How to tell if your rabbit has kidney failure

Kidney failure in rabbits has been growing in statistics. Kidney failure, or renal failure, falls into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute kidney failure means there is an accumulation of toxin in the kidneys. Chronic kidney failure happens with a disease that progresses over time. Being able to recognize symptoms of renal failure can allow your rabbit get the proper treatment he needs to keep the disease from spreading.

Things You'll Need

Veterinarian

Instructions

- 1
  Clean your rabbit's cage at the same time every week. To know what is normal and what is not, it is important to know how much stool your rabbit produces weekly. By cleaning the cage at the same time every week, you will begin to understand how much stool your rabbit produces a week. That way, if she begins to have a lack of stool or an inability to produce stool, as can happen with renal failure, you will be able to notice. Also, check for diarrhea while cleaning your rabbit's cage.
- 2
  Pay attention to how much water your rabbit is taking in each day. Take note if he is drinking more or less each day. Dehydration is common with rabbits with renal failure, and it can be very dangerous.
- 3
  Keep tabs on how much your rabbit is eating. Rabbits with renal failure tend to lose their appetite, and if your rabbit begins to eat less, it is important to notice that.
- 4
  Get your rabbit out to play. Notice whether she acts out of the ordinary. Depression and lethargy are common in rabbits with renal failure.
- 5
  See whether your rabbit expresses pain while being held or picked up. If there's pain in the lower abdomen, where the kidneys are, when pressure is put on the area, that's a sign that something might not be right.
- 6
  Look at your rabbit's medical history. Heart problems and seizures are common in rabbits with kidney failure.
- 7
  Take your rabbit to the veterinarian. This is the only way to truly learn whether your rabbit has kidney failure.