help removing sludge crystals stuck to fur

Question
Dear Dana,

I read that you have bunnies with sludge problems and was hoping you could give me some advice please. My bunny has excess sludge and I haven't been able to find a way to remove the sand that has collected and hardened on his genital mound. I give him a warm water bath every day and have even tried to soak the area but the crystals will not dissolve. I haven't tried cornstarch yet. Do you think it may help? Should I try gently rubbing some on the area while dry or wet or? I cannot use soaps on him as he has a sensitive (pink/tender) spot right beside his mound and it would be painful for me to get any soap there. Do you think I may be able to use a product called "Cetaphil" and a bit of warm water? I am using a product called "Derma Dream" on the sore beside his mound to help that heal and hopefully deflect some of the urine as well. Please help with any advice. The hardened area is starting to obstruct his penis and making it even harder for him to project urine away from his body. I'm really worried..

Thank you
Vanessa

Answer
Dear Vanessa,

Dried bladder sludge is one of the hardest things to remove from fur.  Corn starch will help, but it won't be easy.  If you use a very fine-toothed flea comb with the corn starch, you can very gently tease the calcium deposits out of the fur, but be prepared to spend a while doing this.  I have had to do it too, and it's no picnic.  I'm not familiar with Cetaphil or Derma Dream, so can't speak to their effectiveness.

One thing you *might* try is a tiny, tiny dab of neosporin ointment.  Rub it on the affected fur and see if it helps the residue slide off more easily.  This works well for the proteinaceous residue of runny eyes, but I've not tried it on bladder sludge--so that would be an experiment.

The good news is that once you get the dried stuff out, you'll find that it actually takes longer than you'd imagine for it to accumulate.  Weekly gentle brushings with cornstarch should keep your bunny comfortable.

The main problem is his bladder sludge, about which you might want to consult your rabbit-experienced vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

This is a sign of metabolic bone disease, and though it can be controlled with increased fluid intake and periodic bladder expression, it will not likely ever go away.  You can read more here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

and

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-5/bladder-disease.html

Hope this helps.

Dana