Abscess or?? On "chest"

[Sendhendrix]

My one and only mama rabbit has a growth about the size of a small marble protruding from her "chest" more or less between her front legs. It feels like a tiny water balloon, not hard like I've read most rabbit abscesses described. I just discovered it yesterday.

I hate to lose her, she just raised her first litter of nine to perfection. She's about 10 months old, a Cali/NZ meat mutt.

Is this more along the lines of a tumor? Should I cull her and start shopping for another doe, or watch it and see what happens? I'm very new to rabbits.

Thanks!

 

[alforddm]

They have "boobs" in between the front legs. I'm wondering you she has a swollen mammary gland?

 

[Sendhendrix]

I'll have to take another look. I guess I didn't realize there were teats there. That would make sense given it's kinda off to one side.

Edit: I wish I could get a picture, but that would take more hands than I have at the moment. Definitely not a teat, it's too close to the center, and actually further back than between her front shoulders. Feels like a little blob of something under her skin, I can feel it all the way around. Weird.

 

[SableSteel]

Be careful, if one mammary gland is harder than the rest it could be a sign of mastitis

 

[Sendhendrix]

I am new to rabbits. Her litter was weaned 9 weeks ago, I'm still uncertain if mastitis is something that occurs as a complication of rearing kits? If mastitis, I'm getting the impression that without expensive veterinary intervention the outlook is poor to worse. In any event, she can't be rebred? And also, a cyst or tumor of any kind doesn't bode well, I am assuming. I just don't want to jump the gun and do something final if there is some simple fix.

Thanks!

This bums me out. I really like Daisy. She did such an outstanding job with her first litter and she's such a sweetheart.

 

[alforddm]

Does she act like it's painful at all? If she were mine, I would just keep an eye on it, especially if she doesn't act like it hurts her. Maybe, she had a touch of mastitis after weaning and it's a bit of encasulated puss? <br /><br /> -- Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:14 pm -- <br /><br /> Oh and mastitis can be treated with antibiotics but I wouldn't try to treat her unless you were fairly sure it was mastitis.

 

[KimitsuKouseki]

It might very well be an absess, see how it progresses it could be reabsorbed by the body. A tumor would be harder than an absess.
If there's no change in a week or 2, get some help to hold the rabbit, using a very sharp knife (or embroidery scisors like me XD) poke a small hole in it and then press. If it's puss it'll come out as a toothpaste consistency, press as much of it out as you can and that's it. If you have some peniciline give her a shot and see how it goes from there. It's important to drain abssesses like that if they're not going away within a week or 2, makes it easier for em to heal. My friend always calls me when one of her rabbits has an absess, the last one was a doe who's nose was as big as a marble. It's good to have someone else hold the rabbit for you, cause the rabbit wont like you while you're doing it.
If it's a mammary gland, you might get some gritty white puss stuff, just drain it for now and dont worry, you wont have made any type of permanent damage, but it'll come back for sure.

 

[Sendhendrix]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I'll monitor for a couple weeks and see what happens.