White lump next to rabbit anus

Question
my sister's rabbit recently developed a white lump next to his anus. he is a three year old dwarf rabbit that is not altered. he is also losing weight. but the weight issue is not new. he recently had rectal issues from being fed pellets all his life and refuses to continually eat his new diet of timothy hay. this drastic switch was recommended by the vet, and he will only eat enough to keep himself alive. other then that, his personality and behavior have not changed. anyway, she took him to the vet about the white lump. he said it is common in neutered rabbits and was going to send her home when she had to tell him that the rabbit wasn't neutered. he then drew blood from the rabbit, Tweek, and we are awaiting the results. this is the only vet in our area able to work with rabbits, but considering he didn't even know Tweek was altered, I wanted ask around to people who may have experienced this first hand and work with rabbits. do you have any clue as to what this lump is and if it is life threatening?

Answer
Hi Lauren,

well I'm not a vet and I've never seen your bunny, so you really have to take some of what I say with a grain of salt...

One thing you can try is a different brand of hay.  It isn't all the same.  Trust me domestic pet rabbits are picky.  Even the best hay eaters don't eat about half of the hay you give them.  Oxbow brand hay, or American Pet Diner hay - these two brands are consistenly listed as the best tasting (best loved) by most rabbits.  Generally what you are looking for are three things:  

1. Smell.  It should smell fresh and inviting.

2. Not dry and dusty.  It should not be wet, but it should not be overly dry and crumbly and dusty.  That is older hay that will not taste good.

3. Green.  Generally the hay should be as green as possible.  Brown or yellow means old, and not as tasty.


Losing weight and having lumps is generally not a good thing.  Dwarf rabbits don't have a lot of weight to lose in the first place.  However, if he was only eating pellets, there's a good chance he was overweight.  He will lose some weight naturally, going to a lower pellet, increased hay diet.  This could be a good thing.  He will not get fat eating hay.  And if he was too fat and now you've cut down on the calories, he will drop weight.

As for the lump, it could be something internal that filled in with scar tissue or fluid, it could be a little abscess or fatty deposit.  The blood test will help confirm what is going on - if he's fighting an infection or cancer.

As for vets, try looking here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and see if you can find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet around you.  The other thing you can do is ask your local animal shelter folks who they would go to with a sick or injured rabbit.

Keep in touch, let me know how it turns out or if you have more questions.

Lee