Need Advice treating UTI

[Bugzy4Lady]

I have a doe that came down with UTI about a month ago, stopped eating, no energy and had blood in her urine. Started treating her with antibiotics, by the 7th day she started eating like a pig, putting weight on and was a happy bunny again. It has been 3 days since she stopped getting meds and now I notice she has blood in urine again. She is still active and eating well but I wonder if I should treat her again for another 7 days to see if it will clear up. Any advice for this newbie? I would take her to a vet but I live in a very rural part of WI and no vets in the area treat rabbits :?:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Are you sure it is blood, or is the urine orange/red overall? Rabbits have some pretty strange colors of urine.

You could try putting apple cider vinegar in her water, preferably organic, with the "Mother". If you do get the "live" type (with Mother) don't put it in a water bottle or it will clog it. Maybe cranberries would help too?

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

A couple cranberries every day will help the lining of the urinary tract shed the bacteria responsible for UTIs. My guys love Craisins!! Also, in people, 1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, twice a day, helps clear up UTIs-- so maybe a cinnamon based treat would be in order-- like a cinnamon-y, oatmeal cookie!
use caution with Acid based treatments, such as ACV or citrus - changing the pH of the body is a result, and that can make the mucosal linings of the urinary tract a bit more irritated, increasing the ability of bacteria to latch on to the surfaces...

 

[Bugzy4Lady]

Thanks for the advice offered her a few cranberries and she chowed them right down in fact she tried chewing on my fingers to get more.

 

[MaggieJ]

Bugzy, please pay attention to what MamSheepdog said about rabbit urine. It is often quite reddish and scares many a new rabbit owner into thinking the rabbit has blood in the urine. Your rabbit may indeed have a urinary tract infection - the fact that she improved when on antibiotics suggests she has some kind of bacterial infection going on - but don't close your mind to the possibility that the urine is normal.

I have seen cottontail rabbit urine in the snow many a time in a whole rainbow of colours: yellow, orange, reddish, green, blue and purple. A lot depends on what they are eating.

 

[Bugzy4Lady]

She is eating just pellets and a major bunch of grassy hay each day. since it is so cold I am providing fresh water to all 3-4 times a day. She still seems to be eating well so at this point I am just adding a few dried cranberries to her daily diet. Last time I notice true blood in her urine and then within a week her appetite dropped off. I will give her a few days of cranberries and see what happens, I really appreciate everyone's advice.