Scabby bit on bunny's back

[the_discowhore]

I noticed a couple of days ago that my bunny has a sore scabby area up on his back, sort of just behind his shoulder blades. An area about the size of my thumb is bald and irritated looking and there are two large scabs. He also has one little bump with a scab on top further up on his back. He is an inside bunny, and currently an only bunny... he does spend some time with dogs but never ever unsupervised and they are very gentle with him. He does get to go out into an outdoor hutch most days (weather permitting) and he will stay out until about half an hour after dark. He has a fluffy coat (not quite long) and gets brushed weekly- he has never had any matts or tangles though. He has not been treated for fleas or mites yet as I have never seen him scratching and his fur doesn't seem to have any flea dirt. He is a neutered boy, about 5 months old (ish), a mini lop and he eats unlimited pellets, loads of veggies, hay and gets out on the grass most days. Help!

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

the_discowhore wrote:

I noticed a couple of days ago that my bunny has a sore scabby area up on his back, sort of just behind his shoulder blades. An area about the size of my thumb is bald and irritated looking and there are two large scabs. He also has one little bump with a scab on top further up on his back. He is an inside bunny, and currently an only bunny... he does spend some time with dogs but never ever unsupervised and they are very gentle with him. He does get to go out into an outdoor hutch most days (weather permitting) and he will stay out until about half an hour after dark. He has a fluffy coat (not quite long) and gets brushed weekly- he has never had any matts or tangles though. He has not been treated for fleas or mites yet as I have never seen him scratching and his fur doesn't seem to have any flea dirt. He is a neutered boy, about 5 months old (ish), a mini lop and he eats unlimited pellets, loads of veggies, hay and gets out on the grass most days. Help!

bald spot,scab,..fleas,mites,etc..use advantage-(orange box)-reading the label is a must as for unlimited pellets-,when the belly gets full of soft pellets-there is no chewing,and,will not take too long for major health problem to ensue--teeth grow at a rate of 2-3mm per week--herbivores like rabbits require 70% grasses in the daily diet to keep the teeth and gi tract happy ,--sincerely james:big wink: waller

 

[tonyshuman]

Is there any chance another predator could have gotten at him while he's in the hutch? Does it have a wire bottom? I always say that a bunny needs 2 layers of wire between it and any potential predators, or a solid barrier. Rats, racoons, etc can still bite with a wire.

Could they be spider bites? The location is classic for fur mites, but they usually don't come with scabs unless the bunny has been itching them so much that they have caused a wound to form. Another similar possibility is ringworm. Do you have a picture, particularly of the irritated skin area?

 

[the_discowhore]

It could be possible, a rat or a wild ferret perhaps? He isn't a big bunny... though there has been no damage to the cage, so not sure how they could have gotten in? It has a wire bottom. I was thinking ringworm, but then wouldn't we all have it by now? My bunny gets handled by everyone in the house daily and he jumps around on the dogs (who have no symptoms). I will get some mite/flea stuff just in case, I have not seem him itching but as he hasn't been treated yet it could be worth a go

Re. feeding, I thought that bunnies under a year old should have unlimited hay and pellets?

 

[Maureen Las]

Do NOT treat the rabbit yourself with flea/tick products off the shelf at the store. There are only several products ( prescription only) that are safe for use on a rabbit.
Most flea/tick products advertised for cats /dogs and even some advertised for small animals are toxic to rabbits.

safe products are Revolution and Advantage..that is about it.

 

[the_discowhore]

I think they are the only products that are available at the pet stores here

 

[the_discowhore]

I found a pictures online which looks just like what my bunny has

http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/images/gen_vaccination_reaction_websize.JPG

this is from a reaction to a vaccination, my bunny was vaccinated fairly recently so I wonder if it could be related???

On the website it says

"Lump or scab on the back of the neck

This is very common in rabbits that have been vaccinated recently. It usually heals on its own and requires no treatment, but very occasionally a rabbit can develop very nasty sores in various sites all over the body. This serious condition must be supervised by a vet as treatment will be required. The following link illustrates this point, but do remember that reactions like this are very rare indeed."

My bunny was neutered and vaccinated a couple of weeks ago, he did get a small lump about a week after vaccination in the area where these scabs are.... could it have developed like this? Like I said, he hasn't been itching, I had a look all through his coat for signs of fleas or mites and couldn't find anything (no flea dirt, no dandruff). I prefer to not use chemicals on my animals unless really necessary, so I think I will visit the vet on Monday to see...

 

[Maureen Las]

Because we don't vaccinate at all in the USI don'thave experience with the side effects from the vaccinations .
If the pictures look like your rabbits scabby back and the side-effects listed sound like what is going on with your rabbit thenI think that you solved you own problem.

I would give your vet a call and explain the skin problems to him; he probably has experience with the side effects/

Also we have other members in NZ and the UK that have first hand experience with this ..hopefully they will respond to this thread.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

This is good to know though, needs to go in Library for sure. Good thinking!:biggrin:

 

[tonyshuman]

That pic doesn't really look like rabbit ringowrm, so it probably is an injection site reaction to the vaccine. I thought you couldn't get vaccines in NZ, but I am glad to hear you can! We don't have them at all here, so it didn't come to mind. I have heard of several others having this kind of thing, particularly with one particular brand of a vaccine (Cylap? Lapinject? the name escapes me now). I hope they'll read the thread to share their experiences.

 

[the_discowhore]

Yeah we definitely can get and need the vaccine against RCV, it's pretty rampant here at the moment, and I lived rurally up until a week ago so we had lots of feral rabbits around. I am taking my little guy to the vets on Tuesday so hopefully we can get a diagnosis and get some treatment. The scabs don't seem sore/itchy but they sure do look and feel horrible

 

[JBun]

It might help determining what it is if you could post a close up picture of the area.