Huge gash where my rabbits dewlap was....

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ReflectionOfImperfection

ReflectionOfImperfection

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, Hawaii, USA
So i noticed today, my rabbit's dewlap is gone.
She's been nibbling on it like its been in her way.
And just today she has a huge open cut where he dewlap is supposed to be. There is no blood, but it's not a pretty sight to see. It literally looks like she ripped it off.
I don't know whether or not she done that to her or self, but she's really secure in her cage where nothing can harm her.

I can't afford a vet, but i can and will help her in any way possible.

Has this ever happened to your rabbit?

If so, please comment.

Is there any medications i can buy from online or at a pet store that is at a convenient price? I really don't have money for a vet, but i want and will help her in any way possible.

Or any home remedies? I've tried home remedies before on other situations, and it turned out to be successful.

Please provide any information possible.
 
So heres the pic. She seems to be perfectly fine though, like its not even hurting her. She had her dewlap yesterday! And today its gone!
ResizedImage_1313628927612.jpg
 
I can't really tell if it's just a patch of fur missing of she actually has a hole in her skin?
If that is an open wound she will need to get to a vet as it most likely will get infected. Rabbits are very sensitive and it will end up stressing her a lot unless you get it dealt with soon. It's not really an option, if you have a pet you need to face the fact that you will need to pay for a vet sooner or later!
good luck
 
Yeesh, that looks bad.

OK, first thing I would do is smell the area. You need to make sure there isn't a bad infection going on, and if it's anything parasitic or flesh-eating, it should smell rotton. If it does smell rotton, you'll be limited on what you can do in the way of care at home.

If it smells musty, and/or you can notice any dampness or drooling, it could be an infection due to the drooling, in which case it's probably a molar issue and she would need to see a vet for that.

If there is no bad smell, it could bea bad cut that she got somehow and she has been keeping it very clean, hence there's no blood. When it started to heal, it got itchy, and she pulled all of her fur out in the area. I'm hoping this is the case.

Clean it well with saline solution (or distilled water with epsom salts) twice a day, and apply an anti-bacterial ointment that does not have a pain killer in it. Hopefully this will keep infection at bay.
 
That is for sure an open cut and it does look infected. It doesnt look very fresh either.

There is no home remedy for this, there are no over the counter drugs to fix it. She needs a vet, asap. She needs surgery.

Some vets may be able to help you work out a payment plan, or talk to a relative about borrowing some cash, but please get her treated as soon as you can, the longer its left the more likely she is to get some pretty bad systemic infections.
 
Well its not my fault the economy is down & Hawaii is very expensive to live here, so with that being said, it's hard to pay for a vet. And since it is Hawaii, vets are way more expensive than in the mainland!

And its her fur that is missing, shes been nibbling on it here and then, and the only conclusion i have come up with is that she ripped it off on her own.

And by you telling me that i need to go to the vet doesnt help my situation or put money in my hands that i can use for the vet.

If i had the money, i would take her in a heart beat. I have money to supply my rabbit with food, shelter, toys, and medicines that i can buy from the store. But taking her to the vet here is really hard.
 
I'm sending the photo to a few vets to see what can be done, but I agree that it's probably surgical.

Some vets or rescues will let you surrender the rabbit, and then they will treat her, that may be an option.

I don't think this can heal without intervention. (Do you have Betadine?)

Hopefully I'll hear something soon.


sas :pray:
 
Honestly, the sooner she can be seen the better, I'm worried because that cut doesn't look fresh.
Not all infections smell bad either.

Here's a fresh cut that is exposing the tissues under the skin.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l88/Lolaandthecrowd/Outside/Photographs010.jpg
Notice how fresh and pink the edges are? Even a day or so after it happening a wound will still look similar to this but will have crusted up a bit. When they start to go lighter around the edges like that, that skin is dying, blood flow is receding from those capillaries, this is a sign that the wound is older. And they wont typically have tan or beige colour stuff around them, pus isn't a happy sign. But then again it might just be lighting.

Odds are the vet will have to cut away some skin to make a fresh edge before they can even stitch it back up.

I really hope youre able to get her some help. And please don't blame yourself for this, some animals just like to cause problems :rollseyeslike the doofus in the picture above.
 
On the good news side, my vet thinks its ugly been reasonably superficial.

"Looks like an ugly but superficial wound.... Lots of skin in that area, so any half-decent surgeon should be able to develop a skin flap and close it. Thanks to rabbits' amazing healing properties, even open wound management is often enough to close very large defects when surgery is not an option."

Not sure if he wanted me to post it or not, LOL! But he's Uri Burstyn at the Arbutus West Animal Clinic here in Vancouver. If anybody wants to give him a good rating here (http://www.vetratingz.com), you can quite truthfully say he has been helpful and knowledgeable. :) (For some reason, hasn't been letting me post).


sas :clover:
 
Brittany85 wrote:
Yeah it is too bad :(

How long has she had this?
Click to expand...
Just today I guess.. yesterday she had her dewlap. I didn't notice this morning whether or not she did it over night, but she looked up at me and that's when I saw it. Its not easily seen because her fur hides it.
 
I just called a vet & asked what I can do for now til I can get to a vet. And he said that I can get disinfectants from longs drugs called Hediclense or Bitemine(sp?) Diluting it with water will help prevent infection. But I need to see a vet.
 
Here's another reply from a Vet. (I paid a consultancy fee awhile back that goes to a rescue, I can use it in NB cases, figured this was one!)

---------------

It's difficult to tell from the image exactly what's going on, but it appears to be a rather large defect. Looks like there could be some necrotic subcutaneous fat in there as well. It needs to be explored, and most likely debrided. Certainly pain meds and antibiotics need to be considered.

This would be strange to be self mutilation without any salivary staining or hair loss. It appears like an acute injury that happened several days ago. Speculating of course.

Bill Guerrera, DVM
Bunny HopLine
 
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