is my rabbit in heat or pregnant

Question
Dear Dana
i just wanted to know my girl
rabbit is passing blood in her
wee is she in heat or pregnant
would you try write back as soon
as you can im getting worried pleas
and THANK YOU for your time.


Answer
Dear Liam,

A healthy rabbit will not pass blood in her urine.  If you are absolutely sure this is blood, and not just pigmented urine (rabbit pee can be orange, reddish, or even brown, depending on what they've been eating), then she needs to be seen by a good rabbit vet ASAP so she can be spayed.  Uterine bleeding (which is what this probably is, if it's blood) is a sign of hyperplasia (pre-cancer) or uterine adenocarcinoma (cancer), and the only way to cure it is to have her spayed as soon as possible, if the vet does all the appropriate tests and finds her a suitable candidate for surgery.

Please read:

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

and

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

and you can find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets


There is a remote chance the bleeding could be due to bladder stones or severe urinary tract infection, but if she is a female and not spayed, then it is far, far more likely that the problem is her uterus, and it needs to be removed pronto (along with the ovaries).

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

Dana