Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Rabbits > rabbit mammary gland problem

rabbit mammary gland problem

22 9:45:52

Question
Rabbit
Rabbit  

Rabbit1
Rabbit1  
Hi, I am from India and I have a three and half years old rabbit.She is healthy and playful but currently having an abscess on her nipple.The problem began a few months ago but did not showed any critical sign and it is not painful to her.But from today a yellowish fluid is coming out.
I've attached a couple of images.Hope it will be helpful to understand the problem.
Seeking help from you.Thanks in advance.

Answer
Dear Sunny,

I cannot tell from the photo whether this is an abscess or a tumor.  If your bunny is not spayed, it could be a mammary tumor, as unspayed females have a higher incidence of this type of cancer than spayed females.

It would be wise for you to get her to a good veterinarian who knows something about rabbits.  Even if the vet isn't all that familiar with rabbits, s/he should be able to distinguish between an abscess and a tumor.  If it is an abscess, then antibiotics will be needed to treat this.  Rabbit-safe antibiotic of first choice in a case like this would probably be something like Baytril (enrofloxacin) or ciprofloxacin (our veterinarians here often use these antibiotics at a dose of 20mg/kg twice a day, which I provide for you in case the vets in India do not treat rabbits very often).  But if you really want to be sure of what bacteria you are treating, a culture and sensitivity test would be advisable:

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

Yellow pus often (not always!) indicates Pseudomonas, which is quite resilient and may need several weeks of antibiotic treatment to fully clear.  Only a culture and sensitivity will really tell you exactly what is going on, if it is an abscess.

If it is a tumor, and it has not spread far, then spaying your bunny and having the tumor removed at the same time will give her the best chance of long-term survival.  I hope you can find a vet well-versed in rabbit medicine.  You may have some luck with the international listings linked here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana