My rabbit has scabs on its nose. What could it be and how to treat?

Question

Hello! About 6 weeks ago I got a new Mini Rex doe rabbit. A couple of weeks later I noticed she had a scab on her nose. I contacted several other rabbit owners and they said it looked like vent disease. I checked my other rabbits and they have it as well. So I treated them with penicillin (for about 4 weeks) but the scabs had just gotten bigger. Their behavior is normal (eating and drinking fine). I attached a picture. Do you know what it is? How do I treat it? Is it lethal? Thanks so much! Pet's info: Small Animal | Rabbit | Female | unspayed | 5 months and 7 days old | 4 lbs

Penelope Graben, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello! This picture does look suspicious for vent disease or possibly ringworm. Vent disease is usually treated with Penicillin, but it doesn't look like it's gotten any better. It may not cured because of using too low of a dose, which can lead to antibiotic resistance and a more difficult infection to treat. This may require that a different antibiotic or a higher dose of the same one is used. If the infection is ringworm, which is another round skin lesion that commonly affects rabbit's faces and is contagious, it will only respond to anti-fungal medication, so antibiotics will not be useful. Ringworm can spread to people as well, but is fairly easily treated. Sometimes, skin mites can cause small lesions of baldness like this. We generally use puppy/kitten Revolution (flea product that also treats mites) on rabbits when we are suspicious of this. It is a very safe product, so an easy treatment to try. I would recommend a vet visit to be totally sure of what you're treating and what doses to use. I think that will get them the quickest recovery. I don't know of any fatal diseases in rabbits that present like this, so rest easy! I hope you find this helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

My rabbit has scabs on its nose. What could it be and how to treat?

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