Rabbits' Urinary Tract Disorder?

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Here is Fabrizio (Fab), whom I rescued from a farmer in northern Maryland one day before he was to be sold at a stock yard (meat market). He is old (4 years old) and very slow and tame, almost like a stuff doll.

Anyway, I noticed that his back legs, tummy, and even front legs and really dirty with urine worse day by day... So, I finally thought that there must be something wrong with his urine system.

For chinchilla, I use a very expensive exotic pet vet in Vienna, Virginia. But, I found a cheaper vet in Washington DC (closer from where I live) that treats rabbits, as well as dogs and cats. So, I took Fab to that vet yesterday.

This guy was an older guy, and I don't think that he is a good vet. He asked me if Fab had been neutered. Well, hello? He said...oh, he is... a bit later, but what kind of question is that?

Then he asked me what kind of cage I was keeping Fab. I use a double deck big rabbit hutch for Fab and his mate (male). I told the vet that Fab's hutch mate is just fine and clean, and they were litter trained. But the vet insisted that it was Fab's age and bedding.

I insisted that there must be something wrong with him. I insisted that it might be some kind of urinary disorder, and Fab needs antibiotics or something. Also, his back legs and tail had urine rash! So, I told the vet that he would need a tube of ointment. The vet told me that he would need to look at reference and left us for about 20 minutes before coming back and checking his kidney and bladder. He touched Fab's stomach and said that his kidney and bladder were normal sized.

He finally gave me antibiotics and a tube of ointment. All of that cost me $85, which is really really cheap... The vet in Virginia would cost $300 or something like that for any minor thing. Also, it is so far away, and getting there is very stressful.

The vet told me that I must give him a half of the antibiotic tablets twice a day. He broke one tablet in halves and put one down Fab's throat. Then he covered Fab's nose and mouse. The vet tried a several times, but each time, Fab spit it out. I said... "Doctor, do these tablets taste good? They look like treats (purple and look yummy). He might just eat it." I put it on my palm for Fab, and he started eating it. He loved it. The vet said "Well, you know your bunny better." I said, in my mind, "well, you should know bunnies better."

The doctor told me to feed Fab "Timothy based pellets". I said, "Yes, I feed him Oxbow, but I also feed him Alfalfa hay." He said, "excellent." What? Which one!!! All the hays must be same to this vet....

DO ANYBODY KNOW ABOUT RABBIT"S OR OTHER SMALL ANIMALS' URINARY INFECTION OR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CASE A SIMILAR SYMPTOM THAT FAB HAD?

By the way, Fab is getting better and better now....

Thanks for listening, and I appreciate your opinions!

 

[Ash]

Just a head's up on some of the points you said:

Asking if the rabbit is neutered - Not a lot of people neuter their rabbits, and even if you do, it can be hard to tell because rabbits (like chins) tend to suck their testicles up and hold them. So asking was a legitimate question.

About the alfalfa hay - For the most part, hay is the same. Granted, there are some brands to stay away from like Kaytee due to quality issues, but for the most part the nutrients are SUPPOSED to be the same, so the fact that you are feeding alfalfa hay is a good thing, regardless of what brand it is. He may have also assumed that you feed Oxbow hay since you feed Oxbow pellets.

The antibiotic - The vet may have experience with many rabbits not taking the antibiotic and that's why he chose that method. That's also a common method used for giving antibiotics in tablet form to a lot of animals, although he may have been better off giving you a liquid antibiotic.

While you may not like the way this vet treated Fab, you chose to go to him because he was cheaper. They say you get what you pay for. Rabbit vets aren't much different from chin vets in that you should really look into them a bit more before just picking one. Just saying... How many vets claim to be "chin vets" but don't know squat about them?

Hopefully someone can help you out with your original question, but is it possible that he's just getting older and laying in his bedding more?