swelling and puncture wounds

Question
Thank you for such a quick response.  I beleive you are correct however i am in a very rural area and the one vet we have in driving distance won't touch rabbits.  She calls them exotics.I am very concerned he's in pain from this.  Is there anything i can do this morning that would help him while i search for a vet?  Anything i could pour on the wound?  Thank you once again

-------------------------

Followup To

Question -
My children have a pet rabbit we purchased last Easter.  It is a male brown on the large side by now.  It is housed in a large 6 foot by 4 foot cage.  We provide it with fresh water, grass, bunny food, and apples.  It has developed three swollen places one on it's back and two on its stomach.  The swollen area has a center that is raw and oozing it almost looks like a puncture wound it is perfectly round. I am very sure nothing has gotten hold of the bunny as in a cat or other animal. I am wondering is this some sort of infection from a parasite. The cage is obviously outside in our barn.  The center of the wound as strange as it sounds appears to be moving.  Can you offer any advice other than shoot it?  The kids are very fond of the rabbit.  Thank you


Answer -
Hi Pam,

your rabbit has a cuterebra parasite, at least in the one moving wound you describe.  As you say nothing else could get to him, he probably has more than one.  This is a serious medical problem that needs to be taken care of by a good rabbit vet.

Basically it is a fly larvae, and as this is a domestic pet rabbit, you should have it taken to your vet and have it surgically removed.

Do not attempt to remove it yourself.  The vet need to surgically make the hole bigger (requires anesthetic) and remove the larvae intact without squeezing or taking it out in pieces.  Not only does he need to take it out, but he needs to take out any damaged tissue and flush the wound.  

As you keep your rabbit outdoors, he will be prone to such attacks in the future.  Not to mention the other insects and flies that are out there.

To prevent such occurrences in the future, the best solution is to treat him as an indoor pet, bunny-proof a room for him, and if he is not fixed, get him fixed to cut down on unwanted behaviors that are hormonally-driven.  

Please get your rabbit to a vet as soon as possible.  If they are not removed, there is a small chance that the larvae could wind up migrating to the brain and killing the rabbit.

Lee

Answer
Hi Pam,

I would suggest going to the House Rabbit Society web site:

www.rabbit.org\vets

and use this page to find a recommended rabbit vet in your area.  If you are near a state border, check your nearby states as a vet there may be physically closer than one in your own state.

He could very well be in discomfort from this.  However, there is nothing you can (or should) pour into the wound.  If it dies in there, it will decay and release toxins into the rabbit and then his situation is worse.

For pain management that is relatively safe, I would go to a health/holistic store, somewhere you can get herbs, essential oils, etc.  There is something called Arnica Montana that is basically a plant extract that you can give your rabbit.  It is a natural pain reliever for mild to moderate pain.  Normally they put a certain dose of it in sugar pills, so he should not mind taking this at all.  

A human dose is 5 arnica pills every 4-6 hours.  For a rabbit I would say 1 pill every 4-6 hours.

And I should emphasize that, like people, there is a very small chance that he has a bad reaction to it.  However Arnica Montana is regarded as safe for rabbits.

If you want to try to boost his immune system while this is going on, echinacea, fresh dill, fresh rosemary, and sage may help to bolster his health.

Lee