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Infected hair follicles on vent?

Akire

Akire

Young Bun
Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum, but definitely not new to caring for bunnies. A little bit of info: I've had my bonded pair (Dunkin and Amber) for 7 years now. They are litter box trained house bunnies, spayed and neutered. There hasn't really been any health problems with them. Dunkin is prone to sore hocks, but I'm able to keep his little feet pretty happy by having the bottom of their enclosure padded and putting bag balm on his hocks when they look raw.

I'm making this thread because I recently found something quite concerning when I was trimming their nails.

When I turned Dunkin over I noticed he had quite a few pustules on his vent? Probably around five, maybe one or two more. Upon closer inspection I discovered each pustule has a hair sticking out of it. I'm thinking the hair follicles have become infected for some bizarre reason? His butt never looks dirty and other than the pustules his vent appears fine. He has no symptoms of illness, thankfully!

The only thing I've been able to find online is vent disease. This is not possible though. Dunkin and Amber are both fixed for starters. More importantly, neither of them have been in contact with another rabbit for quite a few years. So I don't see how Dunkin could have contracted vent disease. That is why I'm thinking the hair follicles are infected.

I'm calling the vet now and making an appointment, because this is so strange that I'd rather be safe than sorry. Also, I don't want one to pop and then have a really nasty infection set in. I will be bringing both bunnies to the vet, since they are so bonded. Amber could use a wellness exam anyway. ;)

So I just wanted to get some opinions! Any thoughts on what you think it might be and the cause? :?
 
Akire said:
Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum, but definitely not new to caring for bunnies. A little bit of info: I've had my bonded pair (Dunkin and Amber) for 7 years now. They are litter box trained house bunnies, spayed and neutered. There hasn't really been any health problems with them. Dunkin is prone to sore hocks, but I'm able to keep his little feet pretty happy by having the bottom of their enclosure padded and putting bag balm on his hocks when they look raw.

I'm making this thread because I recently found something quite concerning when I was trimming their nails.

When I turned Dunkin over I noticed he had quite a few pustules on his vent? Probably around five, maybe one or two more. Upon closer inspection I discovered each pustule has a hair sticking out of it. I'm thinking the hair follicles have become infected for some bizarre reason? His butt never looks dirty and other than the pustules his vent appears fine. He has no symptoms of illness, thankfully!

The only thing I've been able to find online is vent disease. This is not possible though. Dunkin and Amber are both fixed for starters. More importantly, neither of them have been in contact with another rabbit for quite a few years. So I don't see how Dunkin could have contracted vent disease. That is why I'm thinking the hair follicles are infected.

I'm calling the vet now and making an appointment, because this is so strange that I'd rather be safe than sorry. Also, I don't want one to pop and then have a really nasty infection set in. I will be bringing both bunnies to the vet, since they are so bonded. Amber could use a wellness exam anyway. ;)

So I just wanted to get some opinions! Any thoughts on what you think it might be and the cause? :?
Click to expand...

It could be vent disease. It's not always easy to spot how it's contracted:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syph_gen.html

That said, it doesn't sound quite like that to me.

What did the vet say?

Welcome to RU by the way :wave:
 
MightyMax said:
It could be vent disease. It's not always easy to spot how it's contracted:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syph_gen.html

That said, it doesn't sound quite like that to me.

What did the vet say?

Welcome to RU by the way :wave:
Click to expand...

Thank you for the link, I didn't realize that house bunnies can get it without having contact from other bunnies. That is kind of unsettling!

I agree with you though, it doesn't sound or look like vent disease. There are no scabs, it isn't crusty at all and it hasn't spread to any other part of his body. Doing research online I actually found someone with what sounds to be the same problem. Their vet diagnosed it as a dermatitis problem, like pimples in humans, from overactive scent glands. This is very interesting because when I noticed the problem and went to clean Dunkin's scent glands they were quite impacted.

Anywho, the bunnies go to the vet tomorrow. I will update what the diagnosis is along with the treatment plan.

Oh and thank you for the welcome! :)
 
Akire said:
Thank you for the link, I didn't realize that house bunnies can get it without having contact from other bunnies. That is kind of unsettling!

I agree with you though, it doesn't sound or look like vent disease. There are no scabs, it isn't crusty at all and it hasn't spread to any other part of his body. Doing research online I actually found someone with what sounds to be the same problem. Their vet diagnosed it as a dermatitis problem, like pimples in humans, from overactive scent glands. This is very interesting because when I noticed the problem and went to clean Dunkin's scent glands they were quite impacted.

Anywho, the bunnies go to the vet tomorrow. I will update what the diagnosis is along with the treatment plan.

Oh and thank you for the welcome! :)
Click to expand...

:thumb:

Yes, I would love to know the outcome!

Good luck xx
 
Update:

Well, it's still a mystery. It doesn't seem to be from insects biting, since they are strictly indoor bunnies and have no symptoms of mites. Dunkin does have a bare patch right above his vent, so it's likely that the pustules do itch and that is why it's bare. Vent disease is of course a possibility, so he received a Penicillin G shot and we are waiting 10 days to see if there is an improvement. So far it has not showed any signs of getting better. An allergic reaction to something is another possibility, but I haven't changed anything about their care in years. The next step if nothing has improved on day 10 is going to be a topical treatment.
 
Another update:

Dunkin showed no signs of improvement and it had gotten a bit worse. He seemed to be more uncomfortable. The vet has put him on SMZ-TMP at 1/2 ml twice a day.

I'm worried because it seems like the vet should have taken a swab of the pustules to see what antibiotic would work best. It feels like she doesn't know what to do and is just improvising.
 
Akire said:
Another update:

Dunkin showed no signs of improvement and it had gotten a bit worse. He seemed to be more uncomfortable. The vet has put him on SMZ-TMP at 1/2 ml twice a day.

I'm worried because it seems like the vet should have taken a swab of the pustules to see what antibiotic would work best. It feels like she doesn't know what to do and is just improvising.
Click to expand...

Did you ask the Vet about this ? If you are not happy with the treatment being prescribed could you seek a second opinion ?
 
Akire said:
Another update:

Dunkin showed no signs of improvement and it had gotten a bit worse. He seemed to be more uncomfortable. The vet has put him on SMZ-TMP at 1/2 ml twice a day.

I'm worried because it seems like the vet should have taken a swab of the pustules to see what antibiotic would work best. It feels like she doesn't know what to do and is just improvising.
Click to expand...

If I were you, and not confident in this vet's procedure, I would either ask to speak with another vet in the practice about how they would deal with it, or move to another vet on this occasion. I would also ring the vet first to glean how they would tackle this issue - you can find out a lot from what they say to you (or don't!) on the phone, before you go and pay for another consultation.

Good luck xx
 
Sorry, I just realized I never updated this.

In the end I did take Dunkin to get a second opinion from a different rabbit vet. She discovered that he actually has the "pustules" under his eyelids as well. That was pretty shocking to discover. The good news; It's nothing serious. The vet took a swab and looked under the microscope. The best she could describe it as is clogged pores. There is no infection or pus and it is not vent disease. Phew! It hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't gotten worse either. Thankfully it doesn't seem to bother him.

Case closed! :wave:
 
Akire said:
Sorry, I just realized I never updated this.

In the end I did take Dunkin to get a second opinion from a different rabbit vet. She discovered that he actually has the "pustules" under his eyelids as well. That was pretty shocking to discover. The good news; It's nothing serious. The vet took a swab and looked under the microscope. The best she could describe it as is clogged pores. There is no infection or pus and it is not vent disease. Phew! It hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't gotten worse either. Thankfully it doesn't seem to bother him.

Case closed! :wave:
Click to expand...

I am glad that there does not appear to be anything serious wrong, thanks for the update xx
 
Akire said:
Sorry, I just realized I never updated this.

In the end I did take Dunkin to get a second opinion from a different rabbit vet. She discovered that he actually has the "pustules" under his eyelids as well. That was pretty shocking to discover. The good news; It's nothing serious. The vet took a swab and looked under the microscope. The best she could describe it as is clogged pores. There is no infection or pus and it is not vent disease. Phew! It hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't gotten worse either. Thankfully it doesn't seem to bother him.

Case closed! :wave:
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for popping by to update :wave:

Lovely to hear your good news .... Will you be staying a awhile? :)
 
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