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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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 Help! There is something on my bunny’s face!

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    • leah
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        I have a netherland dwarf rabbit, only a few months old. About a month after I got him, i noticed his nose was very congested. I took him to the vet, and we got an antiobiotic that did not seem to do the job. His nose problem did eventually go away, but then it appeared his eye got infected. (This was two weeks later) Again, I took him to the vet and saw a more experienced one. He prescribed some eye drops and said that his eye should be back to normal in about 5-6 days… It has been 8 and it is still cloudy and has some discharge. Yesterday I came home and went to clean out his eye and do the eyedrops- i noticed this weird hole on his face, puss was coming out but stopped after a few seconds. It is the most terrible thing i have ever smelled as well. Please note that he is acting normal and is eating and drinking fine. It is the strangest and grossest thing, it is just a small hole in his face. I do not believe it is an abscess because the vet said that he did not have any teeth problems or anything. I will probably take him to the vet again but i wanted to know if anyone has experienced this before! Thank you! I am sorry if I did this wrong, this is my first post on the forum.


      • Southern Bunny
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          Hi Leah! It sounds like your bunny has an infection, and a proper experienced rabbit vet would be able to test the infection, find out what type or bacteria or virus is growing there, and treat it with a specific antibiotic. I would recommend you find a vet that sees lots of rabbits everyday, specializing in rabbits. If you need help locating an experienced vet, ask your local rabbit rescue for a recommendation, or look it up on the House Rabbit Society website. Best of luck!


        • Mikey
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            Bunnies can have an abscess without having bad teeth, just so you know. Youll want to go to the rabbit savvy vet again to have it looked out. Its not exactly normal for there to be holes in rabbits faces or bodys. Youll want to go to get different meds as well for your bun. Good luck! (((healing vibes)))


          • LBJ10
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              I agree. A hole, especially one filled with pus, is an abscess. The bunny does not need to have bad teeth to develop an abscess. This is just something that can happen. If you’re not satisfied with the vet, then I would suggest seeking a second opinion. He’s going to need that flushed out and likely a different antibiotic. If it’s really bad, something stronger (i.e. injections) would probably be warranted.


            • jerseygirl
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                Hi Leah

                I just wanted to add that I think it best he be seen by a vet as soon as possible. WIth a wound like that, there is a high risk of flystrike. Even house rabbits are at risk of this. It only takes one fly…
                Also, if abscess caused by bacterial infection, there is a risk bacteria entering the bloodstream which can may a rabbit very ill. So prompt treatment is important.
                If bacterial, discuss with the vet about your rabbit going on injectable antibiotic like penicillin. (This can never be given orally to rabbits).
                Good luck! {{{Vibes}}} for your bunny.


              • leah
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                  Thank you for your advice! now I do believe it is an abscess. The ‘hole’ has closed and it is now just a small bump.


                • Bam
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                    I still think you should call your vet about it. A hole that heals over on the surface can provide a hot-house-like milieu for bad bacteria that don’t require oxygen for their growth and proliferation. In some cases you want to keep wounds open just for this reason, so the wound can heal from the inside and out instead, in some cases you also want to treat with abx that are effective against these types of bacteria.

                    It does sound very hopeful that it’s just a small bump now though, but I’d still recommend a call to the the vet for advice. Keep a close eye on it. In case it starts to get bigger (and that can happen very fast), a vet visit is a must.


                  • redbunbun
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                      This sounds like a very classic clase of pasteurella – soon after a big move, discharge from the nose, infection moving to the eye, infection creating abscesses. I would definitely take him to a rabbit savvy vet and ask the vet to do a culture for pasteurella, and get some stronger antibiotics. Most abscesses return if the infected area hasn’t been completely cleaned out/removed, and they can return way worse than the original abscess. Pasteurella can sometimes be hindered for a while if you catch it early and hit it with enough antibiotics.


                    • Love4Bunny
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                        Yes, redbunbun is right about abscesses – if they don’t get drained completely, cleaned out, and the tract properly scarred up, they will likely come back (at least, in humans). Abscesses can be extremely painful. I can’t even imagine how rabbits handle it.

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                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Help! There is something on my bunny’s face!