stinky bunny

Question
I have a 2 yr. old dwarf bunny, male, neutered. His urine seems to be thick--it is stuck to the fur on his butt and becomes almost gooey and very smelly. I have to bathe him almost every day and keep the fur trimmed. But he still stinks, a very strong urine smell. Is there something wrong with his bladder,or his diet (leaf lettuce, carrots, alfalfa pellets, approx 1 1/2 tbsp of oatmeal and raisins daily)? I notice too that he does not drink a lot of water, if any. What can I do for him?

Answer
Dear Naomi,

Are you absolutely certain this is urine, and not mucus from his anus?  If it's very strong-smelling, it could be fecal matter or mucus due to enteritis (inflammation of the intestine).  If you suspect this might be the case, please read:

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

and if he is not eating or producing normal fecal pellets, please read this immediately:

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

If you are really sure this is urine, then it's very possible that he has a urinary tract infection (UTI) and/or bladder sludge (though the latter is not common in such a young bunny, it can occur).  You can read about various urinary tract problems common in rabbits here:

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

and if you suspect this might be a UTI, please read this before you bring your bunny to the vet:

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

You will certainly need the help of a good rabbit vet to properly diagnose this problem and for prescription of proper protocols to treat it.  You can find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps get you started on the right track. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana