Disabled Rabbit Laying in Urine

[OpaltheBunny]

Howdy. Our 7 year old bun got a back injury 2 years ago that has caused her to struggle with her back legs. Since February, she’s also be suffering with constant urine scalding. we had taken her to the vet because she was dragging her back legs. She has pain meds for the scalding, but the vet said to just keep bathing the soiled area clean and clipping any matting. We have been doing this for 6 months now, but her pee soaked fur went from just one leg to her entire left side and stomach. It’s as if she pees and then lays in it. She can’t hop, so she pees on puppy pee pads, which she ignores half the time and will just pee on the rug in her room wherever she pleases.

It has been really hard to deal with seeing her in pain from the constant urine scalding. We hate having to either give her a rinse off with a blow drier to dry her fur, or a rabbit-safe shampoo dry bath. We tried diapers cut to fit her, but she wiggles out of them since she drags herself. We tried using a newborn onesie to keep the diaper on, but that just made a mess anyway.

Is there anyway to keep our rabbit from constantly laying in her pee? We also suspect she drags herself because her poor left foot is always getting peed on and it has small blisters from the scalding. We assume once it finally heals and doesn’t hurt, she’ll put weight on it properly again.

[DanaNM]

I’m very sorry you are dealing with this, urine scald is something that can be hard to get under control once it starts.

I had good luck using sheepette medical faux shearling on top of pee pads (I used washable ones) with my disabled senior. The sheepette wicks the pee away so the bun doesn’t contact it. I recommend covering her entire area in this fabric, which may require limiting her space a bit if you notice she is peeing on that rug often.

You might find some more suggestions on the disabled rabbits website:

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/

They have a page specifically on urine scald which may have some things you can try: http://www.disabledrabbits.com/urine-scald.html

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

I also echo Sheepette flooring, as it will get the urine away quickly so it has as little contact with the rabbit as possible. It is washable and you can buy larger surfaces of it, so it would be a good investment.

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]

I agree. Your best bet will be to use ultra absorbent materials to keep her dry. Dana had a pretty good setup figured out for her bunny.

[Author]

Messages