Urinary incontinence in rabbits can have several causes and there are secondary problems to consider with the condition.

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Rabbits can get primary urinary incontinence due to neurological conditions such as E. cuniculi or spinal trauma/lesions. Other conditions can also lead to your rabbit leaking urine or being unable to adopt the correct position for urination, so the urine dribbles down their back legs causing fur loss and sore skin.

When a rabbit is incontinent, they may have limited or no ability to control their urination. They may pass urine and sit in it causing wetness, and sores around the legs, tail, feet and even on the underside of the body can develop. There will be a strong smell to the rabbit and the fur will turn yellow and may become matted. This is a serious concern, not only because the rabbit’s welfare is severely compromised and it will be painful, but there is also a risk of flystrike as the flies are attracted to the odor of the urine and dampness of the fur.

Any lesion, such as a tumor or a bulging disk in the spine, will cause compression on the spinal nerves, causing the rabbit to lose control of their bladder, resulting in dribbling of urine. E. cuniculi targets the central nervous system and kidneys causing loss of bladder control. Rabbits who have an active infection will often have urinary incontinence as one of their clinical signs and may have others, such as a head tilt, rolling, nystagmus (involuntary flicking of the eyes), seizures and paralysis or paresis (weakness of the legs). Rabbits who are arthritic or have spondylosis of the spine find it painful to hop in and out of litter trays and to adopt the correct position for urination, so the urine can dribble down the back legs. When rabbits urinate, they lift their tail and back end up and away from the stream of urine, but pain in this location can cause rabbits to be unable to adopt this position. Rabbits who have polydipsia (excessive drinking) and polyurea (excessive urination), will often dribble urine.

As well as being uncomfortable and painful for the rabbit, secondary bacterial infections can happen because the fur and skin are constantly wet. As already mentioned, these rabbits are at an increased risk of flystrike.

Your veterinarian needs to get to the cause of the problem. They may want to perform urinalysis, blood work including an E. cuniculi screen and x-rays. This will look at your rabbit’s kidney function, check to see if they have an active E. cuniculi infection, look for bladder stones and sludge, and look at the spine for obvious signs of problems. A more detailed MRI scan would be required if a cause for concern was noted on the x-ray. Your veterinarian will also provide pain relief and may advise using a barrier cream on the inside of the legs and around the perineum to help protect against further urine scalding. If your rabbit isn’t eating or is eating less, they may require medications to support their gastrointestinal tract. Clipping and cleaning of the fur and skin may be needed, but it may be too sore for your rabbit to do this while they’re awake, so they may need to be sedated. It is advised to keep your rabbit indoors, especially if the weather is warmer as the chances of flystrike are reduced.

If the underlying cause is identified and treatment is successful, then there is every chance the condition may be resolved or at least improved in some way. E. cuniculi requires a minimum of 28 days treatment with Fenbendazole. Rabbits who have arthritis or spondylosis usually require lifelong pain relief and modifications at home, such as low sided litter trays so they can hop in and out easier. Your rabbit may need to lose weight and bladder stones are likely to require surgery to remove them.