Rabbits stomach growling

Question
I have a 6 year old Holland Lop rabbit who lives inside. Over the past week, we have noticed that her stomach is growling. The growling is very loud and is happening every 30 seconds or so. She is still passing stool, although she has had a few episodes of liquid stools. She is a very picky eater, but has been taking petromalt. Any idea what could be causing this growling?

Thanks, Kim

Answer
Dear Kim,

The growling is gas, and it's probably painful.  You can help get it under control with 1-2 cc's of pediatric simethicone solution from any local drugstore, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

The episodes of liquid stool, despite what might be apparent, are NOT likely sporadic.  They are liquid cecotropes, and the bunny is probably cleaning them off and ingesting them before you see them.  Liquid cecotropes are a symptom of cecal dysbiosis, a potentially very serious problem that must be addressed aggressively and soon, before it develops into something much worse, such as ileus.

Please read the following:

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

and this one:

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

The most common cause of cecal dysbiosis in rabbits is a diet too low in crude fiber and too rich in carbohydrates, so check your bunny's diet with this one:

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

The *other* most common cause is undiagnosed/untreated dental problems, particularly molar spurs.  If your bunny is a five year old Holland Lop (short faced breed), he is a *VERY* likely candidate for this common, but often undetected problem. Please read:

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

You'll need a good rabbit vet to examine the molars and file any problem spurs, and you can find such a vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

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

Dana