Bunya's trip to the vet ... a poop primer

A few days ago, Bunya had a day when he was really under the weather (posted here). We home diagnosed poopy butt (check the Rabbit Resources in the right hand column to learn more). There could be a number of causes and began some of the things that might improve the situation (depending on the cause).

It didn't get better, although his mood picked up significantly over his really pooky day. So, we went to the vet. Poor, trusting, human-friendly Bunya ... I ran home from work, scooped him up (he came right to me), threw him in the carrier and off to the vet we went. Lucy & Ethel were shell-shocked, but happy not to be going - they did cheer Bunya on when he resisted entry to the carrier by splaying his back legs across the top entrance.

Bunya's mug shot ... now, turn to the side.
When we go to the vet, the nurse takes a current picture of the patient,
 so this is handsome Bunya's potrait.
It prints out on the visit's medical summary, the detailed results of his examination.
(We don't get such reports from our doctor visits.)

At first, while we waited for the doctor,
Bunya just sat on the scale while I rubbed his head and ears.
That was satisfactory for 10-15 minutes and then he wanted to explore the counter top.

Said exploration included the most interesting jars and sink.
Or maybe he was just looking for an escape.

One of the best ways to assess your bunnies health is via their poop. Know your poops!

Healthy poops are round pellets. Not-so-healthy poops may be smaller than usual, runny or strung together (someone's been eating carpet fibers). No poops might be the worst. Read up on poop in the resources; it can indicate some serious medical conditions that need to be addressed quickly.

With more than one bunny, you might spy a poop that isn't normal, but it is not like they leave ID labels on them. So to isolate Bunya's poops, Bunya had to be isolated. He was put in a separate pen with a clean litter box. Any poops appearing therein would be his. When he made a deposit, I made a withdrawal and ran them back to the vet for analysis.

Bunya in isolation, while Lucy & Ethel picket for his release.

We are awaiting the analysis which will let the vet know if Bunya needs a specific medicine to treat him. He has rejoined the general bunny population, which made everyone, bunny and human, much happier than his isolation.

One thing he has to work on ... he has ballooned to 4.77 pounds and should be about 4. He will not be happy about that.
How do you get a bunny to exercise?
Maybe he will get on the treadmill with me.

Here are some more direct links for you to learn about bunny poops (please, contain your excitement):
Georgia HRS - look under the heading RABBIT POOP & DIGESTION for relevant articles.
HRS has a page of medical topics here
Check here under Rabbit Health 101, specifically Disorders of the Digestive Tract

Wishing you all a lifetime of healthy, round poops.
Well, wishing that for your bunnies.