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Rabbit losing hair, has become incontinent

22 11:09:59

Question
Hi -- my rabbit is a Jersey Wooly, is 4 and 1/2 yrs old, and has the run the run of the house since I got him at 5 months old. A few months ago he started pooping and peeing in the house instead of in his litterbox (the box is in the basement). I took him to the vet who took an x-ray and ran some tests, and he could not determine anything wrong.  Now though he falls asleep a lot (while I'm holding him), and he is beginning to lose patches of fur from his underside and sides.  Once a week (maybe less) he has runny poops, but I'm not sure if it's because I've fed him too many apples or what.

I've read that domestic rabbits live 6-8 yrs, which makes me wonder if he is sick or he really is just getting old.

Thank you -- Ann

Answer
Dear Ann,

At the age of 4.5, he's by no means old.  He's in his prime.  But something is obviously wrong.  If the vet did bloodwork to check his liver and kidney functions, and they were normal, then that's good.  But Jersey Woolies are more prone to ingesting hair than other breeds, and I wonder if he might need more fresh hay and lots of fresh greens to keep his intestines moving well and pushing through his abnormally long hair.

Also, it would be wise to have his molars checked to be sure they're not causing him problems with eating.  If he's losing weight and fur, he might not be eating properly, and that can often be traced back to dental problems:

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

The runny poop is another sign that something is wrong.  Please read this entirely:

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

as well as:

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


For more information on fur loss, please read:

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

I think you might want to find an experienced rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The behavior you describe isn't normal, and your bunny isn't old.  But there is something going on that's treatable, and a good vet will be able to get a handle on it with the proper diagnostics.

I hope this helps.

Dana