Dewlap (Graphic Photos)

[Ivory]

Has anyone here ever had a doe with a dewlap that was too large, but otherwise she was in good health? Have anyone ever experienced a rabbit dewlap reduction on said rabbits?

I know some rabbits get pretty big dewlaps, but the one I'm fostering at the moment has trouble grooming, so we're performing a reduction on her dewlap. I was just curious if anyone has also experienced this.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

OMGosh - I know it's serious, but I can't help but see the joke in the big chested bunny needing a reduction! Sorry.

Honestly, that's something I've heard of but never have heard of the reduction surgery. Is it worth the surgery? I mean - rabbits have a hard time healing and stuff anyhow don't they?

I think I've always heard that you just have to make sure it's kept clean and dry for them.

 

[Ivory]

The problem is if they can't perform cecotrophy, they become depressed. They become frustrated and unhappy.

It's not any different than removing just regular skin- the surgery itself isn't bad. Actually the number of stitches are small considering.

Not to mention...chronic moist dermatitis isn't as easy to constantly be treated as you'd think.

I'm not worried about Pellette's surgery so much because he's done it before, I was just curious if anyone else has ever had it done.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Ohhhh - that makes sense.

I'm glad she will be ok. I've just always heard - if you don't have to cut - don't cut on bunnies.

Cecals makes sense too tho....

do we have a photo of the enormous dewlap? :biggrin2:

 

[tundrakatiebean]

Could we get before and after photos? I'm way curious about this...

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Could be a good thing to reference in our medical stuff since it's not common apparently!

You never know who it might help.

 

[Ivory]

Actually I've been trying to get a decent picture of Pellette's dewlap. It's huge, and it's in layers. Thing is, she isn't overweight at all. It's really odd, and it's weird to take a picture of. The best way of seeing it is if she's standing up or laying down, but I can't get a pic of her standing....or laying down.

Before she actually gets the surgery, we're obviously going to conduct a thorough search on her to make sure that it isn't something else. Pre-op bloodwork came back normal. I think we're probably going to take X-rays of it. Really...it's huge. But it's not so much that it's huge, so much as she can hardly groom herself. She can't reach her bottom. She does have rolls of skin on the rest of her body, too, but they aren't preventing her from grooming/being happy/participating in normal rabbit behaviors.

Here is the best I got today. I've seen some huge dewlaps, particularly in Rex mixes like Pellette (or at least she looks like a Rex mix) but never one as huge as hers. And I've seen a lot. The only bigger one I've seen was in a rabbit I had named Merry, who was a Mini-Rex that weighed about eleven pounds. She was just enormous all around.

 

[Maureen Las]

are you sure that thats a dewlap and not a growth? Its not shaped like a normal dewlap..its all in one spot.

 

[Ivory]

And I just had the camera focused on her and everything and she just HAD to move from the perfect position to see it! *grumble*

Here's another from a while back...

I'll also mention that she's quite a young rabbit, an adult, but a young adult, a little over a year.

 

[Ivory]

That's exactly why we're taking X-rays. When palpated it feels like a normal dewlap, albeit huge.

 

[Maureen Las]

Sorry..I went ahead and posted before I read your whole post.

That certainly is interesting. I hope that it"s a dewlap and not a growth.

 

[Ivory]

Me too.

 

[lagadvocate]

Hi, this reminded me of the bun on the cover of The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman (also that bun's owner, I think but not sure). I believe the bun's name was Herman (although Ithink it was a doe despite the name, my memory is fuzzy it's been a while since I read it).

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Lagadvocate-I'm pretty sure thatis Herman on the cover. I have the handbook.

Nice post.

 

[lagadvocate]

Thanks AngelnSnuffy! That was one of the very first bun books I read when I got my first bun back in the day.

I thought Herman was awesome!

 

[Ivory]

Pellette's dewlap was removed without problems. She hasn't woken up yet, however. But she seems to be doing okay.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Oh good! Was it just dewlap then?

That little dear will be able to see her own front feet again!

 

[naturestee]

Is she awake and ok now?

I have heard of another rabbit that needed her dewlap removed so she could groom herself. This was on the Rabbits United forum (on the Rabbit Rehome website), and the bun had recently been turned in to a rescue.

Pellette's dewlap reminds me of a Palomino bun I helped transport named Tank. Hers was big and lopsided too, and she also developed an abscess in it but that healed quickly.

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm glad that she's OK and that it was just "dewlap"

Never heard of dewlap reduction surgery before but I learn something everyday

 

[Ivory]

Pellette's was large and lopsided, actually most of it was on the left side, but it was just a big flap of skin.

I can't say that she seems happier now because she's actually kind of ticked off and obviously not feeling well from her spay. (The spay was a bit of an issue. She suffered from chronic false pregnancies and also had pyometra. She's on a lot of antibiotics.) She's still waking up. However, once her throat heals and her hair grows back (the area was shaved) she'll be okay. We'll probably have to sedate her to take the stitches in her neck out.

Buut, that being said, she's doing moderately well.