Urine scald

[cara]

Thought I would start a new thread specifically re urine scald (re. my thread Excessive peeing).

Aside from the ongoing efforts to get to the bottom of Teddy's pee problem, I am beginning to feel overwhelmed trying to keep on top of the damage of urine scald which I feel is running away from me. It is caused by bladder sludge, which just washes over his bottom each time he pees.

My instinct is to rinse it off, perhaps once a day, trying to minimise any wet areas in the process. But it is proving impossible to thoroughly dry him each time. Twice a day, I am applying Flamazine. I feel he is just a soggy mess and his fur is just falling out. I am not convinced he is ever properly dry. At the suggestion of the vets, I am not using a hairdryer as he is sore, but patting dry with cloths.

He has been clipped at the vets, but they were very wary of taking off too much, as he is sore and they did not want to injure him.

I am changing his litter tray at least 3 times a day and covering up soiled hay in the meantime.

My husband is very capable and an excellent support but I can see the demand of it all is proving challenging to his patience which in turn, wears me down.

Teddy, generally and despite it all, is a very happy bunny Although, the worry is that the manhandling is also stressing him out and making him wary of my approaches.

Teddy is having his kidneys x-rayed on Monday. He looks a dreadful mess underneath ... pathetically fleshy...

Any tips, hints, shared experience very welcome. Thanks for listening

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thought I would start a new thread specifically re urine scald (re. my thread Excessive peeing).

Aside from the ongoing efforts to get to the bottom of Teddy's pee problem, I am beginning to feel overwhelmed trying to keep on top of the damage of urine scald which I feel is running away from me. It is caused by bladder sludge, which just washes over his bottom each time he pees.

My instinct is to rinse it off, perhaps once a day, trying to minimise any wet areas in the process. But it is proving impossible to thoroughly dry him each time. Twice a day, I am applying Flamazine. I feel he is just a soggy mess and his fur is just falling out. I am not convinced he is ever properly dry. At the suggestion of the vets, I am not using a hairdryer as he is sore, but patting dry with cloths.

He has been clipped at the vets, but they were very wary of taking off too much, as he is sore and they did not want to injure him.

I am changing his litter tray at least 3 times a day and covering up soiled hay in the meantime.

My husband is very capable and an excellent support but I can see the demand of it all is proving challenging to his patience which in turn, wears me down.

Teddy, generally and despite it all, is a very happy bunny Although, the worry is that the manhandling is also stressing him out and making him wary of my approaches.

Teddy is having his kidneys x-rayed on Monday. He looks a dreadful mess underneath ... pathetically fleshy...

Any tips, hints, shared experience very welcome. Thanks for listening

I would ask the Vet if they can attempt to clip off as much fur as possible whilst Teddy is under GA on Monday. Doing under GA will make it less likely that an accidental injury to his skin occurs. It can be near on impossible to keep a urinary incontinent Rabbit clean and dry if they have a lot of fur around their rear end.

If Teddy is found to have a lot of sludge in his bladder hopefully the Vet will be able to flush it all out. This may then mean that Teddy will not leak so much or get so messy.

Is Teddy an indoor Rabbit ?

 

[cara]

I would ask the Vet if they can attempt to clip off as much fur as possible whilst Teddy is under GA on Monday. Doing under GA will make it less likely that an accidental injury to his skin occurs. It can be near on impossible to keep a urinary incontinent Rabbit clean and dry if they have a lot of fur around their rear end.

If Teddy is found to have a lot of sludge in his bladder hopefully the Vet will be able to flush it all out. This may then mean that Teddy will not leak so much or get so messy.

Is Teddy an indoor Rabbit ?

What a good idea

The only thing is that they are going to try without a GA, which in some ways would be preferable as cheaper @ £60 and an extra £70 if a GA is needed. However, if they do spot something, it almost seems preferable to have him sedated so that they can do anything necessary? What do you think?

Teddy is an outdoor rabbit. Usually access to the garden, but a base of a kennel/run. At the moment he is confined to base. It is very mild here at the moment, fortunately. To some extent, he is used to being a little damp at times as he is in and out his base at will (daylight hours) in all weathers.

Should I be rinseing him, or is there a better way to manage the sludgely pee?

I feel between a rock and a hard place as to which is better.

 

[cpayne]

Doughnut was wet for months while I tried to find out what was wrong with her. I got her shaved really close as she smelt too. I wish I had got her shaved sooner as she returned with lots of little nicks which looked sore. This was where the wet fur was pulling at her skin so the less fur the better.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

What a good idea

The only thing is that they are going to try without a GA, which in some ways would be preferable as cheaper @ £60 and an extra £70 if a GA is needed. However, if they do spot something, it almost seems preferable to have him sedated so that they can do anything necessary? What do you think?

Teddy is an outdoor rabbit. Usually access to the garden, but a base of a kennel/run. At the moment he is confined to base. It is very mild here at the moment, fortunately. To some extent, he is used to being a little damp at times as he is in and out his base at will (daylight hours) in all weathers.

Should I be rinseing him, or is there a better way to manage the sludgely pee?

I feel between a rock and a hard place as to which is better.

Is Teddy likely to be compliant to having an Xray without sedation ? If he needed his bladder flushed it would definitely require a GA. That would then mean he could be more safely clipped too.

I am not in a position to tell you what you should do, but I would not want to house an incontinent Rabbit outside. Chilling is one risk and flystrike another in the warmer weather. Of course indoor Rabbits can become victims of flystrike, but it is easier to monitor their environment and instead of litter bedding towels/vetbed can be used. These can be changed several times a day. I expect there will be people who will say that they have kept incontinent Rabbits outside with no adverse effects. It is just my opinion that I would not do it.

It is necessary to bathe off the sludge as it will dry hard and aggravate sore skin even more. It will also make any fur horribly knotted. Secondary bacterial dermatitis can then set in. I agree with the Vet in that using a hair dryer on very sore skin is not a good idea. But of course this means that Bunny is never fully dry. Hence why I would want to keep them indoors.

I do hope that the Vet can do something to help Teddy feel more comfortable. I am sure it is very stressful for you to see him so wet and sore all the time. You are obviously doing all you can to try to help him xx

 

[MightyMax]

Thought I would start a new thread specifically re urine scald (re. my thread Excessive peeing).

Aside from the ongoing efforts to get to the bottom of Teddy's pee problem, I am beginning to feel overwhelmed trying to keep on top of the damage of urine scald which I feel is running away from me. It is caused by bladder sludge, which just washes over his bottom each time he pees.

My instinct is to rinse it off, perhaps once a day, trying to minimise any wet areas in the process. But it is proving impossible to thoroughly dry him each time. Twice a day, I am applying Flamazine. I feel he is just a soggy mess and his fur is just falling out. I am not convinced he is ever properly dry. At the suggestion of the vets, I am not using a hairdryer as he is sore, but patting dry with cloths.

He has been clipped at the vets, but they were very wary of taking off too much, as he is sore and they did not want to injure him.

I am changing his litter tray at least 3 times a day and covering up soiled hay in the meantime.

My husband is very capable and an excellent support but I can see the demand of it all is proving challenging to his patience which in turn, wears me down.

Teddy, generally and despite it all, is a very happy bunny Although, the worry is that the manhandling is also stressing him out and making him wary of my approaches.

Teddy is having his kidneys x-rayed on Monday. He looks a dreadful mess underneath ... pathetically fleshy...

Any tips, hints, shared experience very welcome. Thanks for listening

Sorry to hear about Teddy and his problems.

What I've done with rescue buns in the same position as Teddy's is clip the fur very close to the skin. I have clippers here at home, so I can do it myself - two pairs of hands if the bunny is wriggly.

A hairdryer on a very low setting is fine - my vet suggested using that, but you should go with what you think is best. Patting with cloths will not dry anything but shaven skin, and moisture would be held against the skin by the fur.


Is the flamazine not helping to heal the skin? I use a cream that works within 12 hours on sore skin, and forms a good barrier

 

[cara]

Dashing out .. so will read through properly later but, I spoke to the rescue from where he came from and they reminded me that they use Hibiscrub (sp), which I continued to use on him when I took him on to treat a very small patch. What do you think of using Hibiscrub - along with a cream of course.

MightyMax, are you talking about the cream you messaged me about?

Must dash ....

 

[MightyMax]

Dashing out .. so will read through properly later but, I spoke to the rescue from where he came from and they reminded me that they use Hibiscrub (sp), which I continued to use on him when I took him on to treat a very small patch. What do you think of using Hibiscrub - along with a cream of course.

MightyMax, are you talking about the cream you messaged me about?

Must dash ....

No I use something different.

 

[*lily*]

I had this with Tilly, my Guinea Pig. I used to wash her several times a day, dry her thoroughly with the hairdryer and apply Bepanthan to her rear end. It's a barrier cream which stopped her getting urine scald.

 

[cara]

Sorry to hear about Teddy and his problems.

What I've done with rescue buns in the same position as Teddy's is clip the fur very close to the skin. I have clippers here at home, so I can do it myself - two pairs of hands if the bunny is wriggly.

A hairdryer on a very low setting is fine - my vet suggested using that, but you should go with what you think is best. Patting with cloths will not dry anything but shaven skin, and moisture would be held against the skin by the fur.

Is the flamazine not helping to heal the skin? I use a cream that works within 12 hours on sore skin, and forms a good barrier

Do you special animal clippers or regular clippers? I am not sure if the Flamazine is healing yet. It is difficult to tell if I am seeing perfectly healthy flesh or sore flesh - is sore flesh obvious? Such a daft and stupid question

 

[cara]

Is Teddy likely to be compliant to having an Xray without sedation ? If he needed his bladder flushed it would definitely require a GA. That would then mean he could be more safely clipped too.

I am not in a position to tell you what you should do, but I would not want to house an incontinent Rabbit outside. Chilling is one risk and flystrike another in the warmer weather. Of course indoor Rabbits can become victims of flystrike, but it is easier to monitor their environment and instead of litter bedding towels/vetbed can be used. These can be changed several times a day. I expect there will be people who will say that they have kept incontinent Rabbits outside with no adverse effects. It is just my opinion that I would not do it.

It is necessary to bathe off the sludge as it will dry hard and aggravate sore skin even more. It will also make any fur horribly knotted. Secondary bacterial dermatitis can then set in. I agree with the Vet in that using a hair dryer on very sore skin is not a good idea. But of course this means that Bunny is never fully dry. Hence why I would want to keep them indoors.

I do hope that the Vet can do something to help Teddy feel more comfortable. I am sure it is very stressful for you to see him so wet and sore all the time. You are obviously doing all you can to try to help him xx

Well, I hate to do this, as I feel I am taking more and more of Teddy's normality away - as he is an outside, and garden bunny but I have set up a small area in the conservatory.

I don't really have a suitable setup, so it is very much makeshift and small Just a small run with a litter tray. He will hate me for it!!! But, I did feel very anxious when thinking about fly strike, so it is the right thing to do. I don't have alternative to hay for litter at the moment, but am keeping a very close eye on it.

I am not sure how compliant Teddy will be - he is fairly, although not guaranteed, still and placid.

Thank you for all the replies here :wave:

 

[MightyMax]

Do you special animal clippers or regular clippers? I am not sure if the Flamazine is healing yet. It is difficult to tell if I am seeing perfectly healthy flesh or sore flesh - is sore flesh obvious? Such a daft and stupid question

I have a pair of professional clippers that would be used by the vet. I have them because of my work with Rescue Centres (they provided them for me), and it's easier for me to demat rabbits than taking them into the Centre to see the vet.

Sore skin will look red, angry and inflamed. It could be broken in places, or weeping.

It's not a daft question Cara - we are all learning as we go along. I know I am

 

[MightyMax]

I had this with Tilly, my Guinea Pig. I used to wash her several times a day, dry her thoroughly with the hairdryer and apply Bepanthan to her rear end. It's a barrier cream which stopped her getting urine scald.

I have to say I agree with you, this is the only way to get a bunny thoroughly dry!

 

[Rabbitches]

Could you use a pillow or small duvet cover and make a 'drying tent' type thing that you place over the end you want dry and make a hole for the hairdryer on a low setting? So the area around him is warm but it's not direct heat so not uncomfortable on sore skin? We did this with a wet bunny at the vets I work at, but we used a folded towel.

 

[SarahP]

I had this with Tilly, my Guinea Pig. I used to wash her several times a day, dry her thoroughly with the hairdryer and apply Bepanthan to her rear end. It's a barrier cream which stopped her getting urine scald.

I did the same with Cassie the guinea pig.

 

[cara]

Teddy's x-ray shows nothing untoward

So far we have done, Urine investigation, Bloods and x-ray at a cost nearing £400 (am not telling husband) and, happily, eliminated certain things but not pinpointed what the problem is. No stones, some sludge which the vet didn't think warranted flushing at this point in time and nothing to indicate deterioration of nerves (something like that).

Next step is all the history, x-rays, blood and urine results are to be forwarded to Molly (at Rutland) for another opinion.

My vet is perplexed at the waxing and waning of the problem. She is mulling over EC once again and will discuss this with Molly. Could another course of Panacur be useful. Could he be having flare ups of EC ...

Meanwhile, we are getting on top of the urine scald apparently .. YAY!! And thanks to a great suggestion to Jack's-Jane, I ask the vet to further clip Teddy's fur. It is better, but she did find it particularly difficult around his tail, an area especially affected by urine scald.

So, at the moment, I am feeling poorer but very blessed that nothing seriously untoward has been upturned thus far, although potentially, Teddy still has a problem.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Teddy's x-ray shows nothing untoward

So far we have done, Urine investigation, Bloods and x-ray at a cost nearing £400 (am not telling husband) and, happily, eliminated certain things but not pinpointed what the problem is. No stones, some sludge which the vet didn't think warranted flushing at this point in time and nothing to indicate deterioration of nerves (something like that).

Next step is all the history, x-rays, blood and urine results are to be forwarded to Molly (at Rutland) for another opinion.

My vet is perplexed at the waxing and waning of the problem. She is mulling over EC once again and will discuss this with Molly. Could another course of Panacur be useful. Could he be having flare ups of EC ...

Meanwhile, we are getting on top of the urine scald apparently .. YAY!! And thanks to a great suggestion to Jack's-Jane, I ask the vet to further clip Teddy's fur. It is better, but she did find it particularly difficult around his tail, an area especially affected by urine scald.

So, at the moment, I am feeling poorer but very blessed that nothing seriously untoward has been upturned thus far, although potentially, Teddy still has a problem.

I replied on the other thread

 

[MightyMax]

Teddy's x-ray shows nothing untoward

So far we have done, Urine investigation, Bloods and x-ray at a cost nearing £400 (am not telling husband) and, happily, eliminated certain things but not pinpointed what the problem is. No stones, some sludge which the vet didn't think warranted flushing at this point in time and nothing to indicate deterioration of nerves (something like that).

Next step is all the history, x-rays, blood and urine results are to be forwarded to Molly (at Rutland) for another opinion.

My vet is perplexed at the waxing and waning of the problem. She is mulling over EC once again and will discuss this with Molly. Could another course of Panacur be useful. Could he be having flare ups of EC ...

Meanwhile, we are getting on top of the urine scald apparently .. YAY!! And thanks to a great suggestion to Jack's-Jane, I ask the vet to further clip Teddy's fur. It is better, but she did find it particularly difficult around his tail, an area especially affected by urine scald.

So, at the moment, I am feeling poorer but very blessed that nothing seriously untoward has been upturned thus far, although potentially, Teddy still has a problem.

Best vibes for Teddy

 

[cpayne]

Good news. Less fur is definitely the way to go. I cried when I saw doughnut with her cone on her head and he's tail was shaved down to hardly anything. I felt so sorry for her but she was more comfortable and her tail has grown back big and fluffy. I'm quid it's bigger that before!

 

[cara]

Good news. Less fur is definitely the way to go. I cried when I saw doughnut with her cone on her head and he's tail was shaved down to hardly anything. I felt so sorry for her but she was more comfortable and her tail has grown back big and fluffy. I'm quid it's bigger that before!

Good to hear doughnut is back to her magnificent self ... gives me hope for Teddy