Red Urine (blood???)

Question
Hi, I recently rescued a 5-6yr old lop rabbit from a shelter. I brought her to my vet for a check up.He had found that the vaginal area(vulva) had a slight infection due to the conditions she was being kept in. He gave me a solution to clean the area with and also a cream to apply afterward, this is to be done every other day. I noticed yesterday what appeared to be blood in her urine. I am keeping her on sheets right now instead of bedding until her condition clears up. I know that sometimes a rabbit's urine can vary in color. She is eating normal,drinking normal and is not in distress. She also does not strain to go to the bathroom. Could she have a urinary tract or bladder infection? Like I said, she shows no signs of pain or distress.  Also, not to sound ignorant but being that she came from a shelter,I have no idea if she was fixed. Do rabbits bleed when they get their "period" if they are not fixed? I would appreciate any information you could give me and I thank you for your time. lisa

Answer
Dear Lisa,

If your bunny is 5-6 years old and unspayed, there is a very good chance that she  has uterine hyperplasia or uterine adenocarcinoma (cancer).  Fortunately, this problem is usually completely curable with a spay operation, but I would not delay this.  If there really is blood in the urine, any mass in her uterus is hemorrhaging, and that means this should be done soon.

If your vet isn't experienced with rabbit spays, please use the list linked here to find one who is:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Yes, rabbit urine can vary in color, but the combination of a vulvar problem and possible blood in the urine makes me nervous. I'd have her spayed ASAP, to avoid any further problems.

Please see:

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

and

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

for more help.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana