Urine stain on fur

Question
Hi, I have a rabbit who is litter-trained however, I think she sits on her urine frequently therefore there are always stains on her hind legs, paws and bun. I could not wash the urine stain off and I heard bunny bath products do not take care of the problem so why bother buying it. What should I do then?

Answer
Hi Anny,

the thing that is more important than looks is whether the urine is causing the skin on her vent area or her back leg/foot (hocks area) to become irritated and sore.

If the skin appears okay, there really is no medical issue but a cosmetic one.  The one suggestion I can offer is to clean her litterpan more frequently, getting rid of the wet material at a faster rate so that she has less time to sit on it.

The second thing I would suggest is to take her in to the vet to make sure she's not having trouble peeing properly, or if she's having problems urinating (straining, trying to go a long time but only a little coming out).  She might have bladder sludge, kidney stones or the way her stream exits that is in a funny angle (sludge/stones are a diet issue - she would be getting to much calcium).  If she is overweight often urinating problems can be linked back to this.  Also if she ever injured her back or one or both of her back legs, she may not be able to position herself right and she's accidentally hitting herself.

But normally when you have issues like this, it's because of one or more things: there's a weight problem; there's a bladder problem; there's a back/rear leg injury; some kind of congenital problem.

I would try to make sure that used wet litter does not stay around as long.  I would also take her in to a good rabbit vet and explain what is going on.  Take this letter along to your vet and ask about the possibilities.  Your vet will probably have others.  

Write back anytime.  Lee