mandy_2lops
New Kit
Hello all, I am new and hope I am posting in the proper place. Long story, apologies.
I have 2 lops adopted from a local pet rescue. Neutered male almost 2 years old and a young female (not spayed yet) who we got later, now about 6 months old. They were put together in the same pen very quickly after exhibiting some very positive bonding behaviors. They had been living happily together for about 3 months with no issues and the older male would groom her and they would rest next to each other, it was all very lovely and peaceful.
Late one evening about one week ago, we found a good sized chunk of the female's fur lying around, held together by skin/blood at the base. After inspecting, we found a wound on her back. It was completely hidden under the fur, but sizeable. My guess is the male pulled or held onto her fur and she pulled away, tearing her skin. The wound did not look like bite marks, punctures, or a gash. Just like a chunk of skin/fur pulled out. It was a gross open wound but not actively bleeding and no blood on the cage or floor.
We separated the rabbits immediately. I gave her a pet-safe heating pad and bundled her in a blanket in case of shock (she did seem droopy) and watched her closely for hours. She ate, drank, and pooped. Seemed back to her normal self the same night.
I trimmed her fur around the area and rinsed clean with saline solution. Have been spraying a pet-safe antimicrobial wound spray on the area 2x/day for a week. It started scabbing up very quickly, but in a hard lumpy way (I'm guessing just due to the nature of the torn skin, kind of like jagged edges/misshapen scab).
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction but then she discovered she could reach the wound on her back and has now been trying to groom it. She has reopened the wound slightly and caused some small amount of bleeding occasionally. I continue to trim the fur, clean it with saline if there's any fur or hay in the wound area, and I just tried applying some Neosporin (original) for the first time. I am keeping a look out for pus/infection in which case we will need to get her some antibiotics.
My guess is now that the female is getting older and maturing, their initial "bond" has broken and they can not be housed together safely. I will eventually get her spayed after she heals up and hopefully try bonding them again. But of course I am also scared of further injury and got the two bunnies as hopeful companions for each other, not to house separately forever.
Anyway, that's the story... I guess I would like to hear some advice or support about the situation, if you have any. I am feeling heartbroken that they had a fight after being such good friends and hope they can be friends again one day. If anybody has dealt with a similar injury I would like to know how it was handled and the outcome. What signs of infection or abscess should I watch out for?
(I do have photos, but I am reluctant to post them because they are disgusting. Please keep in mind this occurred in the night with no vet available, and since she has been acting normally, we decided to take a wait and see/treat at home approach. We cannot afford expensive medical interventions and are doing the best we can to give these rescued bunnies a good home.)
Thank you .
I have 2 lops adopted from a local pet rescue. Neutered male almost 2 years old and a young female (not spayed yet) who we got later, now about 6 months old. They were put together in the same pen very quickly after exhibiting some very positive bonding behaviors. They had been living happily together for about 3 months with no issues and the older male would groom her and they would rest next to each other, it was all very lovely and peaceful.
Late one evening about one week ago, we found a good sized chunk of the female's fur lying around, held together by skin/blood at the base. After inspecting, we found a wound on her back. It was completely hidden under the fur, but sizeable. My guess is the male pulled or held onto her fur and she pulled away, tearing her skin. The wound did not look like bite marks, punctures, or a gash. Just like a chunk of skin/fur pulled out. It was a gross open wound but not actively bleeding and no blood on the cage or floor.
We separated the rabbits immediately. I gave her a pet-safe heating pad and bundled her in a blanket in case of shock (she did seem droopy) and watched her closely for hours. She ate, drank, and pooped. Seemed back to her normal self the same night.
I trimmed her fur around the area and rinsed clean with saline solution. Have been spraying a pet-safe antimicrobial wound spray on the area 2x/day for a week. It started scabbing up very quickly, but in a hard lumpy way (I'm guessing just due to the nature of the torn skin, kind of like jagged edges/misshapen scab).
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction but then she discovered she could reach the wound on her back and has now been trying to groom it. She has reopened the wound slightly and caused some small amount of bleeding occasionally. I continue to trim the fur, clean it with saline if there's any fur or hay in the wound area, and I just tried applying some Neosporin (original) for the first time. I am keeping a look out for pus/infection in which case we will need to get her some antibiotics.
My guess is now that the female is getting older and maturing, their initial "bond" has broken and they can not be housed together safely. I will eventually get her spayed after she heals up and hopefully try bonding them again. But of course I am also scared of further injury and got the two bunnies as hopeful companions for each other, not to house separately forever.
Anyway, that's the story... I guess I would like to hear some advice or support about the situation, if you have any. I am feeling heartbroken that they had a fight after being such good friends and hope they can be friends again one day. If anybody has dealt with a similar injury I would like to know how it was handled and the outcome. What signs of infection or abscess should I watch out for?
(I do have photos, but I am reluctant to post them because they are disgusting. Please keep in mind this occurred in the night with no vet available, and since she has been acting normally, we decided to take a wait and see/treat at home approach. We cannot afford expensive medical interventions and are doing the best we can to give these rescued bunnies a good home.)
Thank you .
