Urine Scald

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Amy27

Amy27

Task Force
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
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Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA
I have tried to research urine scald but couldn't find any good information. The only thing I was able to find was some of the causes; bladder stones, bladder sludge, or UTI's.

There is a rabbit at the shelter I volunteer at who has bad urine scald in my opinion. He has sores on his ankle, the back of his leg area. I can't tell if he has sores on his feet because the hair on his feet is so matted I can't see his feet. I don't want to pull the hair and hurt him.

I wrote up a vet slip and all they did was take a wet wash cloth to clean off some of the urine. Nothing was put on his sores and no diagnostics were done to see what the underlying cause is. The rabbit, Alfred, also will not go in his litter box. He always goes outside his litter box. But I have NEVER seen him sit in his urine so I am confused. He urinates outside his litter box and then goes and sits in his litter box, which is dry so why does he have urine scald?

This is a kill shelter and they put animals to sleep when they have long term health problems and behavior eyes. Well, Alfred also is white with red eyes and scans constantly. So, he seems mean to some people because if you frighten him, he will lunge and grunt.

I am so afraid they are going to put him to sleep. I want to adopt him and get him healthy and try to rehome him but I really don't have the money. The humane society doesn't allow fosters for rabbits, only cats and dogs.

I am hoping if I can learn more about urine scald, I can try to find a solution. If I present a good reason on how I can treat it at my house and then he would be more adoptable, I am hoping they might consider it. Also, if there is something I can do when I go to the shelter. He is on paper and I always change his paper. But again, I never see him sit in it. You can tell it is painful because when I let him out he hops funny with his back legs. It is kind of hard to describe but he hops like he has no joints. He doesn't really move his hips, legs, or feet. I can't really explain it. I just know he doesn't hop like the other 6 bunnies there and the 2 I have at home and it is just his back area that looks funny when he hops. He is such a sweet bun if you move slowly with him. I am just so afraid I am going to go in and find they put him to sleep. Then I will feel so guilty for not taking him in. I thought about calling my vet and seeing if she would see him on a charity case, but I hate asking that. But then it would allow me to adopt him.

I also have trouble thinking of possibly having another bun with bladder stone/sludge. Is that really a common illness when they have scald? Can they have urine scald without sitting in it? Isn't fleece good for urine scald?

Thanks guys

Amy
 
They really should have tested the urine for infection or the presence of blood. :(

There are a few possibilities -- unfortunately as you well know, stones are possible, so is infection. But it also could be a spinal injury or arthritis or something similar that doesn't allow him to 'squat' in the right position and he dribbles when he pees.

There is a medical spray we were just talking about a few days ago that works wonders for skin issues, but I'll have to re-look.

Cornstarch meanwhile will keep him dry and more comfortable.

Thanks for caring. You do have to figure out what's wrong before even thinking about adopting him. He could be grumpy because of pain as well as his limited sight. Do they have a 'for sure' age on this bunny?


sas :clover:
 
They don't know his age. They don't have a rabbit savvy vet and the vet they do have can't estimate ages because of her lack of knowledge in rabbits. Most of them are vet students.

I don't know how to push them to run some tests to see what the underlying issue is. I am a new volunteer and don't want to come off like I think I know more then the vet that has seen him. I want to email my volunteer leader but I am afraid if his illness is pushed, they will put him to sleep. They are not a very rabbit friendly humane society. I will mention the corn starch and spray to her. May be she can get permission for me to use them.

He seems to get around find, just hops funny, but it doesn't seem to stop him from hopping and jumping around. So I don't think it is arthritis or a spinal injury, but can't be sure. I do think he isn't squating correctly. I have spent about 10 hours so far with the rabbits and have never seen him sit in his urine.

I just feel like the only hope for this rabbit is to get him out of there so I can get him some care. I just don't want to push so hard they decided it is a problem that makes him unadoptable and put him to sleep. I could say to my leader that I would take him, and not to put him to sleep. But I don't know how that will work.

Thank you sooo much for offering to advertise for the vet. May be I can just email the leader, let her know my concerns, let her know I want to help, and list some options like the ones you mentioned. Then if she is willing to let me help, I can contact my vet and see if she would do it for advertisement even at a discounted rate. I can pay a little bit just to find out what is wrong with this poor guy. It would also be nice for him to see a rabbit savvy vet to see how old he is and have a good check up. Thank you again for offering the advertising.
 
Of course it could be a UTI and the hopping is from pain, but it could also be a spinal condition or arthritis issue. Those don't always keep the bun from moving around completely. One of my past bunnies was hopping funny and could not project urine away from his body and eventually he developed full hind paralysis :( (Gradually after months) An x-ray may determine whether either of these are an issue.
 
Thereis Bag balmand something beginning withSepfor the bald spots/raw spots. I tried looking, can't find the latter name just yet.

Amy? Would they let u take the bun before putting it down?:(
 
Crystal, is it Septrim? pulling it out of the cobwebs of my mind...

I have heard of using Preparation H or baby cornstarch too for the skin.

I worry about EC--does he scan up and down or side to side? Vertical nystagmus is a sign of EC (that would be continual eye movement up and down). Horizontal nystagmus could be ear infection or more likely blindness/limited vision since he's a REW. The hind leg stiffness could also be EC.

If not EC, I would suspect a UTI, arthritis, and blindness. Poor guy. A bunny will not sit in its own urine unless there's something wrong. Putting fleece down in his cage with a puppy pad under it might help, but he really needs to be assessed for a UTI. A simple 14 day course of baytril could clear up a simple UTI, but it could be more serious than that. The arthritis can be helped with metacam, but you want to make sure his urinary system is functioning well before giving that. Also cosequin can help, and so can narcotics but those aren't a good long-term solution for the pain.

Is he an older bunny?
 
What about using Udder Cream to protect the skin? It's pretty cheap and works well. I use it on my hands as they get dry from frequent washings. It protects the skin, smells good and isn't sticky like bag balm. You should be able to get a large jar for under $5.00 (12oz) in fact, I pay three something a jar at Marcs.

I hope you are able to get down to the problem with this bunny.

Good luck and please keep us updated


 
I am so aggravated. The vet didn't even look at him when I wrote up a vet ticket. I called today and didn't say who I was just said I was interested in him and wanted to know what was wrong with him. The lady checked his chart and it shows the vet hasn't even looked at him. So the lady said she would make sure the vet looked at him today. But I was at the shelter until they closed and no one looked at him. I am going to call again tomorrow.

The fact that it could be EC is scary. When he scans, he scans side to side. They don't know how old he is because the vets that see him are not experenced enough to estimate his age.

I am not allowed to treat him with anything. I have bag balm at home I could bring in and use, but I am not allowed because I am just a volunteer.

I am going to email my volunteer leader tonight and see if she can get something done.

If I adopted this rabbit, I am putting myself in a bad financial spot if it is something serious and that isn't fair to my current animals. Especially with Chase's on going healthcare.

Thanks for all the ideas. I am going to put them in the email to the volunteer. I will also ask if I can foster him so he is taken care of.
 
tonyshuman wrote:
Crystal, is it Septrim? pulling it out of the cobwebs of my mind...
Click to expand...
Yes, I thnk that's it! Thank u!!;)

Prep H, I have some, may need it for booger's butt, even though he's stopped peeing himself, he still has some bald spots, ie, his tail's underside. Poor beebs.;)
 
Is Septrim and Perperation H the same thing?

I went in today and Alfred still has not been seen by a vet. Another volunteer was there and she wrote up another ticket for the vet. So a total of 4 tickets have been written up, 3 this week.
 
Amy27 wrote:
Is Septrim and Perperation H the same thing?

I went in today and Alfred still has not been seen by a vet. Another volunteer was there and she wrote up another ticket for the vet. So a total of 4 tickets have been written up, 3 this week.
Click to expand...
I "think" septrim is an antibiotic :?

That really stinks that he hasn't been evaluated by a vet yet. What's up with that?
 
Hello..it's the volunteer who wrote up the 4th ticket for Alfred. I talked to my hubby last night about him. We are willing to pay to take him to see a rabbit vet (Dr Oglsebee??). We also would be willing to foster& pay for his treatment. Let's figure out who or how to go about this since we both agree we don't want him tobe put to sleep.

Thanks so much for introducing me to this site. As you know I am somewhat new to the bun world. I found Luigi on Thanksgiving hopping around my neighborhood & then last dec had to put him to sleep. I only had him a year, but loved seeing how great it was to have a bun in my life. I learned a lot about rabbits because hehad GI stasis. Dave & I did everything we could for him (Meds,Subcutaneous fluids..) I even slept in his room (yes hehad his own bedroom withtwo exercise pens in it) while he was sick because I was so worried about him. In the end, DrO had to put him to sleep & she found out with anecropsy he had a small puncture in his intestine.

I am sharing all of this with you, so you know I would be serious about helping Alfred. We just meet officially on Friday so I felt you should know a little more about me. I will use this site to also see what I can do to help my hubby's allergies so we can somehow adopt again. They are a lot better since Luigi's passing but there has to be someway to have a bun (or two) in my life and keep my hubby;)

 
Hi Alison, Welcome to RO! It's nice to have you :wave:

And thank you to both you and your hubby for helping with this bunny :)
 
Allison, I am so glad you joined. I emailed Danielle last night and said I didn't want Alfred put to sleep and that I thought you felt the same way. I asked her what we could do. Since it is her work email address, I don't think I will hear back from her until Monday. I would like to take Alfred to see Dr. Olgesbee to at least get a diagnosis. At least we then know what we are dealing with. I think or am hoping, I can get Dr. Oglesbee to see Alfred for free or at a discounted rate for the first appointment. If I can get the okay from Danille, I will call there on Monday to see if Dr. Oglesbee will see him.

I can't thank you enough Allison for caring. I kind of felt alone in trying to help Alfred. We can make a difference for this cute little guy. I could see on Friday that you were serious about Alfred by the look on your face when you saw his bottom. And by the way you got Luigi and took care of him.

I would post in the nutrition and behavior section about your husbands allergies.
 
Sounds good! Keep me posted on Dr Olgesbee. You are not alone with Alfred. I know we can help him. I will try to make it in on Sunday, if not I will be there on Monday (mother in-law is visiting this weekend). I can take some time off of work to take Alfred to Dr. Olgesbeewith you (or solo) if need be.
 
I am going to try and go tomorrow too. I didn't make it in today. I am so afraid everytime I walk in he won't be there and they will have put him to sleep.

I think it would be great if we could go together to take him to Dr. O. That way we both can ask question and if you take him, you will have the information you need. The Humane Society is on my way from work to Dr. O's office so I could pick up Alfred. As soon as I hear back from Danille and get the okay I will let you know. Is there a better way for me to reach you? In case I hear back from Danielle on Monday and can get Alfred in on Tuesday. I will probably be at the shelter tomorrow and monday so you can give it to me then if we run into each other or send me a PM here.

I am really feeling more positive about the situation. Alfred deserves so much better then the care he is getting now.

If a mod wants to move this thread since it has become more of a save Alfred thread then about urine scald, feel free.
 
I thought I would share some pictures of the the rabbit Allison and I are trying to save. Here is Alfred or asI usually call him Alfie

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39698_420626561767_652566767_4552230_5274355_n.jpg


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How could you not love this little guy! He is so cute.
 
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