Dust Mop's Messy Bum

[Bad Habit]

Was talking in the chat box about it. Things about The Mop

She's not very nice at all. Not sure if it's fear aggression or just evil rabbit syndrome.
She wasn't using her litter box for a while, and was in a plastic bottomed cage, so she got messy. I gave her a peroxide bum bath, but that didn't seem to help(since she was still in the plastic cage). I got her into a wire bottomed cage now, which should have solved the messy bum problem. I gave her another bum bath last night, and her fur seemed much cleaner, a little yellow still, but all the brown was gone, as far as I could see. I picked her up today, and her bum is messy again, and wet. There's always been a skunky smell whenever I have her flipped, I figured it was her anal glands and kept them clean - when she came, they were caked with what looked like dried poop.
She has a mass in her belly. As far as I know, she shouldn't be pregnant, well, not that pregnant, she lifted on Wednesday to be covered once by FC. It's midway up her torso, fairly squishy. She doesn't like me fussing with it. She was bred the day I picked her up, and that breeding missed. The lump was not there when she came, as I palpated her for the initial breeding, and didn't feel it then.
Her poops are generally smaller than I would expect, and often strung together with hair.

At this point, I wonder if the mass is either an inflamed bladder(I checked her right after she peed, so it's not a bladder filled with pee!), a hair ball, or a retained kit.

Oh, since being moved to the wire cage, she's somehow managed to cut her bottom lip and make one of her lower teeth wiggly.

On her feet, with me being kind of mean and pulling her up for a picture

Flipped on her back.

 

[DumansArk]

If you have no intention of showing her anytime soon, what about cutting the hair around her bum? Cut off all the dirty areas (except her foot pads of course) to make your job easier, but maybe hers too - maybe she'll keep herself cleaner if she has less fur to get through?<br /><br />__________ Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:52 pm __________<br /><br />But that treats the symptom not the cause, I know. I am sure someone or many someones will have good ideas and advice for what could be wrong!

 

[Bad Habit]

That is on the agenda... I need help to do it, though. She's not really showable anyway, as she's got too much hair on her ears and face - she looks more angora than lionhead.

I'm more worried about WHY this is happening, though. There was an explanation when she was in a plastic bottomed cage, but in a wire bottom, it shouldn't have gotten that bad in a day.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I don't like the look of that. She must have loose stools, at least intermittently. Have you given her any probiotics and/or treated her for wool block?

 

[Bad Habit]

She gets banana and pineapple several times a week. I completely cut out all greens, went out and bought a bag of Oxbow Timothy hay. Same pellets as everyone else. I brush her daily, with 3 different kinds of combs/brushes. At one point I tried giving her oats and just hay. I don't think she eats enough hay. I don't know that she got it at her old home. I have considered shearing her, but need assistance with it.

I have not tried probiotics. Where can that be bought, and what would you suggest as the best brand/type? I assume it's something I should have on hand anyway.

Are there any other wool block suggestions short of a vet visit? While I want to do as much possible to get her better and mentally stable, I am not paying vet bills to try and keep her going.

Oh. This has only started happening since I moved her into my room. So... 2-ish weeks, off and on. The only reason she's had butt baths is because I just wanted to make sure it was from sitting in her waste in the plastic bottomed cage. She would go out of her way to make sure she pottied on the cage floor, and then would end up sitting in it.

 

[Miss M]

You tried giving her oats and hay... how long, and did she just not eat?

If you want to try to save her, I would definitely employ someone to help you shear her. At least around her bottom, but I think shearing her completely would help you see her overall condition, and keep her from ingesting any long fur.

I'm really concerned about the retained kit possibility. I have no idea what to do about that, beyond getting her to where she can breed again, and hoping the mummified (hopefully) kit comes out with the new kits.

I would definitely cut out pellets for now. Maybe get some blackstrap molasses and lightly coat rolled oats with it. You could even get probiotic capsules for humans and empty them into there, and the molasses would stick it to the oats. That way, you don't have to try to pump a paste into her mouth.

You could give her pedialyte, or even a weak tea solution to entice her to drink.

 

[Bad Habit]

Oh, she's eating and drinking fine. She goes through about a dish of water a day, and that's probably a cup and a half? Eating pellets fine too. When I gave her oats and hay, it was for about 3 days, and it was only because I was trying to force her to eat more hay, which it didn't. She ate all the oats and was flipping her food dish around because she wanted more, though. I'm afraid that she will just not eat if I only give her hay, because she doesn't seem to be a hay eater.

I'm going to ask my mum to help me shear her on Monday. I can probably do most of her body, it's just that when I flip her, she freaks out. I would feel safest if someone was holding her with both hands, and someone else was cutting the hair.

A retained kit would have had to have been from the breeding at the breeder's when I brought her home, since I never noticed it when she was first here. I didn't feel any babies when she was palpated for that breeding, but I'm not an expert at it.

Sorry if I seemed short with you, DumansArk. It's a very valid suggestion for making things easier for her all together, especially if it is caused by ingested hair . When I reread my comment, I noticed it could be taken as snippy, and that's not how I meant it to sound. I'm just getting frustrated with this rabbit!

 

[Miss M]

Wow, okay... I thought for sure she wasn't taking in normally.

A cup and a half is a lot for one little bunny. Isn't it? :thinking: I know my rabbits don't drink that much, and they're outside.

Even Timothy didn't get her to eat hay, huh?

 

[3mina]

Miss M, my FWs go through almost as much water as my Rex, they get they same bottles in warmer weather

 

[Bad Habit]

I'm actually not entirely sure how much goes into those crocks, and she isn't licking it dry before I'm filling it again. She's also not getting any fresh foods, so no water from those. Hannah drinks at least 2 crocks a day, sometimes more. Dobby and FC only drink about half a crock a day.

Your rabbits probably wouldn't be drinking as much as mine at the moment, assuming that you get some form of colder weather there . Mine are inside, where it's usually 16-20c.

I got timothy because I read it was supposed to be better for passing wool than the alfalfa/grass hay I regularly feed. I assume that depends on you getting the hay into the rabbit. She throws the hay around, eats a little bit, but mostly wastes it. I can throw equal sized portions to all the rabbits before I go to bed, and hers will be spread all over the cage, but everyone else will have theirs gone by the time I get up.

 

[MaggieJ]

If you are seeing her poops strung together with wool, I would think wool block might be the problem. She could have other things going on as well though. For a possible retained kit, I would feed her some sage or lavender buds. Lavender might be difficult to find, but you should be able to get fresh sage at an upscale supermarket.

 

[Dood]

Wouldn't a ball of fur/wool in her stomach or a section of intestine also feel like a 'growth'

 

[Miss M]

Your rabbits probably wouldn't be drinking as much as mine at the moment, assuming that you get some form of colder weather there . Mine are inside, where it's usually 16-20c.

Mine tend to drink more when it's cold... I could swear they drink more than when it's hot. :shock:

I got timothy because I read it was supposed to be better for passing wool than the alfalfa/grass hay I regularly feed.

Ooooooh... well, I've learned my something new for the day.

I assume that depends on you getting the hay into the rabbit.

Yeah, I imagine her playing with it doesn't count for much. :lol:

Wouldn't a ball of fur/wool in her stomach or a section of intestine also feel like a 'growth'

Makes sense... I hadn't even thought of that, but I imagine if it got big enough...

 

[3mina]

You mean irregularly shaped I'm guessing? Usually, no because being inside the stomach and intestines keeps it in a smooth, regular shape from the muscular action of the stomach. Almost always an irregular shape means uncontrolled cellular growth, a malignancy.

 

[Bad Habit]

If you are seeing her poops strung together with wool, I would think wool block might be the problem. She could have other things going on as well though. For a possible retained kit, I would feed her some sage or lavender buds. Lavender might be difficult to find, but you should be able to get fresh sage at an upscale supermarket.

Does it have to be buds? I never got around to cutting down my mum's lavender in the fall, so if slightly frozen is okay, I can brave the snow and go take some snips off her plant? As far as sage... Upscale supermarket my aunt fanny, LOL. I can get it at metro, as fresh cut herbs, or at Walmart, as an actual plant.

I'm really not sure anymore. I was poking at her growth last night, and it seemed to move away from me, like a live baby would do. I really hope she's not, because I don't want to start locking Dobby's cage again, it was such a pain in the rear. I did stop locking it about a month ago, just after Lily left. I am going to give her a nest box, both to see what she'll do, and to try and contain the hay(I don't want anything with a solid bottom.)

I'm positive she has some hair retention issues, though, because she does not eat enough hay. I've let her clean out her J-feeder(cuz I honestly have no idea how one would go about emptying a j-feeder, short of removing it), but now am going to give her solely hay for the next couple days, see if that forces her to eat it.

If I cut all her hair off, should I continue to groom her? I'm worried it will hurt her if I do, and pain is the last thing I want to cause.

 

[MaggieJ]

Does it have to be buds? I never got around to cutting down my mum's lavender in the fall, so if slightly frozen is okay,

Sorry, Bad Habit, I don't know the answer to that one. I doubt it would harm her, but you might be better off to try the sage.

Next year harvest and dry some of the flower buds, just before they open. Then you'll have them handy in case of need.

BTW, tell your Aunt Fanny :lol: that Metro or The Independent Grocer are about as upscale as you get around here. Compared, say, to No Frills or PriceChopper.

 

[Bad Habit]

I dunno, I figured you meant like a specialty grocery. One of those fancy pants ones they have in the cities, that don't stock anything normal at all, and just have weird, gross stuff that I'd never eat in a million years. We've got an Independant(though I'm not sure it is that anymore, or if it changed names when it rebuilt), 2 Metro's, a Walmart Superstore, and a No Frills. At the moment, the No Frills is our "high end" grocery, as it's brandest new and all shiny and clean.

I shall do just that, if my mum will let me. She's pretty lenient about me taking things from her garden for the rabbits... especially the dandelions! She won't let me take any prickly pear pads to feed them, though, nor the mountain phlox, and I'm only allowed to take rose clippings when they're cut down for the year.

---

Alright, there is officially mucus-y poops. First I've seen so far. It was formed, kind of, but very wet and runny. Was several poops in one bundle, but not cecal-type poop. It seemed relatively tacky when I picked it up, but I used a tissue, not my fingers.

 

[AnnClaire]

BH, cut the lavender branches and give her ONE. Then, one the next day. All the chemsitry you need to help induce labor are available in the buds

I realize this doe is a bit of a pill for you right now, but you are learning a lot of valuable information from her! If she is pregnant, trimming her undercarriage and tailgate is something you WANT to do before kindling so the babies don't get hung up in the long tailgate fur as they are born, and so that they won't have to struggle so much to reach the teats when nursing. Also, an overall trimming is done regularly for long haired breeds before kindling as the long hair in the nest box can strangle a kit's leg or neck.

Here's hoping she IS preggers and you have a successful kindling!

 

[Bad Habit]

BH, cut the lavender branches and give her ONE. Then, one the next day. All the chemsitry you need to help induce labor are available in the buds

I realize this doe is a bit of a pill for you right now, but you are learning a lot of valuable information from her! If she is pregnant, trimming her undercarriage and tailgate is something you WANT to do before kindling so the babies don't get hung up in the long tailgate fur as they are born, and so that they won't have to struggle so much to reach the teats when nursing. Also, an overall trimming is done regularly for long haired breeds before kindling as the long hair in the nest box can strangle a kit's leg or neck.

Here's hoping she IS preggers and you have a successful kindling!

I don't understand... you answered my question before I asked it. I was going to ask if I should hold off on trimming until I knew if babies were going to be born.

My mum will help me on Wednesday, I think, after we've gone for the new girls.

She dug all of the hay out of the nest box, and had flipped it. So that experiment is over. I did see her eating some hay, but she has 0 pellets left, so that's all that she has available... Although the girls did sneak her a carrot when they were here.

 

[AnnClaire]

BH, if you are absolutely SURE that she is past day 33, then I would feed the lavender branches. If not, hold off, trim her up and see what happens. Who knows, when you are trimming her, you may feel the babies moving and will know that she is pregnant.

However, if she goes past day 33 with no haystache and no nesting, and you still suspect a mummified kit from the last breeding, then the lavendar may help.