help please!

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iLuvMyLilBuns

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I've made a post on this in the past but it's still bothering me. I purchased this rabbit the beginning of May and I started noticing all of these things right when I got him. I've tried to contact the breeder but she hasn't gotten back to me. He eats, drinks, poops, and pees normally. He also seems happy and playful. I've been wanting to take him to the vet but I'm pretty busy. I made an appointment so I'll be taking him on Wednesday.

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the first 3 pictures are his eyes there's like white stuff coming from his eyes and I see it on his paws because he must be wiping it, 4th picture is his lower stomach, 5th picture is where his penis should be it doesn't look normal. I think he has ringworm and maybe an eye infection. If anyone has any idea on what this is it would be great! I have 6 rabbits and I've kept him seperated from the rest but I still am scared this could spread to them.
 
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My guess would be ringworm or mites but...
Are the sores in picture 5 around the vent area? Because if it is, it looks like it could also be rabbit syphilis. They usually get crusty blisters and sores around the vent but also around the nose and eyes. If it is I think they treat with penicillin injections.
 
I took him to the vet and I guess he doesn't have ringworm or fleas or lice or anything. He does have an eye infection and she gave me eye drops.
 
do you think I should take him to a different vet to get another opinion? He is having hair loss and there's dandruff around the scab (picture 4). She said he doesn't have ringworm, fleas, or lice and she thinks the scab is because I just got him and maybe I'm using bedding that his previous wonder wasn't using so he's having a bad reaction. None of my rabbits have ever had a reaction like that to the bedding I use (kaytee). Also, the vet didn't even look at his vent area.
 
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Yes she is rabbit savvy. The first pic is what his eyes look like. There's like sores on his eyes and white stuff. she said it's conjunctivitis and the second pic is what she gave me to treat it. The third pic is his vent area. Any advice would be great. :)
 
I'm thinking he may have vent disease because I was reading that some of the symptoms of it are scabs on the face and could show up as an eye infection. but doesn't vent disease stay with them forever? :( I'm also worried he could spread it to my other bunnies.
 
I agree with you, I think that looks like vent disease, I would try to find another really rabbit savvy vet and get a second opinion. Or call the vet you have and tell her you really think its not just conjunctivitis and think its vent disease. Why would conjunctivitis also cause sore around a rabbits genital region? I think she has it wrong.
 
You're right! I'm going to call a different vet tomorrow. Do you know the treatment for it and if it's curable? I read that it stays with them forever but I'm not sure if that's true.
 
I'm thinking he may have vent disease because I was reading that some of the symptoms of it are scabs on the face and could show up as an eye infection. but doesn't vent disease stay with them forever? :( I'm also worried he could spread it to my other bunnies.

I don't think vent disease is curable and doesn't stay with them forever and I also think it doesn't spread as easily as other bugs like ringworm and staph infections. I think syphilis doesn't live long once it is outside the body- I think it needs almost direct contact to be spread, unlike some other bacteria and fungi that can live on surfaces for months and months.
 
You need a vet to confirm if it's vent disease or not. From what I've gathered it is treatable, but you have to treat everyone, symptoms or not...unless this one was quarantined.
 
You need a vet to confirm if it's vent disease or not. From what I've gathered it is treatable, but you have to treat everyone, symptoms or not...unless this one was quarantined.


I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow so hopefully they can confirm that it is vent disease (my other vet told me it was conjunctivitis) I've kept him separated from the rest, do I still need to treat all of them?
 
Just my opinion but if you've kept them separate and they haven't shared any cages, toys, bowls etc... and you've washed hands etc... I wouldn't treat the others - penicillin is strong stuff and would only want to use it on other rabbits if there were symptoms. Just my opinion.
 
Does baytril (idk how to spell it) treat vent disease? I'm at a new vet but I guess he doesn't have much experience with rabbits so I'm kind of worried. He said he doesn't know what vent disease is and he won't give him penicillin he said it's too hard on them
 
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Does baytril (idk how to spell it) treat vent disease? I'm at a new vet but I guess he doesn't have much experience with rabbits so I'm kind of worried. He said he doesn't know what vent disease is and he won't give him penicillin he said it's too hard on them

That's not good that he doesn't know what it is...he could've left the room long enough to at least looked it up. The Merck Veterinary Manual says to use "Benzathine penicillin G, 42,000 IU/kg, SC, at weekly intervals for 3 wk, is necessary to eradicate treponematosis from a herd. All rabbits must be treated even if no lesions are present. Lesions usually heal within 10–14 days, and recovered rabbits can be bred without danger of transmitting the infection. A potential side effect of penicillin treatment is diarrhea and the possibility of an enteritis outbreak due to proliferation of gram-negative bacteria in the gut. Rabbits treated with penicillin should be switched to hay and treated with antidiarrheals immediately if needed (see Enterotoxemia)."

It continues, "Diagnosis is based on the lesions and observation of the spirochete's corkscrew motility under darkfield microscopy. Serologic tests used to diagnose T pallidum, such as the VDRL slide test and the rapid-plasma regain card test are widely available and can be used to diagnose T cuniculi. Hutch burn is a differential diagnosis."

I don't think Baytril was the right antibiotic, if it is vent disease.
 

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