rabbit skin graph........

hi i have not long taken on a rescue, he is very matted under the chin (dewlap) to the piont where i have cut golf ball sized clumps of fur from under his chin, hes only 18 wks old, but is a lop and quite big.

i took him to the vets and they said to stop feeding him ab lib, and that they would have to do a skin graph to remove it as its very sensitive area.
to have that done he would need to be 'put out'.

now what i want to know if there is any other tecniques i could use rather than him having to go through that, (it is really matted) and why would he not groom himself, hes not over weight and his teeth are fine.

any ideas........

Why would the vet need to do a skin graft? In this type of situation, I'd have though it would have been better just to clip/shave the fur down to the skin, although sedation would probably be required. I wouldn't have thought surgery was needed though, that's a bit drastic. I'd ask the advice of another vet if it were my bun.

Also there must be a reason this is happening to such a young bun and I wouldn't have thought a bun this age would have had a dewlap, specially a male. :? hmmmmmmmmmmm that's a puzzler...........

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?

Maybe I am missing something but I can't really understand why they would need to do a skin graft for a matt.

Can they not just shave this area - I know it may not look good but the fur would grow back.

Just a couple of questions - I am sure you have probably thought of this but I just thought I would point it out - if this bunny has a big dewlap are you 100% definitely sure that it a boy bunny :? also do you think your vet knows what he/she is doing (sorry I know that sounds a bit cheeky) - it is just that I really can't see why he would need a skin graft (which is a big op) for a matt :shock:

Hope you get things sorted out - keep us posted as I am really curious now

lol Pam

Check with the vet that the rabbit has not got whats called the slobers whitch is drooling, although i dought it. other wise another thing may be that he is chinning the water bottle try moving it lower or higher so he cannot chin it. val

Claude is male he has a very tiny dewlap,but it wasnt there untill he reached 6-7 months of age.
I also find it odd why they wouldnt just shave the matted fur?

Yep, as said there are a couple of things to consider...

Why is the fur matting: is there a reason he could be dribbling (e.g. a tooth problem) or getting soggy (chinning his water bottle) or excess dulap (over weight)

Treating the matting: the most obvious solution would certainly be to shave the fur short in that area

Likewise I can't see the reason for a skin graft? Is there some damage to the skin in that area as well as the matted fur?

Tam

Thought it might have been Boeing who is a she, hence the dewlap, but just read that he is only 18 weeks old :? perhaps he is older than you have been told :wink:if he is quite big :? Is he an angora or cashmere bun :?: to be in a matted state at such a young age :? what breed is he as some larger breeds are quite big at a young age

the back ground to this rabbit is he was in a well known pet shop, and they had him in a little in door rabbit box (he quite big) (and is def. a male i had him done) in a enclosure.

i enquired about him because he did not look great laying on his side and he looked like he was panting, so i got the shop ass. over to check he was ok.

the long and short of it was they said he was ok and had been there so long (8wks) and did not get on with the other buns. they bascically said in not too many words that because he was big no one wanted him and insinuated that they were gonna pts.

as i could not have that i bought him.

now he is my first lop and was told he was a mini lop (not sure) hes bigger than my oldest bun whos over a year, but not sure if that means anything.

he has what feels like lumps under the chin but they are just very knotty/matted fur. she said because he doesnt dribble, and has not got teeth problem, i should stop feeding ab lib because he has the potenial to get over weight and because he is bad under the chin that a skin graph would be best because if he doesnt groom its gonna happen again.

she will check him again in 2 weeks because he is having jabs mysi and vhd at the moment a would not want to operate will having jabs.

bunnyhuggger said:

Why would the vet need to do a skin graft? In this type of situation, I'd have though it would have been better just to clip/shave the fur down to the skin, although sedation would probably be required. I wouldn't have thought surgery was needed though, that's a bit drastic. I'd ask the advice of another vet if it were my bun.

Also there must be a reason this is happening to such a young bun and I wouldn't have thought a bun this age would have had a dewlap, specially a male. :? hmmmmmmmmmmm that's a puzzler...........

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?

Click to expand...

sorry i meant chin, and they say if they dont do a skin grapt it may happen again

taylor v 109 said:

Check with the vet that the rabbit has not got whats called the slobers whitch is drooling, although i dought it. other wise another thing may be that he is chinning the water bottle try moving it lower or higher so he cannot chin it. val

Click to expand...

he doesnt drool val that was the first thing she asked me. i have never seen hin do this but maybe i have put it in the right persition and the pet shop had not.

Denny said:

Thought it might have been Boeing who is a she, hence the dewlap, but just read that he is only 18 weeks old :? perhaps he is older than you have been told :wink:if he is quite big :? Is he an angora or cashmere bun :?: to be in a matted state at such a young age :? what breed is he as some larger breeds are quite big at a young age

Click to expand...

i havent got boeing yet shes due to come down on saturday.. i will send a picture of him, maybe you exp. bun breeders maybe to tell me what he is.

Tamsin said:

Yep, as said there are a couple of things to consider...

Why is the fur matting: is there a reason he could be dribbling (e.g. a tooth problem) or getting soggy (chinning his water bottle) or excess dulap (over weight)

Treating the matting: the most obvious solution would certainly be to shave the fur short in that area

Likewise I can't see the reason for a skin graft? Is there some damage to the skin in that area as well as the matted fur?

Tam

Click to expand...

no damage to the skin, i dont want to shave it in case i damage the skin!!!

I don't understand at all why the vet want to do a skin graft then. They are for replacing damaged skin :? Perhaps they meant reducing the duplap by removing a section a skin? But just cutting a bit out and putting an identical bit in (a skin graft) won't help at all.

From the photo his chin looks pretty normal to me and I would think you should be able to prevent it just by regular grooming. The lack of this in the petshop may well have been a contributing factor.

Tam

so how do i groom him there when its such as sensitive area and its quite tangled? (lumps of knotted and matted fur?

bunnylove said:

so how do i groom him there when its such as sensitive area and its quite tangled? (lumps of knotted and matted fur?

Click to expand...

It will need shaving if its matted,then you must groom it regular as the fur starts to grow again.to prevent it matting again
I agree on the pic i cant see a dewlap

You might find it easier to ask the vet to shave him for you first and then you can use grooming to prevent them reoccuring.

Otherwise, I'd start with your fingers and gently find each knot and see if itwill tease out or use blunt ended sissors to carefully cut it out. You'll probably have to give him a break between knots so he doesn't get annoyed so you might have to do the whole thing over several days.

Tam

Have you got a pic of his chin?

Could you get the matted fur shaved down to the skin by a vet - )may need a ga for this if it is very bad) then once it is sorted out, regular grooming of that area will be needed to prevent recurrence of the matting. I use a cat moulting comb on my buns (long and short teeth) and this seems to keep the knots at bay. Harmony has quite a large dewlap (larger than Flopsey's from what I can see of his chin) and this comb works on her.
I doubt he will need a skin graft - maybe just a shave - bless him.

This is the type of comb I use on them mostly when they are moulting.


I also use a small slicker brush like these

I have also seen matt removeal type things on the market for cats - has anyone used these on rabbits - if so do they work?
Also, is there any detangling spray on the market that is safe for rabbits? - the Bodyshop one works wonders on my daughter so wondered if there is anything similar for rabbits.

is it ok to get him "put out" again so soon i he had him neutered 6 wks ago, they should of done it then really...