At home sanitary shave?

[borya01]

Hey guys, I have posted a bit about my rabbit. I have one other question about her. Her bum areas has started getting really dirty and matted up. This used to happen to her long back, before she had a grated litter pan. I took her in to the vet for a sanitary shave and it was wonderful afterwards. Unfortunately her bum is back in the same condition (though not as bad as last time), but for health reasons I can not leave my home to go to the vet.

 

Is it safe and possible to do an at home sanitary shave? I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on a product to use? I read an old binkybunny thread asking the same question and someone mentioned just using regular a hair buzzer. Just looking for advice. I don’t think this is healthy or comfortable for her and I want to take care of it before it gets much worse.

 

P.S. This happened beceause I recently switched litter pans. I thought it was great at first but the grating is plastic and pee collects there much easier. I’m going to switch litter pans again. I was thinking of getting the arm and hammer gratted cat box and just putting a puppy pad in the bottom part.

[Muchelle]

Personally, If I were to shave a bun’s privates I’d feel uncomfortable even after having a vet teaching me how to. My bun was especially squirmy!

What I was comfortable with, the times he needed to be extra clean around his butt, was to keep the area clean by washing/drying it, cutting matted hair with a tiny pair of scissors and treating the inflamed areas with a specific ointment prescribed by the vet (it was a neem oil based product).

I’m sure more experienced members can be more helpful, sorry!

[Bam]

I know one of our members (no longer active on the forums) just recently gave her bun a sanitary shave with they type of cutter we normally use for our own bikini shaves 😀 She took great care to not go too close to the skin because you don’t want to nick the skin, obviously. It helps a lot f you can get someone else to help you hold the bun.

Once you get the mats off, weekly maintenance could perhaps be managed with cornstarch baths? I did cornstarch baths for my bun Bam who was prone to poopy butt and had tangly fur. Basically you massage cornstarch or potato starch into the soiled fur, pick out lumps that form, then brush.

[borya01]

Thanks guys. yeah my bun is REALLY really, upset about being handled. She’s friendly but likes to do her own thing, so I try not to disturb her much. I was going to switch the type of pan she’s using again, so was hoping it wouldn’t build up again and one sanitary shave would do it. (When the vet did it, she was totally fine for months, until I got her this new pan where the urine collected on the grate).

 

Muchelle, I get you about being nervous about doing it. I am too 🙁 That’s why I was curious if this was a common or easy thing, but I think it might not be. I am one person alone with no one to help me so it might be not a great idea.

[Muchelle]

Even if it were a common practice, it’s not good to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with, because you’ll be nervous and they can feel it! (unless it’s something life-saving like admininstering medicines, for example… that has to be done…)
I’d say call the vet and ask about an ointment or something to soothe the skin and do try the dry or cloth butt-baths? maybe in the meanwhile try another kind of litter material that’s more absorbant and change it more frequently?

[DanaNM]

I agree that I would prob wait for the vet to show you, especially since your bun is hard to handle. A bum bath or a cornstarch bath would be a much safer approach. Usually ongoing sanitary shaves are only done on buns that are incontinent due to illness or injury. Fixing her litter box set-up is more important that the shave.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[borya01]

Thanks guys. yeah the idea of a sanitary shave makes me nervous. I like the idea of bum baths. Her hind quarters aren’t in such bad shape yet, it’s only crept up over the last couple weeks, so maybe this is a good option. I was watching a youtube video about it before. Oh man, she is just going to hate me if I do this… But hopefully she will feel better. And yes I am changing her litter box set up, so hopefully it won’t get any worse!

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