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Bun not cleaning himself

Smudge&Honey

Smudge&Honey

New Kit
My two year old mini lop seem to have stopped cleaning his bottom recently.
We were told by the vets a few months ago that he was a little over weight so he was having problems then, but as soon as we knew we reduced his pellets and he returned back to normal weight in no time.

I noticed over the weekend though that his bottom/tail was wet and quite matted (no poop though). I took him to the vets and they clipped his fur and cleaned him up. They said it could be a problem with his teeth as they had a few sharp spikes on them. He has unlimited hay and all they toys in the world to chew and knaw so I don't know how that's happend. But he seems absolutely fine in himself, eating drinking and acting as normal. The vet also mentioned it's quite easy for buns to hurt their back so that could be another possibility, but again I'm not convinced as he's moving around fine, jumping up on to the sofa, standing on his back legs to look around etc. The only thing I've noticed come to think of it is that he doesn't lie down stretched out anymore in superbun position. Just seems to stay in fat Buddha or sitting duck.

Anyway, they prescribed some pain relief for him and suggested we get his teeth sorted sooner rather than later before they do turn into a problem, which of course we will do. But second day on pain relief and his bottom is still a bit wet. I'm a major worrier with my buns, they're my babies and the slightest ailment sends me into panic. Has anyone had this problem before, or have any ideas as to what it could be? Is it possible he's just lazy?? Any help really appreciated!
 
Awww aren't they such a worry!

Someone will be along with advice soon I'm sure xxx
 
Smudge&Honey said:
My two year old mini lop seem to have stopped cleaning his bottom recently.
We were told by the vets a few months ago that he was a little over weight so he was having problems then, but as soon as we knew we reduced his pellets and he returned back to normal weight in no time.

I noticed over the weekend though that his bottom/tail was wet and quite matted (no poop though). I took him to the vets and they clipped his fur and cleaned him up. They said it could be a problem with his teeth as they had a few sharp spikes on them. He has unlimited hay and all they toys in the world to chew and knaw so I don't know how that's happend. But he seems absolutely fine in himself, eating drinking and acting as normal. The vet also mentioned it's quite easy for buns to hurt their back so that could be another possibility, but again I'm not convinced as he's moving around fine, jumping up on to the sofa, standing on his back legs to look around etc. The only thing I've noticed come to think of it is that he doesn't lie down stretched out anymore in superbun position. Just seems to stay in fat Buddha or sitting duck.

Anyway, they prescribed some pain relief for him and suggested we get his teeth sorted sooner rather than later before they do turn into a problem, which of course we will do. But second day on pain relief and his bottom is still a bit wet. I'm a major worrier with my buns, they're my babies and the slightest ailment sends me into panic. Has anyone had this problem before, or have any ideas as to what it could be? Is it possible he's just lazy?? Any help really appreciated!
Click to expand...

No I don't believe rabbits are inherently lazy! They are usually scrupulously clean.

I would suspect his teeth need a look. If your vet isn't confident to look at the teeth and do a dental without a general anaesthetic, then prepare yourself for him to have a sedation.

Vets by their own admission can only see about 60% inside a rabbit's mouth, if they don't do 'conscious dentals', so they won't get a good picture until they've put him under.

Whilst he's at the vet, they could also take a sample of urine to check for bacterial infection. This would be easily treated! Daily pain relief is fine in the short term, but because of the risks to the kidneys of long term Metacam, I doubt a vet would advise it.

Good luck! and welcome to RU :wave:
 
Two of my four have had dirty bots and I thought it was the beginning of the end. But, I cleaned them, trimmed off a lot of the hair in the area, and they took to caring for themselves properly again. So, things can improve.
 
Smudge&Honey said:
My two year old mini lop seem to have stopped cleaning his bottom recently.
We were told by the vets a few months ago that he was a little over weight so he was having problems then, but as soon as we knew we reduced his pellets and he returned back to normal weight in no time.

I noticed over the weekend though that his bottom/tail was wet and quite matted (no poop though). I took him to the vets and they clipped his fur and cleaned him up. They said it could be a problem with his teeth as they had a few sharp spikes on them. He has unlimited hay and all they toys in the world to chew and knaw so I don't know how that's happend. But he seems absolutely fine in himself, eating drinking and acting as normal. The vet also mentioned it's quite easy for buns to hurt their back so that could be another possibility, but again I'm not convinced as he's moving around fine, jumping up on to the sofa, standing on his back legs to look around etc. The only thing I've noticed come to think of it is that he doesn't lie down stretched out anymore in superbun position. Just seems to stay in fat Buddha or sitting duck.

Anyway, they prescribed some pain relief for him and suggested we get his teeth sorted sooner rather than later before they do turn into a problem, which of course we will do. But second day on pain relief and his bottom is still a bit wet. I'm a major worrier with my buns, they're my babies and the slightest ailment sends me into panic. Has anyone had this problem before, or have any ideas as to what it could be? Is it possible he's just lazy?? Any help really appreciated!
Click to expand...

Did the Vet palpate your Rabbit's abdomen and check that his bladder was not tender ? If he is leaking urine, which I assume you mean as you say his wetness is not poo, then this may be due to a urinary tract infection or possibly 'bladder sludge'.

Dental problems can certainly cause a Rabbit to be less efficient at grooming and it sounds as though your Vet feels that Dental problems are highly likely given what has already been seen. So I would do as the Vet suggested and get your Rabbit's dental issues sorted out very soon. It is always better to do that before the Rabbit actually stops eating altogether.

Hope all goes well xx
 
Thank you all for your wisdom 😊 I'll book him in to have his teeth done this week. While he was at the vets he was poked and prodded all over but there was no mention of the possibility of a UTI. I'll make sure this is checked when I take him in this week. He's still acting his normal self though so I'm trying not to have a panic attack 😄 x
 
Smudge&Honey said:
Thank you all for your wisdom 😊 I'll book him in to have his teeth done this week. While he was at the vets he was poked and prodded all over but there was no mention of the possibility of a UTI. I'll make sure this is checked when I take him in this week. He's still acting his normal self though so I'm trying not to have a panic attack 😄 x
Click to expand...

Ah you're welcome :thumb:

It's often very difficult to diagnose any problems with the bladder until they've done a sample. The vet should be able to see whether there's bladder sludge, but you'll need it cultured for a definitive answer to the bacteria question.

Good luck when you go!
 
Smudge&Honey said:
Thank you all for your wisdom �� I'll book him in to have his teeth done this week. While he was at the vets he was poked and prodded all over but there was no mention of the possibility of a UTI. I'll make sure this is checked when I take him in this week. He's still acting his normal self though so I'm trying not to have a panic attack �� x
Click to expand...

I hope all goes well with the Dental. A skilled Vet can usually detect bladder tenderness on palpating it- you can feel it sort of 'tense up' and you can also detect abnormal thickening of the bladder wall. It sounds as though your Vet detected neither. Hopefully your Rabbit will soon be back to his normal self xx
 
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