Spray fever
QOur six-year-old Dutch dwarf house rabbit has started spraying inside. Is he too old to be neutered, and would it change his personality? He’s quite timid.
ADutch dwarf rabbits are normally timid. They are considered to be relatively easy to litter train, however. So my first thought is why is this happening now at six years of age?
The first thing to do is to visit the vet. A general physical examination would check for any medical reasons for the sudden spraying.
Examples are bladder or kidney disease, or stones in the urinary tract. Another possibility is arthritis, making it more difficult to use litter trays.
During the veterinary consultation you can ask about neutering. In healthy rabbits it is usually the first option to stop spraying.
The behaviour is a means of marking territory, especially in intact males, but females do it as well and neutering is also a first option for them.
Neutering has many advantages, as diseases of the reproductive system will not occur, and it is generally agreed that neutered rabbits live longer.
If your rabbit is in good health I don’t think six years is too old for neutering and it should not alter his personality. It might make him less timid.
Following neutering, litter retraining is usually easier. But if the problem persists, a rabbit behaviourist (or your vet) could advise on training and the correct use and siting of litter trays.
QMy nine-month-old German shepherd labrador cross suddenly developed a raised red spot above his nose followed by many more with bleeding. The vet is proposing a biopsy and possible steroid treatment. I have read about eosinophilic furunculosis. Could this be the problem?.
ASudden onset conditions affecting the nose are uncommon. Skin diseases can be difficult to diagnose. Faced by this situation vets, after taking a history and examining the patient, will have a list of potential causes. To narrow this down will usually require further investigations.
One possible investigation is a biopsy. These are useful because they either make the diagnosis or help the vet by ruling out some of the differentials.
Having a histopathologist in the team is invaluable and there have been times when a diagnosis has been made for me, even if I had not suspected it.
Nasal eosinophilic furunculosis is one of the differentials in your dog.
In support of this, the problem has come on suddenly, affecting the nose, and deteriorated, most probably due to the dog scratching it. The cause is uncertain but insect bites and an allergic response are suspected. Young inquisitive dogs are more at risk.
A biopsy would confirm the diagnosis and steroids are very effective with this condition. The main differentials also respond to specific treatment with good prognoses.