It never rains but it pours! (now with pic)

Just when we think we're getting over Big Pig's skin issues (see thread here) Karl discovered a lump on Flymo's neck(ish?) on Friday evening. Flymo is usually completely averse to being handled so we tend to leave him to it so as not to stress him, so this could have been there a while! However, his poos were perfect, eating and drinking normally etc so decided to leave it til morning.

Took him to the vet on Saturday morning and before Flymo was even looked at we were told that a lump in that location is usually tooth related and that rabbits don't recover well from these (what is it my vets and the cynical outlook lately?!)

Anyway, after the vet took a look he said that actually he doesn't think it's tooth related - closer to the neck than the jawline and it's possively just a wound that's scabbed over creating the lump under the fur. It's about the size of a 5 pence piece We've been given a bottle of their hibiscrub(?) stuff to clean the wound with and some baytril to give twice daily. I also asked the vet to give him some metacam while we were there as he'd vigorously scrubbed the wound and it looked sore, which he did, but he said that this wasn't necessary as an ongoing thing.

So I guess I'm posting to ask if this sounds like the treatment you'd expect? Is there anything else we should be doing? The wound appears to be clean, no obvious gunk or goo that I would associate with an infection.

(I'm not entirely sure how Flymo could have injured himself... I don't think Rosie would have done it as they're happy together and have been since they were bonded. Very confusing.)

Can you post a photo of it ?

Bringing him in shortly for cleaning and baytril so will attempt to take a picture!

I'm not sure if this is clear enough of general location/etc but this is the wound itself:



It actually seems to be significantly improved since Saturday morning - when the vet gave it a good scrub it was bigger, redder and scabbier. I'm not sure if it is because it's being cleaned or coincidence but I don't like to take chances on these things!

And a gratuituous general shot:



I think you can tell from his body language he's not enjoying this handling :? such a shame because he's a gorgeous fluffy bunny, and Rosie loves a good fuss and head rub

That looks to be relatively superficial. It should heal up fine now that it is clean

It looked worse on Saturday, honest :lol:

jemjabella said:

It looked worse on Saturday, honest :lol:

Click to expand...

Awwwww !!

Ok, just to keep us on our toes, when cleaning his wound tonight I found off to the one side under the edge of the fur a small 'spot' like lump which, when touched, exploded pale goo all over the place. I've cleaned both the wound and this new thing thoroughly but it's left a small hole in him :shock:

Should I be concerned or is it likely related?

I did notice when cleaning him yesterday that I could feel a tiny lump under the skin, which I was feeling around to get a grip on size etc. This doesn't appear to be there now. Is it possible it was this gunk and I've worked it to the surface?

I have found a potentially better vet that specialises in smalls and exotics not too far from us so if necessary I'm going to try them but obviously I don't want to take him if they're just going to tell me to keep cleaning it as that will cause him unnecessary stress. On the plus side he's getting better at this handling lark

It sounds like the 'new' lump is an abscess. Therefore I do think he needs to be re-examined by a Vet. Rabbit abscesses can become a real problem to treat. Also, trying to ascertain what has happened would be a good idea. Could he have had a fight ?

Thanks so much for your continued advice Jane

I would think it would be unlikely that he'd had a fight, as there's never been so much as a scuffle between him and Rosie. Even their bond was relatively simple and straightforward. I've never seen any evidence of fur pulling, humping or any dominance behaviours beyond the initial bond from either of them. They are always within sight of each other, mostly cuddled up.

But.. saying all that, they are outdoors in the shed, so could have a fight, make up and I'd be none the wiser. I don't know how likely that is? :?

I will call this other vet this morning and get a second opinion. Thanks again!

New vet was much more thorough. Never thought there was a problem with my existing vets but this guy was completely different - asked about everything from food to vaccinations to living area to .. everything!

Anyway - vet agrees this lump is an abcess. Wants me to continue cleaning/monitoring for up to 10 days but advised that abcesses in rabbits don't drain properly and it could need surgical intervention. Has told me to increase the baytril dose from 0.5 to 1ml twice per day and given me some metacam to help with inflammation. Says the spacing of the wound openings look like a bite wound, so Rosie may be the culprit after all :?

Gave him a thorough exam all over, noticed some spurs on the back teeth which he said MAY require dental work later on. Told us to decrease the amount of pellets slightly.

So now we just have to cross fingers and hope the cleaning + baytril do the trick and Flymo doesn't end up needing surgery