Why is my rabbit's bottom dirty & how to prevent stuck poop?

Question

Hello, I have a rescue male, 2 yr old, Holland Lop rabbit. Since I've had him he's been getting clumps of feces stuck to his bottom. My rabbit does not try to clean himself. My vet has been no help. A sanitary shave didn't resolve the issue. My vet said to bathe him weekly, but that causes unneeded stress on both parts. He's on a diet of Oxbow timothy hay and pellets. I'd like to at least figure out why this is occurring and hopefully find a solution other than bathing him. Thank you. Pet's info: Small Animal | Rabbit | Male | neutered | 2 years old | 4 lbs

Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

In most of the similar cases I had in the past, the problem was related to excessive weight and presence of big dewlap. Weight loss can easily achieved initially by cutting pellets from diet. A good balance would be 80-85% hay, 5%pellets, 10-15% greens. Dietary change must be done slowly and progressively over a couple of weeks. May this be Roux case?

Why is my rabbit's bottom dirty & how to prevent stuck poop?

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