URGENT: SWOLLEN BLEEDING PENIS [no vets till monday due to holiday]

[Mikey]

I check over my rabbits bottoms once a day, usually at night while im changing their litter. Everything was fine yesterday, but today my nethie Bomburs genitalia looked very swollen. I tried to push it back, and drips of blood came out. I cannot see his penis at all when i try to pop it out, i can only see blood and what looks like a scab. Hes been isolated since but im very worried. The vet wont be in until Dec first, when we have our other rabbit scheduled for a neuter. Im going to call in the morning and see if i can bring Bombur in instead to be looked over, and reschedule Badger for another date to be neutered

How worried should i be? I have not yet checked the litter box. How likely is it that he just has a UTI? How likely is it that he got bit? From pictures i can see online, it looks more like he has an infection. How would he get an infection?

[Mikey]

There is no blood in the litter box. He has eaten and drinken normally all day today. I dont see blood in the litter box anywhere, and i dont know if he is peeing as he shares a cage with Blue, his bond mate. He is pooping; he just pooped on my knee

[Mikey]

There is semi fresh blood in his bed, but no where else in his cage. He often falls asleep grooming and i fear that may have happened in this situation

[Mikey]

My boyfriend brought up a good point, it might be a bladder stone. What do we do about that? Ive never heard of it. Sorry for posting so much, i am freaking out

[Mikey]

I live in northern IL, i need help finding an emergency vet

[Mikey]

Inserted a picture

[Azerane]

I’m afraid I don’t know what to suggest except for seeing a vet as soon as you can, which I’m sure you’re already working on. Bladder stone, or UTI are certainly likely causes. On the chance it’s a stone I imagine he’ll need an x-ray to see how large it is to see if it can pass on it’s own. Hopefully it’s just a UTI and can be treated with antibiotics.

[Mikey]

That is what we are hoping too, thank you

[Mikey]

I tried to rinse the area with warm water and he started chattering loudly. I cant tell if it was a painful chatter or a happy chatter I dabbed him dry then used a cotton swab to put a put of neo sporin around the outside of the area. The area is looking a little bit better now, but he still has not peed for me

[Mikey]

Hes trying to play with me, is that a good sign?
EDIT
He ran a couple laps around the living room then started to freak out when he saw Blue on the other side of the room so i had to put them together again. Blue is really confused but Bombur is a lot calmer now (i think i freaked him out too much). Hes stopped bleeding and the swelling has gone down a bit. Im still going to call the vet and see if i should bring him in, or wait it out for a day or two. My boyfriend is almost certain its sludge since he has a bad tummy and needs a mostly specific diet, and we thought it would be ok to add spinach to their thanksgiving greens meal as a treat (they often have spinach once every month or so, so its nothing overall new to his diet). But that seemed to back fire given that Bombur has been a little more lazy than normal lately, freaking out over the neighbors heater sounds, and that he drinks less when he sheds and he so happens to be shedding. A case of bad timing, basically

But anyway, Bombur is eating again and chilling out in the litter box. I will keep monitoring him, but since hes acting better i want to give him some space so i dont accidentally stress him out from worrying over him

[Bam]

It’s a good sign that he’s trying to play. But it’s really important that he is capable of peeing.

EDIT: Thank you for the update! I’m glad the swelling is a little better. It’s of course best to call a vet for advice, since there were blood and difficulty peeing. Cleaning it and putting neosporin on was good. 

[Mikey]

Another hour till the vet opens. Even if they cannot see him, i think i will ask for anti inflammatory meds for him with enough doses until he can be seen by the vet. He is trying to pee, but hes only able to in very small amounts at a time

[Mikey]

They will not be able to see him until Monday at the earliest, and none of the other vets want to fill medicine for my bunny (even though its in his records what meds he needs and how much). They gave me a list of numbers for other rabbit certified vets within a 3 hour radius, but all of them are closed on saturdays so i left messages. Ill keep looking for more vets online and will give them a call

How dangerous is it for a rabbit not to pee for so long? Is there any way for me to help bring down the swelling so he can pee without pain? He seems to be able to pee, but it seems to cause him pain so he only lets out a few drops at a time

[Mikey]

The swelling has been about halved since this morning, but when i press down, his penis still wont come out but a bit of diluted blood, or red urine will come out instead (he has red urine on occasion). What could that mean?

[Bam]

Dear Mikey, this sounds so troublesome. The best article I could find is this one: http://www.rabbit.org/health/urolith.html
You’ve probably already read it. It does say that a total blockage of the urethra will lead to kidney failure pretty soon, but it will manifest itself as depression and inappetence first. There can also be fever.

The only way to bring down the swelling a little bit would probably be with cool compresses. Warmth drives inflammation, so cool would be better. The neosporin is probably great to prevent infection. Try to encourage drinking. Hay tea, wet greens, water with a tiny bit of unsweetened apple juice – you know the tricks.

Metacam shouldn’t be given to rabbits with poor kidney function. It’s of course not at all certain he has poor kidney function, but I can see how a vet would be reluctant to prescribe it without a thorough exam first.

If he likes being pet it’s good to pet him, from what I’ve read it has a pain-reducing effect and is also distracting.

[Mikey]

Have read it, sadly. We added some apple juice to his water earlier and hes been drinking that on and off. I may have found a vet a bit farther out, but im not completely sure if theyre open today. I called and left a message, but nothing online said they werent open today. Still looking for more vets and wont stop till i get an answer from someone. I will try to rub a colder wash cloth on his area to see if that helps at all

[Bam]

Don’t rub. Just place something cool-ish there.

It’s really good that he’s drinking. Is he still eating?

Keeping my fingers crossed that he starts to pee or that you can find a vet. Even if he can just pee a little bit, it’s better than nothing. Only letting out a few drops at a time and seeming to be in pain while doing it is consistent with a UTI. The blood is too, of course.

It really seems so awful that the vets you were in contact with wouldn’t prescribe any pain-meds, but I think they would have if it were safe, because nowadays vets know how important pain relief is for animals.

[Mikey]

The last vet we called has an exotics vet allergic to rabbits 

Hes drinking no more than he normally does (he really doesnt drink very much), so were trying different things to get him to drink more. Weve got two bowls out now trying to get him to drink more. Hes got one with water and apple juice, and now one with cranberry juice and water. About once an hour we are filling a little syringe with cranberry juice and water and giving it to him. He accepts about half of the syringe (about 5ml) before throwing a fit and running away. But, yes, he is eating normally too. Still very eager for pellets (using them as treats today) as well 

His pee earlier was thick so we thought it could be sludge since he is prone to getting sludge. A UTI is a possibility though. Ive never seen a rabbit with a UTI before so its new territory to me. He is letting out drops of pee here and there, and he is letting me massage his bladder to help him pee. I was very happy to see some pee dribble onto my fingers (lol, never thought id see that) about an hour ago. Ill try again in a few more hours if i dont see any pee spots till then

I agree. Most of the time, he doesnt seem too much in pain. Even now, he is trying to play with me as i type by poking my knee and then running away all happy. When my boyfriend woke up, Bombur tried to chase him then binkyd away when my boyfriend started petting him. If anything, hes acting happier than normal, but im assuming its because he feels uncomfortable

[Mikey]

Reading more into rabbit UTIs he seems to fit that to a T, specially since google says UTIs are common in rabbits who often have sludge problems

[Bam]

It does sound like a UTI. Really clever of you to massage his bladder-area! As rabbit owners we do learn to be happy about things (that at least I) never would’ve thought could make a person happy. Poop and pee for example
It seems you’re doing everything you can do at home perfectly right. And he does seem to be in good spirits all things considered – that, and his appetite, are huge pluses.

[sarahthegemini]

It sounds like you are doing a really great job of caring for him, so keep doing what you’re doing! Have no advice to offer (I’m clueless) but wanted to pass on well wishes. Hope he gets seen by a vet and it’s nothing to serious! Wishing a speedy recovery!

[Mikey]

Thank you both My boyfriend and i have started noticing little pee drops on the carpet where his litter box and crate are, so i think hes trying to go more often but its not working out too well for him yet. He is doing very good though; i am proud of him  Hes really enjoying his cranberry water and chugs it down almost as soon as i refill it (im refilling his cranberry water [1 cup water, 5 to 10 drops of pure cranberry extract] about once an hour right now). He has normal water and apple water dishes as well, should i refill the cranberry water more often since he is drinking it the most?

[Mikey]

HE PEED! HE PEED! HE PEED! AND THERES NO BLOOD IN IT!!!

[Bam]

I don’t know what dosage of cranberry extract is the best, but I think I’d see to it that he has access to cranberry water all the time since it appears to appeal to him. Maybe he senses some beneficial/relieving effect. It doesn’t seem to be harmful even with long term use for bunnies with more chronic bladder issues.

I just finished watching the Hobbit, Bombur really is a perfect name for a bunny

[Mikey]

That is what i read on a few bunny websites as well. I figure as long as we keep it to a minimum to make sure not to over due it, he should be fine

Thank you! That dwarf is exactly who he is named after!

[jerseygirl]

Always in a weekend or holiday! Sorry to read of the trouble but glad to hear he was able to urinate. That may bring inflammation down some.

{{{Bombur}}}

A bit late, but here’s a link with some emergency (and other) clinics for Illinois in case you haven’t seen it before. Hopefully the link opens correctly.

http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Illinois

[Azerane]

How’s Bombur doing today?

[Mikey]

Thank you for the wiki link! Ill note down some of the numbers and try tomorrow if i see he is still struggling. If anything, a list is good to have next time something happens. I tried looking earlier but couldnt find it, for whatever reason my laptop said the wabbitwiki didnt exist this morning

Thank you both for the concern, he is doing well Hes peeing every two to three hours. Its not a lot, but its something and hes doing it without his massages. Hes been napping on and off and starting to wake up now. I told him if he can finish drinking one more bowl of his water, ill let Blue out to play with him since they seem to be missing one another even though they are only inches apart, lol

[Azerane]

I’m glad to hear that he’s peeing regularly, even if it’s not a lot it’s better than nothing

[Q8bunny]

Just saw this and wanted to pass along my good wishes. Sounds like you did everything you could spot on for your boy. (((Bombur)))

[Mikey]

Thank you! Hes peeing regularly and theres no more blood, so im content waiting until monday to talk to and possibly see the vet. But he still has some swelling and his penis wont pop out at all. Ive tried a cold compress once today and it didnt seem to make any difference but i plan to try one more time a bit before bed to see if theres any difference the second time

[Bam]

Oh, I didn’t see your pee-post last night (it was night here, I mean), happy news!!! It absolutely buys you time. I’d keep up the neosporin. And the cranberry, of course.

Brave (((((Bombur))))) get well now!

[Mikey]

Hes been running around for a while. Next time i catch him ill add more neosporin. I figured since he was peeing, neosporin wouldnt be needed as often, but thinking about it i do want to avoid any possible scalding. Hes not drinking as much but hes still peeing. At what point should i try to syringe him some water and juice again? He hasnt taken a drink in about 2 hours

[Bam]

2 hours seems like an ok interval, depending on how much he hates being syringed the water and juice. If he really really hates it, maybe 3 hours would work better for him.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m glad to hear he seems like he’s doing okay. Best of luck at your vet apt. Monday!

[Mikey]

All swelling is gone today and hes drinking as regularly as he is peeing There is a bit of blood yet here and there, but mostly he is doing so much better! Im proud of my little boy getting through this so fast

[Hex]

I’m so happy there’s some improvement! You mentioned bladder sludge and that reminded me of the article I read about using liquid magnesium to clear it up. I’ve got the article from Medirabbit here.

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/LiquidMg/Liquid_magnesium.htm

My rabbits haven’t had to deal with sludge, luckily, so I can’t say if this works from experience. However, the study looks very promising.

[Mikey]

@Hex

Thats really interesting, thank you for the link! I see on there that daily cranberries or cranberry juice can also help, and its what my vet recommended we do after this UTI. Were going in tomorrow to get our other bunny neutered so i will ask her about liquid magnesium as well to see what she thinks about it or if shes heard any studies about it

[Bam]

So glad you and Bombur fought through this together. Sending so many good neutering-vibes for (((((Badger)))))

[Mikey]

Thank you very much, Bam! Bombur is doing so much better. He is still peeing a very light amount of blood, but the vet said that should go away with time and could very well be because of his chronic sludge problem more so than from the UTI. But otherwise, he is a healthy and spoiled baby again We are hoping Badger is like Bombur after being neutered, and acts completely normal and happy, like nothing happened. Blue was depressed and sluggish for a few days before bouncing back to his normal self, and i would feel bad if Badger goes through the same thing

[sarahthegemini]

Glad to hear the update, keep spoiling him :p

[Q8bunny]

Cranberries are amazingly powerful things. Glad the juice helped your cute little furball, Mikey

[Mikey]

Thank you both

[Author]

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