Small poop panic...

[Jenk]

The small poop belongs to my Cali boy, Pinkerton (about 3 years old); the panic is mine. :twitch:

On 8/3, we started giving Pink and Emma hay from a new Oxbow timothy bale, which is a softer cut than the previous one. This morning, I found some abnormally small fecals in Pink's litter box.

I'm worried that the softer hay is causing potential problems. (Note: Pink ingested some carpet fiber on 7/30, which doesn't help my panic level any.) Where I live, you get what you can get when it comes to hay. (I'd contacted Sweet Meadow Farm multiple times in June and July. Each time, I was told that the anticipated 1st-cut hay hadn't arrived yet; so I don't have any on hand.)

Pink only receives a small pellet ration, and I took away an extra Tbsp. this morning, just in case pellets might "gum up the works" more. I will force him to exercise more this morning and will also continue giving him Bromelain to potentially soften the ingesta material working its way through him. Might I try anything else, or should I not be panicky because his system might be adjusting to the soft hay?


Thank you,

Jenk

 

[Maureen Las]

I just got 2 huge boxes of the same hay; I actually think it is nicer than what I had prevously which seemed not as fresh smelling.
I wouldn't worry abut this at all as long as the smaller fecals aren't dry. Why don't you just give him a few more veggies and maybe spike his water bowl with a little apple juice to get him to drink more.
I wouldn't even hold the pellets....

he will be just fine :hug:

Maureen

 

[Jenk]

angieluv wrote:

I just got 2 huge boxes of the same hay; I actually think it is nicer than what I had prevously which seemed not as fresh smelling.

I wouldn't worry abut this at all as long as the smaller fecals aren't dry. Why don't you just give him a few more veggies and maybe spike his water bowl with a little apple juice to get him to drink more.

I wouldn't even hold the pellets....

he will be just fine :hug:

Maureen,

Thank you for the unspoken reminder that I should just breathe. :hug2:

I did withhold the 1 Tbsp. of pellets but would've offered them again, if I'd read your post sooner. By 10:30 am--after the AM exercise--Pink did pass a good amount of more normal-looking fecals. He's still eating/drinking/acting normally, too, which is why I didn't completely flip out and start plying him with Simethicone. :biggrin2:

He is shedding again, which always has me in a tizzy--especially when the only available hay is a softer cut. Still, I suspect that, as usual, he'll work through this minor rough patch.


Jenk

 

[gmas rabbit]

Jenk - probably this cut of hay has less fiber therefore smaller poops. Give him a good brush and run your hands over him a couple times a day ( get them wet first, not only will pick up the lose fur but help to cool him if it is hot ). You are going to panic everytime something goes off for awhile, it is just natural and normal. If you are really worried about him go to the pet store and pick up a small bag of timothy hay from Oxbow until the next cut is ready ( to supplement the stuff you have). Could we see a photo of him and Emma??

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat: Don't really have anything to add to that.

 

[Jenk]

gmas rabbit wrote:

Jenk - probably this cut of hay has less fiber therefore smaller poops. Give him a good brush and run your hands over him a couple times a day (get them wet first, not only will pick up the lose fur but help to cool him if it is hot).

Slightly smaller fecals I expected from the softer-cut hay; the several small ones I found this morning looked as though he might've been going into gut slowdown. (They weren't dry but just very small for his size.)

I have been grooming him twice daily--using the Furminator and wet hands--since he started shedding again. (He just went through a very heavy shed from late May into part of July. Good gravy, do they ever stop shedding? :shock

You are going to panic everytime something goes off for awhile, it is just natural and normal. If you are really worried about him go to the pet store and pick up a small bag of timothy hay from Oxbow until the next cut is ready (to supplement the stuff you have).

gmas, I have anxiety; that means that even without our recent loss, I would feel panicky about finding small fecals in a bun's litter box. Heh.

I currently have two bags of Oxbow hay from PetsMart, which I bought several weeks' ago. I'm offering Pink smaller handfuls from them to supplement the softer Oxbow hay from the bale.

Could we see a photo of him and Emma??

It's been my goal to resize some photos so that others can see our bun crew--including my Zoh-Bug (aka Zoe). I've not messed around with scaling down of photo sizes in a while and must ask my DH for some assistance.

 

[gmas rabbit]

I know that feeling quite well and can relate. As for shedding I swear Benjamin never quits. He has got in the habit on snuggling under the blankets and you get the added warmth of left behind fur. lol Appreciated in the winter, but not so much in the heat. One day at a time.