Crusty fur around mouth/chin

[Dee]

Well, poor BunBan was doing fine after his bladder sludge/UTI issue… but in the past couple days I have notuced that his fur, sround his whisker near his mouth, and kind of on the sides of his chin, is crusty and stuck together. At first I thought he somehow got into something and tried to clean it off, but he got really mad. I still have to do sub q fluids every other night, so I hate to torture him any more than I have to. It’s bothering him though- he tries to clean it, but he can’t reach it. I just wiped it with a damp paper towel, I was writing this and couldn’t stand watching him struggle to groom his chin off .

So… there is no foul odor, as in infection coming from his mouth, which is good. And he’s eating well, although I gave him a hay cube, which he loves usually, and he just kinda nosed it then went away. The other day I seem to remember watching him lick a hay cube instead of chewing on it. Now I’m racking my brains trying to think if I’ve seen him chew anything lately, but I wasn’t paying enough attention until now. In the past, I have noticed his teeth making kind of a squeking sound when he ate hay, but it was never consistent and isn’t happening now. He is eating his hay normally, no wincing or obviously favoring aeither side. But I’m thinking it could be teeth problems… is there anything else that could cause him to drool like this? It must be drool- what else? I remember a post about a similar thing not long ago, but couldn’t find it. I’m just so sad thinking of Bun having to go through more trauma- he’s such a goodl little bunny, it’s heartbreaking to seed him keep getting sick. Any help and advice is appreciated. Thanks!

I just remembered- he was chewing vigorously on one of my book today (pretty much demolished all the edges of the spine) and got a hold of a felt Christmas bow and nibbled the end off last night- so he apparently is able the chew with his front teeth. I thought I noticed him eating his granola a bit slower than usual today, but it might be me looking for stuff wrong now.

[Sarita]

It’s certainly possible it’s dental. There isn’t always just one thing that will always indicate dental and truthfully sometimes there is no indication.

I always say when in doubt have it checked out.

[Dee]

Thanks Sarita- me and Bunbun and all our problems are becoming a fulltime job for you- lol. I called the vet today- our new vet, Dr Sager, who I really trust. I’m so grateful to have found a vet that is really experienced with bunnies. The 2 times I’ve been there, he was dealing with other bunnies- so obviously he sees a lot of them.
Anyway, I told his front desk attendant about the crusty, stuck together fur and she relayed the info to Dr. Sager so he could check Bun’s chart. When she called me back she verified that Bun was done with his antibiotics, and when I said yes, she said that the Dr. was not concerned at all with this. The fact that he’s eating/acting normal count for a lot evidently. She said that I should check back in early next week to let them know if it’s stopped or of course, gotten worse. Apparently, this is not a rare thing with bunnies- I know that if this was something that Dr Sager rarely saw, or that always meant something serious like a dental problem, he would have had me bring Bun in. So as long as I explained correctly and the desk lady repeated everything correctly, it seems not to be an emergency. I’m watching Bun chew everything, listening for weird noises and watching for wincing or odd chewing motions, and I see nothing wrong. But the fur at the corners of his mouth is all stuck together- it’s hard like glue. Ver difficult to remove without hurting BunBun. He is also moulting around his muzzle/dewlap, so there are some tufts of fur sticking out that are way longer than the rest. I’m thinking that if he was salivating excessively, I would be feeling moisture around his mouth. He just ate a bunch of greens, and I felt his mouth/chin for wetness- nothing. We took away his salt lick, in case that’s causing the stickiness. Tonight I will clean him up and check him tomorrow. As long as he’s acting OK, I will wait til Monday but if it’s still happenng, I would like him seen by our vet. I would rather hear “it’s nothing” then wait until he stops eating or is in pain. Like you, I feel that things should always be checked out rather than assumed to be nothing. I will keep you posted!

UPDATE- BunbUn is gnawing the bark off of one of his apple sticks! So obviously his front teeth are not a problem I guess. And the molars- I don’t know, I felt carefully all along his jaw for lumps or signs of pain- nothing. This is really strange.

[Sarita]

You won’t be able to tell with the molars just by feeling if there are points. I would say just watch him carefully then. I wouldn’t try cleaning or removing the sticky fur. He’ll clean himself eventually if it bothers him – probably bothers you more.

[jerseygirl]

You mentioned in another thread that you’re rabbits are mostly black is that right? So is this sticky fur on the black part? I’m guessing you wouldn’t be able to see staining on black fur.

My girl is mostly white and sometimes she gets sap-like stuff stuck on her nose. I think it’s from dandelions and thistle milk. Are there any of the greens that have that milky sap?

[GrumpyBun]

Hope all turns out to be well with Bunbun!

[KatnipCrzy]

could it be from the anitbiotics you were giving?  some got in the fur- dried- made it sticky- and is now noticeable now that it is sticky and dirty?

That happened with Schroeder and I had to wait for the hair to grow out.   Wiping their mouth well after giving meds would have prevented what happened with Schroeder- but it did not bother his skin- just looked a little dirty until it was ready to be combed/shed out.

[RabbitPam]

I was also thinking it could be older stickiness that dried and once it’s dry and sticky, it’s very hard to wipe clean. Usually it needs to be clipped or shed out (don’t clip it, I’m just saying it can get that hard to clean with just water.) I think if your vet is not worried this may be the cause, ie. early med drips or drool, and you are safe watching as instructed and see what several days does for him.

BTW, glad you finally found a vet you really like. I know it’s been a bit of a search for you. I miss MA when I read your posts. You live in a pretty neck of the woods.

[Dee]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! Sorry for the delayed response- it’s been a crazy weekend/week so far. My son just got a job a 1/2 hour away and doesn’t have his license yet, so my chauffering hours have increased quite a bit :p . I can’t wait for this kid to get his license!! BunBun is doing fine, still eating/chewing normally and is playful and greedy as ever. He doesn’t seem to be producing much new drool, but he still hs some dried stuff around the right side of his mouth. He seems to have a bit in his whiskers too. I think if he was constantly drooling, he would be completely covered by now. The fact that it’s mainly the right side of his mouth concerns me somewhat, but it could simply be that he uses the right side of his mouth more and angles his head that way.

Sarita- I think it does bother me more than him. I just can’t stand the feeling of his poor fur all glued together like that! But he doesn’t seem to care very much- BunBun’s main concern in life is eating- lol.

Jerseygirl- Yeah, both my bunnies are black. I never thought of the fact that I wouldn’t notice staining on BunBun- that’s a good point. Aw, does it bother yourbun when she gets stuff on her nose? It must be fun to try to get it off- my bunnies are verrreee sensitive about their lil noses. And I can’t think of any greens that seem to be sappy… except that they’ve been eating red swiss chard. I wonder if that could be it? I’m kinda trying to eliminate different things- I took their salt block and was sure that was the culprit, but it’s not.

Grumpbun- Thank you . How is Oxo doing these days? I hope he’s doing well and hasn’t had any more sludge! BunBun postures sometimes, but we just keep giving him sub q fluids and it seems to be working.

KatnipCrazy- You know, I do remember him getting the same thing when he was on antibiotics, except he was much messier. He would look like he had a little goatee- it was kind funny. It does help to wipe them off, but I know BunBun hates being cleaned up- he finds it very degrading! I did try though, because I worried that the smell of antibiotics on his face would turn his wifey off- lol. Come to think of it though, I do give Bun Benebac every few days- he licks it off of a spoon. Maybe that’s it….

RabbitPam- You could be on to something there, about it being older drol that has dried. It may just keep catching more drool and that’s why it’s not going away. Because I haven’t cleaned his mouth since Saturday I think- if it was ongoing, it would be really bad by now. Yo are right- it’s really hard to clean with water! I think the only way would be to use warm water, hold a damp cloth on the sticky fur for a few minutes, then rinse and repeat. Somehow I don’t see Bunbun sitting through that. Anyway, I am happy about our vet. Being able to actually trust him really takes a huge weight off my shoulders. As most of us know, it’s a scary feeling to doubt your vet’s advice yet be afraid not to follow it. And it is pretty here in Mass at certain times of the year, like spring and fall, but right now it’s just pretty cold. I would definitely prefer to be in Florida where you live- I haven’t been there in 20 years but I still remember how beautiful it is. My hubby and I may be going down there for Daytona Bike Week- I’m so excited. The palm trees are something I don’t think I would ever get tired of . And the warm weather wouldn’t get old too quickly either…

[GrumpyBun]

Oxo is, touch wood, doing just great. I’m glad to hear you’ve got a vet you are happy with and that Bunbun’s health seems to be under control.

And yeah – that kid needs to get his license!

[RabbitPam]

Glad he’s doing well still. I don’t know if it’s worth trying to trim the fur gently on the edges, just to see if it helps it come apart. It is bothering you more than him, so it may be something to just accept until he is medicine free for a few weeks. Probably then he and wifey-poo will clean him up thoroughly.

Well, I jinxed myself. We are having record-breaking cold this week and last. It’s in the 20s overnight. It’s only reaching around low 50s for 2 days. I am wearing turtlenecks and a jacket with a hood (no lining. I’m a New England girl. That’s just way too bundled up for fall-type temps) to work. Mostly because I am going to be giving “tour & rides” to groups of kids who are visiting our 100 foot fake tree and riding on a large carousel on our grounds. We go outside with them. Good exercise, bad for the local crops though.

Anyway, don’t rush down. I recommend February. This cold snap may last this season.

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