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Very, very sick rabbit

22 9:46:19

Question
My flop-earred bunny suddenly started have runny stools about a month ago. He is still eating and drinking, but he has lost so much weight and is very lethargic. I have taken him to the vet and they tested for parasites and diabetes. They gave him Benebac and Albon 5% oral. They did not want to do blood work, because he is so frail. They said there was no parasites they could see. She said he was so then, he is losing muscle mass. Is there anything thing you can help me with. He is our family pet and very loved. His name is butterbean. He lives in our house (a very clean environment). Please give me any information that may help. Thank you so much for your time. Tacy Gordon

Answer
Dear Tacy,

Your bunny appears to be suffering from chronic cecal dysbiosis, which is fully explained here:

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

While some people mistakenly believe this is due to giving a bunny a diet too rich in fresh greens, this is almost never the problem.  However, it could have something to do with his, if bun is getting the wrong type of food.  Please check that here:

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

The second most common cause of this problem is probably pain/stress from dental disorders, such as molar spurs or other dental problem.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

You will need an experienced rabbit vet to help you, and you can find one via the Vet Referral Listings linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Given the fact that he's wasting, I would suspect dental problems that are interfering with his normal ability to eat, and also causing enough stress to trigger GI slowdown and cecal dysbiosis.  

I would recommend getting some Critical Care or Critter Be Well for your bun and feeding him that to be sure he's getting enough calories.  Also ask the vet about administering subcutaneous fluids, since chronic runny stool can dehydrate. This alone can cause lethargy and misery.

The vets may have given you Albon because they suspected coccidiosis, which does not always show up on fecal exam.  If your bunny has coccidia, then toltrazuril sulfate is a much more effective treatment:

http://www.horseprerace.com/toltrazuril-200ml-p-29.html

While you and the vet are trying to determine the cause of the runny stool, you can safely clean bunny and keep him comfortable with the techniques described here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

I hope this helps you get to the bottom of the problem and get it under control.

Dana