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michaelhodgejr

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I have a rabbit Tinkerbell (Californian), she had a litter over two weeks ago (three weeks friday). In going out to check on the babies, I found two dead and one almost dead so I brought it inside to warm up. The good news is I think we were able to save the baby bunny. However, before putting them in the inside cage for the evening I wanted the baby to try to feed. So I flipped over Tinkerbell and noticed that there is a very large black scab-like protrusion on her underbelly. At first I thought Mastitis, but it almost seems to big to be that. It's about 3 inches in length, 3/4 inches in width and sticks out about a half inch above her belly. I checked her other teets and they seem to be normal (pink, no ooze, no redness).

I'd take a picture but the fur covers it up so I can't really get a good picture. Any thought on what this could be and how I can treat it? I love this rabbit, it's the family favorite, and I hope this is something we can cure or fix.
 
Wow, I have no idea! Was part of it where a nipple should have been? If I'm not mistaken, mastitis would normally present as a swollen, warm mass around a nipple, and not black. Black makes me think of tissue necrosis. Is it warm? What does it feel like? Does touching it seem to bother Tinkerbell?

It definitely sounds like it could be some sort of infection. Any chance a family member could take a bunch of photos, while you hold her? Maybe another could part her fur?

If you wet the fur around the protrusion, you may be able to get the fur to slick away from it.<br /><br />__________ Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:38 am __________<br /><br />By the way, I am not nearly as medically knowledgeable as some other members on here. We have a veterinary assistant on here, and some other very knowledgeable folks. Hopefully, one will see this topic and help! :)
 
It seems like a nipple could be somewhere in all that, but it's hard to say. It's huge, but it dosen't seem to match any of images that mastitis that google returns.

As for look, it's black, kind of scaley. In fact, the best way I can describe it is like a scab, except larger in height. It's cold, and it dosen't appear to bother her, though I'm not sure if she's hiding the pain or not. She did seem to twitch some when I touched it but no sudden movements indicative of major pain. It's not an open wound, and there isn't any pus or draining near it that I can find.

I'll try my best to get pictures in the morning and post it.<br /><br />__________ Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:47 am __________<br /><br />I appreciate any help that can be given. I try to stay familiar with sicknesses that rabbits get and such but this has me stumped.
 
It's got me stumped, too. :stars:

Cold... doesn't sound like an infection. Ordinarily, that would make the area warmer.
Lack of discomfort... also doesn't sound like infection.

Maybe a resolving blood blister?

Hope you can get good pics!
 
Its really hard to guess without pictures or getting my hands on the bun... But a couple of things that come to mind that it could possibly be based on your description: ruptured tumor, an abscess, an old wound. Black usually indicates dead tissue or a really old scab... so the issue or infection could be underneath that (which would explain why it was cold to the touch). I would start giving the rabbit hot compresses multiple times a day. This is just a clean towel soaked in hot water held over the area as much as she will tolerate. It will clean the area, soften the scab/tissue and possibly bring an abscess to a head (ready to treat). While she is wet try get some pictures. And if she allows you, touch the area... can you feel any lumps? does it feel attached to the tissue underneath? etc.
 
This is probably a stupid idea, but is there any chance it is just tissue from the afterbirth stuck in her fur? I agree with the warm compresses... You may be able to get a better idea of what is going on.
 
MaggieJ":12shh9al said:
This is probably a stupid idea, but is there any chance it is just tissue from the afterbirth stuck in her fur? I agree with the warm compresses... You may be able to get a better idea of what is going on.
Click to expand...

Hardly a stupid idea, in fact I hope that's what this is! What should I be looking for when doing this warm compress?

And just so I know, if it was a tissue necropsy of some sort what is the normal treatment for that? Antibotics? Cull? I don't recall reading about anyone having that sort of issue on here, so I am kind of curious.
 
if its tissue necrosis...it depends on the cause...if its a particular type of spider bite ( brown recluse) if it doesn't get worse it will heal leaving a scar...if it does get worse it will only worsen :/ I was bitten by one I was lucky...if its black already it may have reached its limit if it is that kind of bite...i know my bite didn't worsen after that point....so hopefully its as bad as it will and she will only get better from here on out. if its some other cause I wouldnt know anything about that :/
 
Just wondering if MichaelHodgeJr ever figured out what was going on with this doe?
 
michaelhodgejr":saxp8x4f said:
MaggieJ":saxp8x4f said:
This is probably a stupid idea, but is there any chance it is just tissue from the afterbirth stuck in her fur? I agree with the warm compresses... You may be able to get a better idea of what is going on.
Click to expand...

Hardly a stupid idea, in fact I hope that's what this is! What should I be looking for when doing this warm compress?

And just so I know, if it was a tissue necropsy of some sort what is the normal treatment for that? Antibotics? Cull? I don't recall reading about anyone having that sort of issue on here, so I am kind of curious.
Click to expand...

I had a doe with a nipple infection that looked similar...she had an abcess that burst thru the skin....

Here is a link with some pics... post128616.html#p128616

The first pic is when I pulled it loose...before that it looked like what you are describing, dark, hard and crusty.
 
I will be uploading pictures shortly.

OneAcreFarm, you are on to something. That looks like this, except this black bump is larger. How did you treat that? Did that bunny have to have surgery?

__________ Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:32 pm __________

Pictures Attache

__________ Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:27 pm __________

Bump (want to see if anyone has any additional thoughts now seeing the pictures)<br /><br />__________ Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:45 pm __________<br /><br />So I took Tinks to the vet today. Normally my rabbits wouldn't go to the vet, but considering Tinks pet-like status, I wanted to get her taken care of. The diagnosis was Mastitis and the vet gave her a shot of Baytril 2.27%. She is also on Baytril 22.7mg pills for a few weeks for it to heal. According to the vet, the abscess should fall off and then it's just a matter of keeping it clean. It should take a few weeks but she should recover.

One thing she did mention is that because Tinks was bred a week ago, the Baytril could harm the babies and cause birth defects. I made the choice that a healthy Tinks was more important then healthy babies, but now the question is what do I do about the babies?

I feel as though I should try to abort them by giving her some Lavender. I'd rather then die now, then wait until they are born and have them starve. I guess the other option is to wait till she has them and then try to foster them all, but if there is the chance of birth defects then I feel as though I should prevent it.

What do you guys think? What would you do? If i should abort the litter, where would I find Lavender? I can't find it at any grocery store.
 

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I would let nature take its course regarding the kits. Often badly deformed fetuses will be aborted by the mother (whatever species), and if necessary you can dispatch them when they are born.

As long as Tinks has some functional nipples, hopefully she will be able to raise them if they are born normal.
 
I agree with MamaSheepdog, but if you want to give her something and cannot find lavender, you could try sage. It certainly won't harm Tink and it may help abort the kits. I don't know the relative effectiveness compared to lavender, but it is supposed to have a similar action.

It's a good idea to have one plant of certain herbs in your garden: sage, lavender and peppermint all have their uses and can be dried for winter use.
 
If one can find fenugreek, it has abortive properties, as well. The nice things about rabbits-- if the Baytril came into the picture early enough-- and damage is caused to the developing kits, they may simply get resorbed--
I would feed high quality, and let Nature handle things, as far as the kits are concerned--I cannot see forcing an abortion on an already stressed doe--an abortion really throws the system into chaos.
 
michaelhodgejr":7ma9vv7w said:
OneAcreFarm, you are on to something. That looks like this, except this black bump is larger. How did you treat that? Did that bunny have to have surgery?
Click to expand...

I pulled off the "scab", cleaned out the gunk, washed with diluted betadine, stitched up the hole and gave Tylan50 daily for a week.
 
I think I agree about the abortion. I think at this point I will simply wait to see what happens with a litter. After all, there is a chance she isn't pregnant at all.

At this point, we've decided that Tinks is going to become an inside bunny. She's a wonderful rabbit and making her a full-time "pet" will be good for her, and will free me up another cage to get another doe.

Thanks everyone for your help and support. I really appreciate it. This was the first big scare I had since I started raising meat bunnies in March 2012. And to have it happen to the favorite bunny made it even more stressful. I truly value the support and information that RabbitTalk provides! Without this place, I'd be lost!
 

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