Genital problems

Question
Dear Dana, One of our Californian does has swollen genitals and her rectum is prolaplsed outward and looks like a little ball of hamburger.  She has not gone off of feed, but has had diarrea.  She only receives rabbit pellets and hay and we have not changed feed. We have been cleaning her up every day and gave her some penicillan orally, but the condition has not changed for a week.  The signs she has did not fit any of the disease descriptions in our rabbit books.  Do you have any ideas what it might be and if it can be treated?  Thank you, Tara

Answer
Dear Tara,

If you have been giving the bunny oral penicillin for a week, then THAT is the cause of the runny stool/diarrhea, and you will need to get emergency treatment from a good rabbit vet in order to save this rabbit's life.  YOU SHOULD CONSIDER THIS AN EXTREME EMERGENCY AND GET THIS BUNNY TO A GOOD RABBIT VET WITHOUT DELAY.  You can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Oral penicillins of any kind (as well as lincosamide antibiotics) kill off the benefiical flora of the intestine, and allow the proliferation of deadly Clostridium bacteria (related to those that cause botulism and tetanus).  If the Clostridium population in your bunny's GI tract has the plasmids (small bits of autonomous DNA) that allow the bacteria to manufacture exotoxins, then your bunny is in very great danger and needs emergency treatment including subQ fluids, cholestyramine resin (Questran) to adsorb the toxins, as well as cecotropes from a healthy rabbit to help repopulate the cecum and overgrow the Clostridium. She may need liver support, as well, since the toxins take a deadly toll on the liver, where the poisons are detoxified.

Please read the following articles on your way to the vet (but not if you're driving...):

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

(the bunny may not yet be suffering from ileus, but the treatments for ileus and penicillin "poisoning" are just about the same)

and

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

The swollen genitals and possible prolapse are less a problem right now than the potentially fatal damage she will suffer from Clostridium bacteria, if it's not too late already.  But in any case, the vet will be able to deal with that, once the cecal dysbiosis is under control.  The bunny may need weeks of therapy if she is suffering from Clostridium toxicity, but patient nursing will get her through this.  If your vet is not familiar with this problem, please print and share:

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

PLEASE WASTE NO TIME IN GETTING THIS BUNNY TO A GOOD RABBIT VET IMMEDIATELY. I hope she makes it.  This is a sad way to learn that one should never play vet at home.  It can have deadly consequences for your companion animal.  Many medications that are safe for other species are deadly to rabbits--including oral penicillins.

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana