On Going Runny Bunny Butt!!

Question
QUESTION: I have approximately a 1 1/2yr old dutch/mix male neutered bunny that has been having a runny diarrhea bum on/off, more on going then off for 5mths+ now.  It will be liquidy, and oozing out of his rectum, STRONG odor at times.  I'm 100% sure it's not urine sludge because I visually see it coming out of his rectum.  At times it's a normal brown liquid, other times it's a creamy color.  I will also have to give him a butt bath.  Then there are days he will pass solid waste.  But only usually lasts a day.  I thought maybe he was sensitive to Alphafa based pellets and Craisens.  Although I wouldn't give him a lot of craisens, 1-2 at bed time.  He has unlimited amount of Timothy Hay, 2 large bottles of water, I previously had him on Purina Rabbit Chow, but switched him to Oxbow Bunny Basic T straight Timpthy pellets, eliminated any Craisens, and will give him Dandelion on/off when I can find some in our yard, which is untreated or in the stores.  So, I changed his diet, to no success, he's in happy spirits, feeling good and carefree, eating/drinking fine, although he acts exceptionally hungry all the time searching for food.   He's becoming anorexic, I treated him with Panacur in July hoping that it would help and solve the problem, but did not.   So last week I brought in 4 stool samples, 3 cecel and 1 full firm fiber based poop.  The vet checked it under the microscope for any bacteria, none was spotted, so she sent it out by lab to be tested for 6 different parasites, including Coccidia.  The test results all came back negative for any parasites.  During the waiting of the fecal results she had put him on Albon, but I'm still seeing runny bum on/off.   She said if it didn't clear up, we would try 1 of 2 antibiotics, but can not remember what they are called.   I've searched HRS, and anything I could to find answers as to WHY, and WHAT!  At the beginning I thought it was Cecal Dysbiosis, then Coccidia, but we are continuing on having issues even in the change of diet.  The vet thinks he's to young to have any intestinal cancer.   His teeth have not been checked, but he loves his hay, pellets, ect.  Has NO PROBLEM eating, he LOVES to eat, begs for you to feed him, he will sniff all over the floor for anything to eat!  He wants to eat, and he does eat.    He doesn't display any draining eyes, nose, or a wet chin to indicate he's having problems with his mouth/molars.   The only thing I can think of for next steps are x-rays and blood work.   But in the mean time, I'm trying to find out more about this so I can be better knowledgable for when I go back to the vet.     He's strictly and indoor bunny, I have 4 others, and he shares his NIC cage with a English Lop, who is NOT displaying any of the same signs he is.   She is completely 100% healthy.   So, I'm at a major loss!!  He's such an awesome bunny, and I am at my wits end, and feel I've done everything I can to treat him and find answers to no success, so someone referred me here to look for more answers.   PLEASE HELP!!   I love my little man Mr. T, and I'm lost on what it could be and what to do.   I've given him IV fluids, Critical Care, Probotics, and nothing seems to be helping.

ANSWER: Dear Missy,

The condition your rabbit exhibits *is* cecal dysbiosis.

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

But cecal dysbiosis is not a disease.  It is a symptom of another problem that's causing stress and GI tract slowdown.
The real problem is finding out what is *causing* this.  The most common causes are incorrect diet:

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

(Check the section on pellets and hay!)

and, as you know, pain from dental problems:

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

Few rabbits with molar spurs actually drool or show obvious problems.  My little Dutch, Obie, had *constant* molar problems, and the way we'd know that he had spurs that needed filing was that he'd start to get runny stool. They weren't even big spurs!  But he was very sensitive, and a filing always resolved the problem.

I would check there first of all, as this is a *really* common reason for the smelly, runny stool you see that is the sure sign of cecal dysbiosis.

Hope that helps.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Thank you Dana for getting back with me.   I brought Mr. T to my vet, and she checked his teeth/molars, and they are all just fine, with a very tiny spur on the right molar, but everything lines up fine, and there is no swelling, redness, or irritation.   However........She did take x-rays of Mr. T, and confirmed the diagnoses of MEGACOLON, he has a severe case of it, and his rectum muscle doesn't have a lot of strength to it.   His gut was making lots of noise, and his intestines were very enlarged.   When she took his temp, the thermometer came out bloody.   She mentioned the med Propulsid(Cisapride) for him.  But in this severity of MC, she isn't sure how well it would do for him.   So I'm not sure what to do next in the mean time to make him more comfortable.

Answer
Dear Missy,

Oh, that's terrible.  I am sorry about the poor prognosis.  But when there is something this serious, it is always a good idea to get a second opinion from an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I worry about the bloody thermometer, and hope that the vet didn't inadvertently do any damage.  It is sometimes easy to harm the delicate rabbit rectum, especially if it is inflamed.

I am not aware of any true cases of megacolon in rabbits, although they can have a condition with similar signs that appears to be a problem with the inervation of the cecal/small intestine junction.  We call these poor bunnies "cow poop" bunnies because of their marshmallowy, misshapen poops.

The only treatment is gut motility meds and a high fiber diet, which seems to help.

I hope your bunny will be okay.

Dana