poopy issues

[tonyshuman]

It's possible. If it's coccidia, he could have been keeping a small population of the parasite in check until it grew to overwhelm his immune system and cause a full-blown problem, especially if it was cyclical with a period of about a week (I think that's coccidia's life cycle). It sounds like you've gotten his system going again but you still need to treat the underlying cause of the gas/stasis etc that he had, and I'm hoping Flagyl will do that! Good luck!

 

[Sammybunny]

Hi all,
Well Sammy seems to be doing a even a little better today. He came out and ran around a bit both this morning and evening. His poops are still soft but a little more formed today. There weren't as many as the other day, but I know that stasis can produce a lot of poops then no poops ect as the gut starts to move again.
I did start him on flagyl, but am waiting on the fecal results that I sent to the lab. He ate a few pellets and some more leafy greens today. I wasn't home most of the day because I was at work but my boyfriend was home and said that he was hopping around and eating and doing bunny stuff. His belly was a little gassy but I've been using the simithicone. He doesn't seem as much in pain though. He even did a bunny flop onto his side which he does when he feels real relaxed.
Oh I hope he is getting better. The doc was out of the office today but I left a message with the receptionist, and I will call him when I have results tomorrow. right now he is eating some parsley and laying next to Charlotte
I do know that he needs to eat more hay and that may be part of the problem. Any tips on getting him to eat more? I have tried replacing with fresh often, I've tried different kinds, put it in creative places ect. He will eat alflafa but picks the strands of timothy hay and throughs them around. Charlotte is a good hay eater and I really don't have any problems with her. Maybe a different brand of hay? I have been getting the Kaytee hay or Oxbow and it really doesn't make a difference with him. I have thought about going to a feed store, but don't know if they sell hay in something smaller than a bale.

 

[Maureen Las]

I get Oxbow hay and my rabbitslike it but a lot of members talk specificallyabout how good Kleenmama's Hay on theWest coast Is and Sweet Meadows hay on the East coast is.
I tried Kleenmama's and it is really clean and dust free and softer than the oxbow but it takes longer for me to get it than oxbow. You would need to order from both those companies on-line.
I would imagine if your rabbit gets alfalfa at all that he just cannot adapt to timothy; none of mine get any alfalfa unless they are sick andI am trying to keep weight on them

 

[tonyshuman]

That is good. I would mix the alfalfa and timothy for a while and see if that helps him eat more. You could also try Orchard Grass--it's a bit sweeter than timothy (not that I've eaten it) and some pickier bunnies like it. It might be easier to get him to eat timothy after getting him used to orchard. I buy my hay in huge quantities, and just store it loosely covered in a closet. Horse hay is pretty good for bunnies. My guys only get alfalfa as a treat.

 

[Sammybunny]

Sammy is improving a little more day by day. He was more active today and chased Charlotte up the stairs which he hadn't done since he got sick. He's pooping and it is getting a little firmer but is still softer than it should be. I did notice some more mucous in the stool, and let the doctor know. He said that it is an inflammatory response because the colon is inflammed. The mucous is clear and not yellow or green which is good. The fecal test came back negative for everything, including clostridium and coccidia. The doc said just keep doing what I'm doing and keep pushing the fiber aka hay.
I don't think my rabbits really care for the kaytee hay and it really is expensive for the amount you get, I do live in an area where there are a lot of feed stores, but never thought to get the hay there. I wonder if they might have something smaller than a horse bale. I live in a two bedroom townhouse and don't even have a garage to store excess hay. I could get a rubbermaid bin though. I guess I should call around.

 

[tonyshuman]

That is true--and you are doing something about whatever is causing his GI upset.

 

[Sammybunny]

I'm just wanting to do an update on Sammy. He is actually doing great and I think we dodged a bullet. He is eating well on his own. He is active and playful and being his normal self. Back tracking on his issue, I am wondering if it wasn't the birdseed but the new bag of pellets that I opened.
I use Zupreem Natures Promise Pellets and the last bag looked a little different, the pellets seemed drier and almost a different color. The rabbits don't even really like those pellets. I have tried many kinds, butthier favorite is the nutriphase crappy pellets from Petsmart. They don't like Oxbow either, which is too expensive for them to be throwing their bowls around. Zupreem is too expensive for them not liking it either. I have been wanting to switch their pellets for a while and this may be a good excuse to do so. Now the petstores really don't have all that great of a selection and they are small bags for lots of money and most has the junk food in it. I do have a lot of feed stores around my area. Some brands I've thought about are Manna Pro, Purina which I've heard good and bad, Nutrena and two local brands one being templeton and the other elk grove milling. Now I know these are alfalfa based, but theyed would be very limited and basically cover any nutrtion gaps. The FFA and 4-h plus my rabbits' breeder use Templeton. My co worker also used it on her rabbit which lived to be 12 years old and was never sick. I just want a good pellet that I'm not throwing my money away on. I know timothy pellets are better, but my rabbits are stubborn. Oh on a side note I got a bunch of bunny bales of hay at the feed store and Sammy is loving it Right now they are munching wheat oat and barley hay. He isn't a hay eater so I feel this is a huge accomplishment.

 

[Maureen Las]

The Zupreem might have been a bad bag; I would get rid of it. I have not used many of the brands that you have mentioned but at one time I did usePurina in the green bag in very small amounts and I thought it was a decent pellet. I believe that Manna Pro high fiber has been suggsted by some members also as a decent alfalfa pellets.

might want to make a post in the nutrition section...

 

[tonyshuman]

Purina green bag isn't terrible, but it's better for young'uns. If you have Purina Hi-Fiber Lab Diet, it's a pretty good alfalfa pellet you can buy cheap! They sell it around here and it's what the humane society uses for their adults, and I give Tony and Muffin 50/50 Purina Hi Fiber Lab and Oxbow BBT.