Treatment for possible urinary tract infection

Question
<p>Am I doing enough for my bunny?</p>

<p>Took my two-year-old neutered New Zealand Blue to vet today [Sunday].</p>

<p>Had noticed about lunch time he couldn't get comfortable lying down. He was able to make "meatloaf" position but his hindquarters seemed a little hunched and when he tried to stick his legs out "a la relaxed" mode, he couldn't hold the position and kept jumping up to reposition himself.</p>

<p>He's going through a massive molt at the moment; did wonder if he had a fur ball. He's an aloof bunny, who usually indicates when he wants grooming from his slaves; today, he suffered all the extra attention with barely any fuss.</p>

<p>By about 2pm noticed he had started spotting what looked like bloody urine. Had to wait an hour for the emergency vet clinic to open. During that time he continued to spot every five mins or so (spotting varied in amount up to about 1-2t at an estimate). No sign of diarrhea, last lot of poo pellets looked to be normal size.</p>

<p>Vet more used to treating dogs and cats, but after quick exam diagnosed probable urinary tract infection and gave antibiotics (2 shots daily over five days).</p>

<p>Have given bunny first shot. He is moving about and didn't have a temperature, but still seems to be having trouble getting comfortable and is still spotting.</p>

<p>He has access to food and water but has never been easily bribable with food and prefers to eat when he wants. He's usually a nocturnal eater but hasn't been snacking on hay today. Can't make him drink. :-( </p>

<p>He has plenty of hay (not alfalfa), a handful of pellets a day and a range of veges (whatever's going for the day but nothing watery). He gets occasional carrot "spaghetti" strands and once a week a tiny (1cm wide) portion of banana. His diet hasn't changed over the last year.</p>

<p>Vet said look for signs of improvement by tomorrow [Monday] night. Trouble is while he's still spotting and still uncomfortable it's hard not to be worried. Just want to make sure I've done everything for him, haven't missed any symptoms, etc. Don't want bunny to suffer.</p>

Lamia

Answer
Dear Lamia,

Did the vet give you anything for pain?  A UTI can be quite painful, and if your bunny is showing such obvious signs of pain, then I'm surprised the vet would let you out the door without some metacam and/or tramadol.  Poor bunny!  I hope you can find a vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who will realize how critical pain management is for treatment of rabbits!  This can make all the difference in the world!  But over the counter human pain meds are NOT something to try, as they can be very dangerous for rabbits; certainly nothing OTC without the advice of a good rabbit vet.

UTIs generally respond within a 2-3 days to antibiotic therapy, if the causative bacteria are sensitive to the antibiotic being used.  So it's not surprising you aren't seeing immediate results.  Patience and nursing are key, though I know it's hard to watch him in this state.  :(

Consider the possibility that the pain of this UTI (or whatever he has) is causing a very common physiological response in rabbits:  GI tract slowdown.  This will cause very painful gas that can make bun exhibits the behaviors he's doing now.  In case it's that, you can give him a cc of pediatric simethicone suspension, available at almost any good drug store.

If you see he's not wanting to eat, or that his fecal output is decreasing or becoming small and dry, please read this:

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

and share this with your vet, if she's willing to receive this type of thing:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.pdf

If he really has a UTI, then fluids are critical to getting enough liquid into his body to flush the antibiotics through there and kill the bacteria.  If he's not drinking and you can't get him to drink, then ask the vet to show you how to administer subcutaneous lactated Ringer's solution at home.  This can really help speed the healing process, and keep him feeling well in the meantime.

I hope this helps.

Dana