bunny open wound care

Question
My female 7 yr old mixed breed rabbit has an open abscess on her back that has no pus but is very slow to heal.  It doesn't ooze or look infected but my bunny licks it a lot.  Wondering what I can do to keep her from doing that unless that is a good thing.
Thanks,
Amanda

Answer
Dear Amanda,

As long as you keep the lesion well disinfected with dilute Betadine (povidone iodine) solution, it should not become infected.  But if your bunny is constantly worrying at it, this could slow the healing process.

You might wish to ask your vet whether it would be possible to put a dry dressing over the wound to keep her from licking at it.  Not sure whether she'd just pull that off, but it might be worth a try.

If this wound hasn't been seen and treated by a good rabbit vet, I would strongly recommend that.  You can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps.

Dana