rabbit injury

Question
My daughters rabbit (3 yrs old) looks like it has literally been skinned on her rear-end! The fur is there but has been lifted off somehow, a portion of approx. 2 inches by 2 inches. She doesn't appear to be in pain, I pressed the skin/fur back down. I was wondering if this could heal on it's own or should I take her to the vet. I can't afford a vet bill, I am a single parent. But if I have to use my rent to do so, I guess I will. We have no idea how this could have happened. We check under the couch, thinking a spring may have caught her. There are no sharp objects anywhere. Are rabbits fur/skin that delicate?
Thank you! Kim

Answer
Hi,
you will need to take her in to a good rabbit vet, they need to suture the skin and give her antibiotics to prevent infection.  The skin has to be sutured together to heal back together, you cannot simply press it back down and that will make it right.

Rabbit skin is extremely thin and delicate, it tears very easily.  It does not take much to do this.  I would make sure she cannot get back under the couch again.  We have had the same worries about springs underneath couches and have blocked them off with boxes or two-by-four pieces of wood.

Vets will work with you on payment plans, if you discuss this with them.  They want the animals to get good care and will not turn people away if you can work with them to set up payment plans.

You do have to get the rabbit in, this is a serious problem that needs to have a vet clean the exposed areas, suture her skin back together, and give you medicine to make sure any infections and pain she is in is taken care of.

I also recommend to people no matter what income levels they are at, to budget a portion of their money to set aside an amount just for animal care.  Rabbits need an annual checkup, and I would also budget for at least one emergency a year.  Wellness exams are anywhere from $40-50, and I would budget for an emergency of $300.  I also would recommend looking at your expenses and see if there are things you are paying for that you don't really use, or need, and consider shifting some of those funds to cover your animal's proper and necessary medical care.  For example we don't have cable or satellite tv.  We do not have expensive cell phone plans.  We do not eat out at all.  Things like that.  

To get the best care for your bunny AND maximize what you get for your money, the key is going to a good rabbit vet, as not all vets are rabbit vets.  Start here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

to find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet near you. They will know how to treat your rabbit better than vets that don't normally see rabbits.  They will get her feeling better faster, quicker, safely, and they will generally get it right the first time so that the recovery happens quickly at the least amount of cost.

PLease get her in as soon as physically possible, and by that, I mean tomorrow morning.  You do not wnat her sitting around and she will be in pain from this, which has a real chance of preventing her from eating and drinking (due to pain) and this is something extremely serious for a rabbit, it can lead to her gi tract shutting down and essentially driving her into shock and dying from it.  So please get her in to a good rabbit vet in your area ASAP in the morning.

Lee