odd scabs

[renegaderabbitry]

I first found one of these scabs on a ND does head and thought it was from an injury. She then had 2 more so I know thats not it. A week later another ND doe has 3 of them. All the other new scabs are on their backs. Both are young srs and pregnant, both were bought from the same breeder but at the beginning of the year. They are about 5 cages apart from eachother and no other bunnies have the scabs. Other than being a little less active the does seem normal. I would never have known except I felt them when getting the does out. The scabs are very thick and large, about the size of a quarter but not round shaped. They were only partly attached to the skin, underneath there are bloody marks. I know they are not injuries, there is no way they were hurt by other animals. The hair is connected on top of the scabsthe scabslook almost like they have ridges in them. When I pulled one off it doesnt seem to hurt the doe. Someone had told me it might be warbles so I pulled one off to look for a hole and there wasnt one. I have never seen anything like it and hope it doesnt hurt but it looks horrible. I have treated them with the same medicine from the feed store for ear mites and fungus and dont know if it is helping or not. They seem to be healing, there are scars from ones that have healed where hair hasnt grown back and there are white cut looking spots on the skin and the whole area is hard and tough. Today the first one who had it kindled 4 perfect babies so it doesnt seem to affect the babies even though she was pregnant. Please help! I can email pictures if needed. Thanks!



IMMEDIATE INFORMATION:


Location: WV USA

Description (Breed, color, weight): Netherland Dwarf

Age: 2 years

Sex: doe

Concise Summary of the Rabbit's Condition:*above*


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / CHECK LIST:


Fecal and Urinary Output

- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? yes
- when did they last use their litterbox? recently
- any unusual behavior? straining to pee? unusual litter habits?*above*
- what litter and/or bedding do you use? pine shavings from tractor supply, same for years

Medical History

- spayed/neutered? no
- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? no
- is s/he on any medications? no

Diet

- what specifically does your bunny eat? purina rabbit complete chow mixed with regular sweet feed, timothy hay alphalfa hay cubes

- when and what did s/he eat last? today when fed


- any changes in the way s/he eats? (ie: not eating a particular food, odd chewing motions, etc). no


Other

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? same as always


- is the rabbit molting? no

- any weight loss? no


- any sign of drooling? wet face? no


- runny eyes? no


- wet nose? coughing? sneezing? no


- is s/he breathing normally. yes

Additional

- any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?no - has the rabbit been outdoors? no
- any other pets? if so, have they been ill? only rabbits in the barn and only one other with scabs also

 

[Maureen Las]

Do you know how to post a pic on this forum ?

Off hand I don't know what this sounds like but a picture might help

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=25443&forum_id=66

 

[renegaderabbitry]

Ok thanks for letting me know how so here goes a try the last 2 are the scabs. Someone recently told me it could be from breeding and it just took a while to scab up. I dont see how it would take weeks but thats the closest idea. Thanks.

 

[tonyshuman]

Ouch! Thanks for posting all the info. The location is right for being from breeding, as you probably know the males often latch on to the females with their teeth! The skin and fur clumps look to me like they scratched their backs on a wire that's sticking out. I would clean them daily with betadine and apply triple antibiotic ointment. If it doesn't go away, there might be some strange bacterial infection going on, although if it were a flesh-eating bacteria or something I'd expect the skin around the area to look red and inflamed, not white. They don't look infected, and warbles from what I've read aren't long, line-shaped wounds but more like spheres or circles. However I've only seen the aftermath of a warble removal in person, and pics online otherwise--somebody with actual experience might know better.

To me, with the location, shape, and the way the wounds look, the best explanation is that they're trying to get under some barrier that's got sharp points sticking out, that are scraping on their skin.