Help! Bunny has marks on back of neck!

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Reh

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Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hey everyone,

I wanted to monitor things before I made a post about it but I have noticed over the last 5 or so days that my bunny has little marks that feel lik scabs on the back of his neck around between the shoulders.

At first, I only felt one and thought he bit himself while grooming because he’s been shedding quite badly atm but they fee “round” and now there are just a couple smaller ones.

I can’t really see through his hair in relation to their colour or anything but I can get my finger to feel it and it does have that that ‘dry’ ‘pickable’ feel to it.

He is quite young and does spend time outdoors but tbh we’re not prone to many bugs around our home at all.

He also doesn’t seem sensitive to the touch, I’ve even pressed them to see if he will jump but he is not phased. The only thing I can say, is I notice him picking at them sometimes when grooming.

Does anyone know what this could be and what I could do? How worried should I be?

First time occurrence for me, first time bunny mum too.
 
Is your rabbit with any other rabbits? Are you seeing any dandruff?

no dandruff that I can notice to be honest but his hair is literally a light oatmeal type colour that is essentially almost white as you go in deeper closer to the skin.

he isnt with any other rabbits either!

I half decided they weren’t bites he had given himself on the basis that they don’t seem to hurt him to the touch, there’s no blood and they feel round.
 
If it seems like smooth small bumps, it could be hives if there is itchiness. If it's more like scabs or lesions and you start seeing fur loss and/or dandruff, it could be mites.

Medirabbit: fur mites

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Mites

Thank you!!!

At the moment, doesnt seem like they’re lesions. Just more like bumps, I’d associate it more with like an insect bite to a human. That kind of feel.

He also did get his booster vaccination on Wednesday, after having his first just one month prior and it seems to be in the same region, I am hoping it’s just a reaction to the vaccination.

How long do you think somethjng like that should take to heal? So I know what course of action to take if it doesn’t.
 
The myxo vaccine? Yes, that would be the likely explanation. They can sometimes cause reactions. How long to heal would depend on the severity. If it's minor and no other symptoms or complications, maybe a week or two. However, if you have any concerns, it would be best to contact the vet office that administered the vaccine. Doesn't hurt to at least phone them and ask about the skin irritation.

https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care...ter-your-pet/rabbits/vaccinations-for-rabbits
 
The myxo vaccine? Yes, that would be the likely explanation. They can sometimes cause reactions. How long to heal would depend on the severity. If it's minor and no other symptoms or complications, maybe a week or two. However, if you have any concerns, it would be best to contact the vet office that administered the vaccine. Doesn't hurt to at least phone them and ask about the skin irritation.

https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care...ter-your-pet/rabbits/vaccinations-for-rabbits

No Myxo vax here! Just the Calicivirus.
It has since gotten worse so I am trying to make an appt at the vet ASAP. They’re all so busy and booked I have tried with two different vets and my regular is yet to csll me back.226F8A2F-0222-465B-B03D-37733B60AB5A.png I’ve attached a pic.
 
If it looks like the photo at the top of the article in the link below, it's a sterile abscess from the injection. It's not actually infected, but is caused by the injected medication not being completely absorbed or a hypersensitivity to the injection, causing irritation and dead tissue, resulting in a sort of scab forming.

Medirabbit: safe antibiotics (photo of sterile abscess)

This should just heal right up without issue, though it can take several weeks, depending on how deep into the tissue it goes. With the little bumps you saw previously, my guess would be that your rabbit was sensitive to the injection, which then caused irritated tissue, then the sterile abscess.

I would discuss it with the vet that did the injection, but as long as this is all it was, there isn't any other treatment required except monitoring it to make sure it heals properly.
 
If it looks like the photo at the top of the article in the link below, it's a sterile abscess from the injection. It's not actually infected, but is caused by the injected medication not being completely absorbed or a hypersensitivity to the injection, causing irritation and dead tissue, resulting in a sort of scab forming.

Medirabbit: safe antibiotics (photo of sterile abscess)

This should just heal right up without issue, though it can take several weeks, depending on how deep into the tissue it goes. With the little bumps you saw previously, my guess would be that your rabbit was sensitive to the injection, which then caused irritated tissue, then the sterile abscess.

I would discuss it with the vet that did the injection, but as long as this is all it was, there isn't any other treatment required except monitoring it to make sure it heals properly.

Turned out to be just that, it was caused by sensitivity to the vaccine.

Apparently, it occurs in approximately 50% of rabbits here (obviously the smaller the bunny the more reaction they may be prone to).

The vet said, because the two vaccines were administered within a small time frame (as required for his first) it could have just caused the reaction as it did.

The vet also mentioned that the vaccine has some formaldehyde in it which could be what is causing the reaction but nothing a little diluted iodine didn't heal.
 

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