Poor rabbit - peeing outside his box and not eating?

doodlebugger · Oct 23, 2015

Our poor old grumpy rabbit (he was a rescue, so we think he might be at least five) is peeing outside his box, barely pooping, and won't eat. He seems to be in pain, but we tried baby gas drops (recommended by our vet) and we tried pain meds (Metacam) but neither are helping. He won't even take his favorite treats or eat greens (which he NEVER turns down). He has been molting, so I suspect there might be some kind of blockage as he has had them before, and I have seen strings of pearls this past week (nothing severe, just occasionally). This morning, we tried some warm critical care, but haven't seen any results. The only thing he keeps doing is going from corner to corner of his cage, like he can't get comfortable, and sometimes he is laying down and other times he's standing in a hunched over pose (like he's in pain), and he will scratch until he gets comfortable, and then he will start moving after about 10-15 minutes back to another corner. Vet doesn't open for another two hours and I'm not even certain our rabbit savvy vet will be in today. If not, I will have to call her emergency line and see if she will be able to come and see him. Any other suggestions? Should I keep trying critical care, simethecone/baby gas drops, and metacam, or wait this out another hour or two until we can see the vet? I can't get him to take the probiotics that we have because he won't eat his banana and it's too thick to give on its own.

stevesmum · Oct 23, 2015

You will have to keep trying to syringe water and critical care into his mouth, and the simethicone. Also try to keep him warm so he doesn't go into shock, I use a hot water bottle (not too hot). Poor guy, hope he pulls through for you.

doodlebugger · Oct 23, 2015

Thanks! I was able to get in touch with my rabbit savvy vet and she had me give him another dose of metacam (pain meds) and some different type of stomach meds that we had on hand (metroclopromide?), and after about an hour, he seems to be perking up just a bit. He's cleaning himself, and drinking lots of water. We also put him in a towel and held him for a while until his ears were warm again, and after the meds, his ears are staying warmer than they were. We saw a few more poops too. She thinks it might be a UTI or stomach troubles from his molting. We have an appointment later this morning so hopefully we can figure out what exactly is going on and treat it.

JBun · Oct 23, 2015

Due to the urination outside the litter box, I would suspect a UTI as a possible cause as well. Bladder sludge, stones, and kidney issues are also a possibility. All can cause pain and urination problems, though it is also a possible GI blockage or discomfort, as the urination can be a result of abdominal pain and straining due to it. I hope the vet visit goes well and they can figure out what is going on and help your bun. Let us know how it goes.

doodlebugger · Oct 24, 2015

Poor baby has a UTI with some mild sludge present. The vet did an ultrasound, and took a urine sample to test for bacteria. He also had some stasis going on, likely due to the fact he wasn't eating because of the bladder pain. They put him on the stomach meds for a few days, plus the pain meds, and some Baytril, and he is already showing signs of improvement. We are cutting back on his pellets because she believes that might be the culprit for causing this issue. We used to feed him unlimited pellets, unlimited hay, and greens, and now he gets mostly unlimited hay and lots of greens, but only about a 1/2 cup of pellets per day. And we knew he was sick because he nearly attacks us when he gets his daily little slice of banana. He's back to doing that now after about 3 days of not wanting to eat them. He didn't poo for over 12 hours, but now he's a pooping machine! And, we observed the first flop in almost 4 days just this evening, so we are definitely seeing many more signs that he's feeling better.

This is our first experience with bunny UTI - any tips besides a potential issue with too many pellets, to keep this from happening again?

JBun · Oct 24, 2015

I'm glad your bun is feeling a bit better and you got the UTI and sludge diagnosed and treatment started. It's likely the UTI is a result of him having some bladder sludge. It can lead to irritation of the bladder wall, and eventually bacterial infection. Did your vet do anything to flush out the sludge?

Decreasing pellets can help in preventing sludge build up, but you really need an overall diet adjustment. Did the vet make any other suggestions for dietary changes? What type of pellets, hay, and veggies do you feed, as they can all contribute to sludge build up in rabbits prone to it?

Here's some reading up you can do on the topic.
http://rabbit.org/bladder-stones-and-bladder-sludge-in-rabbits/
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Cystitis_Ele.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HypercalciuriaRabbits.htm
http://rabbit.org/lowering-blood-calcium/