blood in urine....

Question
Hi, I have a 2 y.o. female mini-rex. She has blood in her urine since Nov 26, 2004. I took her to the Vet on Nov 27. She was given 2 different broad spetrum anti-biotics. It was diagnosed as UTI. On Dec 5, 2004, the Vet called and said she has anti-biotic resistance to both types of meds. on Dec 4, a new med(Cholophenicol) was given and the other 2 meds were D/C. As of today Dec 9, she is still having blood in her urine. She appears to be active and strong but she is eating minimally. I am concern and wish to get your advice....

thank you,  

Answer
Dear Dickson,

How was the UTI diagnosed?  Via urine culture and sensitivity test?  If this was not done with a sterile sample (i.e., via cystocentesis, in which a sterile needle is inserted into the bladder to draw out an uncontaminated sample), then the results could be suspect.

Is your bunny spayed?  If not, then there is a *very* high probability that she has a uterine hyperplasia (pre-cancer) or cancer that is causing the bleeding.  Because the urethra and vagina are all enclosed in the prepuce, it is nearly impossible to tell whether blood in the urine is from the bladder or the uterus.

If your vets are not very experienced with rabbit medicine (and see primarily dogs and cats), I would *strongly* recommend that you go to:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find a good vet who is experienced with rabbit medicine.  S/he will be able to advise you about the importance of spay/neuter and if your bunny also has an infection going, treat that before any surgery is attempted.  You can read more about spay/neuter here:

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

It also could be possible that your bunny has a urolith (bladder stone) or severe sludge that could be causing both the bleeding in the bladder *and* predispose her to infection, since sludge/stones and bladder infection often seem to occur together.

But if she is not spayed, my very strong suspicion would be that this is a uterine problem that must be addressed ASAP.

If her appetite is waning, then she needs pain management (Banamine, flunixin meglumine, is excellent for soft tissue pain, including bladder pain, and is safe for both rabbits and horses, though not for dogs and cats.) and you should read the following, in case she stops eating and/or producing fecal pellets:

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

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

Dana