RABBIT SICKNESS NEED OF URGENT HELP

Question
QUESTION: Hello Randy!
I have asked several people on the site but none have answered, my rabbit seems to have diarrhoea and I need to know what foods to give to he to make her better, I cannot got to the vet either, I got her 7 days ago and I have been feeding her some greens.
Please help me!
From Sarah

ANSWER: Hi Sarah,

How old is this rabbit?  True diarrhea is very rare in rabbits.  Usually what you have is a bacterial imbalance in the digestive system.  This can still lead to severe dehydration and death if it is not controlled quickly.  Since you have only had her several days.....I am going to assume this is a baby but an adult would be treated much the same way.  And if this is a baby, she should be at least 8 weeks old.  Domestic rabbits do not fully wean until about 8 weeks old....and in many states it is illegal for breeders or pet stores to offer rabbits under 8 weeks old.  The digestive system of a rabbit is extremely sensitive and needs mom to help finalize the wean.  First....coming to a new home is very stressful.  While I know most likely this rabbit is being handled quite a bit since it is new, the best thing is to allow her to acclimate to her new home in peace and quiet.  Keep things quiet and handle her a minimum amount.  That doesn't mean to ignore her....but allow to time to establish her housing is her new home and it is safe.  You can still speak quietly to her and pet her while she is in her house.  Watch the diet closely.  She should be fed the same pellets she had where she was previously.  Making abrupt changes in the diet can cause GI upset.  She should have unlimited amounts of pellets at this age.  Hay is essential to a good digestive system.  It is the bulk that keeps things going thru the gut correctly....not too fast and not too slow....it's known as "GI transit time" which is the proper time it takes for food to enter and completely exit the body.  At this age, you can feed any type of hay in umlimited amounts.  In an adult, it is better to offer strictly grass hay (alfalfa should be used as a treat for older rabbits). This will also help wear down the teeth.  Do not offer any greens, veggies, fruits or treats.   Some rabbits are very sensitive to some greens.  Many veggies, fruits and treats contain far too much sugar and sugar will upset the gut and be detrimental to the benefical bacteria that digests food.  And contrary to popular belief, carrots are not particularly healthy since they contain high amounts of sugar.  Make sure she is properly hydrated.  An upset GI will lead to dehydration and eventual organ failure.  A quick method of testing hydration is "tenting" the skin directly over the shoulder.  Pull it up and let it go....if it immediately springs back into position, hydration is OK.  If the skin is slow or doesn't pop back, the animal is dehydrated.  Sub-q or IV fluids are best....but giving fluids by mouth is better than nothing.  I prefer to us either unflavored Pedialyte(for human babies) or a vet product called "Rebound".  Syring feeding can be challenging and they can aspirate the fluids into the lungs....so if you have to syringe...be careful and take your time.  You do not want her to "blow bubbles".  Use a probiotic to help stabilize the pH in the digestive system.  I use a product called "Bene-Bac".  It can be purchased at most vet clinics and pet stores.  This adds certain bacteria to the digestive system...but it's not the correct bacteria.  It works by changing the pH which makes a better climate for the growth of beneficial bacteria.  Do not use yogurt as it contains sugar and milk...rabbits are also lactose intolerant and can't handle milk.  A rabbit has to have a high population of beneficial bacteria in their GI in order to properly digest food.  Anything can upset this balance in bacteria...stress, illness, pain, infection, abrupt change in diet, improper diet, too much sugar, lactose....anything can adversely affect this bacteria.

Honestly, this is a life threatening condition.  It is nothing more than a bacterial imbalance in the digestive system.  As the beneficial bacteria dies, it becomes toxic.  This also allows harmful bacteria, usually Clostridium and sometime E Coli, to grow...and these are harmful.  You may notice a greenish or yellowing mucous with the poop.  This is an indication that harmful bacteria is growing and the mucous is the body's attempt to protect itself.  By this point, there may be gastric ulcers or other serious issues within the gut that might not be resolvable without the help of a rabbit savvy vet....and it's still tough to pull out.  I don't mean to sound gloom and doom...but I suspect this is a serious situation.

Here are my suggestions at this point.
>Keep things as quiet and stress free as possible.
>Review proper diet.  High quality hay and pellets only.  No greens, veggies, fruits or treats.
>Monitor and supplement hydration with oral (or preferably sub-q or IV) fluids.
>Administer an appropriate probiotic such as Bene-Bac in order to stabilize pH and try to provide a good climate for the growth and repopulation of beneficial bacteria.  Do not use yogurt.
>Do not use any product that contains an antacid such as Pepto-Bismol or similar anti-diarrheal medication.  In order for the beneficial bacteria to have any chance of repopulation, the gut has to be in proper order and that requires an acidic environment....antacids remove acid which is the exact opposite of what you want.
>This might need professional intervention.  We often use an antibiotic (believe it or not) to control the potentially harmful bacteria in the gut.  This is highly controversial within the vet community.

If you can respond with her approximate age, breed and exactly what she has been fed....everything she has been fed....I might can make additional suggestions to help her.  Good uck.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I know what I've been feeding her
Cucumber
Tomatoes
A few carrots
Her food mix for rabbits
and she only drinks water
Thanks Randy
I hope you can give me some more information soon
Sarah.

ANSWER: No doubt....get her on a proper rabbit diet.  She needs hay....lots of hay.  Make sure her pellets are high quality....not the junk food with the pretty little treats.  Most pellets available at most of the big box stores are junk....there can be some good quality pellets purchased at high end pet stores and some farm supplies.  We never feed cucumbers or tomatoes and rarely offer carrots.  Get her grass hay such as timothy, brome, oat or orchard grass.  Give her as much hay as she can eat...and when she stops eating the hay, put more in with her.  I highly suggest the Bene-Bac.  And she needs hay....I can't stress that enough.  Hay, hay , hay....so important.  Hoping we can get her gut stabilized and I can help you develop a highly effective diet based on a low protein/high fiber diet.  I feed very few greens and treats.  The greens are usually romaine lettuce or dandelion greens...but only in small amounts.  It is only on very special occassions that they get a "naughty" treat and only then if I am sure we have a "ready gut".  They have hay coming from all points....in hay racks, on the floor and in litter boxes.  Again, hay is so important.  High quality hay and pellets and fresh water....Bunny Nutrition 101....keep it basic and let's get that gut stabilized.  Keep me posted on how she is doing.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well I've given her some hay in the darker area of the cage (the part she usually goes into to get warm) she has been eating some of it. When I checked on her a few minutes ago my rabbit, Bunni was licking my guinea pig Jazz, who lives in the same cage as her. Should I have metioned that she lives with my guinea pig earlier? Also what do those dandelions look like? Are they those weeds with yellow flowers. I also have noticed her drinking more water than she used to as well. Her diarrhoea started when I realised some poo stuck on her tail, I washed it off but then she pooed out some weird yellowish whitish stuff, she stopped pooing the yellowish whitish stuff out about two days ago. Also I am supposed to give Bunni some petromalt but I cannot find any around, would I be able to give her some normal petroleum jelly like vaseline? I hope you can reply soon.
Sarah

Answer
Hi Sarah....I just responded to your question about the Petromalt....hope you have received it already.  Do not use Petromalt.  Old school...came from a time when little was known about a rabbit.  Peotromalt, Laxatone and similar products are at best are no use in rabbits....and can make certain gut issues much worse.  I do not use them for any reason in rabbits.

Yes....the dandelions are the little yellow flowers.  If you get them from a yard....they can't be treated with pesticids or fertilizers.  Much safer to find a high end grocery and buy organic greens.  Romaine lettuce works as well....our rabbits just prefer dandelions.  Regardless....greens should be offered in moderation.