Well, in addition to being smelly, it can lead toflies laying eggs in the excreta. The resultant maggots maythen eat the feces and continue on to begin to eat the flesh of thelive rabbit. Once that sequence is initiated,oftenthe wound becomes so infected and toxemic itself, that deathusually occurs if not caught in time. If caught early enough,the maggots can be removed before any great or permanent damageoccurs.This condition is most frequently referred to as Fly Strike.
Another fly, at least here in the US, called the Bot Fly, willsometimes lay an egg anywhere on the rabbit, but more likely near anattractive, smelly bum. The larvae burrows beneath the skin,where it too releases a toxic substance of a detrimental nature to therabbit's health. The larvae is identified by appearing as alump, or a cyst beneath the rabbit's skin, with a small darkspot visible on its surface. This is the air holefor the larvae encased within. By "plugging" the air hole,one can often get the larvae to "back out" of the rabbit, or one canremove it, I believe, by cutting it out. I think the formerprocedure is the better of the two in terms of producing the leastdamage, but don't hold me to that premise. This situation isreferred to as Bot Fly Strike or Warbles.
I add 1/2- 1 tsp of vanilla flavoring to our buns' quart bottles ofdrinking water in order to stave off the flies that may cause FlyStrike and/or Warbles. It seems that the vanillaflavoring/scent within the buns poops/urine is unattractive to theinsects and they will have a tendency to not lay their eggs in thevicinity of the genitals. Nothing compares, however, tothorough and frequent visual and manual inspection of your buns.
Buck