Oh gosh, it’s nothing you’ve done and you took Whiskers to the vet asap. Don’t feel badly about your care for him! Is your vet very experienced with rabbits? It may be something like mange mites, or some sort of fungal or bacterial infection. These things can be treated pretty easily. Of course your vet is the best person to discern exactly what is the cause. What is the cream you’re using?  If Whiskers is continuing to eat, I think thingswill be ok until you can have him seen again.  Hope you get some answers at the follow up. Keep us posted.

Edit to add:  While it is more likey to be something like mange mites, rabbits can get syphillis and this is treatable by injection of penicillin. NOT oral penicillin as that’s deadly to rabbits!  It’s also know as Vent disease or Hutch burn and usually effects the genitals, though it can cause scabs on the face.

You know this sounds alot like another member Bunnytowne’s rabbit. Cotton has been having some problems with scabs around his mouth too.

Has your vet considered it could be rabbit syphillis?

oh how frustrating!! i’m sorry your vet didnt take it seriously.
i hope the meds work!!

What’s your vets reasoning here?  Benadryl can be given – I’ve heard of it used for things like ‘allergy’ type symptoms in rabbits.  It’s just scabs sound like they need something more than this – given the onset.  Is she thinking perhaps the bunny had a reaction to something it ate?

Huh your vet must think it’s allergies?

I agree -both Sarita and Jers had great suggestions. Sarita mentioned another bunny who has a mouth sore (Bunnytowne-there are several threads on this) and Jersey mentioned syphallis-that could certainly be the case (though I belive that’s highly contagious…But i can’t remember).

When will you be doing follow up-like how long did your vet want you to try the benedryl for?

{{Many Vibes}}

wow – what a beautiful bunny!! My very first rabbit had vent disease, and though he did have it on his lips, he also had it on his genitals. My understanding is it starts at the genitals and via cleaning it can spread to the lips and even eyes. So do you see any sores on the genitals?

Hopefully, whatever it is, you will find the solution soon – hopefully over the weekend he will get better. Keep us updated with this little mystery.

I’d do anything for that little face.

No wonder! Cute!

Have you new batch of hay or pellet? New litter? What type litter do you use? I have heard of rabbits been sensitive to wood litter before but I would have thought they’d be other areas effected too – not just the lips. What about others in your household – could anyone else have snuck him some treats? Blueberries?……
Is he housed with your other rabbit? Maybe somebun bit somebunny else?
Sorry for all the questions – I’m trying to brainstorm…

I hope you can figure out what is going on! I’m not sure what it could be…

He is a beautiful bunny!

He is so adorable!
I’m also thinking along the lines with Jersey. Even a small change to his environment can bring on an allergy. (and yes, it reminded me of BT’s Cotton, but let’s hope it’s not as mysterious.)

Think about whether you bought any new products that go near him. In addition to new things like litter, think about cleansers, or when he goes out to play, does he chew on anything in the home, like a carpet that was cleaned differently, or rags, or mittens? Since the seasons have changed, sometimes you don’t realize you are wearing sweaters (wool?) when you hold him, or a new hand cream to keep yourself from chapping. Topical things, or something he might bite and go back to. Any holiday decorations go up yet that he gets into? That kind of thing.

I agree that I would do anything for that cute little face too! I don’t have much else to add, I am glad you are seeing a good rabbit vet though, sometimes the ones that are good with cats and dogs don’t know anything about treating bunnies.

Was it this Mon you went to vet? Anything to report? I’m a bit worried about the lethargy you mentioned….could this have been from the benadryl perhaps?

Wow  another bunny with the same problem?   cotton had had this for 9 months now .  nothing works.

He is going for his 2nd biopsy dec 3.  This one is going to a specialist.  I asked my vets several times if this was syphillis.   They said no they didn’t see it under the microscope and he doesn’t have the the symptoms. 

This stuff will absolutely not go away.  I have taken him off blueberries newspaper phone book changed food and litter and hay.    Still there.  

We tried oral baytril  injectible baytril    prednisone and a cream   and I washed his lip with Chlorhexderm too.  Cotton s lip had gotten all swollen the washing with chlorhexderm took care of that his lip is normal size now except for this scab growing on his lip. 

If you vet fiinds out what it is please please tell me.  My vet has treated him for eosinophillis ulcers (rodent ulcers) has nothing to do with rodents and cats get this they never seen it on a rabbit b4.

Once Cotton is diagnosed the world will know about it.  If it is rabbit syphillis I will be PO’D big time.  The penicillin shots are inexpensive.  We haven’t tried that yet tho.  If his biopsy comes back no diagnosis then I will try the penicillin shots as a last resort.

This stuff doesnt’ spread either it has stayed on his bottom lip near his hair line.

OH it isnt’ a fungus either for the Chlorhexderm kills fungus’s.    Also it is only on Cottons lip his anal area and eyes are fine.

How about your bun?  If this is what Cotton has too be prepared for a long ordeal with this. 

Someone sent me an  email about rabbit syphillis.  Being at the library I am a bit scared to read it all and scrolled to the pics which by the way look nothing like what Cotton has.   Tehee. 

I can see it now someone sees the email and goes oh gosh this gal has you knwo what lol. 

I wish you the best  in finding  a diagnosis and treatment that actually works for more than a week. 

Can you get pics to compare our buns scabs?  Sounds gross I know

By the way the wash your vet gave you it is practically the same as the surgical scrub I used on Cotton.  It would take care of microbes fungus and such. 

The only thing that changed his condition was the prednisone it worked great the first week after that no good.   And bun must have a pre med to coat his stomache 15 minutes b4 taking the prednisone cuz it can cause stomache upset.  Cotton got upset at the 3rd week and we stopped it. 

I hope to be back next week to check the computer.  I am highly interested in this case.  Oh your bunny is beautiful a golden chestnut lionhead wow.  Knock me down with her beauty .

So glad he’s better :~)

wow cool.      The vet did give a cream for Cotton it worked the first week along with the oral steroids.   After that forget it.

I wrote the name of the cream you have down and will compare to what cotton had when I get home. 

I’m bumping this thread because my bunny has had similar scabs reported by WhiskerB.

My bunny did not test positive for syphilis (he took the shots AND got a test done to check), no fungal (took the creams, shots, and was tested), and was tested for other fungi. Nothing was positive.

He’s had it for almost two years. Total mystery.

We use Healx. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

We are about to start him on Zyrtec but who knows. I’m wondering if anyone else has tried Vetropolycin HC as the OP got it too.

All suggestions welcome!

HI SwedishBun – please start a new thread with your concerns and questions – this post is from 2009 and we ask that members DO NOT respond to old posts – I am going to lock this post.