• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

She smells !!

Claire

Young Bun
Help please!

We picked up a rescue bunny on Saturday, a female Dwarf Lop approx. 3 years old, that hasn't been neutered - We've called her Lucy. We are hoping to bond her with Ben (he's had the snip) So far there hasn't been any fighting so to speak, but it's not love at first sight.

As I've never had a female before I am a bit baffled, Lucy has quite a strong smell coming from her 'ladies bits' :oops: , she also leaves a smelly white discharge marks on my clothes when I cuddle her. Also, I think her private bits are enlarged, but never having a female before I'm not really sure how it should look!!! :cry: . I know it's not because Lucy and Ben have been 'busy', because my beloved Ben hasn't worked out which end he should be mounting !!! :lol: . Does this sound normal? if not any ideas? The earliest appointment I can get at the vets is Wednesday, but in the meantime I'm worrying myself stupid.

If this is not normal, should the rescue centre have allowed her to be re-homed???, should I call them up and say something or just leave it. It goes without saying that I love her to bits and I just want her to be happy and well.

As they haven't bonded yet we've housed them separately, but they're able to see each other.

Love
Claire x
 
Even if its counted as normal I am surprised they didn't mention it. Especially if its for indoor housing.
 
I have 3 neutered girls and 1 unneutered (pumpkin goes in tomorrow).

None of them have a strong smell or discharge and never have. I would be worried about that. you are right to ask the question.

Maybe Adele has seen something like this before? She seems to have seen just about everythig bunny related.
 
Holly Go-Lightly said:
Maybe Adele has seen something like this before? She seems to have seen just about everythig bunny related.
Yes Andrea and most things unbunny related too but that is another story :roll: :lol:

Without seeing the problem first hand I can only make an educated guess at best..it could be a Yeast infection such as thrush , an infection of the bladder or uterus, .if it is thick white discharge and grainy, then alternatively it could be bladder sludge...a build up of too much calcium in the diet either by overfeeding calcium rich dried rabbit food, or other items in the diet.
The trouble is, once this is established it is hard to sort out, and some bunnies require surgery to sluice/ clean out the grainy bits from inside the bladder.
If you are lucky , it can be treated by an extended course of antibiotics (as the presence of bladder sludge makes infection a high risk) and the exclusion of ALL DRIED rabbit food, Brocolli and any supplements.
The rabbit would need a hay only diet for months, if not for the rest of its life, as all the excess calcium needs to be expelled from the body.

We have several rabbits who arrived here with this exact same problem, and we got them back to full health, but they still cannot tolerate anything except a hay only diet, and need antibiotics every now and then, as they are prone to water works infections.

If it is a yeast problem this is easily treated with ointment, but the calcium could also be the problem from your description.

The rabbit needs Vet attention and assessing for what the state of play is. An X ray may be needed to determine whether it is just sludge or actual bladder stones, either way, the rabbit needs careful husbandry and care.

Hope this helps, and it may be something else entirely, but this is just my initial idea.

Best wishes
Adele
 
A smelly discharge could also be a womb infection if she isn't spayed.

As Adele say, I think a trip to the vet is needed. You could phone the rescue and explain and they may ask you to take her to their vet or take her to your own vet and tell the rescue what the results are.

I do think you should inform the rescue. It may be they need to review their policy and make sure a rabbit is checked over before being sent home.

Tam
 
I've just called the rescue centre to be told that they hadn't noticed the smell :? . They said it's more than likely just her wee that smells because of the stress of moving home :?:

I just wish I could get her to see the vets sooner :cry:

Claire
 
I have had a few rabbits with smelly 'pockets', these are little slits on either side of their genitals. One bunny had a yeast infection in hers which was easily cleared up with flamazine cream from the vet. I am surprised the Rescue didn't notice because 'bottom checks' are vital, thank goodness you spotted it so soon! Good luck at the vets. Alice
 
Any form of discharge needs to be looked at by a vet - it's for the best as it could be any number of things. Sometimes this can be the start of pyometra (sp) - a womb infection that needs treatment asap - usually a spay.

I hope that things go well at the vets but in the meantime please check her vets and just in case it is to do with calcium keep her off high calcium foods. Poor little mite, what a shame for her :( Here's hoping it's all sorted out soon and she can settle in properly in her new home :)
 
I would worry about a pyometra here aswell.

The only good thing is if she is leaving marks on your clothes then it is an open pyo and not quite as dangerous as a closed one.

Jay is right that she would need a spay and if that is the case it might aswell be done now before she has been bonded.
 
Lucy was as bright as a button last night, running round the kitchen chinning everything in sight ! Her appetite is good and she's drinking plenty of water.

I'm thinking it would be easier to get her spayed before I start the whole bonding process too. But I'm also keeping the bunny's apart until I know what's what at the vets.

God it's sooo stressful waiting ! :cry:
 
She Smells the results

I just thought I would let you know that Lucy was given the all clear from the Vets :D

They said she is a little over weight (which I already knew) because of this she may not be able to clean herself very well, therefore they have given me some shampoo, so I have to wash her everyday.

Poor Lucy isn't very keen on this, any ideas on how I can do this without giving her the shock of her life??

Claire
 
There was a post by luvabun I think it was about dry bathing. Its using cornstarch (corn flour). I used to bath my bun but in this weather you need to be careful of the temp and making sure they don't get to cold.

Glad its not turned out too serious.
 
Claire try putting a towel in the bath/sink to stop her sliding around and putting a small amount of water in to just reach her bottom. My rabbit doesnt like it either.. i had to do it quite a bit when he was young but not so much now. You could try the dry bathing stuff but i dunno if it would get rid of the smell so well?
 
I presume your vet doesn't mean bath her everyday? I can understand perhaps doing it once to get her clean to start with but rabbits are really washable. Wouldn't that remove the good oils that are meant to be in the coat?

If she gets dirty around her bum then its better to use a damp cloth or baby wipe to clean just that area :)

Tam
 
I will try a using a towel in the sink tonight :) . If she gets too stressed I'll try the dry bathing. I'm not sure if the cornstarch will get rid of the smell either, but anything is worth a try.

Thanks again everyone
 
Well I heard that (evil) fabreeze is actually a starch so maybe the idea behind corn starch is based on the same principle?
 
Back
Top