Worried

[daisyandparsley7]

Hello,


I'm a little worried about my rabbit. As far as I can remember he has had this going on. He eats fine acts fine and behaves fine so I'm not sure if I need to worry. He has like pee on his butt and it matts his fur and stains it. I switched litters to yesterday's news but it's still going on. I usually have to give him a butt bath every few weeks. He is 2 and neutered. I've never had a rabbit with this before so I'm not sure the best thing to do or if a vet needs to get involved. Here are some pics.... And no he does not have urine scold I keep a good eye on it. Please help with your thoughts and ideas. Thanks!

 

[daisyandparsley7]

Also it comes off like this if I gently pull, which I really don't do because I'm afraid it will hurt him.

 

[JBun]

As long as his litter box is kept clean, then something like this would most likely be due to sitting improperly to urinate, or dribbling urine, and would be caused by a medical issue like a UTI, bladder sludge, arthritis, etc. It would be a good idea to get him examined by an experienced rabbit vet.

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

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f28/finding-vet-13366/
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

The fur would be coming out because of the urine causing irritation of the skin.

 

[ladysown]

I'm assuming you keep him cleaned out (litter box wise and that he isn't sitting in his litter?)
If he IS sitting in his litter I'd be putting a tray on top of it so he can't sit in his dirty litter.

If he isn't sitting in his litter I would have to wonder if he's got a leakage problem. And that leakage is what is causing the problem.

Either that or he is licking himself excessively and then I'd have to wonder if he has "issues" of some sort.

 

[daisyandparsley7]

His urine appears normal and I don't think he has arthritis he jumps around and binkys like crazy so I've never noticed any lack of motion. He does sit in his litter box a lot... Luckily I have an experienced rabbit vet right down the street from me I'll have to call tomorrow and also try put the litter box cover over it.

 

[daisyandparsley7]

And yes I clean his litter box everyday, it never has urine in it for too long. So then I guess he is not really sitting in urine... I'm just so confused because he acts totally normal eats well and is a good weight. I have watched him go to the bathroom and he doesn't struggle or anything. Now I'm worried more than ever that it could be something serious :/ I'm going to call right away tomorrow. Thank you for the feedback!

 

[JBun]

Sitting in his litter box for long periods, could be an indication that he is straining to pee. I would think that with it going on so long though, that it isn't an emergency situation, but it certainly is something you want to address asap. Have you ever seen any thick or pasty urine? It's possible that he has a minor problem with sludge and that is causing some bladder irritation.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/generalities/Sludge.htm

 

[daisyandparsley7]

Thank you for the links I appreciate it! My fault
He doesn't really sit in it I meant more like lay in it and sleep. His urine definitely matches the normal picture and looks like the urine of past rabbits. I've never seen any sort of sludge or difference in the coloring as well. I will update as soon as I get an answer.

 

[JBun]

I had a thought. It's not common, but it can lead to urine dribbling. Have you ever noticed if his little boy part is split? It would almost make it look a bit like female parts, and might lead to a bad urine stream that could end up getting on his fur. This could cause all this to be a continuing problem, but not show any other signs of a medical issue. You could probably do a google search to see what one would look like so you know what to check for.

 

[daisyandparsley7]

I'm having trouble telling but I think maybe from what I have seen....

 

[daisyandparsley7]

It uploaded twice sorry it's the same picture

 

[JBun]

From the part that can be seen, it looks normal. Oh well, was worth a shot. Hopefully the vet can figure out what is going on with the little guy. Definitely let us know how it goes.

 

[daisyandparsley7]

Thanks will do

 

[FreezeNkody]

Maybe out a grate or something over the litter box so he can't sit in litter?

 

[daisyandparsley7]

Just got back from the vet and she said he is overall really healthy. He need to lose some weight and recommended I stop feeding pellets and try to get him to eat more greens. He is super picky so she game me some oxbow critical care to help. Let's see if he will like that lol. I brought a sample of urine and poo and she said he looks to have slight sludge but increase in moisture and getting rid of pellets will help for sure. She said the urine on his bottom is most likely due to this and should clear up... No irritation on his skin. He has minimal points on bottom teeth but nothing she is too concerned about. She said to see him back in 1 to 2 months to see if sludge is cleared. She also suggested an oxbow joint supplement.... He is young but has what she said would be like double jointed fingers and this may cause pain later on...but I should start now.

 

[JBun]

I'm glad you got him into the vet and that she found something that may be the cause of his urine problems. Did she happen to take xrays to see if there was a sludge build up in the bladder? Hopefully the change of diet will help clear up the sludge and urine problem. One thing that may help is if you use a water bottle for him, to give him a water dish instead. Usually rabbits drink more from a dish, which in turn will help with flushing the sludge from his bladder.

Here's some additional info on bladder sludge if you're interested.
http://rabbit.org/bladder-stones-and-bladder-sludge-in-rabbits/
http://rabbit.org/lowering-blood-calcium/
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/sludge.shtml

 

[daisyandparsley7]

She didn't do an x-ray. She said if it doesn't clear up in about a month to call back and we will progress from there. I will definitely try the water dish idea! Thank you for your help

 

[daisyandparsley7]

Just to update, it's all cleared up! I haven't noticed any more urine underneath and he has lost weight.
Also he was never that tiny the vets scale was wrong and he was really over five pounds.... I knew 3.5 didn't sound right!

 

[JBun]

That's great news! I'm really glad to hear he's doing well on his new diet