No, bunnies don't lift their legs to pee.  That vet must be a dog vet masquerading as a rabbit vet!  😆😆😆

Dana

Dana Krempels, PhD

Senior Lecturer

Department of Biology

University of Miami

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From: main@etherbun.groups.io <main@etherbun.groups.io> on behalf of Leslie B via groups.io <lesliebrassell@...>
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2021 12:28 PM
To: Etherbun <main@etherbun.groups.io>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [Etherbun Main] Peeing

 

CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organization. DO NOT CLICK ON LINKS or OPEN ATTACHMENTS unless you know and trust the sender.

Has anyone ever seen a rabbit lift his leg to pee? I was reading the “ask a vet” section on Oxbow’s website. The vet was talking about litter training. He said, “ If they happen to lift their leg or “get into position” when they are not in their litter box, simply say “No,” and gently herd or place them in the litter box.”    I have never seen this or read about it anywhere else.

Thanks,

Leslie

On Dec 23, 2020 at 3:19 PM, <Brenda B Delaney via groups.io> wrote:

Did you get the stones tested to see which kind they were?  There are several different types that rabbits can get, so if you know which kind then it might help determine how he got them.

My 8 year old holland lop, Frodo, had a bladder stone this June.  He didn’t seem to have any indications of bladder sludge so it was a big surprise to me.  He wasn’t eating and acting well so the vet did and X-ray and discovered it.  I also saw a holistic vet who recommends a chinese medicine formula called “Amber Stone Transforming Formula created by Jake Paul Fratkin for bladder stones; she says it works in cats and other animals who get stones from low urine pH ( oxalate stones?).  I didn’t use it  so I can’t say if it works.  What worked for us was a few weeks of cold laser treatments and subcutaneous fluids and/or a mighty seizure during the pre-op for his bladder stone surgery — which cancelled his surgery but also may have expelled the stone.  We don’t know exactly when it disappeared, but it did.  

Some people say he got it because his urine pH was too high due to too many greens.  He doesn’t usually get many greens though and his urine pH has been 8 to 9 or 10 according to pH strips.  I took him to Cornell Veterinary College and Hospital, where the chief of Exotics took care of him.  He thinks it wasn’t diet related, but rather exercise and lack of water related.  He says wild rabbits don’t get bladder stones because they are running constantly and it jiggles the contents of the bladder to keep any sediments from forming into stones.  So he suggested lots of excercise and/or jiggling Frodo’s bladder regularly.  

He also prescribed something he uses with rabbits with bladder sludge or stones, or when rabbits have bladder surgery because that itself can cause stones due to the inflammation of the lining:  Potassium citrate (V)  100 mg/ml.  I got it compounded at a local pharmacy with banana flavoring. For a 4 pound rabbit I was to give 0.5ml by mouth twice a day.    He said to give it to Frodo if the urine pH falls BELOW 8 or if I see urine sludge or if sludge shows up on X-rays.  He said to get follow up X-rays at 3 months and 6 months to see if the stone or sludge returns.  Besides not giving Alfalfa hay or too many treats, he wasn’t focused on diet as the cause.

I can look up my notes if you need more info.

Brenda

On Dec 23, 2020, at 3:19 PM, Brenda B Delaney via groups.io <bennettbs@...> wrote:



Did you get the stones tested to see which kind they were?  There are several different types that rabbits can get, so if you know which kind then it might help determine how he got them.

My 8 year old holland lop, Frodo, had a bladder stone this June.  He didn’t seem to have any indications of bladder sludge so it was a big surprise to me.  He wasn’t eating and acting well so the vet did and X-ray and discovered it.  I also saw a holistic vet who recommends a chinese medicine formula called “Amber Stone Transforming Formula created by Jake Paul Fratkin for bladder stones; she says it works in cats and other animals who get stones from low urine pH ( oxalate stones?).  I didn’t use it  so I can’t say if it works.  What worked for us was a few weeks of cold laser treatments and subcutaneous fluids and/or a mighty seizure during the pre-op for his bladder stone surgery — which cancelled his surgery but also may have expelled the stone.  We don’t know exactly when it disappeared, but it did.  

Some people say he got it because his urine pH was too high due to too many greens.  He doesn’t usually get many greens though and his urine pH has been 8 to 9 or 10 according to pH strips.  I took him to Cornell Veterinary College and Hospital, where the chief of Exotics took care of him.  He thinks it wasn’t diet related, but rather exercise and lack of water related.  He says wild rabbits don’t get bladder stones because they are running constantly and it jiggles the contents of the bladder to keep any sediments from forming into stones.  So he suggested lots of excercise and/or jiggling Frodo’s bladder regularly.  

He also prescribed something he uses with rabbits with bladder sludge or stones, or when rabbits have bladder surgery because that itself can cause stones due to the inflammation of the lining:  Potassium citrate (V)  100 mg/ml.  I got it compounded at a local pharmacy with banana flavoring. For a 4 pound rabbit I was to give 0.5ml by mouth twice a day.    He said to give it to Frodo if the urine pH falls BELOW 8 or if I see urine sludge or if sludge shows up on X-rays.  He said to get follow up X-rays at 3 months and 6 months to see if the stone or sludge returns.  Besides not giving Alfalfa hay or too many treats, he wasn’t focused on diet as the cause.

I can look up my notes if you need more info.

Brenda

On Dec 30, 2020 at 2:24 PM, <Romina> wrote:

Hi Folks

We rescued 2 buns. Long story, They're flemmies and about 9/10lbs (for adoption too)
Treated them for coccidia and giardia.
We knocked out the coccidia but the retest shows the below for Giardia. If you understand these tests please confirm the below or correct if it's incorrect.
Appreciate. I did call the lab and spoke to someone that seemed knowledgeable but want to double-check to be sure.

Your answers greatly appreciated.

The Giardia Elisa test said positive 

(I suppose that means there are antigens (or reactions to current giardia organisms)

Ova and Parasites negative

Its my understanding that while they may not have actually parasites they may be in the shedding stage. They have antigens and hence the Elisa came back positive.
And hence they need to be treated.

One vet prescribed .25 per 10lb bun daily of  panacur(fenbendazole) but in the past another vet prescribed much more metronidazole and for a longer period of time, like 3 weeks.
I did not have confidence in the .25 Panacur for 5 days. Is panacur so much more potent that a smaller amount of it is enough to knock out the Giardia? 
Does that seem like the correct dosage. 
A 2nd vet would prescribe .8 two times a day for 2 weeks.

I know the buns can reinfect themselves and you have to keep the area free of fecal matters. I have knocked out Giardia about 5 times prior  - changing the litter boxes like 3 to 4 times daily and keeping them fastidiously free of poops.
I just don't remember how much metronidazole we used. 

Thanks in advance and wishing us a better year ahead.

On 22 Dec 2020, at 20:19, angela95010@... wrote:

My bun just went through his first ever bladder flush procedure for a bad case of sludge. I was told that I could expect to see bloody urine. Does anyone have any experience with how long this can last after the procedure? Hours? Days? Weeks?

On 23 Dec 2020, at 06:02, Thumpers Mama <jmiller111391@...> wrote:

I can tell you I've had a cystoscopy myself and was peeing blood for about 5-7 days afterwards. It also was very painful to pee. I don't know for our bunnies specifically but I assume it would also irritate their urinary tract as well. Is your bunny getting metacam? I hope you get some answers soon. Maybe ask your vet how long to expect this?