Wet bum help please

Just got back from the vets with Scar because I noticed all under her bum and above her tail was wet when I got home and the skin is a bit sore. The vet basically suggested that I should check if her living area is clean when I get home, he cleaned her up and put on some cream and told me just to keep an eye on her

I did say that her litter trays are fine and her living area is clean, but he was a bit like 'it's really important to keep hutches clean' :? I felt a bit like he was saying it's because her room is dirty and he was hinting that she must have been sitting in pee I've come home and stuck my hands in both trays and they are nowhere near wet enough that it would have even wet her fur let alone her skin if she was sitting in them. There is no wee on the floor she might have sat in that I can see and apart from a small wet patch on a cardboard box, the vetbed and fleeces etc haven't been peed on either

I explained that she is free range in a bedroom with a lino floor, and they use litter trays which are kept clean so it's pretty easy for us to keep an eye on making sure they aren't sitting in pee, so I feel like she has likely peed directly onto herself. He didn't think so and when I asked about ec he said no because she has no other symptoms. She is eating, drinking, pooping, playing as normal, but I can't help but feel like I've just not been taken seriously. Basically have just been told to watch her and see if she does it again, but surely the first time indicates a problem!

It sounds like your bun has urine scold which wouldn't happen overnight. If it were me I would ring back the vets and ask to see another vet who wouldn't assume that my bunny is sitting in its own urine due to a dirty home that I wasn't cleaning out and who would be more inclined to assume that urinary incontinence had other possible causes! Then I would state that if they didn't have another vet who would be able to diagnose a rabbit then I would demand my money back for the waste of a vet trip and tell them I will go elsewhere! :evil:

Because it was an emergency appointment I had to see the only vet available there and then, it won't have appeared overnight but I've been on holiday until today so can't pinpoint when it appeared. It would have been in the last couple of days though

Just trying to establish other possible causes so I can get an idea of what I might expect to be dealing with

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

There are some possibilities on that web page. I just cant get my head around that he sent you away feeling like his answer to the problem was that you let the bun sit in his wee! I may be generalising but I would think the type of person who would let their bun sit in wee to the point of being sore wouldn't be the type to take said bun to the vets! Are your vets normally good with rabbits then?

It doesn't sound as though the vet you saw was terribly helpful. Even so, I wouldn't do what has been suggested - demanding money back. I had a very poorly rabbit who suffered from urine scald badly, it is usually a sign of illness (as you already know). Is there an exotics specialist at your vets who you could see or do you have access to one? Really sounds as though you need more expert advice than you have been given.

Perhaps someone will see your thread and give be able to give you more help.

Would whoever was looking after your rabbits have been keeping an eye on them to make sure everything was ok - assume they were following same cleaning regime as yours.

Hope you get some help.

I wouldn't demand my money back for the sake of the money, I would do it on the principal that he wasn't helpful at all and I would have been insulted to have it assumed that it was down to neglect. Also I think it needs to be pointed out to the individual vet that unhelpful advise could be life or death to a well loved part of a family. As rabbits are being cared for to a much higher standard which includes seeking vet care when there was a time people wouldn't have, I think its important to complain when the standard of care is way below what is expected or needed or how will all these "un rabbit savvy" vets want to become more experienced in rabbit vet care?

I'm not concerned with asking for money back I'm just worried about my rabbit

My rabbits see the best vet on the island, but it's not always possible to get in with him, or my second or third choice, in emergency situations. They had no available appointments for today when I phoned up, somebody was willing to make time so I didn't have much choice but to see that person. Thanks for the link I will check that out now :wave:

My partner has been looking after them and they have def been kept clean, they are litter trained so like I said it's really easy to keep their room clean, their trays are emptied regularly and the floor is swept and spot cleaned every morning and evening. He isn't comfortable picking them up so won't have done that, and to be honest I didn't tell him he needed to actually look at their bums it's not happened to me before. I only noticed it this afternoon when I went and lay down in their room and saw her jump up from floor level, I didn't notice it at all this morning because her fur covers it and she seemed fine in herself. The last time he spent any time in there reading etc on the floor was a few days ago, which is what makes me think it's recent. Also it's not full on urine scold, I've looked at photos since I got home, and the vet did say that although it would have gone that way fast it's not developed into actual urine scold yet it's just a very slight irritation ATM. Just incase it sounds like they haven't been cleaned while I've been away, she def hasn't been like this for the last three weeks!

Same thing sort of happened to me- I had rabbits that sneezed and has small amounts of white snot- took them to two different Vets and since vets couldn't see the snot, because the rabbits did not sneeze while at the Vets, they said they couldn't treat it- so wasted $100 on two vet visits. The third time I sent a photo of the snot to the vet and she immediately wrote me a prescription of antibiotics after seeing the photo.

So, If you go back to the vet - i suggest taking a picture of your rabbit set up with you and show them how clean it is, so they can see it can't possibly be that your rabbit sat in urine and that you need to have tests done to determine if their is a urinary tract infection or possibly e. cuniculi.

Also, It would be ok to dose your rabbits with Pananacur for ec whether or not vet is involved. Many people dose with Panacur on a routine basis if they breed, have lots of rabbits or live on farms. Its a very safe wormer that also does mites and e.cuniculi.

I'm not taking photos in. It's a service I pay for, I like choose to go there and could easily use another practice, I'm 100% not being put in a position where I feel like I have to show anyone photo evidence that my rabbits home is clean!

I'm really ******* annoyed, I don't know why every time something's wrong it has to involve multiple trips just to establish what the issue is. What's the point in telling me to bring her back if it happens again when I've already got her there and why is the fact that it's happened once not enough. Vets are supposed to be educated people FFS, you would think even if they don't know what they are talking about with specific animals they would have enough common sense to realise that stressing an obviously sick rabbit out with more vet visits that should be required is not beneficial

No, i certainly wouldn't take photos in of your set-up - you have nothing to prove to them.

It sounds as though she is either leaking wee or that she is not able to adopt the 'correct' position to urinate so she is weeing on herself. The former could be due to bladder sludge, a UTI or as part of the clinical presentation of 'active' EC.

An inability to adopt the correct position to urinate can occur if the Rabbit has spinal/hip discomfort often due to the onset of osteoarthritis.

I would expect a Vet to work through all of the above possibilities, not just clear up the soiling and 'wait and see'. It must be so frustrating to have to do all the research yourself and then go back and forth to the Vet until he/she gets his/her act together :evil:

I would call the Vet and mention all of the above. I'd suggest to him/her that doing nothing is not an option you are happy with and that in the absence of his/her willingness to run any diagnostics you would like to give Scarlet a course of Baytril (to cover for any UTI), daily Metacam (to reduce any inflammation in the urinary tract and to address any possible arthritic pain and a 28 day course of Fenbendazole (Panacur/Lapizole) as a precaution in case there is an EC involvement.

I'd monitor her weight, so weigh her every couple of days. 3 consecutive losses should set alarm bells ringing, especially if she is still eating well. Also monitor her water consumption, food intake and poo output.

With the limitation of choice of Vets Island Living must involve it sounds as though you have a Bunny and have to hop yourself most of the time :?

Do keep a close check on Scarlet re Flystrike as whilst she is damp and sore she will be at an increased risk.

Sending vibes for her

I'm so angry and upset, I don't want to take this all out on her vet when I do manage to see him because I feel like every time I go there I'm bitching about something another vet at his practice has done, but it's really frustrating

And I'm going to struggle getting an appointment with him now anyways, I can't take any time off work the rest of this week

sillyrabbit said:

I'm so angry and upset, I don't want to take this all out on her vet when I do manage to see him because I feel like every time I go there I'm bitching about something another vet at his practice has done, but it's really frustrating

And I'm going to struggle getting an appointment with him now anyways, I can't take any time off work the rest of this week

Click to expand...

We may have cross posted ........................

Thanks Jane

It is really frustrating having to now wait to try and get in with someone else because it's going to depend entirely on if they are even working today. Her vets great, he is just hardly ever there as he splits his time between three surgeries and he is always booked up. I will definitely mention all of the above

Yeah I've shut her window and will definitely keep an eye out for fly strike. Hopefully I will get her back today and we can get this sorted asap, it must feel awful for her