sabaceous adenitis

Question
Do you have any treatments I can try to help my bunny with sebaceous adenitits?

Answer
Dear Leah,

This is a very tough problem to treat, and it seems to be showing up more often in rabbits.  It's generally believed to be congenital to some degree, and possible an autoimmune disorder.  So that makes it even harder to treat, since the body may simply be backfiring on itself.

Some vets I know have used a treatment of antibiotics to head off secondary infection.  Some people have had success with medicated shampoos and *very* good rinsing and drying, followed by non-greasy emollients to keep the skin pliable.

I've heard of some people considering the use of corticosteroids to reduce the immune response that *might* be at the root of the problem but this is really a course of last resort in rabbits.  

The best thing to do is consult a very experienced rabbit vet with contacts to other vets via listserves, etc., and find out about the most current treatments.  I would not attempt any treatments without the supervision of a good vet, whom you can find here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana