Urinary tract disease is relatively common in domestic rabbits. It is important to rule out any medical causes before assuming any unusual urinary issues are purely behavioral. Obesity and an inactive lifestyle can play a major role in the development of urinary issues in rabbits. Other conditions that interfere with normal exercise and movement can also play a role. These conditions include spinal disease or damage, arthritis pain, head tilt secondary to middle ear infections, and E. cuniculi infection. High calcium diets can also result in excessive calcium within the urine exacerbating this condition resulting in the development of calcium sludge in the bladder or bladder stones.
Common symptoms of urinary disease in rabbits include urine scalding (rash around the genital region), straining to urinate, inappropriate urination or changes in urination habits, increased urination, increased thirst, GI stasis, hunched posture, turbid urine, bloody urine, or change in color of the urine.
Step one will be a urinalysis and depending on the findings your veterinarian may also recommend a urine culture and sensitivity. Radiographs may be recommended to evaluate for bladder stones, excessive calcium sludge within the bladder, or spinal abnormalities that might affect the control of urination. Blood testing such as a complete blood count and serum biochemistry may also be recommended. If a contagious disease is suspected, appropriate testing will also be recommended.
If the diet contains excess calcium (i.e. alfalfa based diet) this should be immediately corrected. Sedentary rabbits need to be encouraged to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes every day. Any condition that may interfere with the patient’s ability to exercise needs to be addressed (i.e. arthritis).
Your veterinarian may recommend fluid therapy and prescribe pain medications or antibiotics if warranted. Patients with a large amount of calcium sludge may require sedation and urinary catheterization to flush the bladder. Any skin irritation caused by urine scalding should also be addressed by shaving off the hair to allow application of prescription ointments and the area needs to be kept dry. Bladder stones need surgical removal. Surgery may also be required in patients with excessive folds in the genital region.
The prognosis is dependent on the underlying cause. In cases of bladder sludge, this tends to up being a condition that requires long term management.
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