Full house
New Kit
My elderly bunny Robin has somehow managed to pull through a variety of serious health issues and is determined to spend more time on this earth. He's the most astonishing rabbit I have ever known.
He has arthritis in his spine and his rear right hip joint is crunchy, which have knocked him off that leg. Consequently, he ends up lying in his wee and poo. I don't know for certain if he has incontinance - as in a vet hasn't diagnosed it, but he will wee when I pick him up and didn't used to, so believe he may be.
I've been washing this area with water containing hibiscrub and he finds the experience very upsetting. He won't tolerate a hairdryer, but the bunnies room (he has his friend, Alice)is the sunniest, so once I've dried him carefully as much as I can, I've put him on a towel, on vet bed and he's dried reasonably quickly.
Robin's determination means he drags himself around reasonably successfully, requiring an intervention only when he gets himself stuck next to a wall, which happens quite often, night and day. I have been sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the bunnies's room for around 3 weeks now and am a now a zombie with under eye bags to my knees and as Alice thinks beds are loos, I probably don't smell great either. I'm in there virtually 24/7 and whilst I'm not one to enthuse about myself, let no-one say I'm not devoted!
I have reduced the area, but Alice is a ****** for digging up vet bed and occasionally I will discover Robin on the floor. I don't know if vet bed makes him a bit hot in warmer weather?
I washed him just now and he's really losing his fur in the area he lies on. Whilst this is good in that he won't be lying with wet fur, I know how fragile skin is and am obviously concerned about urine scald, but also if dragging himself around will hurt it too. I applied sudacreme to all the bald bits. He can't access that part to wash and Alice has become very unattentive since he's been poorly.
My questions are:
Should I try expressing his bladder to try to reduce the amount of wee he lies in? It sounds rather risky if done wrong. I will be careful if it is something I need to do. If I should do it, how frequently should I?
Is there anything else I can do to protect this skin?
Should I reduce his area so he doesn't move much? I think he'd be sad if he was stuck in once place, as he is a very determined chap, but needs must.
Is there anything else I need to know?
Thank you in advance. x
He has arthritis in his spine and his rear right hip joint is crunchy, which have knocked him off that leg. Consequently, he ends up lying in his wee and poo. I don't know for certain if he has incontinance - as in a vet hasn't diagnosed it, but he will wee when I pick him up and didn't used to, so believe he may be.
I've been washing this area with water containing hibiscrub and he finds the experience very upsetting. He won't tolerate a hairdryer, but the bunnies room (he has his friend, Alice)is the sunniest, so once I've dried him carefully as much as I can, I've put him on a towel, on vet bed and he's dried reasonably quickly.
Robin's determination means he drags himself around reasonably successfully, requiring an intervention only when he gets himself stuck next to a wall, which happens quite often, night and day. I have been sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the bunnies's room for around 3 weeks now and am a now a zombie with under eye bags to my knees and as Alice thinks beds are loos, I probably don't smell great either. I'm in there virtually 24/7 and whilst I'm not one to enthuse about myself, let no-one say I'm not devoted!
I have reduced the area, but Alice is a ****** for digging up vet bed and occasionally I will discover Robin on the floor. I don't know if vet bed makes him a bit hot in warmer weather?
I washed him just now and he's really losing his fur in the area he lies on. Whilst this is good in that he won't be lying with wet fur, I know how fragile skin is and am obviously concerned about urine scald, but also if dragging himself around will hurt it too. I applied sudacreme to all the bald bits. He can't access that part to wash and Alice has become very unattentive since he's been poorly.
My questions are:
Should I try expressing his bladder to try to reduce the amount of wee he lies in? It sounds rather risky if done wrong. I will be careful if it is something I need to do. If I should do it, how frequently should I?
Is there anything else I can do to protect this skin?
Should I reduce his area so he doesn't move much? I think he'd be sad if he was stuck in once place, as he is a very determined chap, but needs must.
Is there anything else I need to know?
Thank you in advance. x