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brown stains on chin

Candiflare

Mama Doe
Just been outside to see that Buzz has wet brown stains under his chin. I've heard of this before on another thread and I'm trying to remember what causes it and what might be wrong?

If it was his water it would be clear, surely?
 
Wet chin is usually a sign of dental problems. Definitely something that needs to be checked out by a vet.

The brown colour is probably caused by pellets or other brown foods
 
Dental problems are the usual cause.
A bunny with dental problems may have difficulty eating enough calories to maintain their body temperature in this weather, so I would be concerned about him being outside in this severe weather unless in a heated shed or garage xx
 
Hmmmm... this has worried me now because he is very thin... you're right, pellets could be the brown bits...

he is only 6 months old too...

Shall I bring him in tonight? Do you think he'll be okay in a big carrier for the night and I'll get an indoor cage tomorrow?
 
Hmmmm... this has worried me now because he is very thin... you're right, pellets could be the brown bits...

he is only 6 months old too...

Shall I bring him in tonight? Do you think he'll be okay in a big carrier for the night and I'll get an indoor cage tomorrow?

Get him checked out by the vet first, unless you were thinking of bringing him in anyway.
 
So I shouldn't bring him in tonight? Now I think about it, he has been desperately hungry and still isn't putting on weight. But now I think that he's ill I feel like I really want to bring him in...

What about if I put him in a non-heated area of the house?
 
Hmmmm... this has worried me now because he is very thin... you're right, pellets could be the brown bits...

he is only 6 months old too...

Shall I bring him in tonight? Do you think he'll be okay in a big carrier for the night and I'll get an indoor cage tomorrow?

I would bring him in, to be honest. Healthy rabbits cope well with the cold but compromised ones do not. I would put him into an unheated room (turn the radiator off and open the window to cool it down so it's not too much of a shock) and book him in to the vets tomorrow xx
 
Seems like the brown stains have dried now and just left a pink bald patch. it was really hard to photograph and get him to put his head in the air. Does this look like a dental patch?

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Also, do you think he looks thin for the size he is?

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I can't really see your chin pic very well, but any dribbling or loss of hair/wetness around the chin is potentially a sign of dental problems.

I can't tell if he looks skinny from the photos either. Can you feel his spine and hipbones through his fur? A healthy bun should be well muscled and fleshy enough that you wouldn't really feel protruding bones.
 
I can feel all his bones. He's very boney.

Off to the vets tomorrow

The bit on his chin is just a bald pink patch now...

What has worried me is the loss of weight + the dribbling/hairloss on chin...

Thank you for being so helpful.
 
I can't make out the pics very well but he sounds underweight from your description. Def best get get him checked out.
I said about opening the window but obviously make sure cats and foxes can't get in. you can close it once the room is cool enough xx
 
Does he have a water bowl? It's possible for buns to get a fungal skin infection for constantly getting that piece of fur wet when they use their bowl.
 
U/D called vets

I brought him inside last night and called the vets just now. They said it's not an emergency as I had noticed he'd been losing weight over a month or so and dental problems are more chronic than acute. So we have an appointment on Monday. The they said I shouldn't have brought him inside and should have kept him where he was... Hmmm, they've now told me to put him back outside after he's been in for a night already (in an unheated room.) What do you think? Back outside, or indoor bunny from now on?
 
The danger would be if the dental problem lead to him not eating he could go into gut stasis. Then hypothermia would probably set in very quickly.
I work in a vets and we always take dental problems very seriously. I would at least want him seen for pain relief so he can eat well over the weekend.
 
Thanks for replying Lilbun.

It seems that he's ravenous for food and can eat endlessly... but I suppose that could be part of not digesting properly.

The vet nurse also said it could be because his caecals are watery and he can't digest them properly, therefore leading to low weight and malnutrition. That might explain the brown stains on the his/neck...

Will it do more harm to put him back outside now? Should he be inside with me for the rest of the winter?
 
Thanks for replying Lilbun.

It seems that he's ravenous for food and can eat endlessly... but I suppose that could be part of not digesting properly.

The vet nurse also said it could be because his caecals are watery and he can't digest them properly, therefore leading to low weight and malnutrition. That might explain the brown stains on the his/neck...

Will it do more harm to put him back outside now? Should he be inside with me for the rest of the winter?

First things first, I would want him seen by a vet today. If your vet won't see him take him somewhere else. He has been losing weight for a month you say. That can't go on.
You may need to keep him in now until Spring, I wouldn't put him back out now during this cold snap.
 
On the other hand, an emergency vet isn't necessarily going to be all that good... :?

Is he eating hay?

edit: did you see my question about the water bowl? It's just an idea, as one of my buns once had a brown stinky bit just there, which was a fungal infection from using the water bowl and the skin/fur therefore being wet so often.
 
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