Passing blood clots - Losing condition

All better!

How old is Penny? I have read that older does sometimes develop uterine cancer and start passing blood clots. They can even bleed out from this, according to what I have read. I'm not saying this is the problem, but it's a possibility.

I very much doubt that it is anything in how you have cared for her that is causing this problem. It's hard not to feel responsible, but chances are it is not something that good care alone could have prevented.

Rachel,
if your rabbit is not terribly old I would suspect Coccidiosis and treat for it.
I would stop the treats and pelleted feed due to the tiny stools.
I would feed only a good quality Grass-hay and rolled oats.
Is her belly taut if so she may have a hairball. I would give a piece of
fresh Pineapple or Adolph's meat tenderizer. This will break up the proteins
which are holding the hairball together and allow them to pass through the digestive tract.
You will see "String-of-pearls" or "Cling-ons" this is a good thing, it means the hair is
coming through the system. You want to sweep the cling-ons from the cage floor within twenty-four hours.
It takes that long for the Ooocysts to become infective. Doing so will help
to prevent further spread of the problem.
I hope this helps some.
Ottersatin.

Can you tell where the blood clots are coming from? I rather just assumed the reproductive system, but if they are in the stools, then of course my first post is way off target and should be disregarded.

Hi Rachel,

With her symptoms, I would strongly suspect coccidiosis. Here are some of the clinical signs:

Rough or dull coat
Decreased appetite/not drinking as much
Weight loss
Sometimes diarrhea, blood, and/or mucous in feces

Here is a link with detailed info pertaining to rabbits:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_disease ... eneral.PDF

Best of luck!

Lauren

Ok, well, I will treat her for it. What do you guys find the best success with, I have some Sulmet here. I did about a week of ACV in the water with no changes.

I have never had to treat for it, but I found this on another forum from a respected member:

"Corid (a coccidiastat) in the water, 1 tbsp per gallon as sole available water source. Treat entire herd for 16 days. Anyone showing symptoms receives a special concentrated oral dose twice daily."

The official guidebook of raising rabbits from the ARBA suggests Sulfaquinoxaline, too. Here is a drug dosage calculator for rabbits if needed:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rx/drugcalc.html

Best of luck!

Lauren

Or you can get a bag of the medicated pellets and follow the directions on the bag for treatment.It sounds like she was already infected at the convention in Sept. so it may not work that well for her because of the length of time involved.

I copied this from my Website,
I think it holds the answer.
Ottersatin.

COCCIDIOSIS

There are two types of Coccidiosis Intestinal and Live Form. The disease is caused by a protozoan parasite which attacks the bile duct or the intestinal tract. There are ten different species of the genus Eimeria which may infect the intestine. Generally these are not of much concern, unless a case of enteritis makes an apperance. This can lead to enterotoxemia and or Mucoid enteropathy, although enterotoxemia has been reported in rabbits which are free of Coccidiosis. Liver Coccidiosis is a problem as it causes white spots on the liver which renders the rabbit uneatable.

SYMPTOMS

Include lack of apetite, rough coat, loss of weight, poor weight gain, potbelly, listlessness and diarrhea. All of which often lead to death.

TREATMENT

The best treatment is the use of sulfaquinoxyline in the drinking water as the only available water for 5 days on, 5 days off then 5 days on again.. [one teaspoon per gallon of water] Repeat the treatment in 30 days to get any hatchlings. DO NOT use the treated rabbit as a food source for at least 30 days after the last treatment.

PREVENTION

Brush the cling-ons from the cage floor within 24 hours. This will aid greatly in preventing the spread of Coccidiosis. Do not allow fecal contamination of the feed or water.

Better!

Copied from my website:
WOOLBLOCK or HAIRBALL

Is caused by the rabbit ingesting too much fur during the cleaning process.

SYMPTOMS

Rabbit fails to eat and becomes listless. The stomach becomes taut, firm to the touch as the condition worsens. A quick responce is essential if you are to save the rabbit.

TREATMENT

Regular grooming of normal furred rabbit and shearing of the wool on all fiber animals will go far in helping to prevent this condition. You can use Cat hairball remedy's. You can also use the enzyme Papain or Bromelain which is found in Pineapple and Papaya. Use the fresh fruit as the caning process kills the enzyme. You can also use Adolph's meat tenderizer [same enzyme] mixed with enough water to feed with a needless syringe.Give one to three times a day until rabbit returns to normal.

PREVENTION

you should provide grass-hay to the rabbits diet on a regular basis. At least two to three times a week.The long fiber keeps the hindgut working properly. You should see string of pearls [cling-ons] hanging from the cage floor. This is a sure sign that the hay [long-fiber] is doing it's job. Brush the cling-ons from the wire within twenty-four hours to aid in the prevention of coccidiosis.
Ottersatin.

It doesn't sound like a hairball to me and I used to raise English Angoras, where hair accumulation in the gut is constant concern. You can still do the hairball remedy treatment, but I would still implement coccidia meds asap. Unfortunately the canning process destroys bromelain (the active enzyme) so it is not as effective as fresh or frozen by a long shot. Could you get your hands on a papaya or papaya enzyme tablets?

Best of luck!

Lauren

I can't offer any advice but I hope she pulls through.

I would go back to the link to medirabbit that hendrickshearth originally provided and go from there. Actual blockages and hairballs are extremely rare and if present are usually there BECAUSE of stasis or other problems. High carbohydrates (sugar) actually start to suppress the production the hormone responsible for gut motility, so sugary things that you don't normally feed like pineapple juice may actually make things worse. Also anything that might "coat" a blockage will make things worse as now the mass is unable to absorb water which all gut contents need to keep moving.

Just a quick update:

The little girl has been chowing down on her hay and rolled oats, and drinking well. Stool looks good, when I offer her a bit of calf manna she eats it right up. (Hope it's ok, I'm just giving her perhaps half a teaspoon twice a day. The fact remains that she's shedding like crazy so common sense tells me she needs some protein to replace it!)

I'm also making a point to groom off as much of the loose hair as I can.

I don't think it was cocciddia. In her former home she was kept in very clean circumstances on wire her entire life, with ACV in the water at all times. Since she's been here, it's been similar circumstances. Basically no place to pick up cocci, right?

It also really doesn't seem to be a hairball, no tight distended belly, no string of pearls, her appetite is improving.

I think I may have just ended up with a rabbit that is somehow exceptionally prone to stress, and moving and molting and going to a show all at once, perhaps, has done a number on her.

Glad to hear she's doing better!

Good to hear! I hope she continues to mend.

Lauren