Help! Please give me some answers!

[hopntailrabbitry]

Ok,

I was grooming one of my mom's rabbits and she has a bald spot. Now she always rubs that area on her face with the water bottle,now I don't know if that is causing that to be bald or it's some kind of skin infections?Please give me some answers and whatI can treat this with. Because this rabbit is showing next week.



Thank You

 

[naturestee]

That looks pretty bad. It's pretty much impossible to diagnose a skin condition over the internet. You'll need to take her to a vet. I wouldn't count on showing her next week because I don't think a judge would look favorably on that. If it is a skin infection or a fungal issue like ringworm she could pass it on to other rabbits.

It's possible that it is just because she rubs her face on the water bottle, but I think it's more likely that she rubs her face because her skin itches from whatever is causing that.

 

[Flashy]

Ouch. I wonder if the bun has been rubbing it because it is itchy, or hurts.

To be honest, I doubt it's going to be showing next week with that there.

It could be mites, or fleas, or an infected injury or something like that. Or possible over grooming from another rabbit, if that's a feasible option.

 

[hopntailrabbitry]

Ok Thanks. She has no fleas or another and I do have those kinda of cages where they are next to another rabbit but it has a solid divider on it. Yea I don't think she will be showing at all. Unless I bring her anyway and have a vet check on her. And it's not like an ARBA show at all lol it's a 4-H show well the county fair.



But when she rubs that areaaround the bottle I don't see that crusty stuff on that area. And none of the other rabbits have that. It's kinda weird...well weird to me.

 

[hopntailrabbitry]

Oh yeah and I also forgot to mention it's like dry to that area.

 

[pamnock]

It could be mites, fungal infection or a bacterial infection. Most certainly get that rabbit to the vet for a proper diagnosis.

Don't even consider taking it to the show with that skin condition (it wouldn't pass the health check at most fairs).



Pam

 

[hopntailrabbitry]

Oh I think it might be a wet dewlap

 

[HoneyPot]

It might also be any number of more serious things as everyone has been suggesting. I wouldn't write it off it I were you because it could be more serious than you think. A trip to the vet is the best bet because if it is a skin infection of some sort, and you want to be able to show you bun in the future, you need to take it in.

______________
Nadia

 

[naturestee]

"Wet dewlap" is a fungal infection and requires vet treatment. Please bring her to a vet for proper diagnosis and treatment.

 

[hopntailrabbitry]

Good news! Yes, it was a wet dewlap,BUT not all wet dewlaps don't need medical attention. If the dewlap is green and has a horrible smell then yes it might be possibly to bring it to the vet. But anyways to treat the wet dewlap I used an ointment that you use on people. And hey it really works,I see a little bit of black fur coming back in. But anyways even though I have to bring my rabbits in this Thurs. to the fairgrounds,but the big show starts this Sun. Anyways, if the fur does grow fully back on Sat/Sun. then I will probably bring her. But when I bring the rabbits for check in on Thurs. I'll tell the person that I'm not too sure on Lucy.



I'm soo happy I actually cured another rabbit!

 

[ec]

Please take your rabbit to the vet - there's no way whatever is wrong can be diagnosed and treated, let alone "cured," without proper medical attention.

I'm sure your rabbit is feeling miserable because of this problem - if you had something like this, would you try to "cure" yourself, or go to the doctor??? Your rabbits deserve proper care and attention, not home-made "remedies," especially if there's a chance (and there is) that this problem is infectious.

To be really honest with you, not getting this problem treated properly is neglect.

 

[hopntailrabbitry]

She is eatting,drinking,doing her business. And fur is growing back...so there is no point to take her. And that stuff does work on it but if it was worse than that then yeah I would've taken her. And besides I have a book of all the rabbit diseases and what to treat them with and that is a wet dewlap and that is what you are suppose to treat them with...ointment.

 

[ec]

But - and it's a big "but" - you are not a doctor. Anyone (me included) can own medical texts, but that doesn't make them (or me) qualified to diagnose, or to treat with appropriately prescribed medicine.

BTW, though they won't say it themselves, the people who gave you advice above have probably owned and cared for rabbits for many more years than you've been on this earth. One of these people is a 4-H judge.

Please get your bun to a vet

 

[Butterfinger]

:yeahthat:

It really is important. Even if it is wet dewlap, wouldn't you want to get it okayed by a vet that the stuff you're using is okay? (Or maybe get some ointment for...y'know.....rabbits? )

 

[ec]

naturestee wrote:

"Wet dewlap" is a fungal infection and requires vet treatment. Please bring her to a vet for proper diagnosis and treatment.

naturestee is correct about this.

There have been other folks who've come here and have posted queries with titles that sounded every bit as urgent as yours. They got lots of great advice (as is the case here), but you know - some of them decided to "treat" illnesses themselves rather than take their rabbits to the vet. And they lost those bunnies.

I'd hate to see you making the same mistake - as much for your sake as for the buns.'

Edit: here's a fine article (written by a rabbit specialist!) on fungal dermatosis and its treatment. The photos aren't pretty, but I hope they will encourage you to call the vet ASAP:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Fungal/fungaldermatosis.PDF

Of course, there's no way to diagnose your bun's problem over the internet, as has already been pointed out...

 

[Haley]

What kind of ointment are you using? Is it neosporin or silvadine or something? I suppose it wouldnt hurt to give it a try and see what happens over the next few days. If it doesn clear up though you need to get her to a vet. It could be some sort of fungal or bacterial infection that those ointments wont treat.

 

[naturestee]

I'm guessing it's something like athlete's foot cream. But this is not meant for internal use and I don't know if it's safe for a rabbit to lick off. This is a major problem with many topical ointments. Did you check to make sure this is safe for rabbits to lick off? And where did you get your info? Just because you can put something on a rabbit doesn't mean you should.

 

[Bunnicula]

I'm with everybody here who recommends getting your rabbit to the vet.

I keep books on hand and lots of rabbit-safe supplies in an emergency kit. But I only use them to keep the rabbit healthy until I can get it to a vet.

I am glad that whatever ointment you are using is clearing up the condition, but PLEASE be certain that it is something safe to use on rabbits. Never use anything just because a book or website says it is okay. Be certain that the writer of the book or websource is a CREDIBLE EXPERT. Furthermore, if thisskin condition is something that you do not have prior experience with, it is dangerous to count on descriptions in a book to help you diagnose and treat it.

There is someone who has recently joined this site who is a new bunny owner. She was given a bunny care sheet that was full of all kinds of WRONG information...some of which could have harmed her rabbit.

Even the most experienced members of this forum will insist on telling you that the experience and advice they share should NEVER take the place of a professional medical opinion by a rabbit-savvy vet.

 

[hopntailrabbitry]

It's a triple antibiotic ointment. You get it at the A&P,well that's where I gotten it. But atleast the fur is growing back. And she can't lick it because it is on the side of her neck where the dewlap is and I mean like all the way on the side. But I never seen her lick that area though. And if it was harmful to her then she would've been gone already. But I am happy that everything is turning out nicely though.

 

[katt]

she can still get to it, maybe not by directly licking it, but what if she did the whole 'praying' thing they do, get it on her paws, then clean her paws ???

it kinda scares me that you are saying things like "And if it was harmful to her then she would've been gone already"

self treatment of rabbits can cause more problems, and honestly if there is any CHANCE that she has something that could spread to another rabbit, how would you know if you don't have the equipment and knowledge to run the correct tests like a vet office would? just because the hair is growing back doesn't mean the that issue is completely taken care of.

it just seems a little irresponsible that a) you aren't getting this rabbit to the vet and b) you are going to show her