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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny Abscess

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    • Slyfox747
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        Today I found an abscess on Charles. It is on his right lower side, and I took him to the vet because it started excreting pus today which is why i noticed at all. At the vets they drained the abscess and gave him antibiotics, but they did note that the abscess was extremely large for a rabbit. I was just wondering if anyone else has had an abscess on their bunny and what happened to them? Another odd thing is that the vets, and I, are stumped on how he could’ve gotten this abscess, as he is not exposed to any other bunnies (or any other animals) and he’s always indoors. Any advice is very helpful and appreciated. 


      • LittlePuffyTail
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          Some types of abcesses are caused by bacteria that is in a bunnies system like pasteurella. Other abscesses can result from an injury. The best way to determine what type of abscess you are dealing with (and thus which is the best treatment) is to have a sample taken and cultured.


        • Slyfox747
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            I didn’t get the vet to take a sample, they didn’t even suggest that. They just drained it and sent him home with me with antibiotics to take.


          • Mikey
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              Badger had a small abscess on his shoulder when we got him. It was drained and went away a few days after that. It was almost like a weird little pimple. I agree that a culture sample will help you know why its there and to help figure the best treatment


            • jerseygirl
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                This was on the lower right side of his body?

                Abscesses in rabbits are not like in other animals as the pus is very thick. It cannot be drained with a needle. What were they able to do for Charles?

                As LPT said, often it’s due to a bacterial infection. It is possible for sterile abscesses to form also. Often this is after injections.
                Could he have gotten a bite wound, cut or something (like a thorn or hay seed) embedded in his skin perhaps?


              • Bam
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                  We would really like updates on Charles! Abscesses are ubnfortunately not uncommon in rabbits. As Jersey and LPT says, they can be cause by perfectly normal skin bacteria that are harmless until they somehow manage to gain an entrance into the body through the skin, and they can also be sterile and they often require surgery.

                  Sending him lots of healing-vibes (((((Charles)))))


                • Slyfox747
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                    jerseygirl, It was on the lower right side of his body. Like on the underside of him if he was sitting down. They got all the pus that they could out of the abscess, which I was told was a great amount because it was a large abscess. Then he just came home with me again and he’s on antibiotics, and he honestly seems to be doing well. He’s back to his mischievous old self. I still have no idea what could have caused the abscess, he wasn’t bitten by anything and I don’t recall him cutting himself or scraping himself on anything recently.


                  • Bam
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                      I’m glad he’s doing so well! Good boy! Good that they got the pus out, you can’t just put a drain in because it won’t empty of its own (since the pus is so thick, as Jersey’s already said). You should keep an eye on the site of the abscess but that rather goes without saying.


                    • Slyfox747
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                        Charles had a check up visit to the vet today and they said that his abscess wound is healing well, but he still has a rather deep hole inside him where the abscess was and that if it doesn’t heal/close on its own it’ll have to be surgically closed…..


                      • Bam
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                          At least he’s healing well, I hope he will continue to do so now the pus is gone, so healthy tissue will start to form in the cavity. Abscesses in bunnies can be tricky.


                        • Rachel
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                            Glad things are going well! Hopefully it’ll close up on its own. My only abscess experience was with one of my rats. He does live with other rats (obviously since rats need to live in groups) so it could have been fighting that caused it. It was big though. The size of a nickle around and puffed out a lot. He’s hairless rat so it was pretty terrifying to pick him up and see that on his stomach. Vet experience was similar to yours. They drained it, gave him antibiotics and pain meds, and sent him home. No one said anything about taking a sample to try and figure out the origin.


                          • Slyfox747
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                              As a final update, Charles has been on his antibiotics to keep his abscess wound from getting re-infected. The hole has closed up almost fully now (about 5 weeks) and he will not be needing surgery. Thank you everyone for taking your time to give me advice! It’s greatly appreciated


                            • Bam
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                                Thanks for the update, Slyfox!

                                Well done, Charles!


                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                  Great!!!

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                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny Abscess