Mega colon or cow pile

[Bunnylucy]

I’ve noticed that a few times in the past 3 weeks my lionhead mix has been pooping oval shaped poops . Sometimes her poops look like a bead of pearls. I’m concerned she might be a mega colon bunny because she she has the Charlie markings and white fur with spots and Christmas tree marking on her back.

I’m really disciplined with her diet: consists of rotation of mixed spring greens, bok choy, wheatgrass, dandelion , cilantro.

Every other night I give her 2 small thumb size portions of fresh pineapple ( heard it helps with digestion when shedding)
She only had one incident in April where she was not her usual self, ( also shedding heavily) had trouble getting in a comfortable position, not eating anything whatsoever, not even treats. Then she just laid in her little box looking ill. She was cold to touch. This lasted from 7am-11am and I was ready to take her to vet, then she snapped out of it and began to eat and be her usual happy bunny again. It really terrified me.

That said , she has been normal bunny behavior ; bunny 500s, binkies and flops.
But started these oval shaped poops.

I’m thinking it might be the sweet little red peppers I sometimes give her as a treat?
Any input and advice is very much appreciated

[Azerane]

Hi there

While you are correct that megacolon affects bunnies with the broken black colour, it’s not actually all that common. Oval shaped poops while usually an indication of something abnormal, are normal in the sense that almost any bunny with a gut upset may poop oval shapes. Oval shaped poops most often occur with gut slowdowns, which is what I expect is happening with your girl. When you say she is pooping a bead of pearls, do you mean like pearls strung together with fur joining the round poops together? If that is the case, with all the fur going through her system, it is not surprising to see a gut slowdown and some larger poops. While it is best avoided, it is not a huge problem.

Gassy and upset tummies can also cause gut slowdowns. I personally believe the thing regarding pineapple to be a bit of an old wives tale. Fur can’t be digested. I would cut out all treats, ensure she is eating plenty of hay and if she is shedding, brush her every day to remove excess hair.

While there are members on here who are far more familiar with megacolon than myself, megacolon poops are most often misshapen almost all the time. Big ones, small ones, egg-shaped ones, heart shaped ones, weird other shapes in all different sizes. A few oval shaped poops during heavy shedding is not too unusual

[Bunnylucy]

Thank you for the reply. Oh I forgot to mention that sometimes her poops are tiny also.
I’ve been also giving her dried plaintain chips, one a day. Yes her poops are sometimes connected with hair similar to a string of pearls.

[Bam]

Many bunnies get a sensitive tummy when they shed. The bout she had could’ve been gas due to a gut slowdown from ingesting hair. Gas is very painful for a bunny. That she snapped out of it probably means she was able to pass the gas. Many of us here give baby gas drops (simethicone), 0,5-1 ml, when we suspect gas. It’s not been scientifically proven to be effective in bunnies, but it’s widely used and Medirabbit says you can use it on suspicion of gas. It’s not absorbed by the body but comes out with the poop. Another important thing when a bunny has gas is to try and make the bunny move around. this is not always easy though, a poorly bunny can be very reluctant to move.

As Azerane says, brush her every day to get lose hair off so she can’t ingest it. If you feed pellets, check the fiber content of the brand you use. It should be at least 20%, but higher is better. Encourage hay-eating and try to make sure she drinks. Hydration is important for gut function. Pinapple wont do much, but a little bit wont hurt and if your bun likes it, it’s a nice treat.

Plantain is good.

[Bunnylucy]

Thank you BAM for the reply, it’s appreciated.
I use Sherwood pet health pellets and buy Timothy , 2nd cut and oat hay
For my buns. She loves it ??

[Bunnylucy]

Thank you ?

[Bam]

Sherwood make good pellets with lots of fiber, timothy hay and oat are excellent hays.

Try to brush off as much hair as you can every day during her shed, just to prevent her from swallowing too much of it.

[DanaNM]

Hi there, I fostered a bunny that was suspected to have something similar to megacolon/cow pile. A couple questions: are her poops always abnormal? Or usually uniform and round, with occasional odd ones? How old is she? 

Megacolon buns almost never have normal poops. Are her’s only weird during a shed? Megacolon bunnies also have trouble keeping on weight. How do her hips and spine feel? Does it seem to stick out, or does she feel muscular? 

The small poops can also be a symptom of a slow-down. Can you post some poop pics?  

I agree that megacolon is very rare, even in the buns with the charlie markings. My girl Bertha has those markings and has absolutely perfect poops. My other bunny Moose gets weird poops during sheds, and doesn’t have charlie markings. 

I second eliminating all treats containing sugar. I opt to give favorite herbs as a treat instead (cilantro, basil, mint). Plantain weed is also great as a staple veggie as it is high in fiber. Also healthy wood to chew, like willow. Kale can cause gas in some buns and shouldn’t be fed too much, but it is also really high in fiber and I find it helps Moose’s poops while he’s shedding. Also really push the hay!

Gas and stasis go hand in hand, one can lead to the other, and can feed back on itself. Megacolon or no, it would be good to put together a GI first aid kit: critical care, a thermometer (ask your vet how to take her temp), simethicone. Gas pain can cause temp to fluctuate wildly, which it sounds like you experienced. Ask your vet to show you how to take her temperature. A GI crisis kit can be life saving if your emergency vet doesn’t see small animals (as is my case), and something happens in the middle of the night or on a weekend. 

I also notice she is a lionhead, which are prone to molar spurs. If she starts exhibiting different food preferences (less interest in hay or certain harder veggies), it would be good to get her teeth checked (you will need an x-ray for the back molars). Pain from dental issues can lead to gut slowdowns. 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Bunnylucy]

Hi my bunny is 13 months old. I’ve noticed the string of pearl poops during her heavy shed during April. Her poops are usually round and healthy. It’s only during her shedding . She is currently on a light shed. I now comb her 2x a day. During her heavy shed I plan on using the furminator!

I’ve broken one poop open also to make sure no worms. It’s Just hay.

I tried to post pictures but the file size was too large ….Can I email to you?

I did give her the gripe water after her incident in April. Like I said it was scary, she was cold to touch, and couldn’t get into a comfortable position. And just sadly laying in her litter box. I do keep a box of the gripe water handy and luckily she likes it!

I do get her nails trimmed every 6 weeks at the local vet. When I bring her her bi annual check up with the exotic vet doctor I will also ask about her poops and her teeth. She loves her Timothy hay and oat hay which she always has access to.
That said she’s a happy go lucky bunny. Thanks again for your reply, it’s appreciated!

[DanaNM]

If they are normal between sheds then it isn’t megacolon, which is great!

Sounds like you are taking good steps

I’m not familiar with gripe water though?

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Bam]

Gripe water is the same as simethicone baby gas drops. I think it’s a British expression?

If you have a picture you want up on the forums you can email it to info@binkybunny.com and I will try and shrink it for you and insert it into your post.

[Bunnylucy]

@ BAM thank you, I just emailed you the ? pictures

[Bam]

Here are your pictures! 

This looks like “normal” sligth-gut-slowdown poop to me. Not cowpile/megacolon. There’s a double and a string of beads – both classic examples. 

[Bam]

I was completely wrong about gripe water!!!

I looked up the brand you are using, and it has NO simethicone. Instead, the ingredients are:
Deionized Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Citrus Bioflavonoid Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Organic Zingiber officinale (Ginger Root) Extract, Organic Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel Seed) Extract, Natural Fennel Flavor.

My Bam would love that, esp the fennel =) Here it’s only sold in exclusive organic baby care shops in Stockholm (capital of Sweden) it seems.

[DanaNM]

Posted By bam on 7/19/2017 2:46 AM

Here are your pictures! 

This looks like “normal” sligth-gut-slowdown poop to me. Not cowpile/megacolon. There’s a double and a string of beads – both classic examples. 

Agreed! I’ve read that even though there is fur linking them, the fact that they are spaced well shows the gut is moving along well. In megacolon buns the poops would all get jammed together into large ovals. 

So yeah, just keep up with lots of grooming, lots of fiber, lots of water, and lots of exercise to keep that fur moving through. 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Bunnylucy]

THANKS SO MUCH everybody. Bunnies are delicate animals. This website is magnificent!! I’m so happy I can reach out to other bunny parents. Since we had bunny Lucy I try to educate myself so she’s well taken care of.

We love our little fur baby lol

Hoppy day everybody ????

[Bunnylucy]

P.s you can see bunny Lucy’s adventures on my Instagram….kkarensmithh6

It’s amazing how many people have bunnies as pets!!
?

[Author]

Messages