• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Rabbits with horns/warts - shope papilloma virus - Who has more advice?

Hey guys,

In the past 4 weeks my 5 year old Lion Head Lola has developed a small horn growing from her nose. It literally grew over night (I pick her up for cuddles every day and I didn't see it before this time!). When I first noticed it, it looked like a claw or a nail at first attached to a sore spot. I took her straight to the Vets as soon as I noticed it and they had no idea what it was. The first Vet pulled the small horn off, squeezed the spot and said to keep an eye on it, he suggested popping it myself and cleaning it if it came back.

Soon enough it grew straight back, so I popped it and cleaned it as the Vet had recommended (note nothing actually had come out of it on either occasion). A few days later it grew back again! Now the whole time this has been on her nose she has been acting completely normal, eating normally, pooping, running, binky-ing so as if nothing is wrong.

I took her back to the vet for a second time, this time we saw a different vet at the same practice. She also had no idea what this was and suggested having it removed in surgery. We booked her in for surgery and waited for a call from the veterinary surgeon to discuss the procedure.When I spoke to the surgeon on the phone he said he wanted to take a look at the horn for himself to decide if this was the best measure and see what he was dealing with so sure enough I took her in for another check up.

Now as soon as the surgeon looked at it he said that's a bunny wart, he said it was nothing to worry about too much but is extremely rare, especially for a single house bunny. He said there is a possibility it has developed due to her age and hormones but couldn't say for sure. After having a good look at it he said he thought it was too small to operate on and wouldn't want to cause further harm. He advised to put a small amount of steroid cream for 3 days on the popped horn to avoid infection and then leave it and see how it goes.

We are now at the 4 week mark of this bunny mystery and it has grown back and bigger! Lola is still acting as usual and doesn't look in any discomfort. My worry now is that it is getting closer to the edge of her nose and I have no idea what the best measure is. I have read every article I can find about these and have found out that it is Shope Papilloma Virus (The same strain of virus as HPV or Cervical Cancer in humans). It is classed as a skin cancer in bunny's and can develop into serious life threatening cancer. The only cause I can find is insects such as mosquitos spreading this virus, and the only advice I can find is to leave it 6-12 months and it should disappear or have it removed with the strong possibility it will grow back.

I'm running out of ideas the thought of just leaving this with the possibility it could spread into a serious cancer is not something I want to do, but even the Vet's don't seem to know very much about this subject. I've searched on this forum and it has only been mentioned twice when someone on the internet filmed an extreme case on a wild rabbit.

Does anyone have any more information or advice on dealing with these?

I've popped some pictures on the bottom that hopefully you can see.

Thanks

http://www.mediafire.com/view/9mq9rhbu8olv000/Screen Shot 2014-06-29 at 23.29.44.png

http://www.mediafire.com/view/8844qd05rmn0pqn/Screen Shot 2014-06-29 at 23.29.55.png

http://www.mediafire.com/view/c7y72d1jirbp9wm/Screen Shot 2014-06-29 at 23.40.25.png

http://www.mediafire.com/view/gdw9r3k0jwm74ms/Screen Shot 2014-06-29 at 23.40.35.png

http://www.mediafire.com/view/pprf188mw8m9xmw/Screen Shot 2014-06-29 at 23.40.46.png

http://www.mediafire.com/view/5r5c4nmcdck5nd9/Screen Shot 2014-06-29 at 23.40.55.png
 
Out of interest is she vaccinated? The old vaccine for myxi was made from a modified version of the shope fibroma virus so that may give her a better chance of fighting it, as she will have similar anti-bodies.

Try not to panic. HPV in humans is also not the cause of cervical cancer (that is just one strain and it just makes you more likely to get cervical cancer), HPV viruses are also the wart and verruca viruses, as well as some which don't have any symptoms. Where did you see that it was a strain of HPV? Because the way your vets are dealing with it doesn't suggest that it is... warts caused by HPV spread if they are cut off/into, they need to be treated instead by freezing, burning or acid.

Be careful what you are reading - disregard anything about wild rabbits in america (cottontails) as these are a different species to the european rabbit. From what I've read, cottontails are much more susceptible to the virus than the european rabbit and with worse symptoms. It seems that domestic rabbits often just fight it off on their own.

If they do cut it off again, I would suggest that they analyse the tissue to discover exactly what virus they are dealing with.

If you don't feel that your vets are competent in dealing with this, I would ask them to seek an opinion from an exotic or rabbit specialist. Rabbits are classed as exotic animals so normal vets only go through very basic training and learn the rest on the job.
 
Last edited:
Hey thanks for replying.

No she hasn't been vaccinated recently as she's an indoor bunny our vet has never pushed for this.

I'm not panicking I'm more concerned that no one seems to know anything about this. There is very little information on this, as you've said a lot of information leans towards wild rabbits and extreme cases rather than domesticated smaller cases.

Many of the articles describe this as a strain of HPV which can lead to further cancer, but as the vet didn't seem too concerned about that I wasn't sure whether to take that information as gospel.

It looks like it will have to get cut off again very soon, so I will push to get it sent off for tests to see if we can find out any more info.

She does go to a small pet vet but no one has suggested a rabbit specialist to us.
 
Hey thanks for replying.

No she hasn't been vaccinated recently as she's an indoor bunny our vet has never pushed for this.

I'm not panicking I'm more concerned that no one seems to know anything about this. There is very little information on this, as you've said a lot of information leans towards wild rabbits and extreme cases rather than domesticated smaller cases.

Many of the articles describe this as a strain of HPV which can lead to further cancer, but as the vet didn't seem too concerned about that I wasn't sure whether to take that information as gospel.

It looks like it will have to get cut off again very soon, so I will push to get it sent off for tests to see if we can find out any more info.

She does go to a small pet vet but no one has suggested a rabbit specialist to us.

I would question the Rabbit specific expertise of a Vet who advises that indoor Rabbits do not require vaccinating. This is not the case. One of the main vectors of Myxomatosis are blood sucking insects such as fleas or mosquitoes. Both are able to gain access to indoor Rabbits. VHD is spread via numerous vectors including on hay.

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/vacination28.8.07.pdf

Having a tissue sample sent for histology would be a good idea as that is really the only way to know for certain what you are dealing with

Good luck
 
A little off topic, but I would strongly recommend having her vaccinated (combined vacc against VHD and myxi) as indoor rabbits are in as much danger as those kept outdoors. I am surprised that your vet hasn't recommended this and I would therefore question the vet's knowledge of rabbits.
If it were me, I would seek out a rabbit-savvy vet, often known as exotics specialists.
 
That's a bit unusual. The Rabbit Welfare Association can probably point you at a rabbit vet in your area: 0844 324 6090

It looks like there is little point just taking it off if it's growing straight back, so a little more investigation or finding a vet that's come across it before so already tried out different treatment options might help.
 
If you can't find a good vet in your area via the RWAF, someone on here might be able to recommend one. It seems worth seeking a further opinion to me, given that it's obviously such an unusual case.
 
Thanks for all the replies so far and the advice on getting her vaccinated.

I have started to look up specialist rabbit vets in the area (I'm based in Portsmouth), I have found one based in Romsey, very close by. So I'm going to see if they can give me any more advice and try to take her there. In all of her check ups she is showing up as completely fit & healthy (apart from this bump on her nose) so I don't want to leave anything to chance if there is a hidden health issue due to the rarity of this.

She is still acting super happy and drinking and eating properly, but the bump has again gotten bigger today :(
 
Thanks for all the replies so far and the advice on getting her vaccinated.

I have started to look up specialist rabbit vets in the area (I'm based in Portsmouth), I have found one based in Romsey, very close by. So I'm going to see if they can give me any more advice and try to take her there. In all of her check ups she is showing up as completely fit & healthy (apart from this bump on her nose) so I don't want to leave anything to chance if there is a hidden health issue due to the rarity of this.

She is still acting super happy and drinking and eating properly, but the bump has again gotten bigger today :(

If I remember rightly, there is ?Mrs Richardson?, a rabbit specialist there. Otherwise, there is John Chitty, very highly regarded rabbit specialist, who is based in Andover. Good luck!
 
If, when it's grown, it is very horn like, it could be Vent disease (syphilis).

Has your rabbits genitals also been checked?
 
Id recommend going to a rabbit specialist like john chitty for the horn on her chin. But as he may be a bit far away for an everyday vet, for a closer vet in Portsmouth id recommend Alver Veterinary Group. I see Bill (William) Hickey there and he's great. He is very competent in treating Barney's quite complex long term issues. If you do go I'd recommend seeing him specifically. Their main branch is in gosport, with smaller ones in fareham and stubbington.
 
Thanks again for all the responses and suggestions for rabbit specialists in the area!

In response to the rabbit syphillis post she doesn't have any other bumps or lumps and was fully checked on her last visit. Her genitals are absolutely fine it is just the horn on her nose.
 
Back
Top