Painful or difficult urination • Thick, pasty beige-brown coloured urine – could be mistaken for diarrhoea! Increased urinary frequency • Urine staining of the back legs • Blood in your rabbit’s urine • Painful abdomen – hunched posture • Non-specific signs can also include: dullness and weight loss.
What does bladder sludge look like in rabbits?
Sludge. Rabbits suffering from sludge may display any of the symptoms described above for calculi, as well as passing thick, white, gritty urine that in severe cases will become semi-solid when passed. White or sludgy urine on their own are common in rabbits and often occur after the rabbit has eaten high calcium foods
How do you get rid of bladder sludge in rabbits?
What can I do to prevent/treat bladder sludge?
- Increase water intake.
- More exercise.
- Improve sanitary conditions and enclosure.
- Eliminate packaged treats.
- Offer a variety of grass hays and eliminate alfalfa from the diet.
- Offer a grass hay-based pellet at recommended daily feeding amounts.
How do you tell if a rabbit has a bladder infection?
Depending on the severity of the condition, most rabbit owners will report the following signs and symptoms:
- Frequent urination.
- Painful or difficult urination.
- Thick, beige or brown-colored urine.
- Cloudy-looking urine, or urine that appears thicker than normal.
- Hunched-over posture while urinating.
How do I know if my rabbit has bladder stones?
Rabbits with bladder stones are often in pain but only display subtle signs of distress such as changes in movement and appetite. Other signs to look out for include weight loss, straining to urinate, frequent urination, wetness and skin irritation around the genital area due to urine scalding.
What foods cause bladder sludge in rabbits?
Rabbits fed a high calcium diet, which consists of alfalfa hay, calcium supplementation and vegetables high in calcium (kale, carrot tops, spinach, parsley and spring greens) are thought to be predisposed.
Why does my bunnies pee look thick?
Rabbits need calcium for strong teeth and bones, but only in small amounts. Too much calcium thickens up inside your rabbit’s body. This is why her pee is so thick.
How often should you express a rabbits bladder?
SUMMARY: 1) Bladder expression should be attempted 2 to 3 times a day. 2) If you cannot get your pet to urinate in over 24 hours, seek emergency veterinary care.
How do you manually express a rabbit’s bladder?
Dr. Penney taught me how to express Molly’s bladder by placing my hand under her stomach and pressing. I did this every few hours, which greatly reduced her dribbling. After some practice my husband, Don, and I were able to do this without having the urine run down her leg.
What rabbit food is high in calcium?
Some leafy greens, such as collard and dandelion greens, parsley, kale, Swiss chard, and escarole, should be fed in limited quantities, as they are high in calcium and may contribute to the development of calcium-based bladder stones if fed in excess.
How do you treat a bladder infection in rabbits?
Treatment. Rabbits that have been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection are usually treated as outpatient. Affected rabbits often respond to a combination of antibiotic therapy, increased water consumption, dietary modification, weight loss, and an increase in exercise alone.
What is bladder sludge?
Sludge is urine thickened by calcium salts to the point of being chalky and thick in consistency, sometimes as thick as toothpaste. This causes problems in the urinary bladder usually, although it can occur in the kidneys or ureters.
How do rabbits get bladder infections?
Infections. Rabbits can suffer from bladder conditions such as cystitis. Cystitis is inflammation of the lining of the bladder. This can be caused by bacteria, but it can also be triggered by the presence of sludge in their bladder.
What causes bladder stones in bunnies?
Rabbits can be afflicted with stones (uroliths) due to the unique way they metabolize calcium. High dietary calcium levels caused by diets high in calcium-rich foods such as alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay, or high calcium vegetables such as kale.
Is Cranberry Juice Good for rabbits?
No, cranberry juice should never be given to rabbits because it’s often loaded with too much sugar. Doing so could lead to digestive and dental problems as well as obesity.
How do you break down bladder stones?
A crushing device, lasers or ultrasound waves transmitted from the cystoscope can be used to break up the stones into smaller fragments, which can be washed out of your bladder with fluids.
How do I reduce calcium in my rabbits diet?
However, this compromises their long-term health. Therefore, the best way to reduce your rabbit’s calcium intake is to reduce its pellet consumption. Replace the pellets with more fresh grass or hay. A 10g/kg of bodyweight portion will reduce your rabbit’s calcium consumption dramatically.
How do I get my rabbit to drink water?
In those cases a water bottle is a good option.
- Give your rabbit a bowl and a bottle.
- Leave water on their daily greens.
- Add a few drops of unsweetened fruit juice.
- Give your rabbit fresh water multiple times a day.
- Add fragrant herbs to the water bowl.
- Avoid warm water.
- Try purified or bottled water.
Is rabbit urine supposed to be cloudy?
Cloudy/white urine
Whereas dogs and cats will only absorb the amount of calcium their body needs from their diet, rabbits absorb all of the calcium within their diet and excrete the excess through the urinary system. This is why rabbit urine is often observed as being cloudy or white in colour.
Why is my rabbits pee thick and orange?
Thick white urine containing reddish-orange pigment is indicative of an excess of dietary calcium.” Bloody urine in rabbits may be rare, but red urine is not. People who live with house rabbits will find this out.
Why is there white stuff in my rabbits pee?
Healthy rabbits excrete excess calcium salts via the renal system, and this can give the urine a chalky or opaque appearance. The urine will often dry to a white, chalky residue. Unless the residue is thick, pasty, and the color of mustard powder, this is normal, and should not be considered “sludge.”