RIP: Uh oh, infection of the penis?

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Darfi wrote:
He's allowed me to try squeezing it some, and to probe around the area but he doesn't display any pain signs. It's just swollen and hard. The only things I have to go on are the swelling, lack of desire to playand lack of eating at this time. He atleast drinks water.
He's not eating well? And he doesn't want to play?

" Loss of appetite and depression. This sign usually occurs because of pain due to the pressure, size or location of the stones, or because there is a complete blockage of the urethra. If there is blockage of one or more ureters the rabbit can quickly develop kidney failure which will result in severe depression and death within a short time. Loss of appetite and depression should always be considered an emergency in a rabbit regardless of the suspected cause and you should contact your veterinarian immediately.
[*]
It goes without saying that if you see any of the above signs in your rabbit that you should contact a veterinarian immediately. If you can collect a urine sample prior to your visit, this may be helpful. (Please see section below on Urinalysis for directions on how to collect the sample).

Urinalysis -
A urinalysis can detect abnormal cells and determine the chemical composition of the urine. Urine can be collected from rabbits in a variety of ways.

1. Free catch - Empty the rabbit's litter box and wipe it out with a paper towel, but do not disinfect it so that there is some odor remaining. When the rabbit urinates in the box, collect the as soon as possible by pouring it into clean glass or plastic container. You can also use a syringe or eyedropper to suction up the urine. Take the sample to your veterinarian as soon as possible, but it may be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. The drawback to this method of collection is that fecal contamination is common which may alter the urinalysis results.
2. Manual expression. - Your veterinarian or veterinary technician may be able to gently massage and squeeze the bladder in the awake rabbit and cause the pet to urinate. The urine is directed into a collection cup. This method is successful if the rabbit is cooperative and has a full bladder.
3. Cystocentesis. - This method can be used in either the awake or anesthetized rabbit. The patient is placed on his back and the bladder is grasped by the handler and pulled gently up against the abdomen. A small needle attached to a syringe is then inserted through the abdominal skin and into the bladder. Suction is applied and the urine sample is collected into the syringe. The procedure is accomplished in a few seconds with minimal discomfort to the rabbit. This method allows collection of sterile urine for bacterial culture.
4. Catheterization. - The rabbit is anesthetized for this procedure. A small soft catheter is placed in the urethra and then passed into the bladder and the urine sample is drawn out into a syringe. This procedure also allows a sterile sample collection for bacterial culture. " - SMALL MAMMAL HEALTH SERIES
By Susan Brown, DVM (Bladder Stones)

I'd keep a VERY close eye on him. Make sure he's eating and that he keeps going to the bathroom as you don't want him to go into kidney failure if he has a stone.

 
1. Free catch - Empty the rabbit's litter box and wipe it out with a paper towel, but do not disinfect it so that there is some odor remaining. When the rabbit urinates in the box, collect the as soon as possible by pouring it into clean glass or plastic container. You can also use a syringe or eyedropper to suction up the urine. Take the sample to your veterinarian as soon as possible, but it may be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. The drawback to this method of collection is that fecal contamination is common which may alter the urinalysis results.


This is what i'm attempting and it's all I can do for now. :'( I know these things can happen to pets but why the very best rabbit i've ever owned? *sob*

 
Darfi wrote:
This is what i'm attempting and it's all I can do for now. :'( I know these things can happen to pets but why the very best rabbit i've ever owned? *sob*
I understand. :hug:As pet parents, we do the best we can. These things happen randomly. I'm sure everyone here has gone through it once before. I didn't mean to scare you at all, I just wanted you to know what it could be and how to get the sample.

I know it's scary, but just do the best you can, keep him happy and know that we're all praying for you here (and that beautiful Prince of yours):pray:. Don't stress yourself out too much. I've found rabbits get more stressed when they sense you are stressed yourself.

Just take it one step at a time. Take a deep breathe and work on getting that sample. Then see how it goes.
 
Darfi wrote:
First image is my thumb next to his penis for size comparison.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Darlandria/Rabbits/HPIM0171.jpg

Second image is him sitting in the same placei've had in him in for over an hour. The towel is a fresh one and the food there is his regular stuff and his treat bowl that he has snubbed. He's has quite a long drink this morning atleast. He's about to take a nap I think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v726/Darlandria/Rabbits/HPIM0172.jpg
Hmm... that is swollen. FYI, did you check his scent glands to see if they're blocked? There's one on either side of his genitals. http://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/MonthlyMaintenance/tabid/64/Default.aspx
 
Hi, again!

I made a search in sites like allexperts, medirabbit and a couple of rabbit forums under the words "swollen penis". What turned out in all occasions (almost all of which involving neutered and spayed male and female rabbits of various breeds) was either urinary tract disease or vent disease, twoout of themwere diagnosed with bladder stones like Lalena2148 pointed out. In one case, where the rabbit was dripping urine (due to UTI), he overgroomed the genital area to clean himself and this caused the swelling.

Having read the above, whatever the problem is it sounds serious and alarming and rather urgent. Do make an internetsearch yourself, you'll see that none of the cases involving a swollen peniswas a frivolous one. The bad thing about rabbits is that they go downhill very quickly, so he really should be diagnosed by a vet asap. One visit to -at least- see what's causing this.

Marietta
 
I'd start phoning around to the SPCA and try and find a rabbit rescue, somebody there may be able to help.

I know there's at least one rabbit rescue in Kamloops, not sure where. Maybe JordiWes or Dawn or ?? can ask on the SARS board.

If he's not eating and he has those symptoms, he's in trouble.

Wish I could help more, but got a couple of sickies here myself, must tend to them. :(



sas :pray:
 
Well I've had that happen with kits but not adults, normally cleaning it well and keeping it clean and applying an antibiotic salve is all the treatment they need, but because your rabbit is leaking urine I think its more than just urine scald, sounds like a urinary infection. I can tell you what I would do, I can't tell you what you should do. First of course get the rabbit to a vet if possible, I do not have any rabbit savvy vets around me so I often doctor my own, I hope you do have a good one. I'd continue to clean the area and put a salve on it, and then I'd give the rabbit some watered down citrus juice, preferably without added sugar, orange most likely, with some cranberry juice in it. I also have dried cranberries in the house, rabbits like them a lot. I have in a pinch given them chewable vitamin c or cranberry vitamin wafers, some will happily eat them. The idea is to change the PH of their urine, works with puppies who have puppy vaginitis as well. If it looked especially bad and I wanted quick results I'd add soluble Terramycin into the juice, I keep a pouch of it here for the chickens and rabbits, use it seldom. I really don't like using antibiotics, and try to give the rabbits immune system a chance first. I have used Terramycin without intestinal distress, but its also one of those antibiotcs that many bacteria are now immune to, your guy may need something stronger. You can buy it at a feed store for $6-7. Once again this is what I would do, but not all of my rabbits are beloved pets, a irreplacable pet should be taken to the vet. The one thing I'm completely ignorant about is neutored rabbits, and the fact that he's dribbling makes me wonder if his bladder is blocked somehow, it sounds very similiar to what happens to neutored male cats, who can be very prone to urinary blockages, if its something similiar now thats quite serious and requires vet care. I hope he gets better.
 
Marietta wrote:
I made a search in sites like allexperts, medirabbit and a couple of rabbit forums under the words "swollen penis". What turned out in all occasions (almost all of which involving neutered and spayed male and female rabbits of various breeds) was either urinary tract disease or vent disease, twoout of themwere diagnosed with bladder stones like Lalena2148 pointed out. In one case, where the rabbit was dripping urine (due to UTI), he overgroomed the genital area to clean himself and this caused the swelling.
Yes, I noticed that too when doing my own searches. The thing that boggles me is that the only symptoms he has that cooridinate with any urinary issues are the lack of eating and lack of energy aside from the swollen penis. I'm about to check out the scent glands like that last link says to do. I'll let you all know how that goes.
 
Darfi wrote:
Yes, I noticed that too when doing my own searches. The thing that boggles me is that the only symptoms he has that cooridinate with any urinary issues are the lack of eating and lack of energy aside from the swollen penis. I'm about to check out the scent glands like that last link says to do. I'll let you all know how that goes.
If the scent glands are dirty, he could have overgroomed down there to try to clean them.

However, obviously the dripping urine and swelling is the main problem. If it's causing the lack of appetite, it can lead to stasis and it's a downhill battle. Get him eating and keep him drinking.

Maybe, as mentioned before, you can call the SPCA for vet help?
http://www.spca.bc.ca/
 
Okay, I tired locating his scent glands and even though he was a super good sport about my prodding around his entire area, I didn't see anything at all to be found. Not even those slits the image displayed. Is that a sign or am I entirely blind or looking in the wrong place?

I even got a small trimming done where he had some crystallized bits of urine stuck in his fur. That won't be bugging him anymore :) As for him grooming his scent glands too much, he doesn't groom all that often down there. He didn't even bother to pay any attention to his area when he got fixed. A cone was completely uneccesary for him.
 
Okay, so I called the BCSPCA and asked about financial assistance with a sickly rabbit and she told me that the Central Animal Hospital will accept the voucher for cats (which will be considered equal to a rabbit)that I will have to go into the SPCA to apply for but it only pays a portion of the cost. I will be getting that tomorrow because I have no way to get to the SPCA today but hopefully it will be in time to get him checked out at the very least. I guess i'll have to boycott any special groceries this month.
 
So now i've called the Central Animal Hospital and booked an appointment for 3:15 tomorrow however they told me that the vouchers are strictly for spays and neuters so maybe the lady at the SPCA didn't fully listen to my request here. I asked about payment plans and the lady told me that it's fully up to the doctor who examines him but she will have somebody contact me to let me know what the doctor's policy is. I will be seeing a Doctor Lewis.
 
Thats great, hopefully it'll be something minor and he'll perk right up with some meds. Sorry to post some of the same stuff that others did, but I'm a really sllooooowwww typer, and everone esle answered while I was still pecking away!! Good Luck!!!
 
So i'm going with the advice Bramblerose gave about cranberry juice and vitamin C but i'm also adding V8 'high in fiber' mixed with his own regular rabbit food administered in a syringe so he has some food in his system since he isn't eating and I do know how important the food is. I won't let him die by starvation at the very least.

If anyone knows of any helpful tips or reasons why this method would not be advisable, let me know.
 
If he's not eating, is there anyway you can get Critical Care in the meantime from your vet? http://www.oxbowhay.com/link.sp?page=CriticalCare

Your vet may have some on hand. This is what my vet recommended to me when Latte stopped eating when he was sick. You have to syringe feed him, but it's worth it.

Give him plenty of hay. Try making a pellet mush (maybe mixed with something like pineapple juice) and syringe it orally. He needs to keep eating and keep hydrated! You can even use Pedialyte to get him to drink. But eating would be a top concern for me.

Other wise, he could go into stasis : http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

Go here to see a recipe on some foods to keep them eating and how to properly syringe feed them (to keep them from starving): http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/medicating.html
 
No, I can't go out shopping for special foods but Prince appears to be coming around today.

Since i've been feeding him his cranberry juice/vitamin C mixture and his food paste with V8 High Fibre mixture in a syringe as well as a few shots of plain water to keep him well hydrated he's been getting his strength back. HIs penis appears to be getting back to normal and I think I did find those scent glands when I was washing his bottom this morning. WHEW! That's a smell!

Yesterday he was splayed out on his chest with his arms out at his sides and his head was bobbing like a newborn baby. His poops are quite runny however since I can't puree' hay properly to feed that to him.

I am concerned however that he hasn't peed in atleast a full day or more. Just poops.

I haven't heard back about the Vet's policy on payment plans yet. My boyfriend and my mom are both asking me not to spend my money on the vetrinarian and they both don't see a rabbit as a reasonable expense. They figure that I should help Prince the best I can at home and let this thing run it's course. Why do cat/dog people never understand a bond between a human and a pet rabbit?
 
Darfi wrote:
Yesterday he was splayed out on his chest with his arms out at his sides and his head was bobbing like a newborn baby. His poops are quite runny however since I can't puree' hay properly to feed that to him.

I am concerned however that he hasn't peed in atleast a full day or more. Just poops.
He sounds like a very sick little bunny. :( Sorry I wasn't watching this thread more closely. :( Kudos re: the cranberry juice advice, but not sure about the acidic stuff like V8, it could be very painful for him.

Please let us know ASAP what the vet said. We can keep trying to find ways to help (like the IMOM program), but getting a diagnosis first is crucial.



sas:pray:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top