Advice desperately needed — what’s wrong?

[Senator Bunny Sanders]

hey y’all, i’m at my wit’s end here. my 4y.o. lop has been sick for over a year now and none of the vets i’ve been to can figure out why.
it started with some weird scabbing and crusting around his mouth, which the first vet thought was ringworm but wasn’t. then it became clear he had mites, which haven’t fully gone away despite 5 rounds of selamectin and ivermectin. what this means is that his immune system is weakened by something underlying… but what?   blood tests and x-rays reveal lots of symptoms but no underlying cause. he’s been on antibiotics a dozen times for possible ear infection, respiratory infection, and a myriad of other things. he developed an abscess in his ear, which was cut and drained. then another one on his neck/chest. this one will probably need surgery, but the current vet is worried he’s not strong enough to handle surgery at this point.
this morning, he starts sneezing and he can’t stop. like 15 times in a row. he’s grunting and uncomfortable and clearly in pain, but he’s been in pain for the better part of a year and a half.
he’s still eating well, pooping well, and active, but 6 different vets haven’t been able to figure out what’s wrong. if anyone has a similar story or any ideas, please please let me know so i can bring them up at his appointment this weekend.
here he is for tax.

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[jerseygirl]

Sweet looking bunny!

Have they considered Treponematosis (aka rabbit syphilis) ?  Typically this would cause some lesions around the face and genitals but sometimes it presents only on the face. It’s treated with a series of injections of Penicillin G.  Given he is also sneezing and had an abscess, penicillin might be beneficial for whatever is causing that also. You can get multiple things happen concurrently when the immune system is low.  Penicillin does need to be given with caution at first as some rabbits might be sensitive to it but its widely used in rabbits.  Oral penicillin is never used as it wipes out their beneficial gut bacteria.

[jerseygirl]

Here is some additional information on Treponematosis – warning, graphic contains images.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syph_gen.html

Edit to add:  I just realised I shared the link for regular rabbit syphilis. Here is the more relevant one for atypical treponematosis.

[LBJ10]

JG – This was might thought as well.

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