Can someone tell me what this growth on my rabbit's nose is?

[yokarin]

A few days ago, I noticed some growth on the tip of my rabbit's nose. It feels hard, rough, and dry to the touch. Here are some pics of the growth:

Aside from this growth, I have not observed anything else unusual about him.

I know that the obvious thing to do is to have him checked out by a vet, but till I can find a competent vet that treats rabbits in my area, it would help very much if anyone can identify what this is. Also, if it is a health risk to him, can someone recommend a treatment? The more simple the treatment, the better.

Add'l info:
> Contrary to what some people have suggested, it is not dried/encrusted mud.
> He stays indoors all the time
> He is a solitary rabbit/pet (doesn't share space with any other pets)
> He is about 3 months old

 

[AlisonA]

Hiya - what country are you in?

It looks as if it could be syphillis, or possibly a myxomatosis nodule.

Either way or something different, it will definitely need a trip to a vet I'm afraid so you will need to act quickly. Syphillis requires treatment with penicillin injections which are only available from a vet, and myxo also requires vet prescribed drugs. Potentially a growth of that size could start to block his airway and he could struggle to breathe so please find a vet ASAP!

 

[Estelle]

He needs to see a vet as soon as possible.

 

[yokarin]

Hiya - what country are you in?

It looks as if it could be syphillis, or possibly a myxomatosis nodule.

Either way or something different, it will definitely need a trip to a vet I'm afraid so you will need to act quickly. Syphillis requires treatment with penicillin injections which are only available from a vet, and myxo also requires vet prescribed drugs. Potentially a growth of that size could start to block his airway and he could struggle to breathe so please find a vet ASAP!

I live in the Philippines. The problem is, I'm not sure how well-equipped the local vets are in handling rabbit cases, as rabbits aren't that popular as pets here. Is the penicillin shot (I also suspect it to be syphilis) used to treat other animals such as dogs or cats? Coz if it is "universal" then there's a greater chance that it is readily available at the local vet.

Also, not to put a price on my rabbit's health, but is the penicillin shot expensive? How many shots are usually required? Will my rabbit be anesthesized before the shot?

 

[AlisonA]

Hello! Yes penicillin is quite a common drug in the UK so hopefully it will be available where you are. It is just a standard simple injection so they don't need to be anaesthatised, it can be given quite easily. In the UK it is one injection a week for 3 weeks - although sometimes in serious cases it can need more. It's quite cheap here although I don't know what sort of cost the drug or the vet visit would be in the Philippines.

Good luck - it definitely needs a vet though as if it is syphillis it can grow and get nasty very quickly. As your rabbit is a youngster and if it is syphillis, it is likely that he caught it from his mother during birth - from memory it incubates for up to 12 weeks or more before it starts to show.

Please let us know how you get on!

 

[Ashley]

I wouldn't think 'penicillin' was and expensive injection. Penicillin is a common drug in England for treat humans with a bacterial infection. I'm sure any qualified vet could treat your rabbits nose problem.

 

[yokarin]

I just read that Hutch Burn can be mistaken as Rabbit Syphilis. I hope it's "just" Hutch Burn as it is less complicated to treat compared to Syphilis.

Don't worry, I'm already in the process of locating a vet to bring him to. Just trying to find some peace of mind before I can have him checked out.

 

[AlisonA]

To be honest I think it's highly unlikely - hutchburn is caused by dirty living conditions so it will affect the underside of the rabbit first and will only really affect the face in really serious cases. Does your bun have any problems around his bottom/genitals or feet? What sort of cage does your rabbit live in and how clean do you keep it? If you clean it regularly so your bunny has fresh bedding and doesn't have to sit on a soiled floor all day then I doubt that is what it is.

In any case, it really needs a vet to have a look and diagnose it, as at the moment we are all only taking an educated guess from a photo really. It's also worth remembering that penicillin MUST be injected, it cannot be given orally as it can kill the rabbit if given orally. If a vet wants to give you oral penicillin please ask them to do some research and give it by injection only.

PS I found some vet information here: http://www.vetworld.com/vetworld/philippines.html#manila

There is a vet in Manila which says they specialise in exotics. In the UK, rabbits are classified as exotics so they might be a good one to enquire as to what their experience is with rabbits.

 

[Tamsin]

Syphilis often causes sores around the rabbits gentiles as well as nose. 'Hutcburn' would only cause sores around the gentiles not the nose too so it's definitely not hutch burn. It could be a fungal infection though.

My suggest would be to ring your local vets (if you have more than one) and see which is most experienced with rabbits. Book an appointment and print out the information about syphilis to take with you. Fungal infections will be the same sort of thing vets treat dogs/cats for.

The vet will also have access to text book or be able to contact other vets if they need help

Tamsin

 

[yokarin]

Thanks very much for the add'l info on Hutch Burn!

Special thanks to AlisonA :rabbit2: for the Vet Listings! I really appreciate your going the extra mile to help! As it turns out, there's a potentially good vet near my place.

 

[Happy Hopping]

make sure penicillin is given by injection only. It cannot be given by mouth as it can kill the bunny. Injection under the skin bypass a certain ??? (I forgot, my vet did inform me) and it is safe

 

[bluebunny]

It looks like it could be a fungal infection one of my guniea pigs had the same on her nose