How often should I clean poopy butt?

My poor bunny has e. cuniculi and stasis. He has a massive case of poopy butt. I have been cleaning him twice/day, but is this enough? I'm wondering about the merits of (a) checking him constantly and cleaning bit-by-bit vs. (b) just doing it twice per day because he gets so stressed out by the whole procedure (lying on his back with warm facecloth rubbing action).

I am so afraid of hurting him back there. I'm not getting it totally clean, but I am getting the major large pieces of goo. He's inside in a room with AC, so fly strike, though quite possible, isn't a definite, unlike poor hutch bunnies who live outside. But I'm still worried.

I think that he might be getting stressed as he is lying on his back. Can you not clean him while he is upright? When i clean a bunny butt i put the bunny on the worktop on a towel and then use the wet cloth and clean underneath.

Is your bun sore underneath?

Is it runny poo? Is he on meds? If so then a pro-biotic such as pro fibre pellets or fibreplex might help control the situation.

I agree it would be easier approaching from under neath rather than turning him upside down. If that stresses him less you could do him more often. I would discuss with your vet and also keep an eye out for any soreness

You can get stuff to prevent fly strike-ask your vet.
I do sympathise-mucky bums are stressful anyway but when Summer comes it's a real worry with flies.
Overstressing him may make things worse though so it is difficult.
What surface is he on? Lots of vet bed and towels helps as this keeps bunnies drier. It's important to keep him dry as well as clean.

I agree that putting him on his back is very stressful-he will potentially feel under attack and very vulnerable on his back. Are you able to approach him from behind, stroke him and gently feel under him? You can buy gloves made from flannel material or just have a couple of tissues. It is a bit odd for buns initially but they tend to get used to it and you can remove big pooy bits that way.

It might be worth asking your vet to shave that area which will enable you to keep it clean much easier, until the problem is resolved :wave:

Good luck xxx

I have a bun who needs constant attention under her bum, leg area. I get her shaved at the vets and then use sudocream daily on the area. I did leave it a day to see if i could leave it between applications, but the sudocream acts like a protective barrier and is neccesary to be there all the time or it gets dirty very quickly.

If there is dirt present, there may also be infection, so your bun may need antibiotics- the vets would have to shave and check this.

It makes it 1000% easier when shaved and once you apply sudocream daily. Do this under vet recommendation though rather than mine

Also since doing this- i never bath ava. She doesn't get messed up like she did without the sudocream. Having 2 baths daily must be traumatic. I know ava couldn't really cope with one.

I used a bday i think they are called, in our bathroom, but if you don't have one, then a sink full of slightly warm water is best to soak the back end. If it doesn't clean then vets is the best option. If you are cleaning, be very careful not to hurt the skin as it's very very fragile.

Personally i wouldn't bother i'd just get to the vets and sort your bun out that way. It will be less stressful that way.

Hope this helps x

I found Gizmo had a slight case of diarrhoea once -too much grass after going in his new aviary run I think - and I just put some warm water (plain in case he drank it) in the washing up bowl in the kitchen sink, put a towel over my left shoulder and stood him initially on his back legs in the water with his body against mine/front paws on my chest/shoulder where the towel was, at first he was a bit shocked but then realised it only came up to his hock when on tiptoes so sat down and had a drink of it:roll: I just let him sit there and used my other hand to wash him bottom area, then picked him up towards me and wrapped the towel round the bottom/legs and then put him on the worktop on another towel and gently towel dried him/brushed him, didn't need to tip him up at all or use anything chemical at all which obviously could be ingested in that area given they eat caecatrophs etc.

I'd do that in the morning with your rabbit so through the dangerous time for flies they are cleanest, then I'd do a wipe clean through the day but keeping bun on your lap upright.

Thanks everyone for answering.

I tried doing most of his butt bath this morning with him upright. Unfortunately, that got just about 80% of it, but I still had to get the rest with him on his back. There are some areas that I need to see to clean.

He is on Baytril, but I'm also wondering if that is causing the poopy butt. I am getting Cisapride via mail today in an attempt to even out his GI issues.

I am watching very carefully for soreness. I have also clipped with embroidery scissors very obvious clumps of fur, being very careful to stay a few centimeters or so from the skin. He's not an angora, but he is very fluffy.

Is is runny poo. He has seen the vet, to the amount of over $1,000. He needs cleaning daily, and taking him to the vet daily is not a viable option.

I thought about having him shaved, but I'm worried, wouldn't that make him more raw back there?

He lives in an exercise pen and is litter-trained. However, he doesn't use the litterbox anymore. He just goes where he lies. I have tons of towels which I replace every time he has a major accident.

What is sudocream, never heard of it.

Some people have suggested I put him to sleep, but he's the light of my life and eats Critical Care willingly from a spoon, as well as veggies. He won't eat hay, which I know is the problem. He used to eat boatloads of it every day, suddenly just stopped eating it when the e. cuniculi got bad.

I'm heartbroken and worn out. Very stressful times, terrible t-storms last night and tornado warnings. And I have a job I need to be at, but I keep doing "one more thing" because I'm so worried about him!

Bonita said:

Thanks everyone for answering.

I tried doing most of his butt bath this morning with him upright. Unfortunately, that got just about 80% of it, but I still had to get the rest with him on his back. There are some areas that I need to see to clean.

He is on Baytril, but I'm also wondering if that is causing the poopy butt. I am getting Cisapride via mail today in an attempt to even out his GI issues.

I am watching very carefully for soreness. I have also clipped with embroidery scissors very obvious clumps of fur, being very careful to stay a few centimeters or so from the skin. He's not an angora, but he is very fluffy.

Is is runny poo. He has seen the vet, to the amount of over $1,000. He needs cleaning daily, and taking him to the vet daily is not a viable option.

I thought about having him shaved, but I'm worried, wouldn't that make him more raw back there?

He lives in an exercise pen and is litter-trained. However, he doesn't use the litterbox anymore. He just goes where he lies. I have tons of towels which I replace every time he has a major accident.

What is sudocream, never heard of it.

Some people have suggested I put him to sleep, but he's the light of my life and eats Critical Care willingly from a spoon, as well as veggies. He won't eat hay, which I know is the problem. He used to eat boatloads of it every day, suddenly just stopped eating it when the e. cuniculi got bad.

I'm heartbroken and worn out. Very stressful times, terrible t-storms last night and tornado warnings. And I have a job I need to be at, but I keep doing "one more thing" because I'm so worried about him!

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He has to eat high fibre food - hay or a good quality dried pelleted food, dandelion/plantain. You really do need to try to keep him upright, put him on the worktop and turn him round so you can crouch down slightly and see underneath that way as vets do, it won't do him any favours trancing him all the time - it's highly stressful for him, ask your vet for some fibreplex which is a probiotic to restore balance to the gut, limit green's till his poops are more solid. http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-3/fiber.html

Hi and welcome. Sorry your bun is having health issues. I have had problems in the past with a messy bottomed bunny so I understand your worries.

Now, in the UK I believe the treatment for EC is Panacur, Metacam and perhaps some Baytril too. There are lots of threads on here regarding the treatment and prognosis of EC bunnies.

As your bun is not eating hay for whatever reason and because he is having Baytril his tum is likely to be upset. In the UK we might give Fibreplex to increase his fibre intake and provide some good bacteria to counter the effects of the antibiotic (baytril) I believe the Critical Care has probiotics but the Fibreplex has more fibre I believe.

I think you need to take a look at the veg he is eating as this could be causing the runny poops. Also, does he eat any museli type or pelleted rabbit food - some brands of this are often an issue especially if fed in quantity.

The vet took him off the EC med (oxibendazole) because his anemia was so severe, the vet was worried about bone marrow failure. So now of course the EC is getting worse. Argh....I'm a pretty experienced EC mommy, unfortunately, lost one bunny to it/kidney failure, and this bunny had it last year and successfully fought it that time around.

I'm not trancing him when I put him on his back, he's very much aware of what's going on. He's just a really good bunny. He knows I'm trying to help him.

His diet was absolutely perfect prior to this and exactly what the U.S. House Rabbit Society recommends: Oxbow timothy pellets 1/8 scoop per day, cup veggies and unlimited hay. The problems all started when he first gave up on the pellets and then on the hay. The Critical Care is supposed to help, but I can't (and don't want to) force feed him. He eats it willingly, but it's slow going and probably not enough.

I am beyond frustrated. I have had him for seven years and treated him like a prince and right now he looks like such a mess.

Bonita said:

The vet took him off the EC med (oxibendazole) because his anemia was so severe, the vet was worried about bone marrow failure. So now of course the EC is getting worse. Argh....I'm a pretty experienced EC mommy, unfortunately, lost one bunny to it/kidney failure, and this bunny had it last year and successfully fought it that time around.

I'm not trancing him when I put him on his back, he's very much aware of what's going on. He's just a really good bunny. He knows I'm trying to help him.

His diet was absolutely perfect prior to this and exactly what the U.S. House Rabbit Society recommends: Oxbow timothy pellets 1/8 scoop per day, cup veggies and unlimited hay. The problems all started when he first gave up on the pellets and then on the hay. The Critical Care is supposed to help, but I can't (and don't want to) force feed him. He eats it willingly, but it's slow going and probably not enough.

I am beyond frustrated. I have had him for seven years and treated him like a prince and right now he looks like such a mess.

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When you lay a rabbit on it's back though it is quite stressful, most tranced rabbits are aware of whats going on so I don't know what you'd class it as - anyhow I'd still try not to do it personally.

Have you thought about feeding his pellets soaked in boiled water with some critical care, it would be worth going and get his teeth checked assuming you haven't already. The link I copied is listing all the hays available in the US I believe, maybe you could a) get some probiotic and rehydration solution and try the mushed pellets/with a little critical care/ b) try getting some different hays (sample sizes) to see if he'll eat them, or online try ordering some leaves/dandelion/plantain.

I saw a rabbit tranced once. It looked like it was stoned out of its mind. It stayed perfectly still and stared off into space. My guy makes eye contact and wiggles around a little. I honestly don't think he's as stressed at being on his back so much as all the smell/the washing, he's humiliated. This guy never even had a dirty foot before this.

I've tried everything to get "back there" without putting him on his back. I had another rabbit with this problem who was so good she'd let me put her in a shallow basin and soak it off. She had been abused before I had her, so there was no way I was getting her on her back. I'm afraid to put my little man in water because he's sick enough as it is. He's tiny, only weighs four pounds, but has a huge rear legs (he's a dwarf mix).

I will try soaking up some of his pellets with the Critical Care, good idea.

He is getting dandelion greens, is that what you mean? Or do you mean the herb itself?

His teeth have been checked by three vets, so pretty confident that's not the issue. He also has no trouble munching up veggies. He was absolutely fine until he went on the EC meds.

We have three brands of hay in the house right now and he's refusing all of them. It's like he just doesn't have the energy to eat it. He looks at it, mucks about in it a bit, takes a bite and it just sits in his mouth. He does still munch on Oxbow timothy treats. He also refuses his timothy hay cubes, which he used to like.

My mom had a Himalayan cat with poopy butt, OMG, in retrospect I really admire her. You don't keep a cat in an e-pen!

Thing is, even with tools vets cant see all sides of the teeth, only under GA can they do this. And tooth roots cant be seen at all, only with an xray. The picking it up and not eating it sounds like what ive heard about in dental bunnies so if it was my rabbit I would still be concerned about that aspect.

He ate hay tonight. Not a ton, but it's a start, he munched for about 20 minutes. I'm really not that worried about his teeth since he's eating extremely crunchy veggies right now with great abandon. I can't imagine a hard stalk would feel any better than hay. He just got his first dose of Cisapride tonight. He surived GI obstruction surgery in 2006, so I just have to believe in him as the fighter he is. I know he's trying and that's all I ask.

Bonita said:

He ate hay tonight. Not a ton, but it's a start, he munched for about 20 minutes. I'm really not that worried about his teeth since he's eating extremely crunchy veggies right now with great abandon. I can't imagine a hard stalk would feel any better than hay. He just got his first dose of Cisapride tonight. He surived GI obstruction surgery in 2006, so I just have to believe in him as the fighter he is. I know he's trying and that's all I ask.

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Veggies are mainly eaten with the front teeth, nothing grinds the back teeth in the same way as hay or grass. glad to hear he's eaten some. :thumb:

OMG, I've had Mr. Bunny seven years, I keep learning things every day. I swear you need a Ph.D. to be a bunny mom.

Okay, I have read the thread but I may repeat things as I try to get in everything I remember. I have also been an EC bunny mum :wave:

With Vin, we put her in the bath. A couple of inches of warm water, towels underneath to help with grip, and toys. We just let her play around in there. I sat beside the bath, teased some of the gunk out as she was splashing around, and talked to her to keep her calm.

It takes a while but it was far the easiest way of getting her clean. She also wasn't very keen for the first week or so but quickly got used to it. The problem is drying afterwards, Vinnie was a house bun so we just left towels out, the radiator on and let her dry naturally.

I agree with whoever said to get him shaved (Ambience?) as it definitely makes life easier. The thing that causes soreness is the urine and faeces sitting on his legs, but if you can clean it easier when he's shaved you're reducing that. Urinary incontinence tends to be a bigger problem. Vinnie had to wear a nappy for a period as she was so badly incontinent, it was burning her legs. We changed the nappy 2/3 times a day and picked out her caecotropes so she could eat them.

With regards to the hay, I would also recommend getting his teeth checked. As Schuette said, the molars are used for grinding hay and grass, and just aren't needed as much for crunchy veg. Have you tried different varieties of hay? Sometimes my buns have refused meadow and timothy but will go for oat, alfalfa or grass hay. Herbage may be an idea too. We ended up pureeing a lot of fruit, not because of any dental issues, but because Vinnie struggled to hold herself up and found mushy food easier to eat. We mixed this in with porridge to make it more appetising too.

Have you tried recovery food? It's a high fibre paste which comes in a large syringe, and some prefer it to critical care. You can make your own with some bio lapis, favourite high fibre pellets and mushed hay. Goes down a storm here.

Good luck with your wee man, it is so heartbreaking xx

The only food available here is the Critical Care. He does eat it when offered, but it's very slow going.

He used to love oat hay, but my local supplier stopped growing it and he refuses Oxbow oat hay. I'm going to go on line and see if there are any other brands I can try.

The worst part of this is he's off the EC med because of his anemia because the vet fears bone marrow damage. And the EC is getting worse. We are getting into a routine with the poopy butt, but he's now not able to walk normally and, I assume, eat his cecos.

Thankfully (knock on wood) his urine doesn't seem to be an issue yet because he's getting 100 ccs of subcu fluids as well as drinking a ton on his own, so it's pretty clear.

I will talk to my vet about shaving his poor tiny hiney.

I think my own body is shouting in sympathy, now mommy has the same issue, been sick every two hours since last night, ugh.

Bonita said:

OMG, I've had Mr. Bunny seven years, I keep learning things every day. I swear you need a Ph.D. to be a bunny mom.

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Yup! Completely agree!!

Sorry to hear you're not well either