Rabbit sitting in litter tray/getting wee on her feet - PLEASE HELP

Hi All,

I am an old member of RU but have registered as a new user due to a loss of all my personal details. I am also unable to post photos at present as I can't access photobucket at work.

I need some advise, I have an 8 month old conti cross who we rescued in January this year.

Ever since we have bonded he she has managed to get her feet and bum covered in wee ALL the time. I took her to the vets and they couldn't find anything wrong and said not to worry and gave me some stuff to give her a bum bath. However its getting worse. We have 2 large litter trays between 4 of them and they are changed EVERY evening and replaced with new rabbit friendly wood pellets. However she its in the trays and seems to wee all over her feet. We can bum bath but the effects last a day or so. I am so concerned as she is very suseptable to urine scald and the fur on her feet is patchy and doesn't re-grow.

Can anyone help? Please. We are so worried about her welfare and want to get her back to health and look like a bunny should.

I would look at getting a second opinion from another vet. Could she have a deformed/damaged bottom so her "angle" is off? Has she been tested for incontinence related problems such as a urinary tract infection? Has she been spayed?

As she's a giant, it may also be worth asking them to check her spine and hips for any deformities or damage, if she's painful she may not be able to reach properly to clean up herself or may simply find it uncomfortable to move around.

Does she have lots of space to get away from the litter tray and move around? What kind of tray is it? If it has a large lip all the way round, may be worth looking for an easier access one such as a large plastic dog bed or a potting tray.

catxx said:

I would look at getting a second opinion from another vet. Could she have a deformed/damaged bottom so her "angle" is off? Has she been tested for incontinence related problems such as a urinary tract infection? Has she been spayed?

As she's a giant, it may also be worth asking them to check her spine and hips for any deformities or damage, if she's painful she may not be able to reach properly to clean up herself or may simply find it uncomfortable to move around.

Does she have lots of space to get away from the litter tray and move around? What kind of tray is it? If it has a large lip all the way round, may be worth looking for an easier access one such as a large plastic dog bed or a potting tray.

Click to expand...

Thank you VERY much for replying. She is her normal bouncy and loving self with no change in behaviour at all. I did think urinary tract and asked this when I went last but to no avail. She is spayed as was as soon as we got her so since around January.

She shows no sign of pain, I know bunnies don't tend to 'show' pain but there is no change in her behaviour and she still sppeds around the place. She has plenty of room to escape the trays and we have 2 sorts. 1 is a corner tray and the other is a large cat try with lip. She has no rpblem getting in and out and spends most of her time in there.

ALittleWhiteBunny said:

Thank you VERY much for replying. She is her normal bouncy and loving self with no change in behaviour at all. I did think urinary tract and asked this when I went last but to no avail. She is spayed as was as soon as we got her so since around January.

She shows no sign of pain, I know bunnies don't tend to 'show' pain but there is no change in her behaviour and she still sppeds around the place. She has plenty of room to escape the trays and we have 2 sorts. 1 is a corner tray and the other is a large cat try with lip. She has no rpblem getting in and out and spends most of her time in there.

Click to expand...

Hmm. Maybe try larger trays so there's shuffling about room. Do you just have the pellets in the tray? If so, stick a thick bed of hay on top of it so the pee will drip through and she won't be standing directly on the litter.

Make sure there's lots of entertainment outside the tray so she has more to do than sit in there!

I would have a chat with another bunny savvy vet though. I would suspect something more serious than just sitting in pee is going on here.

catxx said:

Hmm. Maybe try larger trays so there's shuffling about room. Do you just have the pellets in the tray? If so, stick a thick bed of hay on top of it so the pee will drip through and she won't be standing directly on the litter.

Make sure there's lots of entertainment outside the tray so she has more to do than sit in there!

I would have a chat with another bunny savvy vet though. I would suspect something more serious than just sitting in pee is going on here.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much for the advice and we are going to get her seen asap again and insist furhter tests are done. She is insured so we will do everything we can. I hate seeing her like that. I will give the ideas a go for now also, just to ease things.

Maybe try a different litter. I haven't used wood pellet litter myself but I've found both megasorb and carefresh both really absorbant. Like I say, I don't know if they're more absorbent than the wood pellet litter or not but might be worth a try. Maybe someone else can advise on which is most absorbant? A nice thick layer of hay on top should also help.

How did the vet rule out urinary infection? Did he get a sample and test it? I wonder if she could have bladder sludge?
Here's a video that explains about bladder sludge in case that helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiwPqQlvEPI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_9PtTP3PPY

Otherwise you could get litter boxes with grills over top.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88fGDew6Fi8/UVX4oRQVp8I/AAAAAAAAB4s/lEFZ0LSiOZg/s1600/pan.jpg

E.C can cause incontinence. This might not show any other symptoms and would not hurt your bun. Kidney problems could also be something to think about.

Being covered in pee is certainly not normal and I would want further tests done by your vet. A pee and blood sample should be taken and perhaps treatment for E.C just in case would be a good idea.

If she's wee-ing on the top of her feet that definitely implies there is a medical/physical issue rather than just the litter tray not absorbing. I think a bit more investigation is probably the only way you'll get to the bottom of it, no pun intended.

In the meantime, having her shaved will make cleaning easier as then you can wipe her over with baby wipes several times per day rather than bum baths and after cleaning is you apply a thin layer of vaseline that will act as a barrier against urine scold.