10 year old Dutch constant mucky bum

My house rabbit has had a dirty bum at least 4-5 times a week for the past few months. Some times she does a good job of cleaning up and others it just gets caked onto the soles of her back feet, her tail and the soft bit of skin on her tummy just in front of her genitals. She basically just poos where she is sitting sometimes but then eats it off the towel or carpet she is sitting on at the time but doesn't manage to clean herself properly.

My first instinct was that as she is turning 10 next month, and I can see her finding cleaning a bit more difficult that that was the issue.

We have removed treats and too many greens from her diet though she still gets some grass or herbs daily alongside her hay, I've reduced her mix to about 16g of pellets a day to encourage her to eat more hay. She is eating and drinking and pooing normal healthy looking poos though on top of this so I don't think there is a major gut or eating issue.

I see her eating cecotropes normally most days but wonder if this could be excess cecotropes perhaps and if so why??

I have had to resort to a bath for her hind quarters several times as a wet cloth just wont do the job, especially as its just me trying to clean her single handed. I know a bath isn't good for her though so avoid where possible

We've had many gastric issues over the years but currently her diet is otherwise working well for her so I'm loathed to change too much

If you have experience with older rabbits, is this common? Any helpful tips or suggestions?

Thank you

Have you consulted a Vet ?

Yes she's been twice for this particular reason, they suggested just a hay and water diet for a while which we did but still the same issue

She is well hydrated and eating and everything else totally normal.

Do you think its worth a second vet opinion?

Do you feed the pellets all in one go at all? Been having the same sort of issue with my 11 year old, Harley, and found switching to feeding half in the morning and half in the evening has made a difference.

carolineclair said:

Yes she's been twice for this particular reason, they suggested just a hay and water diet for a while which we did but still the same issue

She is well hydrated and eating and everything else totally normal.

Do you think its worth a second vet opinion?

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Yes as you have obviously addressed all possible dietary causes. So the Vet needs to consider other possibilities such as arthritis or dental problems.

Which Pellets are you feeding her?

InspectorMorse said:

Yes as you have obviously addressed all possible dietary causes. So the Vet needs to consider other possibilities such as arthritis or dental problems.

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She's had her teeth looked at but arthritis hasn't been mentioned before. I ve just watched her eating cecotropes and she does seem to struggle moreso with her balance these days so yes that could be a possibility. What can they do for rabbits with arthritis?

Will get her an appointment. I do think whatever it is is certainly linked to her age

Thankyou for your reply

tonibun said:

Which Pellets are you feeding her?

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Thanks for replying, She has pets at home junior pellets - she REFUSES to eat point blank the adult ones. Has always had the same nuggets weve not changed anything there. She has half in the morning and half at night. Should add she does do plenty of normal healthy poos on top of the messy moments, my lounge ins littered with them as the other thing is this past 8 months or so, shes just not bothered by the litter tray 60% of the time, where as she used to never go anywhere else. Another reason i feel like its an old age issue, too tired to move, or just forgetting. But I'm certainly no expert i just know Maple.

carolineclair said:

She's had her teeth looked at but arthritis hasn't been mentioned before. I ve just watched her eating cecotropes and she does seem to struggle moreso with her balance these days so yes that could be a possibility. What can they do for rabbits with arthritis?

Will get her an appointment. I do think whatever it is is certainly linked to her age

Thankyou for your reply

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Ive just done reading up and i think you've hit the nail on the head where the vet and ourselves has missed! Thank you, might give her some metacam while i look into other options

xx

carolineclair said:

Thanks for replying, She has pets at home junior pellets - she REFUSES to eat point blank the adult ones. Has always had the same nuggets weve not changed anything there. She has half in the morning and half at night. Should add she does do plenty of normal healthy poos on top of the messy moments, my lounge ins littered with them as the other thing is this past 8 months or so, shes just not bothered by the litter tray 60% of the time, where as she used to never go anywhere else. Another reason i feel like its an old age issue, too tired to move, or just forgetting. But I'm certainly no expert i just know Maple.

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Junior pellets have a higher protein content. This could account for excess cecotroph production

Arthritis in Rabbits

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/illness/rabbit-arthritis/

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/arthritis.html

http://www.helpinghandsvetphysio.co.uk/rabbits/

https://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/services/rehabilitation/veterinary-acupuncture/

https://www.thorlaser.com/pet/?utm_...8zMUhgLIHrCJ5Oj61w3NJ-xf1anlX-QBoCeAoQAvD_BwE

carolineclair said:

Ive just done reading up and i think you've hit the nail on the head where the vet and ourselves has missed! Thank you, might give her some metacam while i look into other options

xx

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:thumb::thumb:

Just thought id give an update and ask for any other advice

The new vet agreed that with her age and all other factors we have addressed, Metacam for arthritis pain was a good option

She said to give 5ml a day and then get back in touch if i felt it needed to be upped, but im tempted to just up it as we've certainly given her more for pain relief in the past. Ive watched her twice today topple a bit as she tried to get her back right leg up to scratch her ear. The vet said her back legs were the stiffest area, are there any exercises/stretches that i can do to help?! Worried ill hurt her and she wont be able to tell me, but also know that a good stretch can really help mobility

She's still eating and pooing fine, messy poos have decreased a bit since the last vet visit

Her living area is my entire lounge and kitchen which is flat with lots of soft blankets and towels in areas, though she often chooses to ignore the nice soft area and lie on an old towel or the laminate. Her litter tray requires a little jump to get in but cant see how i can make that any better as all litter trays ive seen have at least some lip to it.

What else can i do to help make her more comfortable??

[emoji195]Maple says her ideal situation would be
24/7 nose rubs and an unlimited supply of fenugreek crunchies but neither are possible [emoji23], she gets as many nose rubs as i can offer and 1 crunchie a day, sometimes two [emoji2958]

Thank you xx


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I really feel you here. I had the very same issues with my bunny Bonnie. She gradually had more and more issues with cleaning herself, getting in and out the litter tray as she got older.

Giving her the correct pain relief is so important. However as this looks at being a long term issue I would be careful about increasing the Metacam without vet approval.

Perhaps try 5mls per day first and see how it goes? Then you have a base line to work at and could decrease/increase from there depending how she responds.

Really hope the Metacam helps her with her stiffness and helps her mobility xx

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Metacam is a POM - you need to discuss the dose with your vet before you change it. It is often used for arthritis as it provides pain relief and is an anti-inflammatory. 5ml seems like a lot - are you using the syringe that comes with the Metacam and is marked in kg body weight of cat or dog (depending on which one you have - they are different concentrations), so giving the equivalent of a 5kg body weight dose?

Litter tray - have a look at a garden potting bench tray - it has a lower edge at the front which makes access easier.

Also have you considered trying a dry bath using cornflour (cornstarch) where possible? We used to rub it into Bonnie's dirty areas and it dries it out. Be careful not to get it wet though as will make it stick to fur!

Try rubbing some into dirty areas and next day it may brush out. It can be used as the 'inbetween' days and saves bathing her nearly every day. It is a bit messy but if it saves her the stress of bathing then definitely worth considering. I know how much hard work this is so sympathise.

Hopefully the Metacam will help in time. I do agree with 5mls being quite a high dose. My bunny is 6kgs and the maximum he has been prescribed is 4mls per day. Perhaps it's worth querying the dose with your vet just to be sure.

It may be that this is the original dose just to get her comfortable and then you may be able to reduce it for long term use?

However I'm not a vet and it is always wise to check with a vet before upping the dose more than has been prescribed. There are side effects to any medication and an overdose can have serious consequences so best to be safe [emoji6]

Wishing you the best of luck xx

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carolineclair said:

Just thought id give an update and ask for any other advice

The new vet agreed that with her age and all other factors we have addressed, Metacam for arthritis pain was a good option

She said to give 5ml a day and then get back in touch if i felt it needed to be upped, but im tempted to just up it as we've certainly given her more for pain relief in the past. Ive watched her twice today topple a bit as she tried to get her back right leg up to scratch her ear. The vet said her back legs were the stiffest area, are there any exercises/stretches that i can do to help?! Worried ill hurt her and she wont be able to tell me, but also know that a good stretch can really help mobility

She's still eating and pooing fine, messy poos have decreased a bit since the last vet visit

Her living area is my entire lounge and kitchen which is flat with lots of soft blankets and towels in areas, though she often chooses to ignore the nice soft area and lie on an old towel or the laminate. Her litter tray requires a little jump to get in but cant see how i can make that any better as all litter trays ive seen have at least some lip to it.

What else can i do to help make her more comfortable??

[emoji195]Maple says her ideal situation would be
24/7 nose rubs and an unlimited supply of fenugreek crunchies but neither are possible [emoji23], she gets as many nose rubs as i can offer and 1 crunchie a day, sometimes two [emoji2958]

Thank you xx


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Click to expand...

I assume that Maple is a Giant Rabbit if you have been prescribed 5ml Metacam a day, unless you are using the cat Metacam . The usual Metacam prescribed is the 1.5mg/ml strength (Dog Metacam), the Cat Metacam is a weaker concentration, 0.5mg/ml.

I would clarify the dose rate with the prescribing Vet.

You could use a large potting tray as a litter box, the sides are minimal

https://adexa.co.uk/Non-skid-Servin...qz1gVX0WcC2FvnnmpQr9GcvIX4o8RpGoaAqA9EALw_wcB

There is some useful information about supporting arthritic Rabbits here

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/arthritis.html

Thanks for the comments, sorry it is 0.5ml of metacam NOT 5ml. [emoji85]

Ill keep it at 0.5ml for another week and see if i think its having any affect

Thank you will look at the dry bath option and read that article!
X

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With regards to litter trays. I use for my little old lady (approx 12year), a small plastic cat bed, which is lower on one side, and also a carrier with the top half taken off stuffed with hay. I've also been supplementing/swapping some her pellets (Science selective) with Pro-Fibre pellets.

I use a dog bed for my arthritic bun and recently use folded blanket by its entrance to reduce the hop in further. My bun is on metacam & I give Oxbow Joint Support tabs twice daily. I'd been using these for a couple of years - was unsure if they helped until we ran out & there was a huge deterioration.

Heat sources !! My bun cuddles the radiator & spoons her snugglesafe, I think they are a big comfort to her old bones

I second the snugglesafes.

My sister in laws elderly boy absolutely adored them even as an indoor lionhead.

He would curl around them in the day and sleep directly planted on them at night (wrapped in thick fleece) as he was tiny.

Primrose also used to rest her chin on them when her teeth started bothering her.

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