Distended stomach and sugar content of hay

Question
QUESTION: Hi - I am going on vacation in a few days and took my rabbit to the vet for a routine check-up.  She said he had a distended stomach and it felt doughy. She said to give him fresh papaya & pineapple because she thought there may be hair in there. I have also had to change his hay from timothy to orchard because my bunny sitter is allergic to timothy.  The vet said don't give him orchard because of the high sugar content! So I would like to try a Meadow Mix comprised of meadow grass, rye, blue grass and orchard. Is this ok for 10 days? Now yesterday I was bowled over by smelly poops, which I have never smelled before.  They look identical to the normal ones so they are not the ones they are supposed to eat. They just smell. Is this because of the pineapple/papaya and the change to orchard hay? I only gave him about 1/2 teaspoon combined of the pineapple/papaya mix once.  My gut is telling me to stop that altogether.  He does get 2 papaya tablets daily. I'm kind of freaking out because this is all happening right before I go away! Another weird thing going on is he is digging madly at the corners of his plastic cage and now the corner of his litter box!  What on earth does that mean? Now that drives me crazy. He has been the perfect bunny until this digging which also just started 2 days ago.  It lasts about 10 minutes.  He has full freedom so it's not like he's caged.  Thank you so much for any info!!!

ANSWER: Dear Janet,

They seem to know when we're about to leave *and* when we're stressed and worried, don't they?  ARGH!

I'm not a big fan of the "fresh papaya/pinapple" remedy for intestinal problems in rabbits.  Green papaya is okay, but a mass in the intestine that doesn't want to move is usually secondary to some other problem, such as GI tract slowdown.  Such a slowdown can also cause an imbalance of the cecal and other intestinal flora, and this can affect the texture and smell of the cecotropes (which often have a very strong odor, anyway).

Please read:

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

for a complete overview of the poop problem.  Lots of GRASS hay is the ticket.  I'm not sure why your vet thinks that orchard grass is particularly high in sugar; I've never heard that.  To get the real scoop on this, I'd suggest you contact someone at Oxbow Hay Company.  They have nutritionists and advisors on staff who can answer your questions, either by phone or email.  You can find them at:

www.oxbowhay.com

His digging behavior could be related to his sensing your stress at leaving, to incipient puberty (you don't say how old he is, or whether he's neutered), or even to intestinal discomfort/gas.  If his tummy is still distended, pediatric simethicone drops can help relieve the gas and associated discomfort. Please see:

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

If you're really not sure your present vet is very experienced with rabbits (and the pineapple thing makes me wonder...), then check the vet referral list linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find another vet for a second opinion.

Hope this helps get you started.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Thanks so much.  She is a rabbit savvy vet supposedly but I do wonder too because a lot of people have questioned what she is saying.  Doesn't make me feel very good. What about the Meadow Mix hay?  Is that ok? Should I continue the papaya tablets?  Thanks!!!!

Answer
Dear Janet,

Meadow Mix hay should be fine, from your description.  Papaya tablets are probably not going to help with anything, but they can be used as a treat if he's used to getting them.  It might help making your absence more bearable for him.

Be sure your "sitter" has the contact information for your vet, in case bun needs to go there while you're gone.

Good luck!

Dana