URGENT--Your help needed!

[rinirabbit]

Help!

My new rabbit, Annabelle, has been in my care for six days...and a problem has arose:

This morning, I noticed some runny stool in the cage. It wasn't quitediarhhea, but was quite darn well close. She seems fine, you know,eating and drinking. I think it is just stress, but it still reallyworries me. Her personality hasn't changed at all, but I can't get overthe symptom...After what happened to my other bunny, Zoe,(Godbless), who died on the six day after showing diarhhea and lethargy. Iam super-duper worried and I want your advise.

She has went to the bathroom recently, and it seemed a puny bit better, but no where near normal.

I am flipping out, PLEASE HELP ME AND ANNABELLE!:nerves1

 

[bunnydude]

Take away the pellets and give her tons of hay.Monitor her sutuation and take her to the vet as soon as the vetreturns. Hopefully that will help.

I'll be prayingray:ray:ray:

 

[rabbitgirl]

Sometimes runny stools can be just excesscecotropes...it's hard to tell the difference. My two Hollands get thatall the time, and it doesn't affect their overall health or activity inthe least. I will say though, that cecotropes smell absolutely awful,so that's one clue.

As far as treatment, oatmeal and/or blackberry/raspberry leaves works for me--just a spoonful of oatmeal and a leaf or two.

A rabbit in a new home will often exhibit this type of symptom due to achange in diet--are you using a different food brand? Is italfalfa-based? (there is some argument that alfalfa based pellets likePurina can cause runny cecal stools) However, I use Purina, and two ofmine get runny cecals and one doesn't. Go figure.

I know it's scary when you've already lost one to similar symptoms, soI do hope she's all right. Hopefully you can get her to a vet.Mymotto has always been: if they're active, alert and happy,eating and drinking, that's a promising sign for a good outcome.

Rose

 

[naturestee]

Is all of her poop runny, or is some runny andsome normal? That will help you figure out if it is a cecalproblem or true diarrhea.

Do like Bunnydude said and take away her pellets, give her lots ofgrass hay, and you can give her a tiny bit of rolled oats.That's assuming she had plain pellets with no treats in them.If there were treats in the pellets, they might be the cause so don'tgive any oats.

Are you feeding her the same pellets she had before? If not,I would go get some of what she was originally eating and feed her thatwhen she gets better. You can slowly switch her over to a newtype of pellet by mixing small amounts of the new stuff in with theold, then increasing the amount of new stuff over a period of a week ortwo. As a side note, baby rabbits should be eatingalfalfa-based pellets at least until they are full grown.

Were you feeding her any treats, fruit, or veggies? I'massuming she's a baby, and these might have upset her delicate stomach,especially with all the change and stress she's been through with goingto a new home.

 

[rinirabbit]

Thanks so much for all of yur help...Annabelle has recovered:elephant:!

I gave her some oatmeal and raspberry leaves, washed from the garden...I guess I have discovered her new favourite treat!!

I did contact my vet, and she too did mention the risks of an alfalfa-based diet as well as the excess cecotropes...

GB you all

Liza:woohoo

 

[Nadezhda]

Glad to hear Annabelle is doing great!

One thing you can do is read the ingredients on our current foodlabel. Check to see if they are Timothy or Alfalfa based, aswell as checking that the fibre is enough and the protein is lowenough. I needed to go through a couple different brands tofind one suited to Fred and Zorro's needs

 

[rabbitgirl]

rinirabbit wrote:

Thanks so much for all of yur help...Annabelle has recovered:elephant:!

I gave her some oatmeal and raspberry leaves, washed from the garden...I guess I have discovered her new favourite treat!!

Glad all is well!

I forgot to mention one thing that is more of an issue later in thegrowing season: the large spines on the underside of the raspberryleaves. I usually de-spine them before feeding to my critters, but thisearly in the year the spikes shouldn't be too prominent. Not a bigdeal, just an extra note. I love how effective those leaves can be.

Rose