I did try some simethicone- didn't seem to help. And last night I gave her a tummy massage- which may have caused her to pee all over the couch... after that she seemed to look a little better, but as of now it looks like she's getting worse. She's very lethargic, refuses to move, eat, drink. I can't tell if she's going to the bathroom. Her vets office opens in about an hour, so I'll be calling them. If I can't get her in there today, the bf and I will bring her to any emergency vet that knows how to deal with rabbits that we can find.

 

[Pipp]

Can you tell if she is straining to pee or leaking? Maybe a urinary tract infection or stones?

The poopy butt can be a tummy upset causing gas. In my experience, a garden variety gas attack is usually resolved in 12 hours, but not if there's more going on like a bacterial imbalance.

Massage helps but then the gas reforms, so its a long process. I've found that massage works better than simethicone. (And you really need to use a lot of simethicone, I've switched to adult strength).

Hope she's okay.

PS: Keep her warm. If you're giving her fluids, good to warm them too.


sas ray:

 

[ChandieLee]

Oh she's definitely straining- we took her to the vet, she got an x-ray and she's got some blockage/build up in her tummy. Though it's weird because it's not a lot of build up, her stomach is very tense, but there was no gas that she could see in the x-ray.

When I explained the leak of urine upon massaging, she chalked it up to severe discomfort.

So she was given subq fluids, half a cc of reglan once a day for three days, critical care, and pineapple juice. If she's not doing any better in a couple of days, I have to bring her back.

 

[Pipp]

How is she straining?

Could she have gotten into anything with a lot of carbs? I'm not sure I like a vet who prescribes pineapple juice with poopy butt, if it's a bacterial imbalance, wouldn't the sugar feed the bacteria?

The papaya/pineapple enzyme is usually given because it's thought to help breakdown hairballs (although this is disputed). Poopybutt can be a symptom I think, but small poops or no poops are a lot more common. The treatment for diarrhea/cecal dysbiosis is high fiber with no carbs, no sugar. Hay and water or Critical Care.

sas :confused2:

ETA: Just noticed she did prescribe Critical Care, although if she's been eating on her own, she shouldn't need much. Is she eating hay?

 

[ChandieLee]

She's straining to poop, I think. Atleast that's what it looks like- she'll sit in her little box and kind of stretch, then scrunch up and kind of concentrate.
She's not eating on her own as of very early this morning, so it's 20-30 cc's of critical care for her 3-4 times a day, and as of this evening actually it's not poopy butt. There's just nothing. :/

As for the carbs- what's something that she could have gotten into that has a lot of carbs? Yogurt drops? She has one a day. Perhaps I should stop giving her those? :/

 

[oryctolaguslady]

I usually give simethicone every two hours for digestive upset - the action is mechanical so it should not affect anything, but gas can always build up in a situation with blockage even if it was not obvious at the time of the x-ray.

Usually fluids and reglan and Critical Care plus simethicone will help get a bun through a functional blockage situation, but watch for any signs of acute bloat developing (severe pain, verytight bloated tummy, low body temperature, refusal to eat or drink anything).

Pain medications can also help a rabbit with a functional blockage, and if there is any way you could get her to exercise thatwould help. In some cases giving a probiotic can also help, and if there are any toxins accumulating in the GI tract giving a bit of edible clay may help remove them.

Please watch her body temp - it can drop dangerously in digestive ailments so if it starts to drop warm her with a blanket or a heated pillow.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[ChandieLee]

I'll definitely try some more simethicone because she looks considerably bloated :/. But, she has eaten a little on her own this morning, and she's gone to the bathroom .