Bonnie has strange dewlap wounds (possible lice) please help.

I gave Bonnie a health check today and she is not doing so well. She is really thin and her dewlap is wet, the corners of her mouth is wet and she seems to have been plucking her fur from her dewlap and biting the skin. There is a ring of bare skin on her dewlap and the skin feels very tough almost scaly like on a reptile. Some of it looks a little yellowish and there are three reddish dots on on side which I suspect to be puncture marks. A few weeks ago she was plucking fur and biting her neck leaving visible scabs so she went to the vet and was dosed with Xeno 450 spot on on the back of her neck over a two week period. Both vets I saw were locums not my usual savvy vet and they diagnosed mites despite my initial suggestion of lice. The reason I suspected lice is because my boy Elidore had some in 2008 and he plucked his neck bare and did a small amount of biting but nothing compared to what Bonnie has been doing. She is also leaving food in her bowl but eating hay and grass as normal. I checked for signs of malocclusion (because her mouth and dewlap are wet) but her jawline feels smooth and her eyes are not watering or bloodshot. If it is lice the symptoms are quite different to what I previously seen. I hope it is just lice and then I can see my normal vet and get some oral panomec for her which is what Elidore had and it cleared up for him. Her mate Nori whom she shares her run with is fine, really chubby but otherwise displaying no symptoms of parasite infestation or fur pulling. Bonnie is somewhat anxious in temperament and was reluctant to be handled but once out to free range she seemed more at ease. I have not caught her fur pulling so can't be certain this is what is happening but I really feel she needs some dermisol at the very least to soothe her poor skin. I'll be phoning the vet on Monday for a new appointment but wondered if anyone here can help me identify her problem please.

I took some photos of her wounds but they are not great because she was wriggly and stressed so they were done in a hurry. Also the wound is tucked away into a fold of the dewlap so hard to see unless I pull the folds back.


Wet fur



Wounds

When she went to the vets, did they look in her mouth with an Otoscope to check her back teeth? That all sounds very classically dental to me, not anything to do with parasites (although if she is run down she may get them).

Sky-O said:

When she went to the vets, did they look in her mouth with an Otoscope to check her back teeth? That all sounds very classically dental to me, not anything to do with parasites (although if she is run down she may get them).

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No they didn't :evil: I'm really annoyed because the locums are not as good as my normal vet. I'm terrified it could be her teeth but she eats so much hay, she is practically drowning in in hay. I will ask my normal vet to check for this in particular. I used to have otoscope but it is broken :evil: I've never had a dental bunny so are wounds in the dewlap consistent with malocclusion? She is 7 years old and never had problems like this

Fifibutton said:

No they didn't :evil: I'm really annoyed because the locums are not as good as my normal vet. I'm terrified it could be her teeth but she eats so much hay, she is practically drowning in in hay. I will ask my normal vet to check for this in particular. I used to have otoscope but it is broken :evil: I've never had a dental bunny so are wounds in the dewlap consistent with malocclusion? She is 7 years old and never had problems like this

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Dermatitis can occur if the dewlap is constantly wet from dribbling. The dribbling being due to Dental problems.

It is not uncommon for a 7 year old Rabbit to start to have Dental issues even if they have never had a problem before. So I agree that I would want to rule out Dental problems in the first instance.

I agree that the soreness could be due to excess salivation caused my problems with her molars. My pebbles had one dental about 6 months ago and he has been fine since. the first signs I noticed was a wet chin - he appeared to be eating fine.

She is pulling out fur too, is that also a symptom of molar spurs?

I think that could be a sign of pain and stress, though not sure.

fruitandnutcake said:

I think that could be a sign of pain and stress, though not sure.

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Yes it can.

It's not malocclusion that is potentially the issue though, but molar spurs.

This may sound like a strange question but have you checked that her bum is clean ?

Sky-O said:

Yes it can.

It's not malocclusion that is potentially the issue though, but molar spurs.

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Is there anything I can do to make her more comfortable until she goes to the vet? And would it be beneficial or futile to put some cream on her dewlap?

Fifibutton said:

Is there anything I can do to make her more comfortable until she goes to the vet? And would it be beneficial or futile to put some cream on her dewlap?

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I would suggest not putting cream on her right now.

I would also say make a pellet slurry so she can eat that, maybe make it warm too. Also maybe some rolled oats in boiled water. I'd also provide a heat source.

With mine I always give them Metacam as soon as it is clear they are struggling (I do this on my vets advice) and they go to the vets the next day. If you have a store of Metacam at home it might be worth calling your vet and checking you can give some. Pain is likely to cause the majority of the symptoms which is why this can be vital.

Jack's-Jane said:

This may sound like a strange question but have you checked that her bum is clean ?

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Yes I did, I had to hold her on her back in my arms and it was very clean, she has a white bum and tum and there was not mark from poo. But she did have a a yellow wee stain around her vulva which I thought at the time meant she had just done a wee before I examined her.

=Sky-oI would suggest not putting cream on her right now.

I would also say make a pellet slurry so she can eat that, maybe make it warm too. Also maybe some rolled oats in boiled water. I'd also provide a heat source.

With mine I always give them Metacam as soon as it is clear they are struggling (I do this on my vets advice) and they go to the vets the next day. If you have a store of Metacam at home it might be worth calling your vet and checking you can give some. Pain is likely to cause the majority of the symptoms which is why this can be vital.

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Thank you Sky that is a massive help. I will pop a heat pad in for her tonight and mash up some pellets. I don't have oats but can buy some tomorrow. Nor do I have metacam but again I can pop into the vet and ask for some. The vet may want to see her before giving me any though. As soon as we have a diagnoses I'll update the thread. Thank you everyone you've been very helpful especially as this is a new experience for me.

A pellet slurry will be fine

Ideally she needs the vet tomorrow if that is at all possible (or earlier if she deteriorates).

Sky-O said:

A pellet slurry will be fine

Ideally she needs the vet tomorrow if that is at all possible (or earlier if she deteriorates).

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Well the vet had his day off today :evil: The nurse took Bonnie in for observation, she is being kept in overnight as I made such a fuss She said the vet will do the necessary checks first thing in the morning and give my OH a call as I'm at uni and then depending on what's wrong we'll go from there. Oh called this just before closing (I was at uni) and they told him she lapped up her critical care formula and nommed some hay and seems fine within herself. They also cleaned her wound a bit, and put some dermisol on it. I suppose she is in the best place just now but I'm really worried. I have an underlying feeling of foreboding in my gut and its scaring me.

I've only just seen this. Any news on Bonnie today?

Edit - double post

Sky-O said:

I've only just seen this. Any news on Bonnie today?

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Vet is not sure about molar spurs, said he couldn't see any with the ototscope so with my permission he is going to put her under GA for a full examination tomorrow. I'm popping in to her her today and bring some nommy grass as she was eating that happily at home. She is still fairly bright but shunning solid food in favour of soft meals. I'm quite scared that she may not make it but he is a good vet and never lost an animal under GA. She coped really well after her spay too but that was a few years ago and she was plumper and healthier than. So tomorrow is the big day and my tummy is all twisted in knots with worry but I think its for the best as we must find out what is troubling her. He said if it is definitely not dental related we'll discuss scans and x rays from there. She is such a nice gentle soul she doesn't deserve all this pain and bewilderment


Thanks for caring Sky, you're a gem

I'm sorry this is causing so much stress. I hope that she does ok under the GA- hopefully, with just checking the teeth, it will be the merest amount of GA, definitely far less than the spay. If roots are a problem then x-rays would be worthwhile. Hopefully they can work out what is going on for her

Sky-O said:

I'm sorry this is causing so much stress. I hope that she does ok under the GA- hopefully, with just checking the teeth, it will be the merest amount of GA, definitely far less than the spay. If roots are a problem then x-rays would be worthwhile. Hopefully they can work out what is going on for her

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You're very kind. She will be going under soon and I am to call at 3pm for an update. I hope she makes it as she was looking really underweight and frail this morning. I popped in with Nori to spend some time with her. I think she hates being alone but they would not let Nori stay with her. She has runny poo atm so she will be getting intravenous fluids as well and metacam to go home with. The vet also said it might be a calciferous hairball that is causing her problems but we both think it unlikely she she is drooling so much. He left side was soaking this morning and she had plucked out even more fur and the skin there is very raw and inflamed. She was very inquisitive though and stood up on her hind legs against my chest to give me a nose bump on my lips so she still has some fight in her I think. I shall update this as soon as i know anything.

I've been thinking and hoping for Bonnie all day. I really, really hope it' 'just' spurs and they can burr them and she can recover well and quickly. Roll on 3 o'clock.