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Mouse's fur

joey&boo

joey&boo

Wise Old Thumper
I'm struggling with Mouseys fur. For at least an hour a day I groom her (have been for months) but its becoming increasingly matted all over - at skin level. It feels like she has cysts all over her body :(- although it is just fur. I can tease them out & luckily she love, love, loves being groomed. It does feel like I'm fighting a losing battle.

Mouse is due her next review. At her previous review her vet thought she might have kidney issues & I'm aware her fur issue is a possible symptom of this. Google tells me people with renal problem need a lot of vitamins & protein is important too. I'll have a talk with the vet who see's her but any advice or experiences anyone has to share would be much appreciated.

I was thinking of trying Oxbows Skin & Coat tabs ?
 
It is not sebaceous adenitis is it ? I have never had a Rabbit who had a poor coat related to renal disease, but I guess it is possible. Protein needs to be moderated if a Rabbit is in CRF, so I would definitely want to determine how Mouse’s kidneys are baring up before giving her any supplements.
 
Have vet check her for parasites. Pinworms can cause rough coat, as can microscopic mites that may be causing skin secretions that result in fur sticking together near base. .Perhaps check her for other skin conditions too that results in too little or too much oil.
Could microscopic scratches from grooming may be causing fur to stick together at the base creating matts?
 
InspectorMorse said:
It is not sebaceous adenitis is it ? I have never had a Rabbit who had a poor coat related to renal disease, but I guess it is possible. Protein needs to be moderated if a Rabbit is in CRF, so I would definitely want to determine how Mouse’s kidneys are baring up before giving her any supplements.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply JJ. I don't think its sebaceous adentis - Ralph had that. Its very different presentation from him anyway. Its supposed to be quite rare isn't it (or maybe undiagnosed). I remember Frances saying she though it tended to be a secondary to other health conditions though she was frustrated (back then) she didn't understand it better. I'll read up on it again. Yeah Rudeys kidneys were terrible but he still kept his gloss
 
bunny momma said:
Have vet check her for parasites. Pinworms can cause rough coat, as can microscopic mites that may be causing skin secretions that result in fur sticking together near base. .Perhaps check her for other skin conditions too that results in too little or too much oil.
Could microscopic scratches from grooming may be causing fur to stick together at the base creating matts?
Click to expand...

Good call, I'll do that, thanks. She has had big issues with mites in the recent past. I didn't know that about pin worms . Secretions causing fur to stick together is a really good description
 
Watching with interest: Lopsy's fur is tending to be more matty well above the skin and he's lost some gloss but we're still well in the thick of moulting which isn't helping things here, but he has had more skin flakes, although these have significantly diminished now his moult has progressed off his back. Hope you can find a cause for Mouse's issues :)
 
keletkezes said:
Watching with interest: Lopsy's fur is tending to be more matty well above the skin and he's lost some gloss but we're still well in the thick of moulting which isn't helping things here, but he has had more skin flakes, although these have significantly diminished now his moult has progressed off his back. Hope you can find a cause for Mouse's issues :)
Click to expand...

I'll keep you posted. Mousey is moulting too though i think theres more to it than that. i guess their breed doesn't help either
 
I'm sorry you're struggling with Mousey's fur. :( Does Mouse still groom herself? I'm guessing that since you groom her for at least an hour a day she doesn't, or not much? We had an elderly kitty who stopped grooming herself, and it really affected the quality of her coat, becoming sticky and matted, like Mousey's. I guess the difference between when we groom them and when they groom themselves is that they use their own spit, so maybe that cleans their fur in a way brushes can't?

I don't have any experience with the Oxbow tabs, but I hope the vet can tell you if they're a good idea, and that they maybe have some ideas on what could be causing her fur to be like this and what to do about it.
 
Thanks petsmum & zoobec.

a reader of books said:
I'm sorry you're struggling with Mousey's fur. :( Does Mouse still groom herself? I'm guessing that since you groom her for at least an hour a day she doesn't, or not much? We had an elderly kitty who stopped grooming herself, and it really affected the quality of her coat, becoming sticky and matted, like Mousey's. I guess the difference between when we groom them and when they groom themselves is that they use their own spit, so maybe that cleans their fur in a way brushes can't?

I don't have any experience with the Oxbow tabs, but I hope the vet can tell you if they're a good idea, and that they maybe have some ideas on what could be causing her fur to be like this and what to do about it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your experiences with your kitty. I'd considered that too - that dry brushing probably isn't as effective. Mouse hasn't been able to to groom herself all over for years :( Rudey was a great help but she's not had a bunny friend for 13 months now (she just isn't well or agile enough). All Mouse can wash now is her face with one paw, her dewlap & better foot. Yeah I hope the vet can offer advice ...as I was typing this got call from Bob who didn't know days off next week but we've managed to get in with my fave vet & the one that knows Mousey best. Yay. Its likely to be low on interventions though unless we need tests to work out suitability of treatment. For Mousey we are just keeping her as loved and comfortable as we can til she's had enough. I'm really surprised she is still with us - in a good way. She has a strong spirit in a frail body :love:
 
joey&boo said:
Thanks for sharing your experiences with your kitty. I'd considered that too - that dry brushing probably isn't as effective. Mouse hasn't been able to to groom herself all over for years :( Rudey was a great help but she's not had a bunny friend for 13 months now (she just isn't well or agile enough). All Mouse can wash now is her face with one paw, her dewlap & better foot. Yeah I hope the vet can offer advice ...as I was typing this got call from Bob who didn't know days off next week but we've managed to get in with my fave vet & the one that knows Mousey best. Yay. Its likely to be low on interventions though unless we need tests to work out suitability of treatment. For Mousey we are just keeping her as loved and comfortable as we can til she's had enough. I'm really surprised she is still with us - in a good way. She has a strong spirit in a frail body :love:
Click to expand...
I wonder if it would help at all to regularly use a damp towel on her fur to clean it, possibly even with a little bunny shampoo? That should dry quickly, but it might help to keep her fur clean in addition to brushing? That's so wonderful that Rudey used to be a great help. I understand why you feel she isn't in good enough shape to go through being bonded now, though. I'm glad you've managed to get an appointment with your favourite vet who knows Mousey best, and I hope it'll go well and be helpful, even if any interventions will have to be simple. What you're doing, just making her as comfortable as you can with no or few stressful interventions, sounds like a really loving way to let her grow old. She does seem to have a strong spirit, still hanging in there and enjoying life. :love:
 
a reader of books said:
I wonder if it would help at all to regularly use a damp towel on her fur to clean it, possibly even with a little bunny shampoo? That should dry quickly, but it might help to keep her fur clean in addition to brushing? That's so wonderful that Rudey used to be a great help. I understand why you feel she isn't in good enough shape to go through being bonded now, though. I'm glad you've managed to get an appointment with your favourite vet who knows Mousey best, and I hope it'll go well and be helpful, even if any interventions will have to be simple. What you're doing, just making her as comfortable as you can with no or few stressful interventions, sounds like a really loving way to let her grow old. She does seem to have a strong spirit, still hanging in there and enjoying life. :love:
Click to expand...

Thank you for understanding. Its on my essay for my vet to discuss her fur. i'm guessing not much will come of it but we'll see . I like the idea of being able to moisten a brush with water or something but rabbit shampoo scares me
 
joey&boo said:
Thank you for understanding. Its on my essay for my vet to discuss her fur. i'm guessing not much will come of it but we'll see . I like the idea of being able to moisten a brush with water or something but rabbit shampoo scares me
Click to expand...
Just moistening a brush with water sounds like it would be fine, too. I've never used bunny shampoo on bunnies (just on guinea pigs), so I admit I don't really know how safe it is.
 
Ruth went home sick, presumably just before our 10am appointment as we had a missed call at 9.45 so she got her review with the practice manager
 
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