Dwarf Rabbit- Chewing his legs

Question
Hi .. I've had Bonhomme for a year now .. He's been having diarhea for awhile on and off ... He's been very cranky.. he usually never bites and now he is ... he's not pooping or peeing in his litter box... he'll do it anywheres in the house .. which is very frustrating... He keeps chewing his leg.. It's red & there's a lump on it ... He's been chewing so much that it started bleeding .. we washed it with salt water but we dont know if we can wash it with antibacterial stuff or not? .. Could you please help me?

Answer
Dear Natalie,

The bump on his leg could be an abscess or a tumor, but it's obviously causing him enough pain to make him cranky and miserable.  Please don't try to treat this at home any more.  You don't even know what it is, and a good rabbit vet can help by properly diagnosing and treating the problem.  You can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The behavior problems may or may not be related to his leg bump.  Dwarf rabbits are also prone to painful molar spurs, which also can cause enough stress to elicit GI tract slowdown and resulting cecal dysbiosis.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

for possible causes of the mushy stool, and this:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

for more on common dental problems.  Diet is another common culprit in these instances.  Please check here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

to be sure you're feeding him correctly.

Hope this helps!

Dana