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Rabbits - urine scald

Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 11/8/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi its me pam the one with the bunny with the urine scald. I had sent you a message that he had taken some medicine and he had started healing. Well he had he was normal weight, peeing and ppoping fine. All of his hair had regrown! He was fine until today . I noticed he had wet his bottom a bit and washed it and blow dryed it, and put some ointment. He is in his cage now. And some of the skin around his butt is somewhat red again. Please tell me what to do! I REALLY dont want cookie to grow through this for a 3RD TIME! Should i cut the hair sround his bottom? Thank you so much.

ANSWER: Dear Pam,

When a bunny has bladder problems, they can be chronic. Was he ever examined via radiography to see if he has sludge or stones? If he has those, the problem will likely recur until those problems are solved. Please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

Sludge can predispose a bunny to infections, and vice versa. So subQ fluids and gentle bladder expression may really help if he has sludge problems. But you need to have your vet determine that first.

You won't need to trim his hair unless he really gets messy. But you will have to keep on top of the buttbathing until he's well again. Use a bit of conditioner to be sure the fur stays soft and his skin doesn't become chapped.

I hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much I will take him to the vet soon. And no he had never taken that test. Today i checked his butt and its not wet and there is not that much reddness. Which i,m happy about. If he doesnt have the chronic bladder problems what is the treatment? And should i still keep washing his rear even if its not wet? Sorry one last question do you mean human conditioner. Thank you.:)

Answer
Dear Pam,

If the problem isn't something chronic, such as bladder sludge or a stone, then he still might have an infection. And as any human who has had a bladder infection can tell you, these things tend to recur, as it's sometimes very difficult to completely eradicate bacteria once they've taken up residence. Good health is the key, and you can provide that with healthy diet, exercise, plenty of enrichment, etc.

If his bum isn't wet, then leave it be. No use washing something that's not dirty. :) And yes, a bit of either human or pet conditioner is fine. It's much more gentle than human shampoo. But the better types are all-natural ones that you can get at health food stores, as they tend to contain fewer preservatives, etc. The less chemical insult to delicate skin, the better. (And one bottle will last a lifetime, since you'll use less than a thimblefull whenever you use it.)

Radiographs (x-rays) will reveal sludge or stones, in most cases. So if the problem recurs, I'd ask the vet about that. Again, you can find an experienced rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Good luck,

Dana

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