Chronic pee bottom in old bun

[mzsunshine]

My holland lop Lola is 10.5 I know she’s getting there in age. She’s developed cataracts and likely almost blind, and we lost her bonded bun a few weeks ago 🙁

Shes stopped using her litter box for about a year now. I think she’s old and DGAF anymore, I’ve seen her jump on it before so I know she can (pre cataracts) but that’s fine we’ve made the switch to puppy pads and no issues chewing.

She’s been having more accidents lately outside of the pee pads and then unknowingly sits or runs through it, so she has pee bottom very often. I saw a recent thread about how to bathe bunnies and suggested the shallow soak but 1)we’ve never done that before so I don’t want to stress her out too much since she’s blind and 2) how often can we do this because it’s pretty chronic. Unless we just put pee pads everywhere??

any suggestions or advice to take care of an older bun, I just want to make her as comfortable and happy as possible 🥺

[Bam]

First of all, congrats on having taken so great care of Lola that she has reached this awesome age!

Regarding the pee, you need to check so she doesn’t have a urinary tract infection. (You might have done that already). Older animals incl humans are prone to UTIs in old age.

Regardless of whether this is about a UTI or just “normal” old age-incontinence, it is important to get urine off of the skin, or urine scalding can ensue just from the skin and hair being wet all the time. A shallow bath can be highly enjoyable for a bun if done right. I had a bun (Bam, my avatar) who needed pretty frequent butt baths due to poopy butt (veterinary addressed but still reoccurring). I made baths for him in a plastic dish basin placed on the bathroom floor. The walls of the basin were just so high that he could stand in the basin and hold himself upright with his fore paws on the basin rim. I checked the bath temp with my elbow same as you do when giving a baby a bath. Then I scooped up water with my hand and gently rinsed his behind. I held my other hand gently on his back. (The dish basin was on the floor just in case he would jump out).

Drying the bun properly after is very important. I used microfiber towels, the kind that are sold for dogs. For winter baths I also dried his behind with a hair dryer on the lowest setting. He sat in my lap, I held the dryer in one hand and my other hand sort of between the warm air and the butt, so I could simultaneously ruffle his butt fur and feel how hot it got. He often fell asleep in my lap when I did that, so my guess is he perceived it as very nice.

The website Disabled Rabbits have a section about senior rabbits. (Old age is of course not technically a disability, but it does come with its own set of special needs):http://www.disabledrabbits.com/seniors.html

[RabbitLove2008]

Our first rabbit was a disabled Flemish Giant who eventually became incontinent. After her death, I wrote and saved the following bathing instructions for our local rabbit rescue.

* * *

If your rabbit is incontinent for any reason, bathing becomes a necessity. If you don’t have a hand-held shower, we highly recommend one! Our disabled rabbit was cleaned twice per week, once only with water (a rinse) and once with water and soap (a full bath). A rinse may be performed by one person, but a full bath takes two, at least with a Flemish Giant or other large breed.

Rinse
For a rabbit rinse, line the tub with a soft bathmat and place Rabbit on his/her side that is least affected by urine and fecal accumulation.
Rinse Rabbit with a warm (but not too hot) spray until the water runs relatively clear. Immediately afterward, wrap Rabbit in a towel and hold
(or place on a bed protected by another towel). After a few minutes, change the first (very wet) towel for a dry one. On top of the new towel,
cover Rabbit with a blanket. If on a bed, lie down next to Rabbit to help keep him/her warm.
**Since a hair dryer on low is neither very effective nor very comfortable for Rabbit, we found that towel-drying and keeping Rabbit wrapped worked
best.

Full Bath
1.) Newer baby bathtubs have backrests, and therefore are not suitable for bathing bunnies. I initially used a new dishpan (for which our disabled rabbit was really too big); later we purchased a large plastic storage container. Since rabbit shampoo is difficult to find, we used puppy shampoo.
2.) For a full bath, first rinse Rabbit as described above to remove as much urine and fecal matter as possible. Fill the bunny bathtub with
enough water to cover Rabbit’s back halfway, but do NOT add puppy shampoo until the tub is filled. After adding puppy shampoo, stir gently, then
add Rabbit: when it comes to suds, less is more, especially since Rabbit will tend to kick his/her legs in the water. After she settled down,
Frida usually enjoyed relaxing in the tub. When the water level is low enough and Rabbit is relaxed, use the hand-held shower to create a
whirlpool effect (remember to watch the water level!).
3.) When Rabbit is as clean as posssible, it’s time to rinse. This definitely takes two, one to hold Rabbit and one to rinse. Use the
hand-held shower to rinse Rabbit’s back, sides, derriere, and underside.
4.) After Rabbit is rinsed, follow the “rinse” instructions above for drying.
5.) In our disabled rabbit’s case, a clean rabbit was not an especially happy rabbit until she was relatively dry and grooming herself.

[DanaNM]

@RabbitLove2008 Excellent write-up, thank you for sharing!

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

How big is her enclosure? Can you line it with several layers of fleece?

[Author]

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