(RIP Coco) Disgusted-Bunny mess again!!!

[jomcandrew]

Hi, I have posted before in the infirmary. My bunny, Coco, will only sit or lay in his litter box. He has plenty of room in his cage, but clean or dirty, he will lay in it. I didn't realize it was a problem until he could hardly walk and after cleaning his cage it smelled worse, it was him. Long story short, I had to take him to the vet 4 times, charge it cause I just lost my job, and could have still lost him due to the infection and what in a human would be a bed sore on the bottom of his leg. He has not had to go back to the vet for two weeks. I try to scoop out every time I see it and his but is mostly still shaved. I use a type of soft papery/cardboard sold specifically for them. I see his is agan getting poop stuck on what little hair he has and has one area that is matted that I just tried to clean and we were both so stressed I just stopped. I left him on 2 towels in my kitchen all night because that is the only time doesn't sit in his litter and he stays on the towels. Now I have a mess to clean up in the kitchen. I am getting to the point where I don't know if I can or want to keep him. I hace Fibromyalgia and it just makes it harder and more stressful. Does anyone else have a problem like this? I don't understand. I see pics of people holding thier bunny and he is getting to the age where he is a bit more mellow and would like to be held but I wouldn't pick him up with out a towel under him, he is too much of a mess. I can't afford for him to get bad and have to be treated by the vet again. Any suggestions???ssd::cry2:cry1:

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Hello!
Sorry to hear that Coco is frolicking in the litter box... it sounds like a frustrating situation.

I was wondering if you could give us a bit more information...
- Can you post a picture of your setup?
- Is it a multi-level setup?
- Is food accessible near the litter box?
- What are you using for bedding in the rest of the cage?
- What do the poops look like? They should look like chocolate-covered raisins, and be fairly resistant to breakage if you try to crush them between your fingers.
- What is Coco's diet like?


You can purchase a plastic grid from a hardware store, and cut it to fit the litter box. This should elevate Coco above the pee/poo and reduce the amount of mess getting on him.

One of my buns likes to hang out in the litter box. I gave her another box to sit in and lined it with hay. She now uses the original litterbox to pee/poop in, and sits in the other box... go figure

I sense your frustration... don't give up:hug:. We can solve this together

 

[tonyshuman]

Really good advice from Autumn already. I was thinking while reading your post that maybe the rest of the cage isn't comfy for Coco and that's why he stays in the litterbox. Things like wire floors and hard floors can be uncomfortable.

 

[Maureen Las]

Are you treating an infection in his leg ?
Do you think that he is in pain?
I get more of a feeling that this bun is ill and that this could account for him remaining in one spot.

Could you tell us more about him etc. ?

 

[jomcandrew]

I just got home so let me try to answer questions and then I will try to post a picture. OK...His poop is good, sometimes not as dry as I think it may be, but not loose. That is only the nighttime poop. His food and water are on the other side of the cage. It is a plastic bottom cage, one level and I was covering it with the same stuff as his litter box to try to get him to lay there, but he won't. He gets a mix of pellets and a more expensive food with more ingredients mixed, this makes it last longer. Different treats at any time as well as dandelion leaves from the yard.
His infection was treated for 2 weeks by a vet and healed. He is a 5 yr old mini lop. About 6 /12 lbs or so. I used to let him out more than I do now but they tend to chew all wires etc. so it's a hassle. I don't think he is in pain but I am not sure if he is sick. He likes me to pet him and will just lay there for that but I am rather shocked that he will stay on a blanket or towel when I let him out. He used to run around the house and jump in the air when he got out, he was so happy. So I don't know if it is just that he is getting older or if he doesn't feel good. Let me know if I have answered your questions and I will try to post a picture. Thanks! Joanne

 

[Maureen Las]

You answered my questions well

I noticed that you didn't say that he is given hay. it is very important for an adult rabbit to get either grass hay or timothy hay etc forhim to wear his teeth down properly and to have proper digestion.
I would be concerned that he isn't feeling well if he is not active when allowed out.

He is getting older but usually a rabbit will be curious about his/her environment unless they are frightened or not feeling well.
Usually the rabbit will explore the room and then lie down.

Do you feel that your vet has a good knowledge of rabbits or do you feel that he is marginal. Did the vet check him all over or just treat the infection?

Iam thinking there is some other unidentified problem

A picture or 2 of him would be helpful and any other info that you can think of.

does he ever look like he has problems moving around ex. like he is stiff or sore?

 

[NorthernAutumn]

I have received this note from James Waller bearing his perspective on your situation:

It does sound very stressfull,
I believe the rabbit feels your pain. Your details leads me to believe the diet needs more fiber,ie orchard/timothy grass,..put this in the poop box too,as well as his food bin,..diet must be 70% fiber,and some pellets,one ounce per pound of rabbit,daily,.ie 6#bun=6oz.pellets,..

This is just a rule of my thumb approach tokeep the gi tract working smoothly,..or the vet bills will be enormous,..in addittion to this i feed a small amount of yard greens,ie dandylions,clovers,grasses.

You also mention bedsores,from being immobile,.a rabbit savy vet-should have given you alot of information about what this is and how to deal with it,,ie .treatment,-medications etc.

My wife suffers from fibromyalgia alsoand finds comfort in taking care of a few animals,..even me at times,..try to get a handle on the situation i am sure you will not regret it,..sincerely james waller

 

[jomcandrew]

Ok, I did forget to mention that I do give him timothy hay as well as dandelion leaves. Also was giving him cauliflower and apples when he was sick with the infection. I think my vet knows what he is doing. I do like him and he seems to be good. Isn't in the least bit unsure when dealing with Coco.

When he had the sore and infection, it was from urine scald or he had that also, from the litter box. I get very frustrated when I have to sit on the floor and try to pull poop off what little hair has grown back in as he shaved him the first time I took him.

I was wiping down with water and then even ended up putting in an old dish washing pan...all fours, but he would only stay about a minute but I would get it all over to rinse him off. He was never really immobile, it was that he was unstable and when I took him that is when we found the sore.

I did forget to mention that he has a recurring skin problem. The vet before him thought it was mites though she didn't see any on the slide and treated him for that. He would get really flakey, almost cottony looking stuff on him skin and his fur would pull right out. When I went to this vet he checked again and no mites. He wanted to treat for the infection first and he even took a picture to send somewhere to see if they could identify this. It makes him very itchy and hard to comb.

It may sound strange but this is so stressful for me. I have a lot of things going on and none are good and this is just something I am having a hard time dealing with. It is hard for me to take care of him to the extent that he needs with the constant cleaning of the cage and him...:? If someone can explain how to add a picture I will do it.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

This thread shows how to post a photo:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=25443&forum_id=66

Would you please post a recent photo of Coco as well?

Am I right in interpreting that he is a 6 1/2 pound minilop?

 

[jomcandrew]

I cannot figure out how to post a picture...

 

[SOOOSKA]

Use www.photobucket.comto post pictures. It's free and easy.

Susan

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Once you have registered with Photobucket, follow the steps in this thread to post your pic

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=25443&forum_id=66

 

[SweetSassy]

Do you think that even though you think his cage is big enough, that maybe he doesn't have enough room in his cage? Before I built my own cage I would put a exercise pen around my cage so my bun could come out into a bigger area to play. And she would sleep out of the cage( in the exercise pen area). And jump back in to use the litter box. Just a suggestion. Good luck.

:biggrin2: April

PS) The cage I built is almost 5 ft by 4 ft. with asecond story.

 

[Maureen Las]

you join the site photobucket and then 1 at a time you transfer the photos from your computer to photobucket..at this point you can copy them onto this site.

Last year at this time I had a bun who was behaving much like your bun. he sat in his litterbox a lot and eventually develloped urine scald. I had blood work done on him onlyto find that he was in total irreversible kidney failure ; the sedentary position was due to weakness although he did continue to eat and drink voluminous amounts.
urine scald is usually secondary to another problem. I would have a blood panel done on him

mites could also be a secondary issue ; they often are latent in the bun until the immune system is taxed and fur mites often do not show under a microscope. your vet could do routine mite treatment with either ivermectin or revolution.

my bun also had problems with messy poops in addition to the urine problem and I, too was maxed out trying to keep him clean.
it would be worth it to have a blood panel done.

 

[jomcandrew]

http://s201.photobucket.com/albums/aa268/jomcandrew/

I hope this works. One is of Coco out of his cage by my cat, which is small.
The other is his cage setup. It is at an angle so I could get it all in. It is a bit bigger than it looks.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Here are your pics:

 

[Maureen Las]

It is hard to see very much other than he does have a few bare looking patches on his back
the cages set- up is too small unless he is out most of the time

I still don't think that this is the problem. A caged rabbit will generally run around when he is let out ; so I suspect that he is not feeling well....

I would have your vet do a blood panel
this will reveal almost everything re. the condition of his organs

I would guess that the vet has been treating the secondary problems without diagnosing what is the inital problem

last year at this time I, too would have not guessed that my bun was in kidney failure but attributed his lethargy to the fact thathis hormones had diminished because of his recent neuter.

Please let us know what you find out....
Ihope that this is not Coco's problem

 

[jomcandrew]

Thanks for posting the pics for me...I am going to call and tell the vet he is just not acting normal. I would think that the kidney failure is fatal. Did you wait or have him put to sleep?

 

[Maureen Las]

I am just basing what I am saying onmy experience with my bun;

my bun was thinner than yours;
it's just a guess
the blood test will hopefully prove me wrong

Idid have my bun put to sleep because he had poor quality of life and didn't feel well

he had been neglected before I adopted him and the starvation and dehydration took a toll on his kidneys....
(Rip Gabriel _

 

[jomcandrew]

I am sorry to hear about your bun. I am guessing that is what my vet is going to want to do. I have some of my own Dr appointments tomorrow so I will try to get him to see him on Friday. Thanks all for your support. I will let you know when I find something out.