Currently facing every problem under the sun.

[jenn and kale]

Hello all, 

My name is jenn and I have a mini lop named kale. He is treated like royalty and we love him dearly, but he suffers from every problem under the sun. Just when we think one problem is over, another one arises.  He has poor grooming habits and his fur matts with his poops. I have to dematt/cut and remove everything from around his rectum almost every two weeks. It’s smelly and disgusting. I have no idea how to keep the buildup from happening. We change the litter box TWICE a day (do you know how many puppy pads and packages of litter we go through in a week? TONS). Does anyone have a similar situation by chance and any solutions at all? I resorted to using a clipper to try and get it out when it matts up again but it’s so hard cause the mats start so close to the skin sometimes. He also hates eating timothy hay and would rather die of starvation before it meant eating his hay. He’s a little on the chubby side for that reason but we’re working on it.

On a more serious note.. 

The vet just today found a mass in his ear and we had it extracted and sent for testing (hoping it’s malignant but with our luck who knows..) On top of it all he has a chronic runny eye, it’s been that way since he was around 6 months old. I keep getting eyedrops from the vet to help treat it but they do nothing and now the hair around his eye is thinning because of the gooey wetness all the time. The vet has also confirmed this is NOT an infection. Does anyone have any advice on how to keep them as clean and dry as possible? right now the biggest goal would be to remove the current crusties on his eye with the least disruption. Also he has facial droop on one side, and the vet can’t seem to figure out the issue, is it possible it was the tumor? I read somewhere that an ear infection may cause issues with the cranial nerves and cause facial droop, so in this case if the mass in his ear was pressing on something this could be the cause? I know no one can give me medical advice for sure but I love him to death. The amount of money in vet bills and toys and treats and everything we give him is all out of the purest love. I just want him to be happy and hoping for any advice someone can give.

[DanaNM]

OOf, sorry you are going through it. 🙁

Have his teeth been checked? I can’t help but wonder if he has a dental problem that means he eats less hay, so he has soft poops… which get stuck to his bum.. and could now be causing eye issues among other facial issues.

. . . 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]

Considering the poopy butt and ear/eye issues, teeth would be my first guess too. I would start there before exploring other possibilities.

[tobyluv]

Also, be careful that he isn’t eating too many pellets.  At 6 months of age, he should start getting only a measured amount of pellets each day.  Too many pellets can cause weight gain and can cause soft poops, which are more likely to get stuck in his fur.  Cutting back on the pellets  might make him eat more hay too.  Since he doesn’t like Timothy hay, have you tried orchard grass or any of the other grass hays? Some rabbits that don’t like Timothy, will like other varieties of hay.

[Author]

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