Veterinary services in East Anglia, with a love of all things exotic
Meet Mollie, a lovely 7-year-old lop rabbit who was referred to us after showing signs of painful urination.
Diagnosis and treatment
Our x-rays revealed two stones in her bladder which needed to be removed.
Mollie, as well as her sister Daisy for company, stayed in the hospital for Dr Michaela to perform a cystotomy (a surgical incision into the bladder) to flush the bladder and remove the stones.
The pair then stayed with us for a couple of days for supportive feeding and post-operative pain management before going home. The procedure went well, and her owner has been very diligent in monitoring for signs of recurrence.
Mollie is currently on a combined pain relief and anti-inflammatory, antibiotics, and some diet changes to lower her calcium intake and support her urinary system.
Information for owners
Urinary issues (dysuria) in rabbits can sometimes be difficult to spot.
Signs to look out for are:
- Spending more time than usual in their litter tray (either more frequently visiting it or spending a longer time urinating)
- Urine noted outside of the litter tray
- Hunched posture or straining when passing urine
- Eating less
- General lethargy
- Blood in the urine
- Discomfort when touching their tummy
- Teeth grinding
