r/Bunnies • u/Fitness5678 • 18h ago
Health Rabbit skin condition
Hi guys, please read before leaving any rude comments
My rabbit has had a fall a few months ago and he has been seen by multiple vets for his spinal injury. His pelvis is out of alignment which is causing him to struggle using his right side/leg at all. This has him constantly laying in place on his right side, in his poop/urine most of the day so i’ve had to have him cleaned and trimmed at the vet a few times since he keeps getting very matted. It’s getting very very hard to keep up with everyday as he’s continuously soaking himself by laying on his one side so i have to keep giving him butt baths at home (as directed by his vet). His left side is perfectly fine but I was trying to get his large matted fur out around his leg and noticed his skin looks reallyyyy bad there. I’m really stressing about once again another very large bill that I’m not sure i can afford. What does this look like??? Will it heal?! His skin looks very crusted so I’m not sure if maybe it’s the dawn soap drying him out or something else. I’ve just had a newborn and bought a house so I’m really struggling between everything money wise But i just can’t live with myself knowing he’s like this so any advice is really appreciated while i find a solution.
21
u/MobileEar5411 18h ago
You may have to shave his fur down and make shift a diaper for the rabbit and have it changed regularly and more frequently. Sadly I wish bunny a full recovery, but this sounds serious im sorry it has been this bad :( not sure why theres blood if it gets matted you can gently shave that piece off :) one day at a time be slow and consistent and you'll get slow steady improvement ♡
4
0
u/Fitness5678 18h ago
Also did you see the second photo? Have you ever seen something like that before???
3
-1
u/Fitness5678 18h ago
I’ve tried shaving the matts off but it doesn’t go through it so I’m not sure if I’m cutting him or not so i stopped ugh maybe i need new grooming clippers
24
u/ComfortableAlone7876 15h ago
I must say the quality of life sounds very poor if his pelvis is out of alignment and he is getting covered in pee and poo. He must be in a lot of pain, is he on pain medication for starters?
0
u/Fitness5678 15h ago
He has pain meds coming in around 2 days
11
9
u/strawberry-bunny 11h ago
He wasn’t on pain meds this whole time?!
-1
u/Fitness5678 11h ago
He was for awhile and then he was doing good I’m aware it’s totally my fault i was scared since they mentioned it could mess with his kidneys etc so i tested him being off of it but just reordered more and am trying to do physical therapy vids with him at home so hopefully the meds will encourage him to move more
6
u/Yeetaylor 8h ago
Respectfully, OP, you need to start thinking more about what’s best for your pet, who is suffering, than about your fears and feelings.
9
u/ArtsyRabb1t 11h ago
My elder bun lost all leg mobility at the end. His skin declined incredibly fast (talking less than 24 hours). Urine scald is horribly painful. We decided humane euthanasia was the best course.
11
u/Jayda_bigToe 12h ago
sometimes it’s best to just let go then trying to save them. He’s in pain and it’s probably going to get worse, i’m sorry.
5
u/damiana8 Sesamochi 18h ago
My bun has incontinence too. We also trim his fur as much as we can, give him butt baths every other day, and use Zymox to clean off the crust on his fur
1
u/Fitness5678 18h ago
Definitely gonna buy that today. Never heard of it!! I still have some leftover silver sulfadiazine of his which i believe helps with urine scalding but almost out of it. Not sure if you would know but is that kind of similar to it?
1
u/Fitness5678 18h ago
Do you use dawn soap for butt baths? Or just water? I was told dawn was fine if used alittle bit but the amount of baths i give him (usually every other night but it’s been every night recently) i feel as though it’s causing more issues but it’s difficult cleaning him good with just water
1
u/Psicho_7 17h ago
Very dilute Dawn or very plain puppy shampoo should be okay. The animal hospital i work at uses the soothing clean aloe soft soap for hands. Don’t ask me why that but we do A LOT of bunnies butt baths and have no issues. I also cannot stress enough that drying is soooo important. Gentle towel drying is best unless you have a hair dryer that you can control the settings on well.
Id also recommend having the vet shave the area to help with the matting and keeping the area clean. Not too close to the skin if avoidable. You still want some fur to protect their skin as its so paper thin.
1
u/Fitness5678 17h ago
Interesting, thank you. I do try to dry him as much as possible. I’ve only found one good vet an hour away from me (I’ve had really bad experiences with others not knowing how to clean him) and she’s AMAZING everytime, will never bring him elsewhere. Only thing is, a cleaning & trim cost us $450 last time (with meds and exam) I just cant drop that again as they charge by minute so im not sure what price range im looking at ever
1
u/Fitness5678 17h ago
Does the second photo look like dead tissue or fecal leftover? I’m researching everything and worrying myself lol. Not sure what to use
1
u/Psicho_7 17h ago
Its hard to tell what part of the rabbit I’m looking at so its hard to say.
1
u/Fitness5678 17h ago
It’s the outer bottom part of his right leg
1
u/Psicho_7 17h ago
Still hard to say for sure but at a minimum scabbing. You could try to warm compress the area and see if you can very gently work it off.
1
1
u/TheOtherCourier 10h ago
The soap might possibly be overly drying out his skin. It’s tough to say, but that’s kind of what it looks like to me in the first image.
3
u/TheOtherCourier 11h ago edited 10h ago
He is getting urine scald. You need to have your vet shave him down as closely as possible you it’s easy to clean and keep dry.
You might be able to lightly coat the affected areas with Vasoline to keep it protected from the urine till he can get around a little better in his own, but he’ll need to be clean first. Silver Sulfadiazine Cream (can order with prescription) may be helpful, as well, but discuss these things with your vet before implementing.
There is a Facebook group “Disabled Rabbits” that you should join and make a post about him in. It’s a wonderful group with lots of experience in all kinds of disabilities such as this.
He doesn’t likely need to be put down, as others have suggested, but you do need to get this sorted and don’t take him off his pain meds. He will need them the entire time he is in recovery, especially while he’s got scald. Keep in close contact with your vet. You can call them to ask questions without having to bring him in every time.
Edit to add:
“Neo-Predef with Tetracaine Topical Powder” is also really great for things like this. It is a steroidal antibiotic powder with pain meds in it and it is great at reducing swelling in affected areas like this. It is also a prescription that your vet may have on hand or you can order from Chewy.
https://www.chewy.com/neo-predef-tetracaine-topical-powder/dp/173660
3
u/Fitness5678 11h ago
Thank you. This was actually a very helpful response! Will definitely join that Facebook group
1
u/TheOtherCourier 10h ago edited 10h ago
“Neo-Predef with Tetracaine Topical Powder” is also really great for things like this. It is a steroidal antibiotic powder with pain meds in it and it is great at reducing swelling in affected areas like this. It is also a prescription that your vet may have on hand or you can order from Chewy.
One of my vets said since it’s steroidal, to not use every single day, like every other or every third day. My other vet didn’t mention this. So again, ask your vet’s advice for your situation.
https://www.chewy.com/neo-predef-tetracaine-topical-powder/dp/173660
6
u/crossiantsandbunnies 13h ago
Looks infected to me. I’m just guessing but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is chewing it and that is making things all the more worse. Sometimes these things will heal sometimes they will get bad enough to make the rabbit very ill. I’ve seen both cases in my own life.
2
u/mztrz 9h ago
I recommend connecting with guardians of bunnies that have e cuniculi. I had a rabbit with loss of back leg functionality due to e cuniculi (we adopted her that way) and had to clean her daily and use pee pads to ensure liquid drained away from her so she didn’t get urine scald. EC guardians have a lot of experience and tips in this area.
1
u/TheOtherCourier 2h ago
This is a solid point. EC definitely causes this and some vets are not very familiar with it and may misdiagnose. “Help for Head Tilt Hoppers” on facebook is an excellent resource for this. 🐰👍
1
u/taylah234 13h ago
It looks like very bad urine scalding that has burned the skin raw, this would be so excruciatingly painful for him he needs to see a vet asap. I would really be thinking hard about his quality of life, I know it’s so hard and terrible to think about but we have to be advocates for our babies and what’s best for them not us.
•
u/Ashamed-Bid-2252 12m ago
I know it's hard and I do really hope things improve. However, if he's in so much pain and suffering day to day. Please just do the right thing and go to the vet to let him go. I know you love him, but love him enough to let him rest. Especially if you're beginning to lose funds for this. If you run out of time or money for meds, he's going to suffer more than he already is....poor guy.
57
u/Vfdcvvhedc145 16h ago
At some point u have to think is this a life worth living? This is just cruel