Tiny dry poops

[Chelsea]

Anyone have any success treating long-term tiny poops? It’s been two weeks now since Silas got very ill and was put on meds to treat excess gas and most likely a partial obstruction. Since he came back from being hospitalized, every time we stop giving him meds (metoclopramide, laxatone, simethicone, benebac, meloxicam) the small poops come back. He’s active, and very interested in eating greens, but barely touching pellets and only reluctantly eating hay (fresh grass is eaten readily). We’re getting low on meds, so I’m going to call the vet tomorrow. Any positive stories or alternative treatment ideas would be greatly appreciated.

The picture below shows what Silas’s poop looks like (after a day or two of no meds) on the left, and Jasper’s normal poop on the right for contrast.

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[jerseygirl]

Does he drink from bowl or sipper bottle?

Maybe some sub Q fluids wouldn’t hurt. Also, lactulose is an oral laxative that helps pull water into the gut. You could enquire about that..

I can’t recall if you’re in the UK or not? Or Canada? There is some products in the UK called pro fibre pellets that you could look into. Will he eat pellets if made into a mash?

Another option is getting straight hay pellets. When Jersey was alive, I got horse pellets that were 98% hay and not the kind that had to be soaked. She would never eat hay but in these, she produced healthy looking poop.

ETA: if using laxatone, just make sure he’s getting plenty fluid before giving it. It can coat the food in the stomach then make it less permeable for water to soften it.
Also, {{{vibes}}} for Silas!

[Chelsea]

Thank you for the reply!

He drinks from a bowl. I’ve had some luck with mixing apple juice with water, but only occasionally. I couldn’t get him to drink tea hay. I’m going to try some other herbal tea this evening.

I stopped at the vet on the way home to pick up some more metaclopramide for him and she said he might have to be on it daily for life. She wants us to try and find the lowest effective dose. She also wants him to continue to use the laxatone as necessary just as a lubricant in case there is something still partially obstructing his gut that needs to come out. Thank you for warning me about the laxatone – I knew he needed fluids with it, but I’ve been focusing on them right after or with instead of before.

I have Sherwood pellets (both professional and regular) which are higher in fiber than most pellets. But he won’t eat them or Oxbow. I also have critical care (both Oxbow and Sherwood) but syringe feeding him is a serious battle. It also feels a bit unnecessary because he’ll eat as much greens or fresh grass as I’ll give him.

ETA: Do you know if it’s okay to inject 0.2 ml of metaclopramide into a small piece of fruit or bread? It would make administrating it twice a day much easier.

[jerseygirl]

ETA: Do you know if it’s okay to inject 0.2 ml of metaclopramide into a small piece of fruit or bread? It would make administrating it twice a day much easier.

Im not sure! My feeling is that it would be okay. I’d ring and check with the vet incase it would interfere with the meds uptake.

Did Silas have an abdominal xray done?

Does he have dental problems? Or had his molars checked while sedated?

[Chelsea]

You can see his series of x-rays from pre/post hospitalization here: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/155791/afpg/2/Default.aspx He did have his molars checked while sedated.

It’s been quite a frustrating roller coaster of vets who I’m not exactly fully confident are rabbit experts. Our current vet is the best we’ve been able to find, but she still seems to make some really odd/old recommendations periodically. At least she seems to actually care 😛

[jerseygirl]

Yikes! That was a lot of gas in the lower abdomen!

[Chelsea]

Ugh, I’m feeling really discouraged and worried. I’ve noticed Silas’s urine getting increasingly darker. I assumed it was from dehydration, so I’ve been trying really hard to get more water into him. Today his poops were bigger and darker thanks to the metaclopramide, but I immediately noticed he had dug up his litter box and there were dark brown streaks across parts of the hay. I got some hydrogen peroxide to squirt on it thinking it would make me feel better, but it bubbled up immediately. I’ve got parent conferences again tomorrow night until 7 and I don’t know how I can possibly get him into the vet. Is there any alternative explanation for this? How big of an emergency is this? He’s active, eating greens, and even ate a few pellets.

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