Vet Info for Pet Parents

How To Prevent Urine Scald In Your Pet Rabbit

When you own a pet rabbit, one of the issues that you need to watch for is urine scald. This term describes a serious condition in which the rabbit develops a severe skin irritation around its back end as a result of excessive exposure to urine. Urine scald is typically easy to spot, as the animal's fur will be wet and you may notice red sores on its skin. If you're aware that your rabbit is suffering from urine scald, it's imperative that you visit a local veterinary clinic for the appropriate care. As a conscientious rabbit owner, you can limit the risk of urine scald by keeping these tips in mind.

Keep The Litter Box Clean

A simple way to reduce the likelihood that your pet rabbit develops urine scald is to ensure that its litter box is a clean environment. If you don't clean out this space regularly, the hay or newspaper clippings that line the bottom of the litter box will be saturated in urine. When the animal spends time in the litter box, this moisture will transfer to its fur. Over time, this can increase the risk of urine scald. If you clean the box out regularly, the risk will be significantly lower.

Monitor The Rabbit

Many rabbits don't enjoy being picked up, which can result in their owners having somewhat of a hands-off relationship with them. It's important that you learn to pick up your rabbit regularly so that you can check it for urine scald. This issue is easy to spot when you're able to position your rabbit so that you can look at your rabbit's back end, but doing so can be difficult when the pet is sitting on the floor. If you notice minor dampness in this area, you can repeatedly wipe it with a damp cloth until you've removed the excess urine. If you feel uneasy about picking up your rabbit, you can learn some helpful tips during your next veterinary clinic visit.

Keep The Rabbit At A Healthy Weight

When a rabbit is overweight, it will have excess skin around its back end that can often hang down and become saturated in urine when the animal relieves itself. This issue can dramatically increase the risk of your rabbit developing urine scald. Keeping the pet at a healthy weight will reduce the likelihood of this issue occurring. You can achieve this goal by giving it a proper diet and ensuring it has enough space to move around for exercise. Your veterinarian can tell you how much your rabbit should weigh based on its size and age, and they can monitor the animal's weight during each visit to the clinic.

For more information, contact a local veterinary clinic, like Clovis Veterinary Hospital P A.


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