Petal the rabbit's potty problem

Our rabbit, Petal, is a 3½-year-old female Holland Lop. She was potty-trained only after she was neutered at the age of one. She is a free-roaming rabbit and enjoys her romps from midnight till 6am every day. She returns to her cage only for food, drinking and toilet breaks. However, Petal has been peeing outside of her potty for the past six months, about once a day. We tried to place another litter box with her stain of urine outside her cage, but she refuses to use it. Why is she behaving this way and how can we stop her from peeing outside of her potty?

Shue Yin

Changes to a rabbit's environment, such as a change in pen location, litter type or the addition of a new rabbit or pet, are potential stressors that could lead to Petal urinating outside her litter box.

If these stressors cannot be rectified, you may have to repeat litter training with a new box.

To make urinating in the litter box more attractive to Petal, it should be large enough for her to stretch out with suitable litter material.

There should also be more than one litter box provided in different locations, with hay present nearby to make them more appealing for Petal.

As she had been using the litter box consistently before, you should visit a vet to rule out any medical causes of urinary issues. Do also keep an eye out for abnormalities in the appearance of the urine.

Meanwhile, if she urinates at a specific spot in the home, you can remove the smell using an enzymatic cleaner to reduce the appeal of that spot to Petal.

Persistent itch after grooming

I sent my dog Charlie for grooming because his fur was badly matted and had to be shaved off. After he came home, I noticed he was constantly scratching his body and rubbing against the furniture. Do I help him relieve these irritations or should I leave him alone to recover?

Clint Lionel Nonis

Having a frequent itch can be uncomfortable and should not be left alone.

Some dogs have more sensitive skin that may become irritated after shaving. The process of removing hair could cause skin irritation and itch, especially if the dog causes further damage to the skin by licking or scratching.

But this is only one of the potential causes of itchy skin and should not last for more than a few days.

Another common cause of itch is fleas. For some sensitive animals, even a few fleas on the body can cause severe itch.

Charlie should be on regular external parasite treatment, such as spot-on or edible treatments for fleas and ticks.

He could also have had some inflammation and/or infection of the skin with yeast or bacteria when his fur was matted.

Taking him to the vet would be a good place to start.

The vet would most likely take a good look at his skin and ears and do skin cytology to examine his skin cells under a microscope. This would help identify parasites, bacteria or yeast that could be causing the itch.

Also, the vet would need a good history of Charlie, including details about when the itch started and if there were any changes in his lifestyle and diet, as environmental and food allergens can cause itch in dogs.

If it turns out that the irritation is caused by the clipping, let your groomer know the next time you take Charlie there, so he or she can watch out for sensitive areas at subsequent sessions.

Remember, it is important to find and treat the cause - not just the itch.

Toilet-training for young poodle

I have a 14-month-old black toy poodle called Elby. Elby has not been toilet-trained and I think it is good for him to be properly trained. I have reviewed some dog-training videos on YouTube, but could not get the desired results. Is there any place I can send Elby for training?

Vamarajan Bhaskaran

It is great that you have taken the initiative to try and toilet-train Elby. The process will require patience and commitment. While it may take more effort now that Elby is a young adult with established routines, it is still possible.

During this training process, it is likely that Elby would still have occasional accidents at home.

It is important not to punish or scold him when these occur, as he would not understand why you are doing it, especially if some time has lapsed since the accident. He could become afraid of you and this could affect him when he feels the urge to go to the toilet when you are around.

For further guidance, consult qualified animal behaviour professionals.

• Answers by Dr Denyse Khor, who cares for domestic pets as well as wildlife. Dr Khor, who graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2015, is a veterinarian in the Animal & Veterinary Service under the National Parks Board.