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Cleaning a 'sticky' bottom painlessly? Any ideas please?

A

Anniebirdy

Alpha Buck
Little Marge often gets a dirty bottom. If it happens during the day, I can spot it and clean her up straight away. Sometimes though it happens in the night and can build up, and also set quite firmly to her tender little nether regions. I always keep her fur trimmed very close round there, but she has a small fold of skin very close to her genital area, and the poops seem to get caught up in this aswel sometimes. Quite often, I can gently ease it off her by dampening it up a bit, but sometimes it's like she's been eating superglue and it really sticks. Other than sitting her rear in warm water, is there anything I could use to remove it from her painlessly, and without the need to submerge her bottom? She also suffers from quite bad urine incontinence sometimes and then I have to wash her hind legs and bottom area thoroughly in order to stop the poor mite being smelly and getting urine scald, so if I can avoid having to submerge her bum in water as much as possible, Id be really glad. She's a good little patient, but I know she hates it because she shakes :(
 
I always cut matted poo out of the fur, but if the fur is already quite short I guess that would be a problem. :?
I just have the bun between my legs with their bum facing out. I then lean right over and sort of have my head on the floor, lift the bum up and snip the poo away very carefully, bit by bit. The other thing that sometimes works is holding the fur it's attached to and pulling the poo, obviously making sure this doesn't hurt the rabbit.
 
I find with Inca that the poo comes away without soaking it, I just kinda rub it between my fingers and it crumbles away......sounds lovely!
 
Jenova said:
I always cut matted poo out of the fur, but if the fur is already quite short I guess that would be a problem. :?
I just have the bun between my legs with their bum facing out. I then lean right over and sort of have my head on the floor, lift the bum up and snip the poo away very carefully, bit by bit. The other thing that sometimes works is holding the fur it's attached to and pulling the poo, obviously making sure this doesn't hurt the rabbit.
Click to expand...

That works sometimes Jenova, but other times it goes right through her fur and is actually stuck to her skin aswel, especially if her urine incontinence is quite bad at the same time. Poor little things was so maggot ridden when she was found, over her tummy, round her genital area, inside her genitals and bottom, such a mess. I think that has most likely caused permanent damage to how she functions down there, or at least added to a problem she may have been born with. Such a shame for her. I cant even think of any lotions I could apply to soften the poop to make it just slide off her nice and easily; at least nothing totally harmless and non-stinging.
 
Kermit said:
I find with Inca that the poo comes away without soaking it, I just kinda rub it between my fingers and it crumbles away......sounds lovely!
Click to expand...


The things we are happy to do for them eh? :D Very occasionally, it will just pick off or crumble off nice and easy, but its rare.
 
Come to think of it you could try dilute iodine. I use it to wash Inca down below when she needs it, I soak a cotton wool ball in it then wet her skin, it does slightly lather up a bit so would maybe help to loosen the toughies!
 
Does she clean herself down there?
You could try shaving her and using Vaseline on the skin. This way the poo wouldn't stick, but if she cleaned it off then she'd be ingesting it which isn't good.
 
I have used Johnsons small animal shampoo if any of mine have needed cleaning up. I only put one drop in with some warm water, use cotton wool pads to dip in and squeeze tight so it is just damp. Any ones that are stuck I "tease" out, it seems to work quite well without getting them too wet. I then just use a dry cotton wool pad to dry off as much as possible.
 
Jenova said:
Does she clean herself down there?
You could try shaving her and using Vaseline on the skin. This way the poo wouldn't stick, but if she cleaned it off then she'd be ingesting it which isn't good.
Click to expand...

She does clean herself quite a lot or I would use vaseline on her, its so gentle and non-sting.

bunny babe said:
I have used Johnsons small animal shampoo if any of mine have needed cleaning up. I only put one drop in with some warm water, use cotton wool pads to dip in and squeeze tight so it is just damp. Any ones that are stuck I "tease" out, it seems to work quite well without getting them too wet. I then just use a dry cotton wool pad to dry off as much as possible.
Click to expand...

Ive tried similar, but not exactly as you do it, so its worth a go!
 
Kermit said:
Come to think of it you could try dilute iodine. I use it to wash Inca down below when she needs it, I soak a cotton wool ball in it then wet her skin, it does slightly lather up a bit so would maybe help to loosen the toughies!
Click to expand...


I havent tried an iodine wash, but I do have some in the animal first aid box. It'd possibly soothe her 'nappy rash' at the same time as cleansing maybe? She can go from normal to sore in a matter of hours :(
 
Just want to say THANKYOU to everyone replying! Im replying back so fast and trying not to ignore anyones kind input, but forgetting to say (even though Im thinking it!) that magic little word :)
THANKYOU xx
 
Hi,no advice on the cleaning but just wanted to say my snowy had the prob with the excess skin you mention and she had an op to cut it away ,like a tummy tuck ,she is now spotlessly clean all the time as she can clean herself :)
 
traceymadigan said:
Hi,no advice on the cleaning but just wanted to say my snowy had the prob with the excess skin you mention and she had an op to cut it away ,like a tummy tuck ,she is now spotlessly clean all the time as she can clean herself :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing that Tracey, it's a route Ive considered going down at times. Did your bun get a glag of mess stuck to her bum aswel, quite often?? Im really interested in this!
 
It used to be a big lump stuck rock solid and no amount of diet changes helped ,the prob was that the poo was getting stuck in the fold and she couldnt clean herself up ,she is a giant as well so really hard to keep her clean :roll:,i was really worried about fly strike and it was every day she was in a mess ,since her op she is spotless :D
I did do a thread about her on here but it seems to have dissapeared ,thought the information may be useful to somebody else that had the same problem xx
 
Thankyou tracey, this has really given me a lot of hope for Marge! It would obviously mean even more surgery for her, but if it cured her it would be wonderful for her long term. Guess Id better put myself on an even stricter diet, lol, and get those pennies and pounds into the veterinary care fund! Teeth surgicals first, then get saving for tummy tuck :D
Thankyou for sharing this, you are the first and only person Ive come across who has faced (or so it seems) an almost identical problem!
 
I dont know Marge's history or if she is a 'Special Needs' Bunny, but I fostered a Rabbit with a similar problem. My Vet performed an op to remove the fold of skin, a sort of tummy tuck. This resolved the problem for good. No more mucky bum or soreness, no more stress of being cleaned up several times a day.

Obviously surgery may not be appropriate for Marge, as I said, I dont know her history. But just thought I'd mention the surgical possibility for some cases xx
 
Anniebirdy said:
Thankyou tracey, this has really given me a lot of hope for Marge! It would obviously mean even more surgery for her, but if it cured her it would be wonderful for her long term. Guess Id better put myself on an even stricter diet, lol, and get those pennies and pounds into the veterinary care fund! Teeth surgicals first, then get saving for tummy tuck :D
Thankyou for sharing this, you are the first and only person Ive come across who has faced (or so it seems) an almost identical problem!
Click to expand...

No probs,just to let you know snowy had her op at "my pets vets" in wigan ,caroline performed the op ,i highly recommend them :) ,her partner pepper went with her while she recovered and carolline had the two of them freeranging in the back rooms etc at the vets lol
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I dont know Marge's history or if she is a 'Special Needs' Bunny, but I fostered a Rabbit with a similar problem. My Vet performed an op to remove the fold of skin, a sort of tummy tuck. This resolved the problem for good. No more mucky bum or soreness, no more stress of being cleaned up several times a day.

Obviously surgery may not be appropriate for Marge, as I said, I dont know her history. But just thought I'd mention the surgical possibility for some cases xx
Click to expand...

Sorry, should read the whole thread then I would have seen my suggestion had already been mentioned by Traceymadigen :oops:
 
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