# Dotty has scabs on her mouth?



## mouse_chalk (Mar 23, 2009)

I saw something the other day, but I thought she had maybe just been messy with her pellets or something. But earlier, I was cuddling her and noticed that either side of her mouth, she has some weird looking scabs. It's hard to describe, but sort of small little scabby areas of skin, and there's a bit of fur loss there as well. 

I will try and get a picture but now that she's not sick anymore she doesn't like being turned on her back, so it may be tricky. 

There's no blood or anything there- it doesn't look like a cut or anything- it would be strange as well for it to be on both sides of her mouth?

When we first got her she was treated with Ivermectin (I forget the brand name of the stuff we used now) for fur mites, but that cleared up after the treatment and was only ever 'dandruff' on the back of her neck. This is completely different looking. I did notice her carefully scratching there earlier as well, although it doesn't seem to be painful, and she's still eating, pooping perfectly normally as well.


I have made a vet's appt for tomorrow afternoon, but just wondered if anyone has any ideas in the meantime? 

:?

Thanks!


----------



## tonyshuman (Mar 23, 2009)

Could she be drooling there? That could cause fur loss, and then maybe the skin could get chapped. It could of course be mites as well, but with it being near her mouth in conjunction with hair loss makes met think of drooling caused by tooth issues. It should be something the vet can figure out just by looking at her teeth and/or doing a skin scraping.

Is there any chance some other bunny could have bit her there through a gate or something? Tony did that to Frida right after we got her (now the gate is reinforced with cardboard)--bit her on the lip!


----------



## Flashy (Mar 23, 2009)

another thought might be vent disease?


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 23, 2009)

Definitely no chance of a bite- she's had no contact with the other bunnies whatsoever- when they're in the garden they're in separate pens that don't touch, and she's only been downstairs and sat with me on the sofa once- she hates it down here lol!

When she was last at the vets about a month-6 weeks ago now, the vet said she had perfectly aligned teeth... She does make a big mess when she drinks her water, her dewlap sometimes gets wet, but I don't often see her chin being wet? 

The scabs, are sort of like human scabs, after a cut- sort of a cross between that and little warts or something? They're really hard to explain without a picture... I'll try and get one once the battries charge! 

Vent disease- is that rabbit syphilis? How can rabbits catch that? Is it spread from one to another or can anybun get it? 

It's weird.... Definitely wasn't there a week ago either :expressionless


Thanks guys!


----------



## Flashy (Mar 23, 2009)

Vent Disease. I don't kno muc about it Jen sorry. I know that Polly's Nib's had a horrible face with his evtn disease., I think it's mostly passed during breeding, but can also go from mum to kits at birth, but don't hold me to that. I also don't know what can trigger an out break.

It's always worth having teeth checked too.

Also, I wonder if maybe she has been chewing somewhere? Or maybe has some sort of mouth injury causing potential drooling?


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 23, 2009)

Ok, I just scared myself looking at all the pictures in those links! :nerves1

I'm going to go and try to get a picture of Dotty's mouth. Wish me luck lol. 

It doesn't look like any of the pictures of rabbit syphilis that I've seen, it's hard to describe, but it's right on each corner of her lips- like in the corner of her 'smile' if she were to have one (and she does actually- I've seen her smile!)

Her genitals looked ok yesterday- I always check their bums as I bring them in from the garden in case of poopy butt, paranoia over fly strike etc and it looked ok, but I'll have another look now. 

She's also not had any contact with any other rabbits for months now- she's nearly 10 months? Obviously there's our other bunnies who live in the same house but she's had no phyisical contact with them. Does anyone know if it's possible she caught it or something before we got her and it's only just showing now?

:?


----------



## naturestee (Mar 23, 2009)

She could have gotten syphilis from her mother and it's been asymptomatic till now. Your vet should be able to do a culture to check. It's usually swellings or scabs on face or genitals but not necessarily on both areas.

Do you remember Jazzy and her babies? They all had syphilis. Jazzy didn't have any symptoms. Zappa was the only one that got sick in the first litter. We weren't sure what it was but it didn't respond to sulfa drugs and responded well to injected penicillin (standard syphilis treatment). Two babies in the second litter got sick and that's when we were able to confirm the diagnosis. Jazzy and all of the babies, plus the group of rabbits she had been living with previously, were all treated. None of Jazzy's companion rabbits had any symptoms either. This is pretty common.

Rabbits syphilis can not infect other animals, including humans. It's usually easily treated.

I'm actually hoping that's all it is because it's easy to treat!


----------



## tonyshuman (Mar 23, 2009)

When you say they are a bit warty looking that makes me think vent disease too. Like Naturestee said, it can remain hidden and she may have gotten it from her mom or other rabbits she was housed with a long time ago. At least you'll have all sorts of options to ask your vet about!


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 23, 2009)

Eek... Getting penicillin from our vets won't be fun if it is syphilis :s lovely as they are they like baytril a bit too much  

I did manage to get some good pictures but I didn't have time to upload them before I have been whisked away on a mystery date. We are currently in Wales and I have no idea where we are going! I'll post them when I get back! 

The pictures I saw of vent disease it looked to be more around the nose but this is right on the corners of her mouth. Although maybe they were more advanced cases? But I saw that one of her nostrils was wet with a bit of brown stuff on it :so I got a pic of that too...

My poor Dotters!I don't know how I missed it... It's just one thing after another with our bunnies!


----------



## Flashy (Mar 23, 2009)

Jen, if you think it might be that go on RU and ask about what pencillins are available in the UK and what they might suggest. Jack's Jane should have some good suggestions, and it can be worethwhile having that knowledge before going in so you know what to ask for. You can then feedback here


----------



## naturestee (Mar 23, 2009)

You shouldn't have a problem getting the vet to prescribe penicillin. If they confirm that it's syphilis, the only treatment listed in any vet books I know of is injected penicillin. It's the same for humans, too.

Definitely ask on RU, Jane will definitely know which penicillin types are more appropriate for rabbits. Thanks for suggesting that Flashy, it's been a while since I've had time to visit RU! Here,the penicillinhappened to be the same common type that the shelter keeps for cats and dogs, so they didn't even need to buy anything special.

Don't feel bad about this. There's no way to know if a rabbit has syphilis until it's symptoms start showing up. And if your other rabbits haven't been in contact with Dotty, they won't be infected. It spreads only by direct fluid contact. I bet you had those health lessons in school, right?


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 23, 2009)

Ok, I'm back, with the pictures!


Here's one side of her mouth:









Other side (not as clear, sorry)








And here's her nose. See the little smudge of brown? That wasn't there before today.... :?










:?

Does it normally come up so quickly if it is syphilis? Can I expect it to get much worse before tomorrow afternoon? :expressionless Man I really hope we see a good vet and they DON'T give us yet more Baytril! :grumpy: :cry1:


Now I'm quite worried about poor Dotters


----------



## tonyshuman (Mar 23, 2009)

It shouldn't get much worse overnight. Definitely bring up the idea of syphillis if the vet doesn't, those pics look a lot like it, and ask for penicillin. I'm sure by now they know that you mean business with your bunnies and they shouldn't try to pass you off with simple baytril.


----------



## Maureen Las (Mar 23, 2009)

Oh it does look like vent disease 

I agee that you are having a lot of problems recently

the vet should give you penicillin for it 

cannot imagine why not ?


----------



## naturestee (Mar 24, 2009)

Yup, IMO it looks like syphilis/vent disease.

It can pop up really fast. I was playing and checking my foster babies twice a day, and suddenly Zappa's genitals blew up like a balloon! Thankfully they didn't grow more swollen in the next couple days, as our vet initially tried a broad-spectrum oral antibiotic as it appeared to be cystitis (spelling?) and not syphilis, especially since it initially had a fecal blockage right at the anal opening that I thought might have caused the swelling. Apparently it was the other way around, but hey.

She'll be ok. Make sure the sores aren't keeping her from eating, but other than that she's more lucky than my babies were. And they're all doing well now. Especially Zappa, who had it worst!


----------



## pamnock (Mar 24, 2009)

If the rabbits are out in the garden area, this might just be a bacterial, viral or fungal infection.

It is likely that the rabbit would have shown health issues well before now if it had congenital syphilis, although syphilis (aka vent disease) can manifest itself in a wide variety of symptoms.



Pam


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Mar 24, 2009)

I was wondering if she hadn't cut herself chewing on a cage/gate? Mine stick their noses through all the time and I always worry they'll hurt themselves on something!


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 24, 2009)

Pam, they are in the garden area a bit! Or they have been quite a bit these past 2 weeks. It's not treated with anything at all though... 

How would the vet know? Is it something that can be easily told from an examination or do they have to wait for results to come back? *yawn- my vets take a while for that*...

It doesn't look any worse this morning thankfully. Althouh I think one of the scabs on one side fell off and now it just looks very red and.... scabby there :expressionless 


I also discovered why I wouldn't have seen. I couldn't understand how I missed it, since I'm always cuddling her and she's always jumping into the bed etc. She jumped up this morning, and snuggled on my pillow and washed my face for about 15minutes. I realised that all I can see when she snuggles up is a blurry big nose and whiskers! She's TOO close for me to see anything else! Lol.... Silly bunny...


----------



## pamnock (Mar 24, 2009)

The vet should test to see if it's fungal. I had a horse with white skin around his mouth that was prone to similar lesions around his muzzle from bacterial/fungal infections from damp grass. The corners of the mouth can be a common area for fungal infections (angular chelitis.)

The vet willalso want to consider vent disease, but I think that your rabbit is at low risk for syphilis.

Pam


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 24, 2009)

*pamnock wrote: *


> The vet should test to see if it's fungal. I had a horse with white skin around his mouth that was prone to similar lesions around his muzzle from bacterial/fungal infections from damp grass. The corners of the mouth can be a common area for fungal infections (angular chelitis.)
> 
> The vet willalso want to consider vent disease, but I think that your rabbit is at low risk for syphilis.
> 
> Pam



It would make sense, if that was the case, that She's only started to get it the past few days or so? She had been in the garden a couple of times before that, but she was out pretty much every day last week....


Now I feel bad for letting her out! 



If it is a fungal infection, is the treatment still antibiotics?


----------



## pamnock (Mar 24, 2009)

*mouse_chalk wrote: *


> If it is a fungal infection, is the treatment still antibiotics?



A topical antifungal is generally used. It will be important to get an accurate diagnosis so the correct treatment is given. 



Pam


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 24, 2009)

Ok, thanks Pam! Now I know what to expect. 

We're going to the vets in about half an hour.... I'll let you guys know how we get on!


----------



## pamnock (Mar 24, 2009)

Crossing my fingers!


----------



## tonyshuman (Mar 24, 2009)

I hadn't thought about fungal. It does remind me of some fungal infections now that you mention it. At least you now have a couple of possibilities to take with you to the vet.


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 24, 2009)

ullhair:ullhair:ullhair:ullhair:ullhair:


SO FRUSTRATED!!!

Clara is on holiday until next week :cry1:

Saw a vet (not a regular one there) who thinks that she might have some sort of infection, or she might have got a little cut somewhere around/inside her mouth that might have got infected. She didn't really know.... :expressionless

We have......... Yep, you guessed it..... Baytril! :headsmack


I don't know what to do. I guess we just have to try it for a few days and if it doesn't work see another vet.... Vicky down at the hospital is great but we don't know if she normally works there or another branch... 

When Clara leaves I'm seriously considering switching to a different vet, where they are a bit more open to antibiotics! :grumpy:


----------



## Maureen Las (Mar 24, 2009)

I would try to find another vet, Jen, 

if it is a fungus ....baytril is not the appropriate med 
if it is vent disease the sores can go away on there own but it doesn't mean that the disease is gone but only thatthe disease is going into another stage making one think that the disease is gone when it is only the sores that are gone.

if you do plan on seeing clara take a lot of really good photos of the scabs and sores to show her next week if the sores have disappeared


----------



## naturestee (Mar 24, 2009)

Couldn't he do a test to figure out what it actually is? Pam made a good point about fungal infection being another possibility. Baytril wouldn't treat either of the more likely problem.

Pam- my vet has seen a number of rabbits who don't show signs of syphilis for some time after being adopted, or their babies might show it while the parentremains symptom-free. This last one is what I have personal experience with. Perhaps it's a more common problem among rescued or mass-bred rabbits because their breeding isn't controlled and monitored like those bred for show? Jazzy came from a backyard breeder where all rabbits lived together and bred freely until being brought to the shelter. My vet's experiences with this hadmainly been with rescued rabbits.


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 24, 2009)

:banghead


I've so had it with vets prescribing Baytril without really knowing what's wrong! If she was really confident that she knew what it was and that Baytril would be fine, then I wouldn't mind so much. 

I think, what I might do is try to find out where Vicky, the vet that we saw when Dotty was sick, practises, and try and see her. I know she's in one of the group's local branches but I'm not sure which one. I'm not sure if you can just transfer between branches like that though....


Or should we just wait until Clara gets back..... :?


How is the test done? Blood test? Swab?


----------



## tonyshuman (Mar 24, 2009)

Probably a swab and then they grow it on a plate and/or look at it under a microscope. I agree, time for a new vet.


----------



## LuvaBun (Mar 24, 2009)

Oh Jen, I'm so sorry that Dotty has this going on.

If you founf out where Vicky was, would you be able to see her before Clara comes back? If not, it may be better to wait and see her.

I know Nadia's (Honeypot) Oliver had recurring facial scabs, which she thought may be due to stress. Not sure if Dotty is the type of girl to get stressed though - much too laid back 

Good luck!

Jan


----------



## Maureen Las (Mar 24, 2009)

vent disease can be diagnosed through serological (blood testing) for it or through 
removing some of the exudate from the sores/scabs and identifying under the microscope. (treponema cuniculi
here is a printout on funguses from medi-rabbit


http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Fungal/fungaldermatosis.PDF


----------



## pamnock (Mar 24, 2009)

*naturestee wrote: *


> Couldn't he do a test to figure out what it actually is? Pam made a good point about fungal infection being another possibility. Baytril wouldn't treat either of the more likely problem.
> 
> Pam- my vet has seen a number of rabbits who don't show signs of syphilis for some time after being adopted, or their babies might show it while the parentremains symptom-free. This last one is what I have personal experience with. Perhaps it's a more common problem among rescued or mass-bred rabbits because their breeding isn't controlled and monitored like those bred for show? Jazzy came from a backyard breeder where all rabbits lived together and bred freely until being brought to the shelter. My vet's experiences with this hadmainly been with rescued rabbits.



Syphilis goes through a number of stages, including stages where there are no symptoms. It's not uncommon among breeding herds. I generally DQ at least a few showing symptoms at every show.

Because angular chelitis is a common condition with a number of causes, other possibilities have to be considered.

Pam


----------



## pamnock (Mar 25, 2009)

*mouse_chalk wrote: *


> :banghead
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Fungal infections will often show up green under a UV light. The vet may also do a culture. (The results may take up to a week).Bacterial infections can look very similar.



Pam


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Mar 25, 2009)

Suddenly I envision bunny slaves purchasing petri dishes and swabs for when the vet isn't around....... at least we could start _growing_ the sample...... :expressionless


----------



## pamnock (Mar 25, 2009)

*mouse_chalk wrote: *


> ullhair:ullhair:ullhair:ullhair:ullhair:
> 
> 
> 
> We have......... Yep, you guessed it..... Baytril! :headsmack



If the lesions are due to a bacterial infection, the Baytril may help.

Has she been checked for parasites? I would have her tested since she's allowed outside. Parasites can weaken the immune system.

I had taken a friend's rabbit to the vet because of similiar crusty facial lesions (I suspected a bacterial infection). Antibiotics cleared up the infection, and the rabbit was also treated for a heavy pinworm infestation.



Pam


----------



## Haley (Mar 25, 2009)

Im so sorry to hear Dotty is having trouble. I agree, you should insist on a skin scraping. It really could be anything from bacterial to fungal to syphillis. 

Also, there was some talk about penicillin in the UK. If I remember correctly, vets have no trouble getting you straight up PenG Procaine injectible penicillin. It is the Bicillin (which is not only PenG Procaine but also PenG Benzathine) that is difficult to get. They should be able to get you the Penicillin (if tests show it is needed).

Hoping the vets right and it is a minor bacterial infection!


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 25, 2009)

Thanks guys for all your comments 

We called the hospital this morning, and we have an appointment with another vet, Vicky at 3pm today- in about 1.5hrs lol. She's who treated Dotty before when she was sick, and showed me how to do the injections for her before. I hope that she will want to do a test, so we can find out what it really is. 

I'm worried about what Maureen said in that the Baytril may get rid of the sores but there may be something else still underlying. I think that if she still thinks it is just a bacterial infection that the Baytril should clear up, I'll be a lot happier. We trust this vet a whole lot more. The vet yesterday just seemed so..... wishy-washy! 'It could be a sort of kind of infection, I'm not really sure.... Baytril should help!' Like I said I have no problem with it being prescribed if it is right for the situation- but we don't really know if it is or not. 

Also, I noticed when she was lying on my pillow this morning (like clockwork- every morning at 8am!) that her nose is starting to get a bit scabby as well- so it's getting worse already :?

I do feel kind of bad going straight to see another vet, contradicting yesterday's one though.... I'm TERRIBLE at standing up for myself and being pushy- after all, they have been through years of training and I haven't lol!


Hayley, yes you're right- it's Penicillin we can get over, but not Bicillin. A friend of ours, who is a member here as thumperflower, has a vet that uses it in rabbits when needed. I think that probably moreso than in the US, a lot of vets aren't keen on using it because it's not licensed for use in rabbits- I think that actually very little drugs are. 

Wish us luck! I'll update when we get back.....


----------



## Flashy (Mar 25, 2009)

Never feel bad for fighting for what you believe to be right for yourself or those you care about. You're not doing anything wrong, just doing the best for Dotty and that's all any bunny can expect from their slave.

Good luck!


----------



## HoneyPot (Mar 25, 2009)

Those scabs looks *EXACTLY* like Oliver's. My vet never determined what it was (but here inToronto for some reason they don't test for Syphillis, they just treat it since it's so easy to treat). 

We had him on weekly pennicillin shots for about 3 months and they just would not go away. When he got the shot, it cleared up, and then by the end of the week, they were coming back. I suspect they weren't giving the pennicillin shots close enough together, but I won't get into that drama.

Finally, I just stopped taking him to the vet because it was too much.I was sick of just pumping him full of medication that wasn't helping.

Took him to another vet who said she could do the scraping and send it awayto be analyzed... but then we looked and there were no scabs.... they just cleared up on their own.

About the time when Oliver started getting the scabs was around the time I went back out to work and he wasn't spending his entire day cuddled in my lap - instead he was being locked in his cage. Then around the time the scabs cleared up, we stopped locking him in the cage. Coincidence??? I don't know...

So then we took his cage away thinking, he wasn't in it anyway... and the scabs came back... so we put his cage back, just left the door open... and the scabs went away. LOL. 

Since then we've figured out that the scabs flare up whenever we change anything and he's unhappy. *sigh* However, we still haven't figured out what it is. We've been scab free for about5 months now though.... 

I'd be really really interested to know what it turns out to be for your little one because seriously - that's exactly what Oliver's looked like. Both sides of his mouth. A little fur loss on his chin area. He got a couple on his cheek, then he got a few on his nose and the base of his ear. And then... poof... gone. *shrug*. He never had anything around his genitals though.

_________
Nadia


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 25, 2009)

We are back from the vets!

Strangely, Vicky was off sick when we got there so we saw another vet, Caroline instead. We RAVED about her all the way home lol. 

She completely agreed with us that 'chucking Baytril' at something without knowing what it was could be counter-productive, and much better to test first to see what it is we're dealing with, and then use the appropriate antibiotics. HURRAH! 

She told us to stop the Baytril, and we will take her in tomorrow morning to have a skin scraping and swab taken. She would have tried to do it then, but Dotty was NOT having any of even having the inside of her mouth looked at, so the vet said that waving a blade around her when she's stressed like that wouldn't be a good idea. So we're dropping her off at 8.30-9am tomorrow morning, where they can sedate her if needs be, and get a good look at the inside of her mouth to see if the sores have spread in there as well. She thought it would definitely be worth doing, seeing that it's spread to her nose already overnight.


Phew! I feel SO much better now. Even if it is something really minor, we'd just really rather know, instead of just trying this and that. I'm SO glad she agreed with us as well! She said that the problem being with Baytril being the only licenced antibiotic, a lot of vets aren't comfortable using off-licence drugs, although some are. She is one that is.


----------



## JennJenn (Mar 25, 2009)

Oh don't even get me started on vets and their addiction to prescribing Baytril! I used to have pet rats, and one of my girls named Normie got sick with a respiratory infection. The vet gave me Baytril and I gave it to her twice a day for 2 weeks. It didn't work. I took her back and she told me to keep giving it to her and it would eventually work. My poor girl got so sick and was to the point that she was sneezing 20-30 times per minute all day long. Well 6 months, athousand vet trips, and a couple thousanddollars later I finally stood up for myself and for Normie and told the vet that it wasn't working! She finally switched and Normie was better within a couple weeks. :X!

I am glad that you found a vet you are happy with and I hope that you find out what is wrong with Dotty soon! She sounds like a very smart vet.


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 25, 2009)

Thank you! 

Yeah, I'm so glad I followed my instinct and went for a second opinion. Hopefully it wont turn up anything, but if it does at least we'll know what we're dealing with.


We forgot to ask if we need a packed lunch for Dotty tomorrow- we don't know how long she'll be there. I think we'll take her one down just in case. If she does need to be sedated then at least they can see that she's eating when she comes round. I'd imagine we can pick her up early afternoon...

Let's hope she does ok! :cry2


----------



## Flash (Mar 25, 2009)

Good Luck with Dotty tomorrow I'm curious to find out what it is too.


----------



## SnowyShiloh (Mar 25, 2009)

Poor baby girl! I hope she feels better soon and you get a definite diagnosis. The scabs must hurt, I've had broken skin in the corner's of my mouth (thankfully due to stress or a vitamin deficiency and not syphilis!) and it stings. You're such a good bunny mommy Jen, so many people wouldn't notice!


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 26, 2009)

Thank you! 

We dropped Dotty off earlier. Vicky is the vet there today and she will be looking after her. The nurse looking after her is the one who was in all weekend looking after Chalk when she was sick. She asked us how Chalk was doing, bless her. And the nurse originally didn't think Vicky would be in, so it would be someone else. About half an hour later she left us a voicemail message to let us know that Vicky was in after all and would be seeing Dotty. 

We should be able to pick her up this afternoon....

She only ate half of her breakfast this morning which is really unlike her, so I wonder if the sores are starting to irritate her a bit. We let them know, and she has food with her to eat in there.


----------



## Maureen Las (Mar 26, 2009)

I hope they get to the bottom of this ; I'm sure they will if they culture


----------



## thumperflower (Mar 26, 2009)

*Any news yet Jen ?*

*Please let me know what it is.......I'm curious!*

*Fingers crossed it's nothing too bad. ray:*


----------



## Flashy (Mar 26, 2009)

Any updates? Hope she is ok.


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 26, 2009)

We spoke to the vet. We can pick her up in an hour, so we're leaving soon.

She ended up going under fully, because she wouldn't let the vet near her to look at her mouth properly. They filed down some beginnings of spurs on her molars (lower I think), and took x-rays just to be sure (we're on a direct insurance claim so she said she did the 'works' just to be sure), which were fine, they couldn't see any of the sores inside her mouth, which is good. They took samples of the scabs, the skin around them, and unaffected skin and hair samples as well. Some of the tests can be done at the hospital and some will have to be sent to the lab for testing, so it could take about 7-10 days to get them all back.

For now, she just wants us to use hibiscrub daily to keep the area clean, and make sure it's dried completely afterwards. She doesn't want to put her on any antibiotics yet until the results come back so we know if we need them or not. She said that it doesn't appear to be anything seriously infected though, so we may have caught it early, or it could just have been an irritiation of some sort....


It's nice to know that it's all been done throughly, so even if the tests come back clear, it wont have been a waste because we will know that there is nothing horrible underlying  I am sure though that they will put a big red alert next to our names on the computer to say 'WARNING! PARANOID PARENTS!' lol......


----------



## Flashy (Mar 26, 2009)

Aw, poor Dotty. Is she going to be on painkillers too? I hope the results come back quickly and whilst I don't want anything to be wrong with her, at least if something easy to fix shows up, then you can sort it easily and quickly, which is the least stress for all of you.

I bet she will be glad to come home.


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 26, 2009)

I'm not sure if the vet mentioned painkillers or not- it was Steve who spoke to her, but I'll ask when we collect her if she needs any. We probably have more Metacam here than they do lol, so it'll just be a case of getting the dosage in case we need it....

I can't wait to have her back! The house has been quiet without her galloping up and down all day lol


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Mar 26, 2009)

Awww 

I hope they figure it out!


----------



## tonyshuman (Mar 26, 2009)

That sounds like they're really playing it by the book there, which is good, but I would hope they could figure it out sooner than 7-10 days.  Anyway, I hope they can figure out what's wrong and get her some treatment soon. For now, metacam is probably good. The dosage here: http://www.med.yale.edu/yarc/vcs/drugs.htm is 0.2mg/kg for an injection and 0.3mg/kg for an oral dose(every 24 hrs). So you'll have to figure out the concentration in the stuff you have to figure out how much to give her.

I would worry that the hibiscrub might irritate the skin more, so keep an eye out for that if you can. Good luck!


----------



## mouse_chalk (Mar 26, 2009)

Thanks guys 

She's doing great since we got back! I laid on the bedroom floor watching her for ages when we got back, and all she did was sleep in the corner, so I ended up falling asleep on the floor too. When I woke up she was munching tons of hay, and she's been galloping up and down ever since! 

They said that they didn't think she would need pain meds, since it wasn't particularly invasive, but we have some that we can give her later if we think she needs it. The vet also shaved the area around her mouth and the sores, to make it easier to clean and keep dry. We've used hibiscrub a lot before on Chalk's abscesses when they were open, and on various other cuts etc, and the buns have never even flinched over it, but of course we'll keep an eye on whether it irritates her skin or not 

Claire, thanks for that link on the dosing! I couldn't find it earlier, but I'll bookmark it now. One of these days, what I need to do it write down everybun's weight, and then the appropriate dose of Metacam in both strengths, and then stick that to the inside lid of my bunny supplies tin, so I have it on hand for future....

I don't know why the tests take that long to come back either- but I know that they have to send some of them away to a separate lab. I think that some of the tests they do are in-house, so will be quicker, and sometimes the lab is quicker at returning them, but I guess they also have to allow time for things to potentially grow as well :expressionless


I'm not sure that they would have done all of those tests had we not been claiming directly through the insurance company- perhaps the x-rays weren't entirely necessary, but since it's all going to them, we aren't even having to pay upfront, so I guess she thought it would be better to stay on the safe side, while they had her in.


----------



## DeniseJP (Mar 26, 2009)

I hope it turns out to be something simple for Miss Dotty -sorry that this happened to her but she has the best bunny parents and sounds like the latest veterinarian has her best interests at heart. Give her a nose rub from me!

Good luck!

Denise


----------



## mouse_chalk (Apr 7, 2009)

Just to update- we're getting all the test results back slowly!

So far nothing has shown up- they're still waiting for the fungal culture to come back- she doesn't have mites, ringworm, syphilis or anything else nasty. A very slight trace of infection in the skin samples but nothing known or concerning.

Meanwhile, the scabs have all healed up completely! Her fur is growing back too. Scabby Dotters is no more!

I'm glad it wasn't anything too bad. I know that not many things are transferable but she's SOOOO licky with me I'd hate to think of anything nasty being that near my mouth LOL! She certainly wouldn't approve of me trying to stop her either


----------



## tonyshuman (Apr 7, 2009)

Huh that's interesting. It's great that it has gone away though! Do you still have to wash her every day?


----------



## mouse_chalk (Apr 8, 2009)

We had been, but we stopped a few days back because the scabs had healed and the area looks really healthy again. The vet said that unless she calls us to say that the fungal culture has grown anything, we don't need to follow any more treatment- unless she gets the scabs again, of course.

It's very strange. I could attribute it to maybe just an irritation, but it was odd that it was one both sides of her mouth, and that she had small scabs on her nose and her ears....

Either way, it all looks normal again now, so we'll just keep a close eye on it!


----------



## tonyshuman (Apr 8, 2009)

Yeah it is weird. Maybe it was a viral infection or small bacterial infection that went away with the cleanings. I know sometimes I get dry cracked skin at the corners of my mouth when the air inside is dry. Good to hear all's well and the big love is back to her bouncy self!


----------



## pamnock (Apr 10, 2009)

*mouse_chalk wrote: *


> Just to update- we're getting all the test results back slowly!
> 
> So far nothing has shown up- they're still waiting for the fungal culture to come back- she doesn't have mites, ringworm, syphilis or anything else nasty. A very slight trace of infection in the skin samples but nothing known or concerning.



Well, at least you know what it's NOT. 

Pam


----------



## SnowyShiloh (Apr 10, 2009)

That is strange! Glad to hear Dotty is scabless again though. Now she can give you carefree kisses


----------

