Rescued Bunny has strange lumps.

[Tyler]

Hey there! I’m new to the forums, I’ve always come here when I have a general question in mind. And I’m usually able to find a post that contains the answer, however today has brought a relatively new question that I can’t seem to find an answer for. Around a month ago my girlfriend and I spotted a bun outside our apartment complex by the dumpster, we went and said hi, bunny was super friendly and came up to us, we gave him / her some fresh hay, water, and a small amount of pellets. We didn’t try and capture it at the time because he looked fairly healthy and we’ve seen a lot of roaming “exotic” animals around that wonder around and go back home. Today I saw him again while on my porch in the same spot near the dumpster, this time he didn’t look so healthy and looks like he hasn’t had much healthy habits since the first time. 

I found a way to lure him into a box, and I wrapped my big cage fence around our porch, gave him a nice shelter with paper and woodchip bedding which he’s already burrowed in plenty x) I set down some water and he immediately started drinking, finished a tupuware container full, i gave him more water and some fresh greens, pellets, and hay. Just before we captured him he seemed to be picking at someone’s taco bell burrito they threw on the ground for him…. ?. Having my own bunny this infuriated me, but anyways on to the main question. I’ve noticed he has massless lumps underneath his fur and they’re quite large. They seem empty, so they don’t really feel like cysts, tumors or abscesses.. could this simply be from losing weight ? I’ll post pictures and hopefully you can see what I’m talking about. Thank you!

Thank you!!

[jerseygirl]

Kudos for getting him safe! He looks like a beautiful Rex rabbit. I hate to think someone deliberately dumped him. He’s fortunate to be found by rabbit knowledgeable folk!

Having being stray for however long, parasites do come to mind… a health check at the vet would be good. It’s strange that lumps feel empty. So it’s like folds of skin? That does sound a bit like weightloss or what some elderly bunnies get when they lose body tone.

Black bunnies don’t photograph so well, so it is a bit difficult to see from the photo. Is it just down near his hind end you are seeing this?

[jerseygirl]

I’m also noticing some asymmetry in his face. It that just timing of the photo?

He appears to have some “sun bleaching” of the black fur near the hind end. So possibly someones outdoor pet rabbit that has escaped?? 

[Tyler]

Yeah it’s most noticeable in the first picture, in the chest region, and they feel completely empty, it almost seems like excess skin from weight loss to me, but I’m not sure, I’ve really never seen anything like it. I think the discoloration is just part of his fur pattern.. we found a vet that’s open tomorrow so we are going to get him there as soon as possible ..

I know D: I would hate to think someone would abandon their bun.. they’re such amazing creatures. And thank you, I wouldn’t say I’m all knowledgeable but definitely do research before doing something I’m uncertain of. My bun is pretty happy and healthy, I couldn’t risk taking him inside, we also have a chinchilla so if he’s infected with pasturella that could be a double loss. I’m hanging out with him outside. I plugged a heater in and put it on low, he’s curled up on the blanket it’s pointed at sleeping x)

[jerseygirl]

That’s understandable and wise. Either way, he’s better off then he was.

I did notice the dewlap area. More common with female rabbits but some males buns get it too. You can definitely get a bit of sagging there when there is weightloss. My NZ white (mix?) bun is around 8+yrs and has dewlap but it more like a skin fold depending on how she sits. I think age probably factors in for her. You might see similar with an area that grew enlarged due to abscess or cyst and it burst, self-resolved or was surgically removed. I think weightloss is the more likely of the scenarios personally.

Good luck with the vet visit!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Thank you for helping this beautiful bunny!

I would hate to think someone would abandon their bun.. they’re such amazing creatures.

This happens way too often, sadly. A lot of people think that bunnies, for some reason, can fend for themselves and survive alone outside. It’s a very hard and usually short life.

[Tyler]

I don’t think I would be able to live with myself knowing he was stray and not doing anything about it, thank you for all the kind words and responses!!

Quick update, the Vet I went to wasn’t very knowledgeable, I called my local animal shelter and spoke to one of their vets on staff who seemed amazing so I dropped him off there. She stated that they’ll definitely treat him and at first glance he seemed healthy, I was able to get them to commit to calling me if they couldn’t find a home for him or if they couldn’t treat him for any reason. They said they would give me text updates even if they find him a home.

I also called a local animal farm that takes bunnies that haven’t found homes, and they have a really nice large gated area, dedicated to rabbits. I gave them the reference number and they seemed interested to keep updated on his status, bunny seemed happy to be in good hands, he hopped around the exam area and did a pretty hefty flop thanks again for all the help guys!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Wonderful! Hope he finds an amazing home.

[Author]

Messages