rabbit in recovery - carrots

Question
Hi there, I am treating my rabbit for an abscess under his chin & bone infection daily (he's been to the vet several times for debridement, tooth removal, etc.) and he's on meds too - only the last week he has been not wanting his fresh greens and only wants carrots and pellets - not even cilantro his fave!) Also, I just started Critical Care to help him out since he is off his hay too. I have been giving him several baby carrots a day for days now just so he'd eat and now I'm worried that's been harmful because of stuff I've just read. Can he eat broccoli slaw (chopped broccoli) instead or is that too high in calcium? My vet is out sick and I can't get to talk to her right now. He has only had smeary poops in the last couple of days and now I'm thinking it's because of the carrots - have I don't damage??

Answer
Dear Gina,

As long as you rinse and wash the baby carrots well, they should not cause problems.  They are high in sugar and starch (as are regular carrots), so should be fed in moderation.  But that's about it.  I've heard mild hysteria about baby carrots being bad for rabbits because they are "rinsed with bleach".  LOTS of vegetables are rinsed with a dilute bleach solution (which is a lot less dangerous than E. coli, which is what that bleach is meant to kill), and it's not that huge a danger or risk, as long as the veggies are rinsed well before you eat them.

If he's having dental pain, consider getting *regular* carrots and grating them finely so he can eat them without so much effort.  

For more information on the smeary poop problem, please see:

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

He might be having pain, and this refers to the rest of the body, often causing GI slowdown and cecal dysbiosis. The key is to find the *reason* his GI is slowing down, and because of his multiple problems in the dental area, this might not be too hard to figure out.  

If he's not getting pain relief, then that's really critical.  Metacam, tramadol, Banamine all are safe for rabbits, and helpful at averting GI problems triggered by pain.

I hope this helps.

Dana