Abscess??

[faiththequeen]

What would cause and abscess on the chin of a bunny?

A velveteen lop buck that I'm thinking of buying at a show at the end of the month has an abscess on his chin that she says should be all healed up by then.

Just want to make sure it's not a biggie. Thanks guys!

 

[Bad Habit]

i dunno about what would cause it, but my mum's cat had a recurring abscess on his chin that she cleaned with ear piercing cleaner once, and it never came back after that one cleaning. I dunno what it was that caused it to clear up so nicely - my mum was using some ointment the vet gave her, and it would go away, then come back, etc, until she ran out of it one night and cleaned it with the ear piercing stuff. So you could try that if it doesn't completely clear up?

As far as I know about abscesses, they are either caused by wounds becoming infected after they've closed up on top(puncture wounds would be an idea example), or they can be caused by a bacteria getting into the pore, or into a minor cut. But as always, I could be wrong, and advice/info from others is possibly a safe bet.

 

[skysthelimit]

Abscesses can also be the result of Pastuerella.

 

[Piper]

from what I understand - they can start from almost anything, a bug bite, rubbing on a irritating object, and so on. There are some people that equate all abscesses with the "P" word - but - there are several people, on this list, that have healed abscesses, with success. - I believe MaggieJ, is one of them, if no one else chimes in, I will look up that thread.
What you need to watch for, make sure there is something in the contract, if it comes back, and that it does not heal with white hair on it.

 

[skysthelimit]

Just be safe, MamaSheepDog has a thread about her buck that had an abscess, that she eventually culled, that way you will have a reference for what looks like a "normal" abscess and what is not.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I would pass on the buck. It might not be Pasteurella, but you cannot rule it out. Any rabbit with an abscess will be culled immediately here. Sky mentioned the thread about the buck I had with an abscess. There are two, actually... the first discussing what it might be, and the second has photos of the necropsy and excised abscess.

huge-abscess-t5902.html

floyd-is-finished-graphic-necropsy-photos-t5919.html

 

[3mina]

All I can say is that since part of what I breed for is health, I would pass on the buck. Since I breed rather intensely (for a few months anyway), I need animals that can handle my schedule in the summer without losing condition. The deciding factor is what you are planning to do with him.

 

[Piper]

- here is the thread, I was talking about. topic4207.html
I had it bookmarked, but then I looked at the bottom left, of this page, I saw the related posts. lol
- I will say, that - the people that have 'willingly' decided to heal an abscess, to keep the rabbit, were doing it on one of their own rabbits.
- I would ask how the rabbit, got the abscess. Some 'abscess' can be cause by warble flies, ect. In other words, it may not have spontaneously formed, and the rabbit 'may' have robust health.
- Overall, I would agree 99% of the time, with MamaSheepdog and 3mina, do not buy. You do intend on quarantine, if you get the rabbit - you have your families rabbits, to consider, too.
- Each situation is different. I have an mini lop that has been on death row, for the last 3 months, for a few 'sneezes'. He was my first rabbit, and even though I did not want to breed that into my line, I did not want to cull him, till I was sure. I thought the sneezes were from having a pan, under his cage, so I took the pan out. Eventually, I moved him away from my Quail, put him back in the chicken coop, and he has cleared up. Quail can be smelly, and more, with a capital 'S'. I still have not considered, using him as a breeder, until he gets through this winter, without sneezing.
- Get what ever info, that you can politely get. You may get to learn something vicariously. It will also give you a better idea, if you want to buy 'any' of her rabbits, abscess, or no abscess.
All the best

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Just like mentioned above.... Do not buy this bunny. Look for one somewhere else. Allot of the time the abscess will come back... That isnt the right move to make .

 

[faiththequeen]

Thanks so much guys! I am definitely going to pass. You are all so helpful! I love RT

 

[MaggieJ]

I'm glad you are going to pass on the rabbit, Faith. You could have been buying a big problem. Bringing new rabbits into your herd is problematic enough even when they appear to be completely healthy.

It's true that we chose to treat Alice's abscess and were fortunately successful. Alice has acquired pet status by force of personality and MidnightCoder is particularly fond of her. So we were willing to give her a chance. Any other rabbit would have been culled. In addition, we were quite sure in her case that the abscess had been caused by abrasion. She had bare spots from pulling fur for her kits and took to resting against the concrete bricks that held the water crock in place. So we were fairly sure the cause was not pasteurella.