Is it an open wound, or a lump?

Does it look like an open sore or abscess?

if its now a lump, and there is dried yellow stuff, its likely an abcess now. If it isn’t taken care of, it will only get worse, and cause Hershey alot of pain

Hershey should definitely go to the vet. It’s just inhumane to not take her in. Poor bunny

Can u get a better picture?
One with the setting on small objects may help.

It’s hard to say, it could just be an old wound that is healing, and so there’s a scab and dried skin and crusties around it. It could be a closed abcess that will need to be drained/removed and antibiotics will be needed, or maybe it’s a tissue lump he’s irritated?

If it’s an abscess and there is some gooey discharge, it will have a terrible smell to it. It may not smell if it’s dried, but if you find some fresh you can’t miss it. My lionhead had one hidden in his thick mane I didn’t find until it broke open and I thought there must have been a dead mouse in the bunny cage.

It’ll probably cost more to put her down, then to treat her.

Keep the area clean in the meantime, put some polysporn on if you have any.
Does it smell? can u pull a scab off? If u pick the corner of a scab off and puss comes out, you can get a cloth and put it in hot water, squeeze excess water out and use it as a compress on the wound. The heat will draw more of the infection out. The puss coming out is a good thing, then just keep the site and the rabbits living area clean.
When a scab forms over a wound and there is infection, that’s when we see an abcess, the infection continues to grow/spread instead of getting flushed out by the body. Rabbit puss is worst then msot animals, as it will have a thick consistancy, even ‘cottage cheese’ like. Sometimes removing an abcess can be like removing cancer for a bunny, you have to go in and cut it out and make sure you get it all so it cannot grow. But that’s worse case senario.
The size of your bunnies lump isn’t to bad looking, though the dewlap has so much excess skin there is a lot of room for things to move around in there.

MirBear, by now you’ve gotten your mom to approve taking her to the vet. If it’s not too late in the day, I would make a call immediately and try to get an appointment for tomorrow. It’s true that it will cost your mom to have her put down, so it really is the better choice to have her treated to find out what it is. My guess was absess as well. But only a vet can give you the right diagnosis and treatment.
Hang in there and let us know what happens.
{{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}

tell use what happens!

thats good!

I’m sorry to hear about this! Abscesses are very common in bunnies, especially around the head and jaw area. And unfortunately, they are hard to get rid of completely, in some cases they come back after treatment. Talk to the vet and let him know what your limitations are as far as long-term treatment. And please let us know what the vet says and does.

((((((((((((((Hershey!)))))))))))))

If it is an abscess and the vet is going to open it up so it can be kept clean, ask to be in the room so they can show you what they’re doing. My vet was very comfortable showing me how to clean Simba’s jaw abscess so we came back every 10 days instead of every other day so they could check and clean it. He had a huge one, but it was totally encased in it’s leathery lining so Simba had very little discomfort from it, but he was totally put out with being caught and doctored each night.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I have LOTS of experience w/ abcessess & wound care.  I have learned that early medical response is the BEST prognosis (outcome).  Just recently my Jessica had multiple wounds all over her body from a bunny battle.  Due to quality care on the part of the vet & us, she recovered well & did not require further surgical intervention.  It was very touch/go w/ a wound near her thigh.  The vet was concerned it would abcess to the bone.  We had to soak her 2 times day, apply ointment every 4-6 hours, and keep her on antibiotics.  She also had follow up appts w/ the vet to monitor. 

Her initial exam & tx (including injectable pain meds & antibiotics, flushing all wounds, & meds) cost us about $150

subsequent appts w/ check ups & flushings were only $28 per visit.  Overall it was cheaper than putting her down.  It required more intensive work on our part than medical cost, so you need to be willing to do a lot of follow up work w/ your rabbit.  Please keep us posted.

I’m so sorry MirBear. I do hope it ends up being easy and cheap to take care of. Sorry that your mom doesn’t seem to care at all about them

*crosses fingers and 3 sets of bunny ears for luck*

Ok, I’ll go cross their paws too then

do you have any money at all to help with the cost? i have to pay for any kind of vet visit to, so i have about 100 dollars saved for any kind of bunny emergency’s only.

hope all goes well! let us know! Healing vibes for hershey!!!!!!

Mocha, that is a very good suggestion, and it’s always a good idea to be prepared in case of emergency! That being said, I know in some situations we’ve seen, it doesn’t matter what the cost is or how much money the family does or does not have; if vet care is not a priority to the parents, nothing will convince them. So even if Mirbear has the money to cover treatment, that does not mean her mom will allow her to spend her money on vet care.

I just hope it’s something that can be easily taken of.

if your mom wont pay for something and you would have to put here down do you think an animal shelter would take her? i don’t think your mom will end up putting her down.

That is another option Mocha! It would be something to check into, altho shelters are so overrun, it’s possible they would end up putting her down as well.

Agreed with Mocha, even though I am pretty sure a shelter in Mirbear’s area would euthanize as well. However, I think there is one rabbit-specific rescue in Ontario, I will have to ask LPT about its name, she will know.

oh well i am sure you wont have to but her down.

(((healing vibes for Hershey!)))

no, not that one but try them too, in the worst case scenario.

Just so you know, in many cases where a disease is curable but the owner doesn’t have enough funds, many vet hospitals have “angel funds” to help offset the cost of the treatment, or have other ways to keep costs down. It might be a tool for you and your vet to help convince your mom to work with you. My parents also didn’t “believe” in veterinary care for small pets when I was younger, so I know it’s really tough until you’re out on your own (If it’s any consolation, I have slowly changed their minds about vet care over the years… they no longer laugh at me when I take my rabbits to the vet at least!!!)

 Oye..this is one of those situations that is extremely frustrating and heartbreaking. I’m so sorry you are in this position MirBear. My heart goes out to you and your bunny. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this has a positive outcome. 

As foxtailskies mentioned there are some resources out there.   Though I know you do have to go through filling out forms and such, but here are even more options to look through.  The idea is to help people who don’t have the money…though if your mother does have an income that could afford it, but just chooses not to, then these may not help as it is for people who are just financially strapped. (and MANY people are feeling that right now so they will help those that really can’t, not those that won’t.) 

• Vet Care and Financial trouble?  Resources to help people who are in a bind:

–http://www.imom.org/ - An organization that helps people with vet bills

-Great HSUS tips on how to pay for vet bills when you are having financial troublel

-http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/…bills.htmlASPCA resource

It would probably be cheaper to treat Hershey than to get another bunny and spay her!  Maybe try that reasoning on your Mom if needed.  It is not just a $5 pet- but a spayed, wonderul companion that would be costly to replace.

(((((((thoughts and many prayers for Hershey)))))))

Katnip, MirBear’s mom wouldn’t let them get spayed either, so Hershey and Twix are both unspayed at this time. So that reasoning may not work on her.

{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes for Hershey}}}}}}}}}}

{{{{{{{{{{{Change of heart for the better for your mom}}}}}}}}}}}

She has got herself a nice tshirt.

I’m glad she is okay. I just hope it heals up.. and is not ring worm.
Vibes to you and bunny :3

Ringworm & Abcesses are treatable.
Ringworms not a big deal, it happens and can clear up with some meds. A shelter may even have some left over cream/meds for it, maybe someone can get you some? Putting down an animal because of a treatable fungal infection seems over the top. If it’s that I would drop them both off at a local Shelter, why kill her becasue your Mothers to cheap to care for her (dropping her off costs nothing, killing her cost money).
Ringworm is also contagious, even to people. So wash your hands before and halfter handling her, do not allow her to share items with the other rabbit.

Why didn’t they do the test today? If you go Saturday are they charging you for another appointment on top of the testing?
I’m confused why they couldn’t tell you if it was an abcess now? I’ve never had any issue knowing if soemthign was abcessing or not from a wound… seems odd to me.

She’s really adorable. Saturday is only the day after tomorrow, so it must be to see which way it is progressing, though I would have thought she could be given an anti-biotic right away. If it were to conflict with another course of treatment it could be a problem, so I’m guessing they want to see what the inability to scratch and therefore irritate the area does for her. We’ll be thinking of you. Keep posting.

Aww.. Mirbear.. *hugs*
See, your baby needs you!

awww… so adorable! (((((((((((((healing vibes for Hershey and strength vibes for you!)))))))))))))))))))

is your mom doing better now that she talked to the vet?

I hope it starts healing! I am sorry you had to to through all this MirBear! Many hugs and (((healing vibes))) to you and Hershey!

Why don’t her co-workers respect the fact that you have a sick pet in the family who is very important? I personally wouldn’t say anything to people who don’t understand that. I am really glad you were able to talk your mom into taking her to get more care tho Mirbear, it’s a huge step for you. I doubt co-workers will have more impact on your mom than you. Sorry your mom’s boyfriend gives you a hard time about them too, if it means anything, my dad dislikes mine as well =/

I am really hoping it’s nothing and it gets better!

Now they are both outdoor rabbits?  Is the vet aware of this?  I don’t recall where you are located, but there was a recent report on Myxi in the US, maybe in Northern California/Oregon area, I believe?

Can I ask a question also: why would Twix’s fate be based on Hershey’s status? Worst case scenario, if you did have to euth Hershey or give her up to a shelter, you still have one healthy bunny left, right? Am I missing something? I couldn’t imagine losing two bunnies at once.

But….. I guess on second thought, it would only be a matter of time before Twix required some kind of vet care also, so maybe she would be better off. 

The good news is that someday you will be an adult and you will be able to make the decisions to have animals and to treat them how you would like.

I hope Hershey is getting better soon. But other than that, I have had ring worm and I have seen lots of bunnies at the shelters with ringworm (it didn’t look like Hershey’s thing though), and it was all easy to cure and no big deal. I bet you could even go out and get over-the-counter medicine for Hershey if it turns out to be this – and the vet may not need to do the test if all other options have been tried at that point.

So don’t give up hope just yet.

Lots of healing vibes for Hershey!

Although it is impossible to diagnosis a skin condition thru a photo- I do have to say that it does not appear to be what I usually see when it is a case of ringworm.  So that is good news.

If Hershey and Twix are not bonded- you should not have them together- you could have them side by side.  Even if this is something simple and it clears up- the possibility of a bad fight and serious wounds are likely.

If it is an abscess- it SHOULD be easier to treat than jaw or tooth abscess- an abscess involving the skin and no bone is usually less complex to treat.

Mirbear I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sure your Mom’s decision about the money probably has nothing to do with that she doesn’t care about your rabbits, but times are hard and your Mom has to make decisions that are best for her family and money matters. $100.00 is alot of money and vet bills can add up.

I do truly hope that Hershey gets better.

I haven’t wanted to add my 2 cents cause I’m not a vet or anything and lots of other people are more knowledgable than me about absesses and such. I don’t want to give advice if the spot is serious. lol

But the spot she has looks very familiar to a spot Lolli had on her dewlap/neck in December. All she had done was open her skin from obsessively licking. It could have been she was bored and started obsessively grooming herself or she got irritated on her neck and tried to sooth herself and it just got worse from there. She ended up needing sutures but she healed up just fine. The vet said since it was a “mental thing” she might never stop. Well, she did start the licking again and started opening up another spot, but all I did was just put some antibiotic ointment on her and she healed up completely fine within a couple of days. I also expanded their pen area and gave her some paper towels to shred and some other things to do and she hasn’t messed with herself since.

If it’s just an open wound that’s not abscessed, you might want to try applying the antibiotic ointment and seeing if that helps start healing the spot. If I would’ve known that worked, I wouldn’t have spent money to get her sutured and just let her have scar tissue there. That might sound bad, but she wasn’t infected or anything and it cost A LOT to get her sutures which I didn’t have either. I just wanted to share what I did with Lollipop who seemed to have a very similar wound to yours.

If it ends up that the vet bills can’t be covered rabbitrescue.ca might take her, or you can ask the vet if you can sign a release of ownership form. By signing a release of ownership; it can legally allow the vet to proceed with medical care and to possibly contact someone they may know to take the animal.

Wishing you and Hershey all the best!

Petzy; the rabbit rescue in Ontario is called RabbitRescue.ca and has a website of the same address. Sorry so late posting, my computer is not working well.

Mir, do you have an update for us? How is Hershey doing now?

I’m not liking this no update …

I apologize… I might have jumped the gun! In the other “Keeping her Clothes on” thread, Mirbear said:

“well its saturday.. and her lump is not getting worse. she’s going to my dads with me untill wednesday. he lives an hour drive away..”

That was my fault, I forgot she wasn’t going to be around for a few days. So that must be why there hasn’t been an update again…

So Mir… WHEN YOU RETURN… please update. In the meantime, I’ll try not to worry about Hershey. ;o)

Im soo sorry this is happening. I was surprised reading that she would need to be put down for ringworm, my guinea had it, we got antibiotics for him and he was good as new in 2 weeks.

I wonder if a cone wouldn’t be more effective? The area could get air and you might be able to put an ointment or something on it, but she wouldn’t be able to groom the spot.

I had to take smudge’s cone off as she couldn’t eat or drink with it on

Stormy wore a cone for 2 weeks after his neuter and we had no problems.

I am so sorry you are in this situation.  You truly care about your bunny companion and want to tend to her in the best possible way.

I feel for you in your situation.    It is so sad when parents are this way.   When I was young 4 of our does had litters.  They all died in 2 weeks  time the does did.  My parents would not let me nurse them n bottle feed them.   The kits were too yong n barely had hair eyes wont open yet.  I think they were younger than 2 weeks.  Anyhoo my dad dumped them all in the trash can.

I cried n begged him to at least kill them n put them out of the misery of starving to death since they wouldnt let me nurse them

There is critical care you can apply for.   However being you are too young to work it may not work.  I know you are hurting for  your precious Hershey. 

We are sending love, vibes of healing. n prayer for her recovery.  She is so pretty

Oh, bunnytowne, I am so sorry you had to experience that when you were a kid. How horrible. Hugs to you.

I saw a post where you said if you had to take Hershey back  your mom will probably have her put down.

The follow up appmnt. doesn’t cost anything.  Unless you need more meds.  Then more meds would cost but not the visit.

It’s possible. And for where Hersheys spot is, it is an area she can overgroom. Excessively grooming can be a sign of stress. BUT if the cats and Hershey have these spots, you may still be looking at ringworm. All that takes is treatment with a topical cream. It may cost less if you have one tube to treat 3 pets.