signs of a urinary tract infection

[ladysown]

okay.

Here's the situation.
had a bunny, one of three kits who acted identical. Ate well drank well... when fed apple would pee orange colour pee. NOTHING unusual.

Sold that bunny.

New owners were alarmed!!! He has orange pee the sky is falling, let's take him to the vet.

Vet says "urinary tract infection".

I was stunned say what????
I ask additional questions and learn this: Vet did no tests apparently and diagnosed based on colour of the pee.

So I'm intensely curious.

How can you diagnose based on colour of pee? I kept a sibling back... she's a super friendly girlie who eats, drinks, and does all she should just the way she should BUT when fed apple pees orange coloured pee...but MANY of my rabbits will do that so it's nothing scary for me. Rabbit pee so varies in colour so how would you even know what to look for?

What are the other signs of a urinary tract infection?

I've never had this in my rabbits so it's like...where would it even come from? This was an almost eight week old kit...

 

[MaggieJ]

My guess is the vet didn't have a clue and simply went with an easy answer . . . and one that required treatment.

In my experience (human, not rabbit) urine when there is a UTI tends to be pale and cloudy.

I'm with you . . . orange pee, especially if consistently orange when fed a certain food, is nothing to be alarmed about.

I wonder what the vet would have made of the blue, purple and green rabbit pee I've seen in the snow around here. I think the rabbits were likely indulging in too many wild grapes. :roll:

 

[Dood]

The doctor should be reported to OVMA for diagnosing without any test!

Do you know which antibiotic they sent them home with ? I hope it's not amoxil !

I think even at the minimum the vet should have done a urine strip test which may show blood or high pH which are often symptoms of a UTI

A better test would be to centrifuge the urine and inspect the sediment to see if there were bacteria and/or yeast and WHICH SPECIES to use the proper antibiotic to kill them

I am seriously disgusted if it's true that there was no diagnostic testing

 

[michaels4gardens]

I would be concerned -- if a vet is this clueless about rabbits, - I doubt "he" would have given a probiotic [like benebac] with these drugs, -- and this ignorance could easily cause the death of an otherwise healthy rabbit. [and I agree with both of the above posts]

 

[ladysown]

I am only going by what she told me.

All my research indicates that UTI's are not common in kits, it is predominately a middle aged rabbit who suffers from these types of illnesses, particularly fatter rabbits.

It's just odd....