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Rabbit w/ incontinence?

binkyCodie

Mama Doe
hey guys!! long time no see :D :wave:

just wondering, is it possible for a bunny to get incontinence or in other words, wee herself? last time I brought this up to my vet I got a very firm "rabbits do not get incontinence"; this was back in July.

to back track, Luna is a spayed 2 year old Rex who is also blind due to not having any retinas.

its not every day, but its not once in a blue moon either. the last time was around mid August but I never thought to note it. then today, she has also got a wet butt. its pee and i do my best to wipe it off with warm water but she's not exactly the most willing patient! before that the last time was in June, but I brought it up to my vet with her vaccinations in July. but I suppose it does seem like its getting more frequent.

is there anything I should do? any possible causes? should I book a vet appointment? (I'd head to the one further out since my usual is adamant rabbits can't get incontinence).

I've heard of getting a baby bath so you can give bunny a butt bath when they end up weeing themselves to clear it, or cornstarch. is that something I should be considering>?

thank you :)
 
Hello. Rabbits can become incontinent, so you should definetely find a rabbit savvy vet in your area. Rabbits can become incontinent due to bladder problems, like bladder stones, sludge or infection. She should get an X-ray to see if there's no stones or sludge and urine sample to see if it's an infection. Also EC should be considered, because it affects kidneys. My rabbit Lucy used to have some incontinence problems. I was giving her bum baths, just with warm water and then dried it a bit with paper towels. It helped, so I guess you could try this. I hope your rabbit gets better soon.

Išsiųsta naudojantis C6903 Tapatalk 4 Lt
 
hey guys!! long time no see :D :wave:

just wondering, is it possible for a bunny to get incontinence or in other words, wee herself? last time I brought this up to my vet I got a very firm "rabbits do not get incontinence"; this was back in July.

to back track, Luna is a spayed 2 year old Rex who is also blind due to not having any retinas.

its not every day, but its not once in a blue moon either. the last time was around mid August but I never thought to note it. then today, she has also got a wet butt. its pee and i do my best to wipe it off with warm water but she's not exactly the most willing patient! before that the last time was in June, but I brought it up to my vet with her vaccinations in July. but I suppose it does seem like its getting more frequent.

is there anything I should do? any possible causes? should I book a vet appointment? (I'd head to the one further out since my usual is adamant rabbits can't get incontinence).

I've heard of getting a baby bath so you can give bunny a butt bath when they end up weeing themselves to clear it, or cornstarch. is that something I should be considering>?

thank you :)


Hi there and hello :wave:

Your vet may mean 'incontinent' as a condition apart from any other conditions.

As Linuxete says, it can be as a result of other conditions. In older bunnies it can simply be 'incontinence' but in a younger rabbit I would always look for a cause.

A good start would be a vet's appointment, and even better if you can turn up with a urine sample in a clean jar. Easier said than done, I know, but perhaps putting some hay in a tray with nothing absorbent like newspaper will enable to you to catch a little. The vet can often express the bladder, but if the rabbit's just had a big pee then there's nothing to express!

Regards a butt bath - yes, half an inch of water splashed around the rear end, and then a dry with a hair dryer on low setting. It takes a bit of time to dry a bunny's fur :) I don't go for the cornstarch myself. They will lick it off, and it's not the best thing for them.

After the first stage of testing the wee, your vet can establish if there's any infection that may need treatment with antibiotics. If antibiotics don't solve the problem, then an X-ray for bladder sludge issues can be done under sedation.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...urinary-infection&highlight=urinary+infection

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/generalities/Sludge.htm


If you scroll down in this link, you'll see how much sludge is naturally present in rabbit urine:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/Mech_diseases/Urolithiasis.htm

But lets not jump to conclusions :D
 
hey guys!! long time no see :D :wave:

just wondering, is it possible for a bunny to get incontinence or in other words, wee herself? last time I brought this up to my vet I got a very firm "rabbits do not get incontinence"; this was back in July.

to back track, Luna is a spayed 2 year old Rex who is also blind due to not having any retinas.

its not every day, but its not once in a blue moon either. the last time was around mid August but I never thought to note it. then today, she has also got a wet butt. its pee and i do my best to wipe it off with warm water but she's not exactly the most willing patient! before that the last time was in June, but I brought it up to my vet with her vaccinations in July. but I suppose it does seem like its getting more frequent.

is there anything I should do? any possible causes? should I book a vet appointment? (I'd head to the one further out since my usual is adamant rabbits can't get incontinence).

I've heard of getting a baby bath so you can give bunny a butt bath when they end up weeing themselves to clear it, or cornstarch. is that something I should be considering>?

thank you :)

I would want to try to establish a cause for the intermittent episodes. So I would suggest taking her to a Rabbit Savvy Vet to discuss the situation. Whilst treating the effects of her incontinence is necessary-ie cleaning her, it is equally important to try to identify and treat the underlying cause.

Things the Vet may suggest include urinalysis and a full blood profile .

Some additional info here :

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/UrinaryIncontinenceRabbit.htm

https://www.vetvisuals.com/uploads/PDF/Handouts/Handouts Rabbit Urinary Disease Vetvisuals.pdf
 
thank you all, I'll see if I can book an appointment. would you consider it urgent or could it wait a few days? I've come down with flu like symptoms and feel pretty dreadful, not sure I want to go 15 miles to a different vet with this :roll:

my usual vet seemed very certain that bunnies can't becoming incontinent and seemed to just brush it off if I'm honest. usually she's very good but when it came to Luna's eyes or this, she didn't seem concerned.

I'll see if I can get a pee sample. do you think if I started with a clean empty litter tray and she peed in it, I could put it in a jar and take it with me? or does it need to be right from the bunny at that second?

I'll also try to invest in a hair dryer as we have a very old one with two settings on it!!
 
thank you all, I'll see if I can book an appointment. would you consider it urgent or could it wait a few days? I've come down with flu like symptoms and feel pretty dreadful, not sure I want to go 15 miles to a different vet with this :roll:

my usual vet seemed very certain that bunnies can't becoming incontinent and seemed to just brush it off if I'm honest. usually she's very good but when it came to Luna's eyes or this, she didn't seem concerned.

I'll see if I can get a pee sample. do you think if I started with a clean empty litter tray and she peed in it, I could put it in a jar and take it with me? or does it need to be right from the bunny at that second?

I'll also try to invest in a hair dryer as we have a very old one with two settings on it!!

Given that the problem is so intermittent and has been going on for some time I dont think waiting a few days will be a problem. The Vet may be able to get a urine sample by expressing Luna's bladder, but if her bladder was empty at the time of the appointment it cant be done. You could try to obtain a sample by using an empty litter tray on the day of your appointment. The sample would need to go in to a sterile container.

Hope you feel better soon !
 
thank you all, I'll see if I can book an appointment. would you consider it urgent or could it wait a few days? I've come down with flu like symptoms and feel pretty dreadful, not sure I want to go 15 miles to a different vet with this :roll:

my usual vet seemed very certain that bunnies can't becoming incontinent and seemed to just brush it off if I'm honest. usually she's very good but when it came to Luna's eyes or this, she didn't seem concerned.

I'll see if I can get a pee sample. do you think if I started with a clean empty litter tray and she peed in it, I could put it in a jar and take it with me? or does it need to be right from the bunny at that second?

I'll also try to invest in a hair dryer as we have a very old one with two settings on it!!


Hi there BC :)

I am sorry you're feeling so poorly :(

Regarding the urine sample, as I said in my first post to you:

A good start would be a vet's appointment, and even better if you can turn up with a urine sample in a clean jar. Easier said than done, I know, but perhaps putting some hay in a tray with nothing absorbent like newspaper will enable to you to catch a little. The vet can often express the bladder, but if the rabbit's just had a big pee then there's nothing to express!


...... Get a jam jar and try and make sure it's sterile by either boiling it or putting it in the oven and warming up to 160 degrees gently.

You don't need to get it straight from the bun's bum :D From a clean tray will be fine. They can tell whether there is any infection or not.

Just keep the sample in the fridge - immediately, and take it out only just before you go to the vet. That way you can collect it the night before, if it's more convenient :)

Good luck with the hair dryer :wave:
 
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