Rabbit in pain when pee-ing

[Lynsey harry]

Hey I need some help please . Rabbit is 9 1/2 years old in pain when weeing . Vets have given him metacam and baytril but doesn’t seem to be helping .
they said he could have stones but won’t operate due to age and breathing as he has snuffles . Can anyone help me ? What can I do to help him and make him be more comfy? I don’t want to put him to sleep yet

 

[BrownieDaisyandJasmine<3]

I really dont know what to suggest. The vets are right it is too risky to operate on him considering his age. Maybe you could get xrays and stuff just to confirm if there's any blockage. If there isnt and he has an infection then you could ask your vet for a urinalysis to confirm and then give some other meds accordingly. Maybe the Baytril is not good enough to fight off his particular infection (if he has any). But in case of a blockage I really dont think you should let him suffer like that since you mentioned that he's in pain.

Hoping for the best for you and your sweet bun. May he be out of his misery soon.

 

[Shmibunny]

What symptoms does your rabbit have? Peeing everywhere? Making small pees? Sitting in a corner? Flopping really long and changing position? Soaked bottom? Squeaking as he pees or tries to pee? Something else? Is he able to pass urine? Is he eating, drinking, pooping?

I've dealt with several urinary tract infections (and read quite a lot about everything around it), and usually Ditrim or Baytril helps within a few hours or a day. A simple dipstick or lab test from the urine can show the presence of blood which usually means infection.

If one antibiotic does not help in a reasonable time at all, another could be tried.

You could try getting him to pee in an empty litter box and collect a sample with a clean syringe. It won't be good enough for culture but it works for dipstick and some lab tests.

If there's a bladder stone involved, that can also be the reason for microscopic or visible blood. An X-ray or ultrasound (both which can be done awake with some rabbits) would show the stone(s). Kidneys and their size can also be checked with ultrasound. A stone could be in the kidneys, in the bladder, or stuck somewhere coming out. If it's blocking the flow of urine, then an operation would need to be done and soon. But you really need a proper diagnosis to know what is going on. I'm not knowledgeable of all the ways to deal with a stone, however, sorry.

What I've found too is that sometimes a tummy ache or other illness can cause very similar symptoms to an UTI: sitting hunched, even making small pees around in unusual places because of pain. And different bunnies show symptoms in different ways. But you mention pain when urinating so I am assuming the bunny is literally wheezing or squeaking? I've seen that maybe once out of all the times my boy had an UTI going on because luckily we usually caught it early.

Hopefully this helps at all. Give us more info if you can. I hope it all works out!

 

[Lynsey harry]

What symptoms does your rabbit have? Peeing everywhere? Making small pees? Sitting in a corner? Flopping really long and changing position? Soaked bottom? Squeaking as he pees or tries to pee? Something else? Is he able to pass urine? Is he eating, drinking, pooping?

I've dealt with several urinary tract infections (and read quite a lot about everything around it), and usually Ditrim or Baytril helps within a few hours or a day. A simple dipstick or lab test from the urine can show the presence of blood which usually means infection.

If one antibiotic does not help in a reasonable time at all, another could be tried.

You could try getting him to pee in an empty litter box and collect a sample with a clean syringe. It won't be good enough for culture but it works for dipstick and some lab tests.

If there's a bladder stone involved, that can also be the reason for microscopic or visible blood. An X-ray or ultrasound (both which can be done awake with some rabbits) would show the stone(s). Kidneys and their size can also be checked with ultrasound. A stone could be in the kidneys, in the bladder, or stuck somewhere coming out. If it's blocking the flow of urine, then an operation would need to be done and soon. But you really need a proper diagnosis to know what is going on. I'm not knowledgeable of all the ways to deal with a stone, however, sorry.

What I've found too is that sometimes a tummy ache or other illness can cause very similar symptoms to an UTI: sitting hunched, even making small pees around in unusual places because of pain. And different bunnies show symptoms in different ways. But you mention pain when urinating so I am assuming the bunny is literally wheezing or squeaking? I've seen that maybe once out of all the times my boy had an UTI going on because luckily we usually caught it early.

Hopefully this helps at all. Give us more info if you can. I hope it all works out!

He has little pees and sometimes it looks as if he straining and only a few drops come out . He’s eating drinking and poo-ing.
He makes a little sound when he tries to go and his bum sort of goes in the air and he leans forwards . He then licks his bits after .
He’s lost his hair around his bum and down his back legs and I have to wash him everyday cuz he smells of wee .
I’m waiting for the vet to ring me to see what’s next but I didn’t know if anyone could give me any suggestions of things to mention to the vet encase she doesn’t cover all basis !!

 

[Shmibunny]

He has little pees and sometimes it looks as if he straining and only a few drops come out . He’s eating drinking and poo-ing.
He makes a little sound when he tries to go and his bum sort of goes in the air and he leans forwards . He then licks his bits after .
He’s lost his hair around his bum and down his back legs and I have to wash him everyday cuz he smells of wee .
I’m waiting for the vet to ring me to see what’s next but I didn’t know if anyone could give me any suggestions of things to mention to the vet encase she doesn’t cover all basis !!

Aww, sounds like he's had some issues for a while if he has lost fur. Straining to pee is no good, but if a bunny pees/tries to pee very frequently--for whatever reason--there won't be a lot coming out repeatedly. Just wanted to mention that even though it's kind of obvious. A little sound is definitely a sign of pain, maybe because of an UTI or a stone. Sometimes tumours can also cause narrowing or changes in "paths" or a bunny could be born with an infection-prone urinary tract. With my boy, one vet raised the possibility of a recurring non-bacterial inflammation of the bladder like some cats are prone to get (not sure that happens with bunnies?) or a sort of cramping of the muscles rather than an infection (an exo-specialist mentioned this so I believe it could be a thing, just not with us). Anyway, I doubt these are relevant to you.

I hope your bunny gets relief soon!

 

[Lynsey harry]

Aww, sounds like he's had some issues for a while if he has lost fur. Straining to pee is no good, but if a bunny pees/tries to pee very frequently--for whatever reason--there won't be a lot coming out repeatedly. Just wanted to mention that even though it's kind of obvious. A little sound is definitely a sign of pain, maybe because of an UTI or a stone. Sometimes tumours can also cause narrowing or changes in organs or "paths". I hope your bunny gets relief soon.

Thank you I hope so to . I don’t think he’s ready to go anywhere yet. I’m going to try and gain a wee sample to drop of to the vets and if that’s clear for no infection then I want him booked in for xray and scan as long as they will do him awake as the vet has already told me she won’t knock him out . So if it is a stone I dunno what my options for him will be

 

[Shmibunny]

Here's one article about bladder stones. Medirabbit

 

[zuppa]

Hi, with any UTI cranberry tea is very effective, no sugar or sweeteners, just fresh or frozen cranberries or if you have dried make sure there's no additional oils or anything, because they add them during drying process). He may like that tea and will drink himself, or you can give using syringe a few times a day. If you use drinking bottle you will need to filter tea from seeds.

 

[Lynsey harry]

Here's one article about bladder stones. Medirabbit

Thank you . I’ve spoken to the vet we’re going to start with a wee sample and go from there. So fingers crossed

Hi, with any UTI cranberry tea is very effective, no sugar or sweeteners, just fresh or frozen cranberries or if you have dried make sure there's no additional oils or anything, because they add them during drying process). He may like that tea and will drink himself, or you can give using syringe a few times a day. If you use drinking bottle you will need to filter tea from seeds.

Thank you I will buy some tonight

 

[zuppa]

Also, where is he housed? I would keep him off the ground, make sure his place is rather small and warm, not draughty, his floor is not cold. Woolen blanket or thick layer of bedding, is he toilet trained, free-roaming?

 

[Lynsey harry]

Also, where is he housed? I would keep him off the ground, make sure his place is rather small and warm, not draughty, his floor is not cold. Woolen blanket or thick layer of bedding, is he toilet trained, free-roaming?

He lives in the house he has him own bedroom and he has puppy pads blankets and vet bed on the floor

 

[zuppa]

He lives in the house he has him own bedroom and he has puppy pads blankets and vet bed on the floor

When my Smokey was very sick with UTI she was in a playpen on the floor as well, I gave her 120 cm cage put it on a coffee table in the corner far from windows, also covered on top and back with a rug and there she had her toilet on the left, upside-down cardboard box (so was like a platform from the floor) and between the two I had a knitted woolen blanket folded so it was about 10-15 cm thick. She peed on it she peed often so I washed it often, but also moisture went through it so the top layer was always dry. I also had a grate on her toilet filled with wood pellets so she never was sitting in her pee. I never use puppy pads and don't recommend using them, they are not absorbing well and also they are plastic, there's nothing better than pine wood pellets used for toilet filler. I googled vet bed so it should keep him dry, honestly if he was my rabbit I would rethink his setup to make sure he is feeling all warm and dry at all times, given that he is 9,5 maybe

I don't want to criticize without seeing your setup, maybe his room is perfect and his floor is warm, just when it is urinary tract problems plus age what I would do I would make some kind of a platform like at least 15-30 cm off the floor so any cold air flows go under it.

Apologies in advance if it sounds like harsh criticism just sharing my thoughts as my rabbit had lots of uti first year when I got her at 9 weeks, so I kept improving her setups, first I made a stage from banana boxes turned upside down and connected together, improved her toilet so she only pees into it and she has no contact with urine at all, now she is mainly on the second level 50 cm from the floor, she is 3 years soon and we had no UTI cases over past 2 years. Honestly I was horrified how bad she looked when she had it first time, I've spent nights holding her on me and cranberry tea helped a lot, then making sure she is warm and dry all the time.

 

[zuppa]

If there are stones causing pain I have to say I have no experience with seniors like 9 year old, only can tell that what I know from research ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) added to drinking water helps with dissolving them. From what I've learned, you add it to drinking water for 3 months then the next 3 months not adding. There's no proved evidence that it helps but from my own point I use vinegar for cleaning and I can tell that it if I was lazy cleaning my toilet boxes and was just rinsing them for a month or so, there's lots of urine stone build up in the corner where they urinate, so if I fill that corner with my usual 5% white vinegar and leave for a couple hours, urine stone becomes very soft and I can just wipe it with a paper towel without any scrubbing etc. So I guess vinegar softens it and so I would say it should soften stones when used regularly, that would be my own logic I don't say that this is truth jjust sharing my private opinion.

Of course my oldest rabbit is about 4 years old now, (I have one I don't know his age though since he was left on a street in a cardboard box a few years ago and so he is with me 2,5 years now), so thankfully my rabbits are healthy and I am just trying to keep their lifestyle and their diet healthy to prevent illnesses, of course there are bad genetics and all that, but if I see that my rabbit has particular problems with digestion or urinating or something else I am trying to tailor their diet and setup to reduce the risks for them. I am trying to avoid medication where possible, I think vets prescribe too much and often when it is not needed at all, any small scuff and they give antibiotics this is just over protection and also can give lots of side effects and antibiotics can be not effective when really needed. Painkillers also have lots of side effects, I believe that pain helps with understanding where the problem is and so killing any little pain can make diagnosis more difficult. So I am not saying that we shouldn't use medication at all but I think we tend to overuse it, especially when there are more natural and safer remedies in many cases.

For instance I see it regularly here that people rushing to a vet immediately with any GI stasis symptoms and their rabbits are getting lots of medication and expensive treatments, then after medication they need to be given probiotics to recover their flora etc, and it can cost hundreds and even thousands for their owners, when in fact you can very effectively deal with GI stasis at home using massages and home remedies, of course you need to know your rabbit and get it at an early stage which is totally doable, also keep the diet healthy to prevent that, so there will be no need in using so much medication at all.

Hope your rabbit will feel better soon, please keep us updated

 

[john.thorpe1952]

Sorry to hear about your problems.For what it's worth,my personal experiences are as follows.Obviously I don't recommend avoiding vet treatment if absolutely necessary,and such things as bladder stones etc need proper diagnosis,but I have had experience in the use of a home remdy when my rabbits have shown difficulty in peeing,either due to a urinary infection(usually smells strong) or sludge due to feeding a bit too much of high calcium food(I learned,by trial and error,as do we all!) I make up a small amount of cranberrypowder,in capsule form from health stoe),obviously emptied out of the capsule,with some honey and a little water,mixed thoroughly and givenby mouth by syringe.They may not always willingly submit but you have to be firm but gemtle and make themtake it.there are also urinary tract capsules which as the label says.targets problems in this area.I have found that within a day or so,the problem usually is sorted,but of course you play it be ear (no pun intended!) and carry on if it persists.Of course if they are in real pain and sicomfort,seek professional help,but in the first instance,I use this method,along with always boiling their drinking water the night before.hope this is of help and good luck.

 

[Shmibunny]

I would not try to heal a bacterial infection with home remedies. A bunny's condition can worsen very fast and an infection can spread. And if there's a blockage in the urinary tract by a stone, giving liquid could at worst cause the bladder to burst which is pretty much fatal. The right diagnosis is key to the right treatment and should be sought as soon as possible. We don't even yet know what exactly the OP is dealing with here, but I hope it all works out. Extra fluids and cranberry may be an option as a preventative measure, but when a bunny's already in pain when peeing it needs medical attention.

 

[Lynsey harry]

I’ve taken a wee sample to the vets this morning so she will ring me when she has looked at it . They are on about putting him on gabapentin with metacam . Depending in wee sample depends if I need to get him booked in for a scan and xray .