I have a 4 year old dwarf doe that has been having problems with urine drying and crystalizing (?) around her bottom. The first time it happened I cleaned her up with Ivory soap dilution and then put Neosporin on the raw places and it cleared up great. This time it seems to be on her leg and has made a raw place on her leg (again with the cleaning and ointment). Does anyone know of what might be causing this? Is there ANYTHING I can give her to help clear it up? Any suggestions for diet? I would appreciate any help. I can\'t stand to see her like this.
As rabbits age, their kidneys and bladder can accumulate crystals in much the same way that people can. These can lead to kidney and bladder stones. For rabbits, excess calcium in their diets can be the main culprit. If you can find a rabbit pellet that is timothy hay based rather than alfalfa based, this will reduce the amount of calcium in her diet. Also as with people, you can add cranberry juice to your rabbit\'s drinking water to help flush out the urinary tract and kill any infection lingering there. When neosporin doesn\'t work to help clear up a urine scald, I usually switch to a mixture of soy oil and Pen G that is used on dairy cattle for mastitis and cracked nipples. You can usually find it at your local farm supply store or vet.
Thanks for the info. I really do appreciate it!!!!! I will try adding some cranberry juice to her water. The scald has cleared up quite a bit since I put the neosporin on it.
Any ideas on where I could find the timothy based pellets?
The only place I know of for sure that has the timothy based pellets is Oxbow. I have no idea what the cost is plus there is shipping but they make a good product and are fast at getting you what you want. You could try some of the PetSmarts or PetCo\'s to see if they carry anything like that. I\'m sure there are other products out there but Oxbow is the only place I know of for sure. They have a web site and on line or phone ordering. Glad to hear your rabbit is getting better.
Thanks again for the help.
I\'ll order some pellets from Oxbow.