Female bun has swelling around genital area

[Snurt]

Hey, before I get into the issue, it’s really important to know this..

I don’t think I’m able to go to the vet. I am a minor, and my mother says she cannot afford the money to take my rabbit to the vet. Before you say “Well, if you can’t afford to go to the vet, why did you buy a rabbit?”, getting her wasn’t my choice at all. She was a gift and I had no decision whatsoever on the matter. Despite that, I’ve been trying my damnedest to take my best care of her and giving her what she needs. If it’s still possible to go to the vet without the need of a parent or guardian while still being a minor, PLEASE let me know ASAP. With all that.. please don’t bash on me too hard for possibly not being able to take her to the vet.

My rabbit is about three months old now, and today while picking her up to trim her nails, I noticed that she was really swollen around her vulva. It’s pretty red too. She’s been eating and drinking fine, but she’s lethargic and spends most of the time sprawled out in her hutch (Maybe due to the summer heat..?). She’s also a bit overweight, but I’ve been starting to readjust her diet by leaving out most pellet food and putting in more hay and leafy greens. There isn’t anything like crust on her genitals, and she hasn’t had much of a behavioral change aside from lethargy. I’m unable to take a picture at the moment. But I’ll edit it in ASAP. She is unspayed, and has no vaccinations. I’m pretty sure it’s some type of infection but I don’t know which exactly since there seems to be quite a few. Please, if there’s any possible way to help her with this, I need to know. I feel so guilty and awful for not being able to take her to the vet, I want to know if there’s anything I can do. Maybe buy her some medicine or apply something on the swelling. Something, anything.

[Bunny House]

Hi, I’ve gone to multiple vets when I was a minor and it was no issue unless they have to prescribe the bun a controlled substance. You can always call vets to see if they care about age. But just to let you know, a vet visit to a rabbit savvy vet is going to be expensive and if you don’t have money for that, please give her to a bunny rescue where someone has the funds to take care of her because she will need to be spayed or she will most likely develops uterine cancer.

She needs to see a rabbit savvy vet only and they will help say what is wrong with her, bunnies I would have to say are the most expensive animal to have and if you don’t have a job since your mom can’t pay for the vet bill, you should find her a loving home, I know they are cute but they are very high maintenance. There are also payment plans and some credit cards like care credit for pets that allow you to charge it and pay over a certain time frame( but it depends on if you live in the USA or another country) I suggest you reading the bunny info tab since you are a new owner. It will tell you about illnesses, diets they should have at certain ages and other good help. I’ve spent $3000 in the last month on one bun, and I have 4, so I don’t want to scare you but this is a major issue that minors have when they get pets, the parents don’t want to pay for vet visits but you’re putting the pets life at risk. A usual vet visit is usually $100-200 depending on where you go.

[LBJ10]

It depends on what the problem is. The swelling could be a secondary symptom and not the source of the problem at all. For example, it could be a UTI and the swelling is from the area being irritated. Crystals in the urine can also cause irritation and swelling in the genital area.

The early stages of syphilis can also present itself as redness and swelling. The crusts develop as things progress.

We are not vets, so we can’t diagnose your rabbit. These are just a couple of possibilities. There are definitely other things it could be. Unfortunately, none of these things will go away without medication prescribed by a vet.

[kurottabun]

Like the others have said, you really need to bring her to a vet. Would you be able to borrow money first from close relatives or such and then slowly pay them back later on?

[sarahthegemini]

I’m not really sure what you expect us to say. We can’t diagnose or treat your rabbit over the internet.

She needs a vet. It’s really that simple and there is no way around it. If you can’t afford it, maybe you can borrow money off of whoever ‘gifted’ her to you…Or ask the vet about payment plans.

Also, although she’s too young to be spayed at the moment, she WILL need spaying. Unspayed does have a huge risk of uterine cancer. Are you going to be able to afford to have her spayed by a rabbit savvy vet?

[Sirius&Luna]

Could it be fly strike? Does she have any open wounds in the area? Have you checked the area thoroughly?

If it isn’t already fly strike you need to be very careful as infections are the sort of thing that attract flies to lay their eggs on bunnies. Is she indoor or outdoor?

[Daisy]

I don’t know where you live, but in The Netherlands it doesn’t matter if you’re minor. You can still take pets to the vet. I took my pets to the vet myself always as kid.

You could always call the vet and ask if it’s ok you’re a minor?

[Author]

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