Major Poopy Butt … Major Concern

[berkua]

Aesop, my Holland Lop, is worrying me.  I have tried everything, but he keeps getting major poopy butt.  I have gone through almost every green imaginable, and many different combinations.  I have given him pumpkin, pineapple.  He stopped eating his Oxbow pellets, so I switched to Sweet Meadow Farms timothy pellets and he is eating his dry food again.  The past 2 weeks have been bad for him though.  Last week, I picked him up and flipped him and he had a huge hardened rock of poop covering his genitals and behind.  I got that off, but tonight, I had another major cleaning and shaving.  I was lucky to catch it while it was still sort of wet.  I gave him a huge shaving, and put a little bit of vasaline around his genitals and behind because I think they are a bit irritated and possibly swollen.

I need to figure out a diet that is easy on Aesop’s stomach.  Nothing seems to be working, and I don’t want this to keep happening.  I hope twe avoided infection or anything serious with his genitals.  

Please help!!  The vet I have around here was absolutely no help.  She sent me on my way with some probiotics.  They don’t really handle rabbits very often.

 

I look forward to your responses.

[Monkeybun]

Yours could be the rare bunt hat can be hay and pellets only. Have you tried that?

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Did the vet check his teeth at all?

[berkua]

His teeth are perfectly fine, and I have tried just pellets and hay, but maybe not long enough to get a good idea of whether it works. If I just feed Aesop pellets and hay, will I have to supplement his diet with any vitamins? He is very sensitive to different tastes and smells, so whatever I use as a supplement, it has to taste good to bunnies. 🙂

Should I give Aesop a fresh slate by just feeding him hay for a few days?

Also, Aesop is 3.6 pounds … I can’t seem to get the measurement for his food right. 1/8 of a cup in the morning and 1/8 of a cup in the evening sound right?

Thanks!

[LBJ10]

Try taking away the fruits and veggies. If you have good pellets, he shouldn’t need a supplement.

[RabbitPam]

I think a just hay diet with water will certainly clean him out of anything else that may be giving him a problem, so you can try that for a few days. But the pellets shouldn’t be much of a problem either. You can give him his pellets only once a day with a quarter cup and leave it. I do that, and when she nibbles throughout the day and finishes, she’s done.

Definitely no sweets and treats (like fruits) for a few days also. But he may be reacting to the changes in diet too. Pick a simple green, like green leaf or romaine, and give it twice a day with the hay, fresh water, and pellets for a couple of weeks. Let his diet be regular so his gut can get regular.

But meanwhile, I think you need to shop around for a much better vet. You have a chronic problem already, and you want a vet you can rely on for years if you live there for long. Check out the HRS website http://www.rabbit.org, for a list of vets near you searchable by zip code. A drive of half hour or more to a rabbit savvy vet is worth it, and the right vet may clear this up and not need to be seen for a long time yet to come.

[Sarita]

Are you certain it is not the teeth? Holland Lops are notorious for having dental problems and poopy butt is a sign of dental problems…

[berkua]

Thank you for the replies. Again, I brought Aesop to the vet about 2 weeks ago and his teeth were fine. I think he is just always going to have a sensitive stomach. If I can feed him just timothy hay and pellets without having to worry about malnutrition, I would prefer taking that safe route, rather than trying to figure out the one green he can have. Perhaps a papaya tablet or two as a treat?

Also, for those who are interested, here is a link to the nutritional information for the pellets I switched my bunnies to:

http://www.sweetmeadowfarm.com/pel_rabtimothy2.html

Let me know what you think.

Again, thanks for the replies!

[tobyluv]

One of my past rabbits was prone to poopy butt, but in his case it was because of too many pellets and not enough hay. He did better when the pellets were decreased.

I also think it’s a good idea to experiment with some different veggies, trying a small amount daily of one at a time for a week or two. I know that you are wary of feeding veggies and want his poopy butt to clear up as soon as possible, but you may be able to find a few veggies that don’t cause any problems, which will be great not only for their nutritional value, but to give him a little variety in his diet, which he is sure to enjoy.

I hope that you find just the right diet for Aesop soon.

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