Spinal Cord Injury- urinary incontinence

[Elyse5683]

Hi everyone!

So long story short, my sweet bun was in a trusted family member’s care but appernatly had not been doing too well while I was gone. When I came back, she had urine scald on most of her hindquarters and clearly wasn’t feeling 100%. For a few days I gave her butt baths and dried her and she was eating/drinking/pooping normally. I ended up taking her to the vet, thinking she had a UTI, and got antibiotics and pain meds. She still wasn’t getting much better so I took her back in for x-rays and blood testing… turns out she has a major spine deformation (kyphosis) under her shoulder blades. 

The past 20 hours have consisted of me beating myself up wondering if it is due to a birthdefect or an injury that could have been avoided and wondering if she is in pain I should mention she is only 2 years old.

I guess I am just looking for advice from other bun owners who have dealt with issues like this. I’m not sure how to keep her dry and unfortunately dont have the luxury of time to care for her/her cage every couple of hours. 

The last thing I want to do is put her down but if her quality of life only gets worse as this issue progresses then I am not sure what else there is to do.

I appreciate any words of wisdom or tips on how to care for a special needs bunny with urinary incontinence who can’t move around too much. 

Thank you so much!!

[Bam]

I’m sorry your bun is having these problems. A deformed spine can be hereditary or it could be due to malnutrition in the womb or as a baby. Calcium deficiency in an adult rabbit is rare with modern day rabbit food. If anything, rabbit pellets tend to be a little high in calcium. An injury seems likely, I think they’d have seen traumatic injury on the x-rays. Bones that break heal thicker in the broken places, so breaks are seen even if it’s been a long time since the break occured. Don’t beat yourself up about it, that wont help neither you nor her (but I do know it’s hard not to want to put blame on yourself when sth isn’t right with a pet).

The website disabled rabbits have good tips on how to care and make life more comfortable for a disabled bunny: http://www.disabledrabbits.com/

I have a dog with an age-related spinal problem, she’s on daily anti-inflammatory pills. Buns with these types of problems can be put on a maintenance dose of Metacam (anti inflammatory painkiller).

[Luna]

I’m sorry to hear about your bun’s condition. In regards to helping keep her dry, the website Bam posted lists “Palace Bedding.” I haven’t used this personally, but we have used it before at the rescue I volunteer at and it is AMAZING. It really wicks moisture away from a bun’s bottom very well.

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