Rabbit skin wound

Question
I have noticed a skin wound on our rabbit's hind thigh (about 1" long). It does not appear to be bleeding. I recently gave her a shallow bath (1") with baby shampoo. We have had her 2 1/2 years and have never bathed her. I hope the shampoo did not react with her skin. The rabbit is kept indoors. Can you offer advise regarding her condition?

Thanks.

Answer
Dear James,

Is the skin actually torn open, revealing underlying muscle and tissue?  Rabbit skin is *very* thin and easily torn, so if you stretched her skin during the bath, it might well have torn, especially if you were using a comb or other tool.

First, rabbits should *never* be bathed.  It can cause very serious stress reactions, and I have known of rabbits to actually die from being bathed.  Please go here for more information:

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

Without seeing the wound, I cannot really advise you about what to do except to say "Take her to a good rabbit vet!" whom you can find here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If the wound is shallow, and not all the way through the skin, thoroughly disinfect with povidone iodine, and keep an eye on it to be sure nothing becomes infected.  But if it's an open wound, it's best to get her to the vet for proper treatment, which might be as simple as shaving the area and closing the skin with surgical glue--or as unfortunate as having it sutured shut (if it's in a high-tension location).

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana