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Dulap preventing proper grooming. Update: Gone for surgery

J

jamp

Young Bun
Hi all

I realise does have dulaps once they have matured but Arian's is very large and preventing her from cleaning herself properly. She sometimes gets a dirty bum that we have to clean for her (not ideal as she only lives with one human most of the time) and we've started having to clean her back paws in the sink as it's the only way to get them anywhere near clean (hence damp fur in pic below).

dulap.jpg


dulap2.jpg


Is there anything we/the vet can do about it? The dulap just seems to be a fold of skin covered in fur, but it's obvious when Arian washes herself that it's getting in her way. Could it be surgically removed?!

She's a fairly large rabbit but is much skinnier than she used to be, is this cause for concern? The pics are up to date so as you can see she's not visibly underweight, but I can get my fingers to meet if I wrap my hands around her middle, couldn't do that previously. She's still eating and acting normal although she spends a lot of time in her shed even though she has access to a large run and used to enjoy running and jumping about in it. She's nearly 3 years old.

Any advice?

Ben
 
Oh my that is a big Dewlap :shock:
As she was once overweight that is probably why her Dewlap got so big. Unfortunately even if Bun loses weight the excess fatty tissue often remains around the Dewlap. Apart from helping her keep herself clean the only other option is surgical reduction of her Dewlap. As the excess tissue is effecting her welfare I would discuss possible surgery with your Vet.
If you dont want to go down that route then you will have to ensure she remains clean( she is a high risk for flystrike) and that the skin in the folds of her Dewlap does not get infected. Fungal infections aswell as bacterial ones can occur.

Janex
 
What a beautiful bunny! She's a stunner, and that's a large dewlap! I thought my Ruby's was large - but not compared to that!
I've no advice though, I'm afraid.
 
is she spayed? I've heard that dewlaps are smaller after spaying, but perhaps it won't make any difference to Arian's as she has already reached maturity....anyone know?
 
I have a couple of rabbits with large dewlaps, but they have no problem with cleaning themselves. If it is a problem I would opt for surgical reduction.

Vera
 
Gosh that is big! Spaying may reduce it a little but probably not a lot in a mature rabbit, removing it would probably be best. We have done this surgery a few times and it always seems to go well :D
 
Many thanks for the replies. No she is not spayed as we were hoping to have some kittens from her before doing so, not found a chinchilla buck for her to meet as yet though.

It's good to know that surgery can be done, will speak to the vet about it next week.

Thanks again :)
 
I wouldn't recommend breeding from a rabbit that has problems. It's possible her dewlap is something that would be passed on to her offspring which in turn would cause them problems. There are enough rabbits about that breeding from one not in tip top condition is pointless. If you want to breed chinchilla's I suggest you talk to some breeders and get two rabbits that have compatible genes and a history of good health.

I've heard of a few rabbits having surgery to reduce a dewlap so large that it causes problems but that obviously doesn't help any offspring she might have.

Tamsin
 
Hello! My that really is a big dewlap! I agree that in her case, surgical removal might be for the best.

Also - on a total tangent, I see you are looking to breed from her but also that she is nearly 3. Has she had a litter before? If not, 3 years old is far too old to be breeding for a first litter (it's quite old to be breeding from anyway to be honest), it will more than likely kill her :shock:

I really wouldn't recommend it to be honest - I know that there aren't many Chinchilla rabbits around, but the risks to your bun are absolutely huge, especially if she doesn't have dewlap surgery in advance, as she won't be able to bend round to help get the kits out. I would suggest that you book her in for dewlap surgery and a spay, and maybe get a nice neutered male for her to have as a companion?
 
jamp said:
Many thanks for the replies. No she is not spayed as we were hoping to have some kittens from her before doing so, not found a chinchilla buck for her to meet as yet though.

It's good to know that surgery can be done, will speak to the vet about it next week.

Thanks again :)
Click to expand...

Oh pleeeeeease dont breed from her. Pretty pretty please. There are soooo many bunnies in rescue needing homes, Why dont you have her speyed and rescue her a neutered boyfriend :D Xx
 
The dewlap is the big fold of skin and fur you can see under the bunny's chin. Its purpose is so that the female rabbit has somewhere easy to pull fur out to line her nest if she is going to have babies. Presumably its development is mainly hormone related (although overweight buns tend to have bigger dewlaps), which is probably why it is often not well developed if female bunnies are spayed when they are younger. Some breeds of bun seem to get bigger dewlaps than others. If you see a bun with a huge fold of skin under its chin, there's an extremely good chance that it's a female :wink:
 
My 2 are chinchilla crosses (I think) and were very overweight once with big dewlaps - I got them spayed at age (approx) 1.5 years, and I'm sure their dewlaps have reduced slightly. :)
 
Finally I've been able to come home from uni for a few days and get Arian to the vet, and based on all your advice she is being spayed and having the dewlap removed as we speak. I'm very nervous about it but been told to phone at 2 so it's not too long to wait.

Will let you know how it went when she's recovered.

From the reading I've done about nursing post-op, I need to keep her indoors (for warmth and quiet) for a couple of days in a hutch on newspaper and vet-bed (which I believe is that white soft papery stuff - right?) and encourage her to eat and drink asap. After a couple of days can she go back to normal life in her hutch inside a shed with an outdoor run which she is free to roam all day? Anything else I've missed and need to know?

Cheers,

Ben
 
vet bed is a fabric stuff very fluffy and warm but won't affect wounds if you havent got any vetbed old towels work nicely too (this is what i had teegra on after is surgery)

fingers crossed all goes well

abi and teegra
 
Good Luck with your bun's spay today! I think you've got everything covered regarding post-op care. I've just been through this with Poppy and I'd just say don't be alarmed if she doesn't eat too much for a day or so (Poppy didn't) and if she's not pooing take her back to the Vet for a metoclopromide jab and painkiller. That did the trick for Poppy and she began eating her pellets after two days. I would just keep tempting her with little bits of fresh food (parsley, carrot tops, dandelions, etc) and put her water in a bowl as well. Also, keep an eye on the wound to make sure it is healing well. It is now six days since Poppy's spay and she has really perked up well, although my Vet said to be on the safe side to keep her inside for another couple of days. I'm letting her out for a run around the lounge every evening, but her scar still has a slight scab on it so the Vet said to give her another couple of days rest. Please let us know how your bunny gets on and how she is recovering. Claire x
 
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