URGENT HELP

[maxysmummy]

so today we just noticed that jemima has a really wet chin/dewlap and it looks like she has abscesses in there... its also green which could be from the alfalfa but we arent too sure.

please help someone this is urgent!

 

[maxysmummy]

note - her teeth were checked by a rabbit savvy vet recently and she said there was no malloclusion or abscesses

 

[maxysmummy]

ok so we have just checked her mouth ourselves and she seems to have FOUR upper inscisor. two large normal ones and 2 really thin small ones that slot behind the lower inscisors...

 

[naturestee]

All rabbits have 4 incisors. The ones in back are called peg teeth. Does she have a water bowl? If so, the green is probably a fungal infection that is sometimes called "wet dewlap." Some rabbits get their dewlaps wet when they drink and it can make icky stuff grow there. It can also be caused by rabbits that drool a lot due to teeth problems, but if hers were recently checked then that shouldn't be the cause. It should be easy to treat with meds.

The lump is much more worrying. Are you sure it isn't a mat of fur? Otherwise yes, it probably is an abscess. You won't need to go to an emergency vet but she should be seen as quickly as possible. Make sure you tell the vet that she is nursing. He might want to avoid certain antibiotics. I know they try not to use penicillin on nursing moms but it can be tried if really necessary. It just has some risk.

Edit: For now, switch the water bowl to a bottle. Dry off her chin as well as you can. You can rub a little cornstarch in and then brush it out. This helps get the last of the moisture out.

 

[maxysmummy]

ok so we looked at her dewlap again and its not lumps, the skin just looks weird without the fur there. sounds like it would be "wet dewlap" but it seems to have come on so quickly?

 

[tonyshuman]

I don't think it will affect the babies or is urgent. If it were abscesses that had burst, the pus is usually thick, white/cream colored, and cottage-cheese or toothpaste-consistency. The inside of the abscess will have very bright red skin.

Many bunnies have a bit of matted fur on the chin from their under chin scent glands. Did the fur fall out or did you shave her chin? I would clip the fur off her chin with clippers and clean the skin there to get a good look at it. An abscess under the skin that had not yet burst would feel different from a normal chin, and if it is a burst abscess, clipping could let you see if there is a hole that the infection came out of.

 

[Flash Gordon]

[font="Arial, Helvetica"] vinegar [/font][font="Arial, Helvetica"]treats wet dewlap by reducing the pH preventing the overgrowth of the bacteria Pseudomonas. [/font] [font="Arial, Helvetica"]

Wet dewlap or "green chin" is caused by Pseudomonas.[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica"]Pseudomonas growth on wet fur can be controlled by trimming excess wet fur and spraying vinegar or Vanodine Disinfectant on the area twice a day for a week.[/font]

 

[Flash Gordon]

what a weird coincidence..i was playing with Tatordude last night and i had a toy over his head and when he looked up he had green under his chin....i assaulted him with Vinegar and as of today hes still not speaking to me.....

 

[maxysmummy]

thanks for your help guys! i was stressing out so bad thinking that she was dying or something.

so i figured out what happened, we've had a heat wave in sydney the past few days so what i'd done is i'd filled up a bowl of water (as well as a clip on water bottle) for them to cool down with. (ie tip over splash around in etc). i knew it would be messy but never thought it would lead to a fungal infection!

she's at my mums at the moment so i'll treat her when she gets back

 

[Flash Gordon]

ive been using the vinegar on Tatordude and its not easy getting that green ick off of them....im thinking i might try the vanodine that i have instead...let me know what u end up using and whats working..