Urine Scalding Help

[SmushyWillow]

My poor 9 year old male bun started urinating outside of the litter box about a week ago, and I thought it was out of character and could be indication of an underlying medical issue. My vet assured me that it was nothing to be worried about.

I cleaned the cage this week and noticed a large amount of fur clumps around the cage. I thought they were just from his chin – he gets it wet when drinking water & pulls it out.

Last night, I went to clean his bum because he had some bedding stuck to it and both of his hind legs as well as his tail were BARE.

After an emergency vet visit, he was diagnosed with urine scalding, and they shaved quite a bit of fur off of him. The vet directed me to give antibiotics, apply ointment, and apply liquid bandage.

My bunny eats blankets, so thats not a great option for padding in the cage. Any suggestions on padding or treatment of the scalding would be much appreciated!!

[Wick & Fable]

I know this isn’t your question, but did the vet assess for what is causing the urine scalding? If the root of the problem isn’t solved (i.e. your rabbit urinating on himself enough to cause scald), then he will never heal and it will keep being this.

I personally don’t have experience with urine scalding, but I imagine a fastened soft fabric, rather than a loose blanket, would be successful. I know bath mats are common flooring for rabbits who have sore hocks, so those may be good.

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.

[SmushyWillow]

Bath mats? The loofah ones or just a regular soft bath mat?

[Wick & Fable]

They tend to look like this — bath mats are not made from loofah. They tend to be advertised as being made from memory foam!

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.

[DanaNM]

Maybe you could put down puppy pee pads and change them frequently?  Can you describe his cage set up a bit more just to help visualize what might work?

I wonder about underlying medical issues too. I also have an older male bun who tends to pee outside his box more as he ages, and I had him fully checked out (urinalysis, x-rays) to make sure nothing medical was going on. Just peeing outside the box doesn’t normally cause scald, but if he’s dribbling urine constantly, or sitting in wet urine that would definitely cause issues. Things to check for would be a bladder infection or bladder stones. I’ve also noticed certain foods (esp dandelion and parsley) will make my bun pee all over the place.

. . . 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.  

[SmushyWillow]

The buns have a whole bedroom to themselves, they have foam tiles on the floor. I installed the foam tiles after sore hocks a few years ago & they haven’t had a problem since. I know the floor is cushioned enough, just very abrasive on his bare feet.

I purchased 3 memory foam bath mats, placed one next to the litter box, one inside a cardboard tunnel, and one next to the food dishes.

The urine scalding cream seems to be working, Smushy is no longer wincing in pain when you touch his feet. But I know it will be a while before his fur grows back.

[Author]

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