Rabbit bald patch. Vet appointment made.

[Clover17]

Hi everyone, first time posting so not sure if this is the right place.
Basically, my dwarf lop Clover has recently shown a bald patch. It’s on his back and is a sort of triangle V shape. It doesn’t seem to look alarming, it’s not flaky nor does it look sore. We noticed Wednesday but have kept an eye on it until we could get him to the vets. I’m so worried about my boy although he seems to be eating/drinking/pooing normally. He’s even still playing and eating his treats. We’ve recently noticed he doesn’t use the upstairs of his cage where his toys are kept and so was unsure if this is a serious problem or something as simple as boredom/stress. We’ve been looking after my mother in laws dog for the last few weeks on and off a few weeks on and off and although the dog is completely harmless and the dog and rabbit are unphased by each other maybe Clover is unsettled by him being around. Could someone please offer some advice to stop me worrying. Thanks!

Trying to upload some photos of his bald patch.

[DarthVadar]

Hi! How old is Clover? If he is still young (under a year) it could be the start of a full molt from baby to adult coat. If he is a full-time inside rabbit, it probably is not a seasonal coat change. Has he ever had mites? When Cocoa had ear mites she developed a bald spot similar to what you are describing on the back of her neck, but the bare skin was completely mite-free. I think it was from stress from the treatment. Rabbits are very good at hiding if they are hurt, sick, or stressed, so the dog might be affecting Clover more than you think. Bunnies adapt well, so he should get used to the dog in time.

[Clover17]

He’s about a year and a half. The bald spot today seems to have small red pin prick spots. Could this be regrowth? He seems quite content this morning having me rub his ears while checking his patch. Could it be worth me buying a flea/mite/parasite treatment? Just incase it’s something more. I have noticed the top of his back has thinner hair than the sides of his body. He’s had this fur shape for a few weeks and I’ve called it his short back and sides haircut which I now know is due to molting but now his top is shorter and his sides are longer.

[Bam]

As DV says, rabbits can very well moult in patches and develop bald spots in the process. They can look horrible while its going on. If the skin is fine and smooth and new peachy fuzz starts growing in within 10 days or so, this is not sth to worry about.

A triangle V shape around the shoulderblades is typical of fur mites though, but there would be dandruff or uneven, “rough” skin too (the scabs or uneveness are typically white/yellowish, so might not be readily seen, they can be felt with the fingertips though). If your bun has fur mites its easily taken care of with Revolution (selamectin), a spot-on compound you get from a vet. It’s a bunny safe treatment and very effective.

(Since we are discussing skin parasites, I’ll issue the standard warning: Never use any compound containing fipronil on a rabbit. Fipronil is sold under a whole host of brand names, for example Frontline. It’s deadly toxic to rabbits, but fine for cats and dogs).

Could you get us a picture of the bald spot? If you dont know how to post a picture, pease PM me and I’ll help!

[Clover17]

Im having trouble uploading a photo. Its either too big or wrong file size. Any advice on how to upload a photo asap? I know its hard to help when you cant actually see his bald patch.

[Clover17]

Also I dont know if this is a common thing. Clover used to have this weird outline accross his back and I called it his short back and sides hair cut as his fur on top was much thicker but now his hair on top is much thinner than the hair on the sides. Is that because of his molting?

[Bam]

I have sent you a pm!

The weird outline-thing is called a moult line, and it’s very common with bunnies, practically par for the course. I think all buns have them, but it’s most visible on buns that have light coloured or agouti-type fur.

[Clover17]

Here is the photo of clovers bald patch. Sorry for quality.
Edit: don’t think it worked but will have a photo soon.

[Bam]

Here are the pictures!

The little red dots on the skin second pic are a bit puzzling. Do they feel like little scabs to the touch? Mites can result in little scabs. It’s very common for rabbits to not seem bothered by mites unless the infestation is heavy. So you can’t detemine if there are mites by appetite and general behavior – for some reason, mites don’t cause an itch in some buns. They should still be dealt with though. Revolution is the best thing. You do a repeat treatment 2-3 weeks after the first round, for bad cases, 3 rounds might be needed. It’s not always possible for a vet to find mites on the bun even if they are there, so many vets choose to treat empirically, ie on suspicion. 

Fur mites can come in with hay etc, but rabbits tend to carry a certain amount of mites on them from when they were babies with their mom. Their immune system keeps the nr of mites down until something happens,that weakens the immune defense. The mites then grab the opportunity to multiply. Typical things that can weaken the immune defense in a bun is heavy molting, getting a new home, introduction of other rabbits or pets, a change in diet etc. 

This could however be a perfectly normal moulting bald patch. It can look exactly like on the first pic. It looks abnormal the first time you see it, I don’t know of any other pets that have that peculiar way of molting. But then rabbits are rather peculiar as a species 

[Clover17]

I’ve had a good inspection of his Clovers bald patch, it’s not smooth as i thought, it’s kind of bumpy when i touch it as if maybe it could be mites… He does have a vet appointment, i’m just wondering apart from possibly itching is he in any pain or discomfort? He seems OK but i’m just so worried about him. Are mites easy to get rid of? Are they common to get? I’m in full panic mode trying to figure out where they could come from.

[Bam]

Dont worry! Mites cause itching and hair loss, but theyre not at all as bas as ear mites or mange. A really, really heavy infestation will of course take a toll, so they should absolutely be treated.

They’re easily gotten rid of with Revolution (selamectin). Its a spot on product that you put between the shoulder blades. A few days later you’ll se big dandruff-like skin flakes and some more hairless, which indicates that the mites are dying off. You can help the bun by brushing him. If the skin looks irritated you can use a barrier cream or sudocrem or diaper rash cream etc. on it.

His blankets should be washed, the cage cleaned out with vinegar and water and all bowls and bottles be washed. Toys etc can be put in the freezer (in plastic bags ) for 48 hours. If its freezing outside you can of course put stuff outside for 48-72 hours.

A repeat treatment should be done about 2 weeks after the first round.

My bun Bam had mites when I found him as a stray. I have no idea how long hed had them of course, but he never seemed bothered and he was mite free for the rest of his life after treatment.

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