Excessive grooming of vaginal region (I think)...

[Jenk]

Shortly before Thanksgiving Day, my 4.5-year-old Mini Rex, Emma, had a vet exam because she'd been holding her urination pose for longer than normal. A urinalysis revealed nothing abnormal, and digital x-rays showed her kidneys and bladder to be fine.

Since the tests revealed nothing and Emma had no urine on her fur, the vet deduced that her gut irritation (from stasis) led to urinary irritation. (I knew that was a possibility but opted for the exam, just in case.) I treated Emma with an herbal formulation--per the vet's instruction--and she seemed to stop holding her urination pose for so long.

For the past week, I've noticed Emma cleaning more frequently at what I believe is her vaginal area. (I can't see exactly where she's licking herself, but I'm fairly certain she's not going for non-existent cecals.)

If she doesn't have a UTI, sludge, or stones, what else might irritate the vaginal opening? I should note that Emma's behavior has been "off" for about 1-1.5 weeks now. She's still eating/pooping/peeing but hasn't been drinking much on her own. And though she's active and alert when out for exercise, her typical clockwork-like behavior (while in her pen) has changed.


Thank you,

Jenk

 

[Maureen Las]

What was the herbal formulation? :?
If you turn her over you can most likely see if the vaginal area is red or irritated.

 

[Jenk]

angieluv wrote:

What was the herbal formulation? :?

The herbal formula is called Tinkle Tonic and is made by Animal Essentials (http://www.animalessentials.com/#products:65:all). I understand the skepticism that comes with the idea of herbal treatments, but the vet who prescribed it is a holistic exotics-only vet and really knows his stuff. (In my area, he's the vet with whom most other vets confer for medical advice.)

If you turn her over you can most likely see if the vaginal area is red or irritated.

We've been treating her for sore hocks, and I've looked at her vaginal area. I didn't see anything amiss, although I also didn't part the fur to see it as closely as possible. When we treat her hocks tonight, I will attempt to get a better view of the area to determine if her skin appears irritated.

One thought I had is that maybe her scent glands are due for a cleaning, though I have trouble locating them--and am not 100% certain of how to clean them. :confused2:


Jenk

 

[Maureen Las]

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=55074&forum_id=10

I doubt that the scent glands are causing her issues butthese articles from librarydescribe how to clean them

I read "tinkle Tonic " description and I wonder whether she is still holding her 'urination pose" too long or whether these herbs helped that.

Possibly the tonic caused her to have a "different" feeling in her vaginal area :?

I can understand your concern that her behavior is just plain "off " but that it is difficult to pinpoint a problem.

 

[Jenk]

angieluv wrote:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=55074&forum_id=10

I doubt that the scent glands are causing her issues butthese articles from library describe how to clean them.

You're probably right that they're not causing her an issue, although it did sort of look like that's where she was grooming. Still, it's hard to tell when a rabbit has his/her head shoved in the undercarriage region. Heh.

I read "tinkle Tonic " description and I wonder whether she is still holding her 'urination pose" too long or whether these herbs helped that.

She definitely had been holding her urination pose for an unusual time length, and it's returned to normal since her Tinkle Tonic treatment. (Her urinalysis and x-rays were normal, so there was no reason to go harder-hitting in terms of treatment.)

Possibly the tonic caused her to have a "different" feeling in her vaginal area?

Her TT treatment was stopped for a bit prior to the start of what seems (seemed?) to be excessive grooming in her nether region. (Again, I'm not 100% where I saw her grooming.)

I can understand your concern that her behavior is just plain "off " but that it is difficult to pinpoint a problem.

Prime example: it's 8 am, and she would normally be rattling the pen bars to be let out for her AM romp; there is no bar rattling going on. It's changes like this one that indicate something is "off." But, as my husband said, blood work has never shown us anything definitive/useful. He figures another vet visit would be a waste of time/money (and added stress on Emma) unless she stops eating, pooping, or peeing. I understand his point but still wish something obvious would come to light, so that I could tell the vet, "Test for this, or inspect her here."


Jenk