Shedding-related Digestive Issues...

[Jenk]

My one bunny, Emma (a mini-rex), is shedding tons of plush fur. I'm trying to keep up by brushing her twice per day and even running my dampened hands over her body to remove loose hair. She's always offered fresh water in an open dish so as to encourage good hydration.

Despite my extra diligence, her poops are more dry and slightly lessened. (I even found two poops strung together by a thick cord, which I'm thinking is made up of multiple hairs and a dry-ish mucuous coating.)

Besides syringe feeding her warm water, what else might I do this early in the game in order to prevent GI stasis? (I've read the library section on GI stasis but don't assume that all treatments apply here and now in Emma's case.)

If unsweetened canned pumpkin is a good choice, how much should I feed her? (She's a small bun at only about 3.5 lbs.)

Thank you,

Jenk

 

[Flashy]

Canned pumkin would work (not the pie filling stuff though). I don't know how much to give though, I have never given it to mine because it doesn't exist in the UK.

You could also try giving her another bowl with a tiny bit of apple juice, or cranberry juice or vanilla, or something in that might entice her to drink more. Make sure you give her a bowl of plain water too incase she doesn't like it.

Also push the hay, I find a fresh handful every so often makes them eat more than giving a huge pile for them to work through, I think they like it when it smells fresh.

I also give mine lots of wet leafy greens like basil and parsley and dandelion leaves (if you run them under water before giving to them it works well) as another way to get them hydrated. That all depends on what fresh food you know she can eat.

 

[Jenk]

I just purchased (unsweetened) canned pumpkin and Pedialyte. (I may not give the Pedialyte immediately; but I want to have it on hand for potential future need.)

My girls' main diet is timothy hay, and at least Emma's still been eating/ drinking normally. But seeing her poops become darker/ drier (and some are smaller) has me on high alert. So as long as she's still going to the bathroom, though, I've something to work with.

Tonight, I'll make certain that the girls'leafy veggies are well-moistened with water.

Jenk

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Your plan sounds good. Like Flashy said, definitely push the hay. Make sure she is getting plenty of water. When I have given pumpkin, I just put some on a plate and Snuff eats it right off the plate. You can even get sneaky and wrap some in greens.

Keep us posted!

 

[Haley]

I wouldnt worry too much if things are pretty normal. Sometimes changing their diet too quickly when youre worried can really throw them off and then they do have bad GI/gas issues.

You could put a little bit of pedialyte in with her water. If its flavored it will make her water taste a little yummier and thus encourage her to drink more. Also, a heaping teaspoon of pumpkin might help (maybe twice a day). Its fiber and moisture so that helps.

Can you hear any gas noises from her belly?

 

[Jenk]

AngelnSnuffy and Haley,

Thank you for the advice and positive thoughts.

Yesterday, Iwas unsuccessful in convincing Emma to eat pumpkin. She tasted it, then turned her head to nibble hay.Drats!In the future, I'll need to be more sneaky about it.(I may even slip a small amount into her veggie dish tonight to see what happens. I don't want to give her a lot, though, since her tummy's not accustomed to anything other than hay and leafy greens.)

Between yesterday afternoon and this morning, I've given her approximately 9 mL of Pedialyte.I don't dare give her anymore for a spell;I don't want to overload her gut with sugars it's unaccustomed to digesting. I've also syringe-fed her even more bottled water, which is easy to do because both my girls view anything from a syringe as a treat. Last night, I also gave her a gentle tummy massage (just in case it might prove beneficial).

This morning, I foundnormal-sized poops in Emma's litter box, and she'salready produced more in the box outside of her cage. Her voracious appetite hasn't diminished in the least.In fact, she'sa full pound lighter than Zoe but eatsjust about the same amount of hay daily. :shock:

 

[Haley]

Thats great news if things appear to be normal! I would keep giving the extra fluids and make sure shes eating loads of hay. Encouraging exercise definitely helps too (and I think belly rubs are never a bad thing, just in case).

Keep us posted!