I already took her to the vet, twice, but he just told me to wash her and put antiseptic on the area, which I've been doing, and it's just got worse. I don't know what it's caused by. I haven't changed her diet and I've been cleaning her out often enough. She's been very quiet recently and hasn't been eating much, but apart from that, and the diarrhea, she seems fine. I don't want to keep taking her to the vet's if they aren't going to be any help because it's so expensive, so please can you give me some advice?
if it helps, she's about three or four years old, a lop, and I don't have any other rabbits she might have caught something off.
Answers:
Normally it's either a young rabbit, a stressed rabbit, or an old rabbit, either on regular feed or switching feeds. In any case, here are some things to do.
1) Take away all pelleted feed and give only cool, clean water, unlimited fresh grass/timothy/local hay, and a dish of old fashioned Quaker Oats (NOT the instant kind). The dish should have about 1/4 cup of oats in it.
Do not give pelleted feed until stool returns to normal. The diarrhea is normally just unformed droppings that is very moist. If the stool is/nearly is completely liquid, give the same things as described above and head to your vet! The bun will need to be hydrated very quickly(an IV will probably be used).
For normal diarrhea, not the liquid kind, you can also get them to drink more by using a half water, half ice tea mixture. Go to your nearest cornerstore and pick up some NON diet and NON caffeine-free lemon flavoured ice tea(snapple, nestea, etc. Mine love Nestea). In the rabbits water bottle/water dish (Note: A bottle is best, it keeps the water uncontaminated. Don't suddenly switch to bottle if your rabbit uses a dish though.), put in half cool, clean water and half ice tea. Dip your finger into the mixture and wet your rabbit's lips. Do this several times so he can taste it. Soon he'll figure out it's in the bottle(show him).
Also keep a regular water dish with him at all times.
Once rabbits figure out how to get the ice tea mixture, they go NUTS for it. And after treatment is over(a few days after the diarrhea has stopped), they still pine for it. You can give it to them highly diluted(2 tablespoons or so per 16oz bottle) once a week for a treat.
hi jen,have you tried bisto grave ? it might not cure it but it will thicken it.if you are on a low in-come take it to the PDSA.
If you could post what you're feeding her, it might help. For my part I'd offer her unlimited grass hay and rolled oats (the plain Old Fashioned Quaker Oats will do-not the instant kind!) for a few days and see if it clears up a bit.
You may need to take her back to the vet, but find a different one. It doesn't sound like your current vet has much rabbit experience.
As long as she is hydrated, she should be ok.
Don't give her food for 12 hours, and see if it improves.
If not, take her to another vet, just make sure it's a small animal specialist.
http://www.rabbit.org
We used to tell dog and cat owners to give a bit of steamed white rice to stick to the bellies.
Use jeyes fluid and diliute it down to wash the place do it everyday if you can on the patio and in the run. Don't feed it any more greens it's known that giving bunnies greens in this warm wether can give them the runs and if they get the runs flies can lay magets in their botty (which is why i told you to use jeyes fluid flies hate it!) wash the tail area too it you can with warm water and keep the bunny away from flies any way you can! Only feed it solid food like biscuit or hay and lots and lots of fresh water good luck!
sorry i cant answer your question as you have being to the vet and you have followed the vets instructions. The only thing i can suggest is to seek a second opion from a different vet. good luck
maybe see a specialist or something or tell the vet that it is not working so then ask what you should do i mean it is pretty obvious you know
cabbage is known to give rabbits diarrhea.
I have recently bought 2 rabbits for my children,and took some advice on how to look after them.
The main cause of diarrhea is a rabbits diet,and without knowing exactly what you feed yours my advice is limited.
DO NOT give a rabbit lettuce,this is a major cause of diarrhea as it is mostly water.
Also do not give your rabbit treats,the type you can buy in any local pet shop as these can also cause diarrhea.
My best advice is to reduce your rabbits food for a little while,and only use dry rabbits food that you buy in any shop.
Also rabbits enjoy hay,which is good for them,so a little of this would'nt hurt.
Take your rabbits food bowl out of his hutch,when you feed him let him eat as much as he likes at the time.
When he stops eating remove his food bowl,only put it in later or even the next day and repeat the process.
Also avoid giving him grass or any other plants from the garden(dandelions etc),as this could be contaminated.
Try this for at least 3 days and see if things have improved,if a week goes by and theres no improvement you may need to see the vet again.
You may need to consider a different vet if your not getting any help from the one your using.
Hope this helps you and your rabbit.
Get it to a vet and stop the suffering
Did the vet check her teeth? I have been told by a vet that if a bunnies teeth grow and they can't chew properly they will not be able to digest the food properly which can lead to a runny botty. That might also explain why she is not eating much. Her back teeth may be growing into her mouth. Get her checked again quickly. Once a bunny goes off it's food it can be disastrous. Good luck!
have you been giving your rabbit lettuce don't give it lots ive it 2 leafs maybe 3 a week if you give it loads then there you go the answer is its having diarrhea because your giving it to much lettuce!!
GO TO THE VETS!!!!!
I have a rabbit who had this problem, and the vet explained that some rabbits have a smaller-than-normal opening from the cecum. This can cause cecal matter to get backed-up and remain too long in the cecum, which causes normal cecotropes to turn to mush. (Cecotropes are the softer cluster-like droppings that a rabbit normally eats as part of normal digestion but is unable to when they become mushy.)
These rabbits need a diet even higher in fiber than most rabbits in order to keep things moving through. To clear up the problem initially, feed the rabbit unlimited grass hay only for a few days or until the droppings are back to normal (and of course water at all times). Personally, I do not recommend giving oats because I discovered that oats were contributing to my rabbit's problem (because of the high carbohydrate content).
Once it clears up, you can start to feed pellets again, but stick to plain pellets only with nothing mixed in (no seeds, nuts, dried fruit, colorful bits, etc.). If your rabbit continues to have problems, it might help to switch to a timothy-based pellet, such as: Oxbow Bunny Basics-T or American Pet Diner Timmy pellets. Always change pellets gradually.
If the conditions stays clear, you can gradually start adding fresh greens back into the diet. Add one at a time in a small amount to start with and make sure each kind doesn't cause a problem. But don't give the rabbit any sugary or starchy treats such as carrots, fruits, or anything with grains or breads because these rabbits typically cannot handle the additional sugars and carbs.
If, at any time, the droppings become very watery or the rabbit isn't drinking, eating, stops producing any of the normal hard round droppings, or becomes dehydrated or lethargic, take her back to the vet immediately. She may need sub-q fluids or other medications or treatments.
If you need a second opinion, the national House Rabbit Society has a list of rabbit-savvy veterinarians listed on the website for each state. If none are listed in your area, you can look in the yellow pages for exotics vets and call around. Ask if they treat rabbits and how many and how often. Also try calling regular cat and dog vets and ask if they can recommend a rabbit specialist.
For the love of God, take her to a DIFFERENT vet!
Are you in America? People on here reckon American vets aren't great with rabbits, which is a shame. One thing for sure, two visits to a vet with no better advice than 'keep her clean' is not good and not worth going back!
Very likely she has a bacterial infection there. It is important to clean her to keep away flies, but the actual illness needs to be treated with antibiotics.
Find a vet who is willing to spend a little time on a rabbit - they all know how, I just hear they're not all willing.
Chalice
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