Dewlap

Question
Hi

Is it normal for a neutered male rabbit to have a large dewlap? I have a 2 yr old neutered dwarf lop rabbit. He used to be quite fat and his dewlap was huge, so the vet advised I fed him only hay for a few weeks to get his weight down. Now he is an ideal weight I've been told to feed him small portions of muesli style food as well to keep his weight stable. While he was only having hay his dewlap vanished completely but now he is back on the normal food it seems to have appeared overnight.
It doesn't seem to bother him, he uses it as a pillow, but I wanted to make sure it's not an allergic reaction or something.  Or could it just be that he is a feminine rabbit? His bone structure and head shape looks more female than male but the vet has confirmed he's definitely a boy!

Thank you
Katie

Answer
Katie,

It's more common for the female to have the dewlap, but it is not uncommon for a male to have a small dewlap as well. This can sometimes be due to being slightly overweight since most of the fat will collect around the shoulder blade area where the skin is more loose. Would you mind sending me a nutrition label for the food you're feeding him? It may be high in fat and I can probably recommend a brand for you and you can run it by your vet as well. Also, what kind of hay are you feeding him?

Some males will also have more of a female's style of head (like what you describe) and style of muscling on their body, yet they are confirmed as male. This may be partly due to their hormone balance. Nothing to be concerned about.

Hope this helps!

Christine