Cecal Dysbiosis

Question
Hi Dana,
Last Tuesday my family decided to adopt a 3 month old mini lop from a breeder. At first, we thought he was just adjusting to his new environment. On the first day, he appeared fine but by the end of the day he started to get some eye boogers and some runny stool. We believed that this was just stress related coming to a new home. On Wednesday, he did not want to come out of his cage and if he did, he would sit in a corner most of the day. We fed him some organic Romaine lettuce to see if this would perk him up. His stool was fine on Wednesday and relatively frequent. He did not eat or drink that much. On Thursday, his stool was very runny and we were afraid it was the lettuce so cut him off. He began grinding his teeth and would sit in his cage. On Friday, he did not eat anything. We got very concerned and brought him to the vet Saturday evening when we discovered that his GI tract was filled with gas and bacteria. Since he was our first rabbit, all of these symptoms we thought were just the rabbit adjusting to his new environment. It came as quite a shock to us and I was wondering what we possibly could have done to give this rabbit such a severe problem or if he was given to us with this illness. Hopefully this is enough information. Thank you for your time.

Answer
Dear Mandy,

Without knowing absolutely everything that happened to your bunny since he came home, it's impossible to pinpoint what might have been the cause of his cecal dysbiosis.  But I hope it's under control now.  Please read:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

The most common cause of cecal dysbiosis is improper diet, or a change in diet that occurs too quickly for the normal intestinal flora to adjust.  The stress of a new environment can also contribute.  Do you have small children who are handling the rabbit very frequently?  This can be very upsetting to a young rabbit, as rabbits generally do NOT like to be handled a lot.  Please see:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/shybun.html

Please also see:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

to be sure you're feeding your bunny correctly.

What did the vet prescribe to control the problem?  In a young rabbit, this can be life-threatening.  Dehydration can lead to many other problems, creating a downward spiral.

Please also see:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

since GI slowdown (which very often accompanies and can contribute to cecal dysbiosis) is often the first step towards full GI shutdown.

I hope some of this helps, and that your bunny will be well again soon.

In the future, note that *any* sign of runny stool--especially in a young rabbit--should be considered a reason for a trip to the vet ASAP.  Rabbits are far more sensitive to GI problems than dogs and cats, and paying close attention to clues from poop can help you keep your bunny safe and healthy.

Sending healing thoughts.

Dana