Rabbit Eating Baking Soda

Question
I use baking soda for odor control and general cleaning around my house.  I have noticed that Bosco has been finding places that I have spilled the baking soda and not noticed, and therefore didn't clean up.  I also use it in his litter box and the other night when I was changing his littler box (I alternate between two) he was licking the empty litter box before I put the litter in the box.  Is this dangerous for bunnies?  Is he missing something in his diet?  There is no real change in anything, and eatting, water and elimination are all normal.  I don't see how that can taste good...yuck

Thank you for taking the time to consider my question.
Donnalynn and Bosco

Answer
Dear Donnalynn,

That's pretty weird.  But he probably likes the salty taste.

Eating a *very* small amount of baking soda won't harm him, but if he's getting more than a tiny bit, then you will have to keep him away from it.  Sodium bicarbonate is used as an emetic (to induce vomiting) because it produces tremendous amounts of gas when it hits the acidic stomach.  Humans can vomit, but rabbits cannot.  So there is the very real risk of stomach rupture if the bunny ingests enough to generate too much for the volume of the stomach.

If he has just recently ingested a large amount of baking soda, please contact your rabbit savvy vet immediately:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to ask if there is cause for supportive/preventive treatment such as subcutaneous fluids or other measures to prevent stomach rupture (intubation may be necessary if he starts to bloat) or sodium toxicity.

But from now on, please keep him strictly away from that baking soda!

Hope he will be fine.

Dana