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matted bottom - is it a problem?

C

cazba99

Young Bun
Hi guys
A few weeks ago DeeDee had diarrhea and we had to wash her bottom. Hubby held her over a bowl (and got bitten for his trouble) whilst I sponged her nether regions with a wet cloth. The water ran brown and so job done. last night hubby said he thought we had better check her out as he had spotted a piece of cardboard stuck to her bottom. He picked her up as before and I tried to look but she kept kicking. I used the cloth as before but nothing seemed to come away. The fur felt weird - almost matted but wetting her didn't seem to help. We stopped very quickly as hubby said her heart was beating so fast he thought she might have a heart attack. Is it normal to have matted fur around a rabbit's bottom? There is no way we would be able to shave it, but is it something that could wait until her vet check in October? If there's no poo stuck to it, is it a problem? Thanks folks
 
Matted fur causes pain as it pulls at the skins surface. She'd be open to skin irritation, infection and potentially flystrike if the matt is wet. She also be open to urine scalding as the fur won't be able to protect the skin.

If you're unable to do it yourself, I'd call the vets and see if the nurses could do it for you. She doesn't nesicarrily need to see a vet for this.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
 
daphnephoebe said:
Matted fur causes pain as it pulls at the skins surface. She'd be open to skin irritation, infection and potentially flystrike if the matt is wet. She also be open to urine scalding as the fur won't be able to protect the skin.

If you're unable to do it yourself, I'd call the vets and see if the nurses could do it for you. She doesn't nesicarrily need to see a vet for this.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...



Thanks. I'm glad I asked. Will try and get a better look/feel. I'm off on Friday so will try and get her in then.
 
cazba99 said:
Thanks. I'm glad I asked. Will try and get a better look/feel. I'm off on Friday so will try and get her in then.
Click to expand...

In the meantime could your hubby help you try to have another good check of DeeDee's under-carriage. It's just that if she does have a mat of fur/poo stuck by Friday things are likely to be a whole lot worse. As daphnephoebe says, Flystrike can rapidly occur, so I'd take additional precautions for preventing flies getting into DeeDee's environment. This would include covering her hutch/run with fly netting, using fly-trap-strips/electronic fly zappers. Citronella Oil can also deter flies.

There is some detailed information about Flystrike and it's prevention here :

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/flystrike_sep_05.pdf
 
Jack's-Jane said:
In the meantime could your hubby help you try to have another good check of DeeDee's under-carriage. It's just that if she does have a mat of fur/poo stuck by Friday things are likely to be a whole lot worse. As daphnephoebe says, Flystrike can rapidly occur, so I'd take additional precautions for preventing flies getting into DeeDee's environment. This would include covering her hutch/run with fly netting, using fly-trap-strips/electronic fly zappers. Citronella Oil can also deter flies.

There is some detailed information about Flystrike and it's prevention here :

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/flystrike_sep_05.pdf
Click to expand...

Yep I'm planning to have a better look/feel tonight. There's no poo there, it's just that the fur feels somewhat matted.
 
daphnephoebe said:
Matted fur causes pain as it pulls at the skins surface. She'd be open to skin irritation, infection and potentially flystrike if the matt is wet. She also be open to urine scalding as the fur won't be able to protect the skin.

If you're unable to do it yourself, I'd call the vets and see if the nurses could do it for you. She doesn't nesicarrily need to see a vet for this.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

DP makes an important point, in addition to the risks of flystrike :D
 
We had another look/feel last night and it doesn't feel too bad, just a little bit matted but she's clean there. It was very difficult to see properly though as she kicks and bites all the time, and we get scared that she will have a heart attack or the stress will stop her eating. Preventatively speaking, all the doors and windows to their room have been kept closed so no flies can get in, (but the room is not too hot as we have had the blinds down). She's going to the vets tomorrow (after work) so hopefully they can give us further advice. She doesn't fight the vet the way she does with us so hopefully if anything needs shaving they will do it for us. Thanks for your helpful comments.
 
cazba99 said:
We had another look/feel last night and it doesn't feel too bad, just a little bit matted but she's clean there. It was very difficult to see properly though as she kicks and bites all the time, and we get scared that she will have a heart attack or the stress will stop her eating. Preventatively speaking, all the doors and windows to their room have been kept closed so no flies can get in, (but the room is not too hot as we have had the blinds down). She's going to the vets tomorrow (after work) so hopefully they can give us further advice. She doesn't fight the vet the way she does with us so hopefully if anything needs shaving they will do it for us. Thanks for your helpful comments.
Click to expand...


As time goes by you'll be able to do the 'firm but fair' grasp of a rabbit. They don't struggle when I hold them now, though I think it takes a fair bit of practice, concentration and confidence :D
 
cazba99 said:
We had another look/feel last night and it doesn't feel too bad, just a little bit matted but she's clean there. It was very difficult to see properly though as she kicks and bites all the time, and we get scared that she will have a heart attack or the stress will stop her eating. Preventatively speaking, all the doors and windows to their room have been kept closed so no flies can get in, (but the room is not too hot as we have had the blinds down). She's going to the vets tomorrow (after work) so hopefully they can give us further advice. She doesn't fight the vet the way she does with us so hopefully if anything needs shaving they will do it for us. Thanks for your helpful comments.
Click to expand...

Glad you managed to get a slightly better check of her under-carriage, despite her protests. I hope that the Vet can shave off any mats if necessary. Maybe you could invest in one of those inspection mirrors on a stick that car mechanics sometimes use to examine underneath a car !! Stressy struggly Rabbits can be hard to help at times, but you are doing all you can for DeeDee x
 
cazba99 said:
We had another look/feel last night and it doesn't feel too bad, just a little bit matted but she's clean there. It was very difficult to see properly though as she kicks and bites all the time, and we get scared that she will have a heart attack or the stress will stop her eating. Preventatively speaking, all the doors and windows to their room have been kept closed so no flies can get in, (but the room is not too hot as we have had the blinds down). She's going to the vets tomorrow (after work) so hopefully they can give us further advice. She doesn't fight the vet the way she does with us so hopefully if anything needs shaving they will do it for us. Thanks for your helpful comments.
Click to expand...



The other thing I meant to add was that curved scissors are really useful for clipping off a bit of fur. I use electric clippers on my rabbits if I need to, but curved scissors are really useful :D
 
MightyMax said:
As time goes by you'll be able to do the 'firm but fair' grasp of a rabbit. They don't struggle when I hold them now, though I think it takes a fair bit of practice, concentration and confidence :D
Click to expand...

Yes I think the confidence is a big thing. She knows she has the upper hand with us. And if the kicking and biting doesn't work - then she has her ultimate weapon - the water cannon. A well aimed jet of urine in the face while you're exploring her nethers tends to make one nervous!!!:D
 
cazba99 said:
Yes I think the confidence is a big thing. She knows she has the upper hand with us. And if the kicking and biting doesn't work - then she has her ultimate weapon - the water cannon. A well aimed jet of urine in the face while you're exploring her nethers tends to make one nervous!!!:D
Click to expand...


Yes, well you do have to be pack leader :lol:

A jet of urine? Clever girl! Or did you press on her bladder by mistake :lol:
 
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