Community educational stories for pet lovers, sponsored by  AsiaHomes Internet  

The rhino-horned rabbit was bleeding

"Where's the bleeding from?" I asked Nurse Ann. Ten bright red blood smeared the newspapers lining the floor of the cage and merged to form a big mess overnight for the past three nights. Was the rabbit bleeding to death? A dead patient was not good for the reputation of any veterinary practice. 

When I lifted the rabbit by the scruff of her neck, there was no drop of blood on her body. There were two foot sores as big as a one-cent coin but they were clean and there was no drop of redness.

"The rabbit must be bleeding from the "rhino" nose when she rubbed it as it would be itchy." Nurse Ann speculated. "The conical crusty horn is still sticking up nine days after your anti-sarcoptic-mange injection." 

Usually it took 7 days for the crusty skin to fall off, but this was taking a longer time. The rabbit was skinny and I had given it a lower dose of the anti-mite injection as it was weak and might just die after the injection. A dead rabbit would sadden the owners and ruin a veterinary reputation no matter what explanation would be given. 

The death of a beloved companion rejects any explanation of the risks of treating a rabbit suffering from several months of stress from the attack of Sarcoptic Mange mites and bacteria. The mites were mating profusely on the skin surface. The female mites tunnel inside the skin, creating multiple channels and producing eggs. The young hatch and goes to the skin surface, feed on the serum produced as a result of skin mutilation from constant scratching. They mature and mate and repeat the cycle.

 Usually one anti-mite injection will eliminate the mites and new skin would re-grow in 7 days' time. In this rabbit, there was bleeding seen on the newspaper for the past three days.

What caused this bleeding? Every time, I examined the rabbit, she had no bleeding spots. Her body was cleaned as she was a fastidious groomer. The silent type. No emotions. No expression of joy in seeing Nurse Ann or me. Stoic in her suffering from the intense itch caused by several thousands of skin mites tunnelling in her body. 

I had to catch her before the bleeding. I managed to find the source of bleeding. It was actually the foot sores on the underside of both feet. Red rings of blood not licked off by the rabbit shone when I grasped her neck and put her upside down in the afternoon. 

The rabbit was kept in a small cage. The mites on the floor of the cage might have invaded the areas, caused intense itchiness and the rabbit would have tried to relieve the itch by licking the sores. 

 Should I cover up the sores below the feet or leave them open so that the oxygen in the air would prevent the proliferation of the anaerobic bacteria from infecting the deeper part of the wound? 

I did not give any antibiotic injection as the rabbit was strong enough to fight against the infection. She was less itchy. Nurse Ann hand fed the rabbit earlier as the big nose and mouth crust caused pain and the rabbit had stopped eating in the first three days.

I decided to expose the wounds so that they would heal better in this hot and humid climate. 





The rabbit eliminated most of the mites after ten days. We felt relieved when the huge pointed "rhino" nose fell off. New healthy skin, pink and shiny grew to replace the diseased cells. 

 The owners were not aware that the rabbit was suffering from a sarcoptic mange infestation but they were kind enough to get her treated instead of putting her to sleep. Huge crusts on the ear edges, nose and paws were the areas favoured by the Sarcoptic Mange mites which could only be seen under the microscope after a skin scraping was done.  

The total veterinary and nursing cost for 16 days was one hundred and sixty dollars, but the young owners were caring to get this rabbit treated rather than be euthanased. 

"There is the risk of dying after the anti-mite injection," I warned the owners.

"Is there any other choice?"

"You can apply the smelly insecticide wash onto the crusty areas but the rabbit will lick off the insecticide and be poisoned by mouth. There is no other method of treatment more effective and cleaner than the anti-mite injection."

The owners understood the risks involved. Three injections were given to treat the mites, the bacteria and to reduce the itchiness. Could this rabbit die after the injections?  She was skin and bones. Fortunately, she did not pass away and over the next 14 days, she was almost healthy. She was sent home to celebrate the New Year.  

Buying a brand new rabbit will be a cheaper option and that will be what the older post-World War Two generation would do. However, younger Singaporeans are better educated and many don't abandon sick pets or replace them with new ones. 

See: Early Sarcoptic Mange in the Dog

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