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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Large stones passed

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    • StonesRuca
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        HI! I have a neutered bun named Sunday who is 2 and a half yrs old. A few months back, I noticed one day he wasnt his normal self, not doing his normal daily routine. I know my bun very very well, I dont think he even realizes he is one because I got him at 3 wks old from a woman whos cat found him. It wasnt until I got him a playmate that he learned how to wash his face and groom himself completely!. Anyways heres what I am concerned about, the day I noticed he wasnt right, I felt him all over, looked at his teeth, feet, etc. I had noticed it appeared he was straining to go potty and my first concern was he had a hairball because at the time he was shedding(finally!!) all of his baby fuzz and winter coat. When I got to his bottom, he had a couple small poops stuck to his tail and one near his anus. Then I noticed his(not sure of right word here) what my hubby and I call his ‘penis pocket’ sorry its a joke. Anyways, it looked as if he had a marble inside it! I slowly felt it, and could feel something very hard and the area around this was damp. When I separated the opening I couldnt see anything so I knew it was in his urethra. Looked it up online and saw about stones in bunnies. It was late in the evening on a sunday(ha) and I didnt know what vet I could go to and was waiting til the am. About 12 am I got up to check on him and he was sitting next to the bed with a weird expression. I picked him up and looking at his bottom, could see the stone halfway out of his urethra. I put some vaseline on it, and slowly massaged it from underneath and upwards. It popped out and along with it a gush of urine. Scared me!! OUCHY was all I could think along with omg poor baby!. I washed him off, he went straight to his potty box and peed forever! When I called the vet the next day, he didnt really have much to say other then keep him hydrated and keep an eye on him. gee thanks. He has been fine since and was his normal self about an hr later. A day ago he started acting the same way, which I was afraid of because 2 days before this I mentioned to my hubby that his poops seemed very ‘dry’ and wondered if it was a sign of another stone. Day after this he started acting not normal again. Last night on checking on him about 3 am, I turned on the living rm light to go in his bedroom(yes he has his own!) and in the doorway was a stone the same size as the last one! I never felt this one or saw it and he didnt seem to have any dampness around his bottom. I know it wasnt there beforehand because I had just vacuumed about 8pm that same night. Hes now back to normal, not a single thing that showed he was even bothered. 

        What I need to know is, why is he getting them? Diet is alfalfa hay free fed, mixed pellets free fed and various veggies grass and mint daily. Has his own play yard, lives inside at night, has a pretty sweet life as far as bunnies go. 

        How do I prevent them, and because  our female Mazy died recently, I am having panic attacks afraid to leave him home alone, I dont want something to happen to him if I am not there. What do I do?? Please any help here!! Thank you!!!


      • LBJ10
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          The vet could do an x-ray or sonagram to see if any more are in the bladder.

          As for his diet, I would cut out the alfalfa hay completely (this includes the pellets if they are alfalfa-based). Alfalfa is very high in calcium. Timothy or another grass hay would be better for an adult bunny. Timothy-based pellets are recommended as well. What veggies are you feeding him? Some of them are high in calcium too.


        • StonesRuca
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            Thank you for that answer! As someone who has horses all my life I should of thought about the alfalfa immediately! His pellets are alfalfa based, but he generally doesnt eat them cuz he is very picky. I usually pick them because he noses thru his bowl to pick out his favs and give them to the wild rabbit(domesticated type) that lives under my shed. Dont know where he came from. The pellets are a mix that I get from the local pet food store that comes in a bin and you buy it by the pound. I also get him the large hook-billed parrot mix because he likes the pumpkin seeds and some other small seeds in it. As far as veggies go, he likes spinach, carrots, yams, broccoli, cilantro, parsley, celery, bell peppers, jamica (spelling on that…the root with the spainish name) snow peas, and pumpkins. He also loves raisins, and I pick him fresh mint out of my yard, and rose buds and petals, sunflower petals, and seeds. He gets fresh grass in his own yard daily, he has free roam in and out as long as I am home, fresh water that I recently started squeezing a few drops of orange in because I read somewhere the acid in it could help with the size of the stones. He also eats (recently started) dried cranberries because if its good for humans with urinary issues its got to be good for him as well. I live in San Luis Obispo County, Ca. DO you know of any vets in my county that treat rabbits regularly? The one I had him neutered at isnt close to my house and I currently cant drive. Thank you. I will go and get different hay for him asap.


          • JackRabbit
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              I agree with LBJ on everything.

              Our vet showed me some stones she has removed from bunnies — some were the size of large marbles and had to be surgically removed. Best to see a rabbit savvy vet to make sure there aren’t any more (or any large ones). You’ll definitely want to discuss your bunny’s diet with the vet too to see if cutting out alfalfa and calcium rich foods will be enough or if your bunny will need other dietary adjustments.


            • StonesRuca
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                Thank you! I totally agree too. I have pics of them, I will add them to my profiles photo album because Im not sure how to do it here. Thanks for your help! Calling around in the morning to see who can see him. Give me about 10 mins before you check pics, I have to download them from my phone.


              • JackRabbit
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                  BTW, seeds aren’t good for bunnies. Also, take a read through the Bunny Info on this site — look for the healthy diet section which contains info on what veggies are best for bunnies. Some veggies such as carrots are high in sugar and are recommended more as treats than as salad veggies.

                  Please keep us posted on how your bunny is doing and what the vet finds! Fingers crossed for a stone-free bunny!


                • StonesRuca
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                     some seeds are bad!! wow I havent read that any where!! Thank you for the info! I will go check out the dietary stuff now. I posted those pics of the stone. Thank you again and will let you know as soon as I do about the sonogram. 


                  • LBJ10
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                      Yes, I would watch the seeds. They are very fattening and some seed coats are a concern (potential blockage if a bunch build up in the GI tract). Everything else is OK, except I would steer clear of the yams (very starchy). Have you tried dark leaf lettuces or spring greens? Mine love those.

                      If you can at least get him on a timothy-based pellet (plain) and grass hay (instead of alfalfa), I think it would definitely help him. Like JR said, you can talk to your vet about any other special diet requirements.

                      I’m not sure what’s close to you, but the HRS has quite a few vets listed for California.
                      http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/


                    • StonesRuca
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                        I am starting to feel like a bad bunny mom! I really want whats best for him and thought I had researched enough. I am very grateful for your advice. He loves pumpkin seeds, and what do you think about the cranberries? And I know, stop thinking of him as human-like! The one thing that always drove me crazy I have become….Calling around now.


                      • JackRabbit
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                          We’ve all given our bunnies things that we found out later weren’t the best things for them, so don’t feel like a bad bunny mom! Life would be so much easier if our bunnies came with manuals! You’re trying to do what’s best for your bunny and that’s a very important part of being a good bunny mom!

                          Cranberry is on the “approved” list, don’t know about the pumpkin seeds. I tend to follow the HRS list pretty closely, plus I limit fruits and non-“greens” type veggies to treat status. Because one of my buns is a little more sensitive to calcium processing, at the advice of my vet, I limit high calcium foods for all three of mine. Best to follow the advice of a rabbit savvy vet for your bunny’s specific needs though.


                        • Sarita
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                            Diet is not necessarily the reason for stones or sludge….it is usually a metabolic problem or a genetic problem – lack of activity, not drinking enough. Rabbits need calcium and as of right now there is not scientific proof that calcium is the sole reason for sludge/stones.


                          • LBJ10
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                              That’s true Sarita. All the more reason to talk to a vet about the stones. It would be good to see if there are any more in there.


                            • StonesRuca
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                                Well not much luck finding a vet that I feel confident enough with to take him to. The vet that neutered him cant get him in til late next week, guess its not as much of a priority! Kind of irritates me somewhat hes a pet and I dont consider buns any less of a ‘regular’ pet then dogs and cats. So I called some of my old horse vets and all of them said to call their clinic to see about when they would be in house and if times couldnt be met or they had an emergency, that they wouldnt mind coming to the house for me. They all carry sonogram machines on their trucks as well as xray equipment. So I talked to Dr. E this morning and he said he happens to have a call up near me this afternoon and none afterwards(hopefully!) and he would be by to check Sunday out, I am so grateful I kept all my horse contacts in my xmas card list! I just happen to know Doc E since I was about 12-13 years old, he lived on the same road as I did and was also the vet for 2 of the ranches I worked on growing up. I nervous and excited to find out the results, but I am scared. Having just lost out other bun, I dont want to loose him too. Having read up on stones, I pray he will be ok. thank you all for your answers. talk to you all soon


                              • JackRabbit
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                                  Glad your horse vet can check out your bunny. I’m surprised that passing stones wouldn’t be considered a “squeeze you in soon” type of thing with your regular vet.

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                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Large stones passed