possible infection in my rabbit

Question
Hello Dana,
I have a female Angora rabbit. She lives indoors, and has not been bred, as far as I know. She was found running outside at about 5 months old and was already litter trained when I took her in 4 years ago.
I was made aware today that 2 of her teats on her chest are secreting pus. Her fur was just shaved so I did not notice anything. Her behavior has been normal, and she hasn't indicated that she is in pain or any distress. Her eating habits are normal, but I did notice she's been drinking more water than I can recall, but then again, I don't know what I would consider normal drinking habits for her. She drinks only water.
I am confused as to what the problem may be. She doesn't like to be picked up or handled in any way other than being petted. I was reading about mastitis and other possible infections, but want to be more informed before taking her to the vet because she gets very upset when she has to go anywhere. Can you provide me any advice or answers to my situation, please?
Thank you very much for any information you may have on the matter.
Terry

Answer
Dear Terry,

Any secretion from the nipples may be cause for concern.  If it is pus, then mastitis needs to be treated with antibiotics.  If it is milk, she may be having a false pregnancy, and repeated false pregnancies can lead to mastitis and other health problems.  For this reason, it is wise to have a female bunny spayed, if the vet deems her a good candidate for surgery. Unspayed female rabbits have a very high  risk of uterine cancer, so it is of great importance that at least the uterus be removed (along with both cervices), even if you choose to leave her ovaries intact.

You can find a rabbit-savvy vet here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vet

and read more about the importance of spay/neuter for rabbits (even if they are single) here:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

Hope this helps.

Dana