Abcess on Bunny that won't heal

[Snowflake 1]

Hi all
I have a New Zealand Bunny that is normally bred for meat. She is not the most friendly Bunny but does warm up to me usually. Early this past spring I noticed she had an ulcer on her belly. I took her to the vet and she was scheduled for surgery which was done to clean and repair it. Snowflake is 2 and spayed. She was given antibiotics as well. She healed completely. A couple months later I noticed she had another sore. This time she was given antibiotics only. She healed well. I keep a soft cone on her so she can't scratch or chew herself. Well today I checked her and she has another nasty looking ulcer on her belly. They are surface sores only, not deep. She lives inside. How is she doing this?? She is digging herself somehow. I have spent $800.00 on a $10.00 rabbit I rescued from the "table" of somebody! She is not personable or considered a pet. I have read that they can be docile and make good pets. But I think there must be something in the bloodline of this one where she just cannot be. She has never been nice. Her specific line was strictly bred for meat. What is causing her to dig at herself and causing these ulcers? I cannot keep taking her back to the Vet every 2 months. Another $400.00 surgery is just not feasible. There has to be be something going on here? What can I do? I really do care about her or I would not keep doing what I have been doing.

 

[InspectorMorse]

I am afraid there is no option other than to take her back to the Vet. It could be internal pain that is causing her to ‘dig at herself’ and the cause of that pain needs to be addressed.
Her ‘unfriendly’ demeanour could be because she has always suffered a degree of pain.

If you are unable to fund ongoing treatment and unable to access help to do so then very sadly the only other ethical option to prevent ongoing suffering is humane euthanasia by a Veterinary Surgeon.

 

[bunny momma]

Have you seen her digging herself? Could she be scraping her belly on the side of her litterbox or on another surface?
When she has the ulcer does she have pain relief as well as the antibiotics?
Has she been on the same antibiotic each time? I wonder if some bacteria remains in her because the course of antibiotic was not long enough or because some bacteria are resistant to that antibiotic which is resulting in the return of the ulcer. Your vet may suggest a different antibiotic or a longer course of treatment.
Not all bunnies are cuddly, certainly not one who may be in pain. Some are territorial, yet can have a different demeanor in a neutral area. Most bunnies of any breed do not like being picked up, though with patience they will often come to you if you sit quietly on the floor and allow you to pet them.

 

[Snowflake 1]

I am afraid there is no option other than to take her back to the Vet. It could be internal pain that is causing her to ‘dig at herself’ and the cause of that pain needs to be addressed.
Her ‘unfriendly’ demeanour could be because she has always suffered a degree of pain.

If you are unable to fund ongoing treatment and unable to access help to do so then very sadly the only other ethical option to prevent ongoing suffering is humane euthanasia by a Veterinary Surgeon.

I can afford the treatment, that isn't the issue. The issue is finding someone who understands bunnies. She, however has never been friendly even before this started. She has always tried to bite and shy away. I have had her since she was tiny, just a couple of months old. I have worked with her trying to tame her and show her that human interaction is a good thing. I sit on the floor even with her and talk to her while petting her. I have held her and played with her. She likes that part, but as soon as I put her back in her hutch, it is back to aggressive bunny again. She was born outside and was bred for meat as her bunny family has been for years. None of her prior relatives has ever been pets. She is the first. They were mass bred for slaughter and sold that way until the original owner passed away. They were even shown and sold at the local fairs. I don't like that side of the rabbit world at all. But, she has been a challenge for sure! That's why I said I saved her from being on someone's table. She came from a "Rabbit Farm". Much the same as a Chicken Farm. I was wondering if there was something in rabbits that I needed to let my Vet know about that she does not know? This is their very first bunny. It is a fairly large Veterinary group, but I am from a small country town. I should interject here that my mom worked for this group as well for years. I was raised by someone who loved all animals and instilled that in me. We care about all living creatures. I am quite well versed and understanding in animal care and needs. Mom has passed so I can't ask her anymore. She was my go to. This one has me stumped. I intend to call my Vet again this morning. I just wanted to know if there was an intate rabbit disease my Vet needed to know about?

 

[Snowflake 1]

I forgot to add that her appetite and all is still excellent. She eats drinks and defecates all normally. So it isn't affecting any of that. She eats a lot if I let her. She is not obese however, 9.5lbs.

 

[InspectorMorse]

Have you ever noticed nesting behaviour? Could she be pulling fur from her belly to nest, indicating the *possibility* that when she was spayed some uterine or ovarian tissue was left behind. So she is having pseudopregnancies as the remnants of tissue will secrete hormones. The fact that she sounds to be very territorial could also be a hormonal issue. Occasionally some Does whose spays were complete will still have occasional pseudopregnancies.

Is the ‘ulcer’ open tissue ?

Is it located near the scar from her spay?

I have cared for several Rabbits Rescued from Meat Farms, non have been aggressive but most were nervous. In part due to poor eyesight. Here (UK) most Meat Rabbits are New Zealand Whites or NZW crossbreeds. Some are Californians. NZWs often have very poor eyesight. Poor eyesight can cause the Rabbit to exhibit fear driven aggression/defensiveness.

 

[Snowflake 1]

You could be right. This sounds exactly like what she is doing. She does jumps a lot like she cannot see well either. I will have that looked at too. I will have the Vet check all of this. They thought she was catching herself on something in her other hutch so I moved her. Well she is worse now. So that isn't it. She wants the other hutch as it has been her home since day one. She also does dig at it like it itches. It I so perplexing. I have a soft cone for her I paid a lot of money for. My Aussie is barking non stop while I type, ugg. They are in totally separate rooms so not a problem, however they do play together, when Snowflake is well. I have pictures.

 

[Orenoko]

When you say she digs at it what does that look like? I hope you can get something sorted at the vets, you clearly tried to do the right thing rescuing her. Ultimately if it continues to be a recurrent problem you may have to weigh up what's best for her long-term as bunnies are very fragile under anaesthetic.

With the behaviour side of things, some just aren't that bothered about human interaction. I have one bunny left and she has never much enjoyed interacting with us and is quite aloof, although she has mellowed a bit in her old age. Sometimes that's just the way they are, but if yours is also potentially in pain that may be contributing to some of the behaviour you see.

 

[Snowflake 1]

Have you seen her digging herself? Could she be scraping her belly on the side of her litterbox or on another surface?
When she has the ulcer does she have pain relief as well as the antibiotics?
Has she been on the same antibiotic each time? I wonder if some bacteria remains in her because the course of antibiotic was not long enough or because some bacteria are resistant to that antibiotic which is resulting in the return of the ulcer. Your vet may suggest a different antibiotic or a longer course of treatment.
Not all bunnies are cuddly, certainly not one who may be in pain. Some are territorial, yet can have a different demeanor in a neutral area. Most bunnies of any breed do not like being picked up, though with patience they will often come to you if you sit quietly on the floor and allow you to pet them.

She does dig at it. No she does not scrape herself on anything at all. It has completely healed and then she starts this again. I have a soft cone I keep on her. She was spayed at 7 months. I did not expect her to be cuddly, just not mean. She attacks and bites. You never know when to expect it. I am 69 not a child at all and have had many rabbits and pets. She is by far the most challenging ever. She wants to leave her mark on my life for sure. I sit with her on the floor and pet her for a long time trust me. It is like she totally forgets I do it. It is like she is missing something somewhere. I will discuss all of this with my vet

 

[Snowflake 1]

She just scratches and bites at it. She eats really well and absolutely loves Ritz Crackers. My husband started this. She does binky's for them. When I go in to her room she is doing binky's for crackers. It is cute! So she is not in a lot of pain it would appear. I am definitely going to get to the bottom of it. She is pulling off fur.

 

[InspectorMorse]

She just scratches and bites at it. She eats really well and absolutely loves Ritz Crackers. My husband started this. She does binky's for them. When I go in to her room she is doing binky's for crackers. It is cute! So she is not in a lot of pain it would appear. I am definitely going to get to the bottom of it. She is pulling off fur.

You might already have seen this info’

Medirabbit

 

[Snowflake 1]

Is it safe for bun bun to play with toilet paper holders? She may be happy chewing them up rather than herself!! I didn't know if the cardboard stuff was safe?? I give her a lot of hay and alfalfa to eat. She may be bored. I often thought this may be the case. I do take her out to roam from time to time in the house but she likes to find speaker wires and things to chew on. I have a wire pen I put her in. I don't know what else to do. Her litter mates I rescued her from spend their entire days and nights outside in hutches with very little human contact. They don't do this.

 

[Snowflake 1]

I mean the cardboard that it comes on

 

[InspectorMorse]

Personally I don’t give my Rabbits cardboard of any kind to chew. Some Rabbits tend to eat it which can cause Gut obstructions.

Things like apple tree twigs are more appropriate to give for a Rabbit to chew

You say she’s housed in a ‘wire pen’. How big it it. Rabbits confined to small spaces will often exhibit behavioural problems

These are the minimum space requirements

Space Recommendations

Click here for our minimum space recommendations for rabbits, both indoors and outdoors. Measurements available in metres, feet and inches.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

You can get cable protectors to ‘bunny proof’ wires etc. Itd be much nicer for her to never be confined to a small pen (if the pen is small)

Advice about indoor housing

Indoor Housing

Explore our indoor housing guide for tips, ideas, and best practices to create a safe and stimulating environment for your rabbit.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

and Bunny Proofing your home to allow cage/pen free living

Bunny Proofing- Protect Your Home from Digging / Chewing

Does she have a Rabbit companion?

Companionship

Rabbits should never be alone. Click here to find out all about the importance of Rabbit Companionship today.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

 

[Snowflake 1]

The one she is in right now is temporary and is 36 by 36. Her regular hutch is quite large, but is outside and I brought her in because it got hot and she was digging herself out there starting in the spring. She was inside in that one to start with. My husband built her a "Bunny Condo" around her original hutch to be outside. By "wire pen", I meant an area that is quite large and like a fenced in area inside for her to roam in. That way she can have free space to run and not get into things she shouldn't. She has been back inside for about 6 weeks this time. She was totally healed. I just thought it safer to not take chances with the heat and bugs and so did my Vet. Now we are here again.

 

[Snowflake 1]

So her regular hutch is over 6ft by 3ft at least with then an added on covered borrowing, sleeping area. The temporary one is smaller definitely but I take her out every day. I talk to her and try to interact with her. I need to just take her out and let her run it looks like. That is not something she ever did at the rabbit farm nor did her predecessors. Like I said, they were purely bred for one purpose. But if it helps, I will let her. My previous pet bunnies always did. They had much better dispositions as well. I could easily reach in and get them. They willingly came out. She does not interact well. She runs and hides. I have done all of the sitting on the floor talking to her and quietly picking her up exercises etc to know avail. I sit at times with her for at least an hour in the evenings just soft talking to her coaxing her and petting her. She knows, "Mommy Pet". She puts her head down for me and will let me do that for a long time. That is our bonding. That's it. It is perplexing. It has been 2 years.

 

[InspectorMorse]

She could just be the type of Rabbit who is, well, a Rabbit’s Rabbit. Some Rabbits never want to have a lot of interaction with humans. And as stated, Rabbits really need a companion of their own kind. She might be a lot happier with a Rabbit friend and to just be a Pet you watch rather than interact with. We can never be as good a companion to a Rabbit as can another Rabbit.

 

[Snowflake 1]

I Want to get her a friend which is why I had her spayed at my other vets suggestion. He said if I did not want baby's then do that so she would bond better. I hope she does. I plan on trying that soon. I did take her out and she did run around a lot tonight.

 

[InspectorMorse]

I Wan to,get her a friend which is why I had her spayed at my other vets suggestion. He said if I did not want baby's then do that so she would bond better. I hope she does. I plan on trying that soon. I did take her out and she did run around a lot tonight.

Another reason why spaying is necessary is to prevent the development of uterine adenocarcinoma. Over 80% of unspayed Does will develope this horrible cancer by the age of 5. My Vet has seen it in Does as young as 2.

 

[Snowflake 1]

Wow. I am glad I did. There are no rabbit savy Veterinarians close to me here. She is their only rabbit patient. So this has been an interesting journey.