Help!! My rabbit has a rash and it isn’t going away

[Binkyandbillie]

Our rabbit Binky who is a 1.5 year old boy, has had a recurring scabby rash on his mouth since January. We have seen the vet multiple times and she has given her penicillin shots which did not make the rash go away. Then prescribed him with antibiotics. He has been on the antibiotics for nearly 3 weeks and we seen dips in improvement.
Has anyone had this problem before or know of any other treatments?
He is eating, playing, drinking completely normally.

 

[JBun]

It sounds like your vet thought it could possibly be rabbit syphilis, treating with pen g. Were the shots given every 5-7 days for at least 3 weeks, and do you know if it was the long acting pen g procaine/benzathine? Did you see it make any difference?

Has the vet ruled out a fungal infection or skin mites? Is there any drooling or reoccurring wetness under the chin? Did the vet do a thorough dental check? Drooling from dental problems would be a common cause of wet fur, fur loss, and skin problems under the chin. Also moist dermatitis that isn't responsive to the antibiotics that have already been tried. If all of these have been ruled out and the vet hasn't done a biopsy yet, that might be your next best option.

A couple other things to double check would be if your rabbit is excessively rubbing the chin on something, either purposely or like a food dish when eating. Or if your bun is frequently having a wet chin from the water dish. Those could be contributing to the skin not having a chance to heal.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Moist/Moist_skin_issues_en.pdf (wet chin skin issues in rabbits, contains medical related photos)

Medirabbit (fungal dermatitis)

MediRabbit (burrowing mites)

Differential diagnosis for ptyalism (excessive drooling issues)

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Call HRS in Richmond--House Rabbit society and they might be able to help or send you to a more savvy Vet.

 

[LadyGrey]

The way the fur is clumping and wiggly is telling me excessive moisture --> which then becomes fungal dermatitis. I'd have your vet check for a spur on his molars.