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Change in poop consistency

Published on: September 29, 2023 • By: savannahandarlo · In Forum: Rabbits
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savannahandarlo
Participant
September 29, 2023 at 12:01am
My rabbit is a 2 year old male Netherland dwarf. Recently I've noticed a unusual change in his poop's consistency. Part of why it is unusual to me is that it is mostly normal sized, completely formed pellets. However, every now and then, I find poop that is large and very squishy, almost like a human infant's poop. I would immediately bring him to the vet, but he is eating and drinking a totally normal amount, does not show any signs of being in pain, moves around easily and often, and does not exhibit any other symptoms of illness. I've scheduled him for a regular check up, but I want to make sure that this isn't an emergency.
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savannahandarlo
Participant
September 29, 2023 at 01:02am
I have done some more research, and I'm fairly certain that this is cecal dysbiosis. Sites say that I should decrease treats and increase fiber intake. However, I still don't know if I should take him to the emergency vet.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
October 01, 2023 at 04:10pm
Hello - I wonder whether you have found a caecotroph?   Rabbits do two sorts of poo - the darker, dry ones that you are used to seeing and some larger, wetter ones which are generally eaten by the rabbit, and go 'through' the rabbits' body again.  These are not diarrhoea but are not usually seen because they are eaten so quickly; sometimes, the question is therefore not 'why does my rabbit have diarrhoea' but, 'why is my rabbit not eating their caecotrophs?' However, even in this case, it is important to ask the question;  healthy rabbits don't tend to leave caecotrophs lying around.  Furthermore, rabbits are the sort of animal that, in the wild, would become someone's meal as soon as they showed signs of being ill.  Therefore, you don't tend to see a rabbit looking 'poorly' until they really can't hide their weakness any more ie a disease is quite advanced, so never wait for a rabbit to look ill before taking it to (a rabbit-friendly!) vets.
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
October 01, 2023 at 04:13pm
What you asked, was whether its an emergency, and that's one for the emergency folk.  You can call them up and ask for a case to be 'triaged.'
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