Hard Stomach

Question

Her in Sand :)   Short version: My rabbits abdominal area is constantly hard but she seems otherwise healthy. Is this normal?

Long version: She is 4-5 months old and has not been spayed yet. I have had her for about 2 months and have noticed that her stomach/abdominal area seems "distended" almost constantly. There are times when it feels a BIT softer, but never squishy like I have felt with my other rabbit. She is fed timothy hay, small amounts of alfalfa hay, 1/4 cup of pellets, and greens she has been used to. I have tried eliminating the veggies and lowering pellets for a week and that did not seem to make any difference. I can feel a lump underneath what seems to be her ribcage. It is very large (like a golfball, but not competely spherical). It feels almost as if pellets or her poop is inside of it. I can feel tiny little "things" inside. Besides this lump, which I assume is some organ, her whole entire abdominal area seems very large and hard. I can press and there is a little give, but it is very firm. She makes me think of a mini watermelon. She has no issues with eating, drinking, or playing. She has regular sized, color poops and on a regular basis. I have never seen her cecotropes, but I assume she has been eating them, since I see her little mouth moving after she bends over.

I have google searched online the past few months, but have not seen anyone mention these. I asked a vet as well, but he brushed it off as not a big deal. I'm not sure how familiar he is with rabbits. I don't know if I'm overly worried or am rightfully concerned. It doesn't seem like how everyone describes bloat to be online, so I would hope it isn't.

Please let me know if you've had any experiences like this or may know what this lump would be and if her hard abdomen may be normal for her.


THANK YOU.

Answer
Hi, Megan

Without palpating her, I can't really make a judgement about the condition of her abdomen.  The round lump you feel could be a kidney, as one of them hangs down into the abdomen (the other is appressed to the inside of the body cavity on the dorsal side).  But it shouldn't be lumpy...so I can't really say.

I would take her to a good rabbit vet for a wellness check, just to be sure all is well:

http://www.rabbit.org/vet

She's a cutie!

Dana