The Mystery of Dewlaps

[Gabby]

Carolyn wrote:

Thanks Gabby. :dude:

Cali has no dewlap. She was spayed at 4 months. Diva has one, andalthough she's younger - she seems to have a different build from Cali.

I wonder what will come back through the phone line or the email -- isit age-related? genetic? puberty? weight? diet? All, or some, of theabove?

Wonder if my Cali girl will ever get one. And if she does, I'm curiousas to why Diva got one at 4 months, while it's taken at least 10 months- if ever, for Cali to get one.

Just Curious.

-Carolyn

will be interesting to hear more opinions on it...

 

[Carolyn]

Dear Pam and Gabby,

I'll definitely share your posts with Kathy. It might help her understand more.



Thanks a lot.

-Carolyn

 

[rabbitgirl]

Iz was bred and has a dewlap. Pandmonium wasn't, and has a bigger one. lol

They are related, though!

Smokey is a dwarf and does not have one. Bub is a mystery.

Rose

 

[Carolyn]

Rick Stahl's comment about them:
They're mostly due to over indulgence ingroceries but may be some genetics. Some breeds don't faultfor one in either sex, some just in does and some faultfor it in both sexes. Basically a sign of matronly doebut sometimes seen even in juniors in some breeds.

Rick

 

[bluebird]

Many years ago i had a dwarf doe with a largedewlap.i bred her ,all her daughters developed dewlaps before they werebred .needless to say she and all her offspring were sold.bluebird

 

[Carolyn]

Kathy contacted me today and although she's still looking into theDewlap question, her sources tell her - at this point - that they'redirectly related to fat. She's still digging.

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

In many cases, it can be excess fat due to weight.

We have a grand champion Holland Lop doe that suddenly had this huge,hanging dewlapblow out, but it's comprised simply of thin,loose skin hanging down and she's not at allfat.In her case, it's more of a breakingdown of elasticity and connective than any relation to weight.

Also, Steph's French Lop has had her dewlap since she was very young,and she is also not a rabbit with a weight issue -- just loose skin

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

Gotcha Pam.

It seems as if it's all of the above. Some cases hereditary, some fat, some just difference of body types.

It's not as big of a mystery anymore.



Once again, thanks so much for your time and help.

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

Exactly You'll find some very fatrabbits with no dewlap at all -- or conversely, very thin rabbits withpendulous folds of skin hanging down.

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

Yes.

I understand now.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in storefor my Cali-Girl. As of 8 months, nothing, however as she ages and herskin elasticizes, or once she's filled out, she might develop one.

These rabbits!

They sure keep me guessing and learning!



Love,
-Carolyn

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

If you really want Cali to have a dewlap, then she can have Mocha's.

 

[Carolyn]

I don't care if she never gets one.

Mocha Mon's got one? I didn't know he was in touch with his feminine side.

*Kidding!*

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

In people, heredity,obesity and smoking can lead to skin sagging so I highly discourage smoking rabbits

Other tidbits from websites of causes of saggy skin that may or may not apply to rabbits:

As you age, elastin fibers stretch and the skin droops. Inaddition the many face muscles we have become slacker and the skin onthe face becomes less elastic and looser, creating folds andlines.

Your genes and the level of sun exposure you've had during yourlifetime determine how much you sag. Smoking contributes to skinsagging, too.

Dry skin and sagging skin are problems that plague women and men asthey get older. Glands in the skin produce less oil as you age, whichcan lead to dry skin and itchy skin. Furthermore, collagen and elastin,which are responsible for the firmness and elasticity of the skin,undergo changes that lead to drier and sagging skin.


[align=right]however there are many other contributing factorssuch as, weight fluctuations, pregnancy and the menopause. These affectthe elasticity of the skin.[/align]
[align=right]
The unattractive "turkey gobbler neck" is due to looseskin and a sagging of the underlying platysma muscle. It creates a bandof skin that extends from the lower jaw to thecollarbone.
[/align]

 

[Carolyn]

The following comes from a conversation Kathy Smith had with one of her Rabbit Guru's and she thought it worth noting.

* * * * *

"Mostly larger breeds like New Zealands get dewlaps and generally getthem about the time they hit sexual maturity. Also have seen quite afew mini lops, especially larger ones, with them.

Assuming it is linked to a "strain" within breeds since I wouldestimate that more New Zealands, Californians, etc., don't have dewlapsthan do. It doesn't seem "completely" correlated with age or spay,whether a female has a bad litter, nutrition as a youngster, or overallweight.

Have seen many fat representatives of larger breeds with no dewlaps ashave seen occasional Netherland Dwarfs with tiny dewlaps.

A case can be made that dewlaps are caused by some kind of X-linkedrecessive gene, perhaps develop fully only with the presence of propernutrition in early life, more likely to develop if rabbit is spayedlate - and will shrink when rabbit loses weight."

* * * * *

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

Interesting info. Thanks Carolyn!

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

Same woman told Kathy,

* * * * * *

"I know of a woman that had a minilop with a regal dewlap, slightlysmaller than her head. She never had a litter and was never overweight.She was one of those rare free-feeders who liked to exercise and onlyate what she needed.

On the overweight issue: certainly a fat rabbit with a dewlap is goingto have a fat dewlap. In one amazing case, a rabbit had a dewlap about3x the size of her head. Finally they slimmed her down to a goodweight, and the dewlap shrank considerably, but never disappeared."

* * * * * * * *

Another woman Kathy told me about, who's name was Pam and I wondered if it was you said...

"I have a male who is not overweight, but has a small dewlap. He wasneutered around the age of 6. When he was neutered, the vet could findonly one testicle. She even opened him up and never found the otherone."

* * * * * *

-Carolyn

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Interesting. I don't understand why Mocha has asmall dewlap. He was 5 months old when he was neutered and had a dewlapeven in the summer when he wasn't over weight.

It's a mystery to me.

 

[pamnock]

Carolyn wrote:

* * * * * * * *

Another woman Kathy told me about, who's name was Pam and I wondered if it was you said...

"I have a male who is not overweight, but has a small dewlap. He wasneutered around the age of 6. When he was neutered, the vet could findonly one testicle. She even opened him up and never found the otherone."

* * * * * *

Nope, wasn't me

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

Yet another perspective Kathy shared with me.

* * * * * * *

"I think the female dewlaps are more like little pockets of weightunder the chin rather than the whole chest like an overweight rabbitmight have.

Even with my more weightier females, it still is a little pocket right underneath their chin.

Three of my larger rabbits and midsize females (NZ/CA and Rex) all havedewlaps, but my Harlequin and my other two female mixes, who are alsolarge, do not.

* * * * * *

-Carolyn

 

[Gabby]

pamnock wrote:

Carolyn wrote:

* * * * * * * *

Another woman Kathy told me about, who's name was Pam and I wondered if it was you said...

"I have a male who is not overweight, but has a small dewlap. He wasneutered around the age of 6. When he was neutered, the vet could findonly one testicle. She even opened him up and never found the otherone."

* * * * * *

Nope, wasn't me

Pam

goodness had it been a younger rabbit, i'd swear wehad neutered himWe had a boy like that, was the fist andonly testicle that could not be found on a rabbit at our clinic...Thevet said they are useually hidden somewhere. But we was only around ayear old.....I forgo about him till I just read that.