Incontinence after GI stasis

[AshleyM003]

Hi,
I have a 10 month old dwarf papillon named Boba. On January 29th we took her to an emergency vet for GI stasis. She had very large poops for her breed before this and after, but since then she has been peeing herself, and developing poopy butt. I was told she might have megacolon, but the vet decided she was just a “GI bunny”?? And that this might just be her normal. She is a free roam rabbit during the day, she has a pen she sleeps in at night. She hasn’t been a sprayer even after being spayed (at 6 months) and only had issues after her recovery. Her diet consists of mostly Timothy hay/orchard hay, parsley/ cilantro/ romaine lettuce/ dandelion greens, oxbow prebiotic support treats, and 1 tsp of rolled oats(weekly). I’ve taken her off her pellets (oxbow garden select young rabbit) and have made all the changes to her diet but 2 months later she’s having this problem. I’ve had to bathe her twice and have her bottom trimmed. I’m just getting desperate and this doesn’t feel normal. I’m waiting to find a specialist and I’m just really worried. She runs and plays and has normal amounts of energy but is still having abnormal shaped poops and will sit in her own pee at night. I clean out her pen every day now and I have to change the litter box every 3. She normally has wood pellets for her litter but I was out this week so I used wood shavings. I was also told the dark urine was her normal, she has constant access to water and I wet her greens. I have pictures attached. Please if anyone has any idea what to do reach out to me.

 

[Graceful Rabbitry]

I hope you figure out what is wrong, Yes dark pee is normal, When I give lots of veggies they have a reddish pee I got really scared when it happened thinking they were peeing blood but it’s just caused by the pigments in the veggies.
I wouldn’t be to worried about the poop if there any chance she could be pregnant most of the time my rabbits get larger poops like that when they are pregnant. Poopy butt could be from her cage having a solid bottom not having a place to get out of it. Idk if her cage stays open like in the picture if not that could be it since she isn’t going in her litter box. As long as she is eating I THINK she will be okay!! You sound like a very good observing bunny mom!! Best of luck

 

[ladysown]

Her diet consists of mostly Timothy hay/orchard hay, parsley/ cilantro/ romaine lettuce/ dandelion greens, oxbow prebiotic support treats, and 1 tsp of rolled oats(weekly). I’ve taken her off her pellets (oxbow garden select young rabbit) and have made all the changes to her diet but 2 months later she’s having this problem.

why did you stop feeding pellets?
Why do you feed her oatmeal?
What are the prebiotic treats supposed to be good for?
Are you providing mineral support?
I look at her diet and I'm wondering... where are all the trace minerals?

I ask the why questions not to challenge you to but see if you have thought through why you are feeding her as you are. And to see how much you have changed around her diet to see if you can help her.

for instance. Some rabbits excell on a basic diet of hay and pellets. Some rabbits live well on hay, and select lettuce. Other rabbits do best with brambles, thistles, and other high roughage type fodder. Some rabbits can't even really eat hay and do best just having pellets. And I know other rabbits who don't do well on pellets at all and do best on an all stock feed.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Hi,
I have a 10 month old dwarf papillon named Boba. On January 29th we took her to an emergency vet for GI stasis. She had very large poops for her breed before this and after, but since then she has been peeing herself, and developing poopy butt. I was told she might have megacolon, but the vet decided she was just a “GI bunny”?? And that this might just be her normal. She is a free roam rabbit during the day, she has a pen she sleeps in at night. She hasn’t been a sprayer even after being spayed (at 6 months) and only had issues after her recovery. Her diet consists of mostly Timothy hay/orchard hay, parsley/ cilantro/ romaine lettuce/ dandelion greens, oxbow prebiotic support treats, and 1 tsp of rolled oats(weekly). I’ve taken her off her pellets (oxbow garden select young rabbit) and have made all the changes to her diet but 2 months later she’s having this problem. I’ve had to bathe her twice and have her bottom trimmed. I’m just getting desperate and this doesn’t feel normal. I’m waiting to find a specialist and I’m just really worried. She runs and plays and has normal amounts of energy but is still having abnormal shaped poops and will sit in her own pee at night. I clean out her pen every day now and I have to change the litter box every 3. She normally has wood pellets for her litter but I was out this week so I used wood shavings. I was also told the dark urine was her normal, she has constant access to water and I wet her greens. I have pictures attached. Please if anyone has any idea what to do reach out to me.

I would agree with whomever suggested megacolon. The poops look like classic megacolon poops. Basically she's in distress because the nerves in her intestines aren't receiving the information to keep moving. I don't know what a "GI bunny" is, but those poops are not at all normal, and if the vet told you "this might just be her normal" I'd definitely find another vet. The dark urine looks to me like it could be a mixture of urine and liquid from the colon, which can be both constipated and leaky.

Dwarf Papillons come in three morphs: broken, charlie and solid (aka "janet"). The showable morph is the broken, but since many people breed the brokens together, there will always be a number of charlies, which do have a very distinct tendency to develop megacolon (and might be more likely to be sold as pets since they are not showable). Your rabbit has very minimal spotting even for a dwarf papillon - she's missing a cheek spot, half her nose marking and all of her side spots as far as I can tell from the photos - so it would be a good guess that she's a charlie.

Megacolon is a progressive condition. The irregular movements of the colon can mean both constipation and diarrhea, and the increase in her elimination problems could be the result of further disrupting her abdomen and gut with the spay procedure and its associated drugs, or it could just be that the megacolon condition is worsening on its own as times passes (or both).

Whether or not you ever get a positive diagnosis, since she has all the symptoms of megacolon, I'd put her on a diet that is known to help rabbits with that condition. For instance, instead of eliminating pellets, you should probably give her pellets since they are more concentrated nutrients, and rabbits with megacolon have trouble getting all the nutrients out of the food they eat. The oats are good sources of nutrients, fat and fiber. Megacolon rabbits need extra fiber and water so plenty of leafy greens are usually suggested as well. A vet that actually knows something about the condition may also prescribe motility medications to help keep her gut moving.

Here's a source of information about the care of a rabbit with megacolon:
MegaColon | The Rabbit Haven

And here's a great resource to understand the condition better:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Mega/mega_en.htm

 

[AshleyM003]

I would agree with whomever suggested megacolon. The poops look like classic megacolon poops. Basically she's in distress because the nerves in her intestines aren't receiving the information to keep moving. I don't know what a "GI bunny" is, but those poops are not at all normal, and if the vet told you "this might just be her normal" I'd definitely find another vet. The dark urine looks to me like it could be a mixture of urine and liquid from the colon, which can be both constipated and leaky.

Dwarf Papillons come in three morphs: broken, charlie and solid (aka "janet"). The showable morph is the broken, but since many people breed the brokens together, there will always be a number of charlies, which do have a very distinct tendency to develop megacolon (and might be more likely to be sold as pets since they are not showable). Your rabbit has very minimal spotting even for a dwarf papillon - she's missing a cheek spot, half her nose marking and all of her side spots as far as I can tell from the photos - so it would be a good guess that she's a charlie.

Megacolon is a progressive condition. The irregular movements of the colon can mean both constipation and diarrhea, and the increase in her elimination problems could be the result of further disrupting her abdomen and gut with the spay procedure and its associated drugs, or it could just be that the megacolon condition is worsening on its own as times passes (or both).

Whether or not you ever get a positive diagnosis, since she has all the symptoms of megacolon, I'd put her on a diet that is known to help rabbits with that condition. For instance, instead of eliminating pellets, you should probably give her pellets since they are more concentrated nutrients, and rabbits with megacolon have trouble getting all the nutrients out of the food they eat. The oats are good sources of nutrients, fat and fiber. Megacolon rabbits need extra fiber and water so plenty of leafy greens are usually suggested as well. A vet that actually knows something about the condition may also prescribe motility medications to help keep her gut moving.

Here's a source of information about the care of a rabbit with megacolon:
MegaColon | The Rabbit Haven

And here's a great resource to understand the condition better:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Mega/mega_en.htm

Thank you so much!
I’ve suspected her of it since she was about 4 months old I’ve just been nervous to say it as I am not a vet. I’m looking into other vets for her, the one I took her to claimed to be knowledgeable in it but had no clue what I was talking about.
Are there any brands of pellets you’d suggest? I was thinking of switching her to oxbow adult rabbit food, I had her on young rabbit garden select before.
She’s been better since I’ve made some changes to her lifestyle/diet but the peeing just hasn’t stopped. I used to think she was aggressive but found out it was just pain. It’s just been stressful as I was totally unfamiliar with this once it started with her. I appreciate all of the help thank you!!

 

[Alaska Satin]

Thank you so much!
I’ve suspected her of it since she was about 4 months old I’ve just been nervous to say it as I am not a vet. I’m looking into other vets for her, the one I took her to claimed to be knowledgeable in it but had no clue what I was talking about.
Are there any brands of pellets you’d suggest? I was thinking of switching her to oxbow adult rabbit food, I had her on young rabbit garden select before.
She’s been better since I’ve made some changes to her lifestyle/diet but the peeing just hasn’t stopped. I used to think she was aggressive but found out it was just pain. It’s just been stressful as I was totally unfamiliar with this once it started with her. I appreciate all of the help thank you!!

I have never fed Oxbow rabbit pellets but our chinchilla prefers Oxbow chinchilla food. It seems to be a good, fresh, well-controlled diet.

I also like Oxbow's Critical Care, which you might consider as a supplement for Boba - it's concentrated nutrition for diet-challenged herbivores. I use it for rabbits that go off feed or need extra help for whatever reason. I get the powder and mix it to the rabbit's preference; some like it soupy, others like it pretty stiff. You can also water it down enough to syringe-feed it when the rabbit doesn't want what it needs.

Especially if she's obviously dealing with pain you might try to find her some willow branches. Willow bark contains natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory compounds, most notably salicin, which used to be used to make aspirin (maybe it still is?). If you give her plenty of branches she can self-medicate. If you live in a place that it's a possibility you could even plant a willow bush or tree -they're easy to propagate. I think willows are almost a necessity for anyone with animals!