Pet Care Pointers

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By JEFF KAHLER, D.V.M.
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)

If I told you that Shelby weighs about 4 pounds, has long soft ears, three legs and a cute little twitching nose, would you be able to guess she is a rabbit?

Apparently, according to Barbara, Shelby was attacked by a dog when she was about a year old and had to have her left rear leg amputated. Barbara adopted Shelby four years ago and has thoroughly enjoyed the rabbit's companionship ever since.

Barbara gives Shelby the run of the house and also allows her time in the back yard. Barbara says that she doesn't even realize Shelby has three legs and, apparently, from her activities, Shelby doesn't either.

Barbara is concerned about a fluid discharge from Shelby's vagina. It is red, leading Barbara to believe it is blood. It usually appears after Shelby urinates and independent of urination as well. Shelby appears unaffected by this symptom, but Barbara is rightfully concerned.

It can be normal for rabbits to have a reddish coloration to their urine. It should never be assumed to be normal until proven so by appropriate testing of the urine. Obviously, it also can be abnormal and in some cases critically so.

I would recommend a urinalysis and a blood panel along with radiographs and possibly an ultrasound of Shelby's abdomen. I would also try to collect a discharge sample from the vagina in order to examine the material under a microscope and culture it for bacteria. These procedures are quite readily accomplished in rabbits and will likely get to the bottom of Shelby's problem.

A urinalysis should tell whether the reddish discharge is a product of the urinary tract. There may be a urinary tract infection.

The radiographs can show the presence of one or more stones in the bladder that might be scoring the bladder wall and leading to some blood in the urine.

That said, remember that Barbara reported that she has noted the red discharge without urination. It may be that the discharge is not coming from the urinary tract but instead washes out from the vaginal vault when Shelby urinates. This is distinctly possible if there is blood and/or other liquid material coming from the reproductive tract.

Female rabbits that are 3 years old or more and are not neutered can develop tumors in the uterus. These are often malignant and can be deadly if left untreated.

One of the common signs associated with these tumors is a blood-tinged discharge from the vagina. Shelby's age puts her at risk for this disease, and if she is not neutered, there is a high potential. Of course, if she has been neutered properly, this is not the cause.

Just to clarify, neutering in a female rabbit as well as dogs, cats and most other species of mammals, involves the removal of the uterus and the ovaries, a procedure termed ovariohysterectomy.

The ultrasound procedure should allow visualization of Shelby's uterus to help determine the presence of a tumor. If found and depending on how advanced the process may be, this potentially deadly disease can be treated by performing an ovariohysterectomy, including removing the uterine tumor.

The testing outlined above should provide us with a diagnosis for Shelby and, I hope, we can cure her problem.

© 2008, The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.).
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.