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Enlarged Nipples

22 11:16:16

Question
My bunny has had one very enlarged nipple (around 1 inch in length) for a little over a month now, and upon taking her to the doctor it was thought she was simply going through a false pregnancy although she has never come in contact with another male rabbit. However, now the nipple next to it is enlarged but not nearly as severely as the first. We are uncertain what can be done for her or what may be wrong. She eats like a horse, is very happy, sleeps like a baby, and delights in playing with her toys, so behaviorally there is no change. Please advice!  

Answer
Dear Coral,

Is she producing milk?  If not, then it's possible that this is due to false pregnancy, but I would seriously consider the possibility of mastitis (infection of the mammary gland) or even mammary cancer.  You don't mention how old she is, but if she is not spayed and over a year old, then she is at much risk for mastitis, and both mammary cancer and uterine adenocarcinoma (cancer) than an unspayed bunny.

The only way to know for sure what this is would be to have one of the mammary glands biopsied and the tissue sent away for histopathology.  It could be a completely treatable condition, but until you know what it is, the vet won't know how to treat it.

If you feel the vet you saw was not as experienced with rabbits as you would hope, then you may be able to find another one here for a second opinion:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana