Case report: Bilateral symmetrical alopecia in an unaltered
rabbit
Kim Chilson
(Thank you for the permission to use the following text and
pictures)
Warning: this
file contains pictures that may be distressing to some persons
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Vince is a long haired black
rabbit, 8 months old, not yet neutered (I have had him since June 2009). He
shares a gate with my rabbit Grizelda, the one with
the broken pelvis and leg, and heavy fur mat. Vince is very interested in her
of course.
Last week Sunday (Nov. 8,
2009), my daughter groomed him. The long gray fuzzy fur came off very easily,
and when she was done, he had a band of bare skin around both sides. There
was fur showing through on the top already growing under the longer shed fur;
but the sides were naked. He shed like this one other time. When the fur came out that
night and the next days he had pink soft skin, nothing odd except it was
hairless...and he had chewed a little red spot on the left shoulder....
Within a few days, I noticed
some redness where he had been chewing more. By Saturday, he had visible
chafing along the sides, mostly on the ridges of the wrinkles formed when he
turns to groom. Today, it is a bit more severe. I took photos at vets, but
they do not show too well the irritation. I thought it might be mites,
although I figured the skin would have looked like that at the very first
when the fur came out. Which it did not. I wonder if the loss of fur can
contribute to less sebum on skin, and also, I know he gets excited by the
other rabbits (not just Grizelda) and chews from
excitement. Left side view
Right side view
Top
view of bilateral alopecia
I took my little Vince rabbit
to have a pre-neuter visit with Dr. B. Langhofer (The
Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic Scottsdale, Scottdale,
AZ, USA) this afternoon. Vince is fine. Dr. Langhofer thought it might
be from what he called "Male
frustration grooming" and did not think it was mites. The
ears are clear, as is the skin that is furred over the back. The bare patches
look pretty sore. He is going in to be neutered tomorrow at 11 am. Bilateral alopecia Rarely, symmetrical bilateral
alopecia is observed in a rabbit. Due to the scarcity of the cases, and few
veterinary publications on this topic in rabbits, the problem is often
misdiagnosed. In another male rabbit:
Courtesy
of Louise Geddes Scleroderma-like lesions were
reported in an unaltered 6-year old male rabbit. The skin presented redness,
thickening and induration, with growth of nodules.
In addition, Leydig cell tumors were observed in
the testicles. Serum level of testosterone was elevated. Since castration brought improvement of the
observed clinical signs, it is speculated that the skin condition was linked
to the elevated level of circulating androgen hormones. In non-spayed female rabbits, symmetrical bilateral alopecia
may be associated to a hormonal disorder caused by ovarian diseases. In
various animal species, hyperestrogenism is
accompanied by fur thinning in the urogenital region. The mammary glands and
vulva may appear swollen. If radiography does not show the presence of tumors
in other organs or lungs, an emergency ovariohysterectomy may
help the rabbit regain health. In one case, symmetrical bilateral alopecia has
been linked to thymoma, the growth of a benign tumor in the thymus gland,
located in the upper chest. The skin showed features typical of exfoliative
dermatitis and labored breathing. Treatment There
is no known cure available for scleroderma-like symptoms in unaltered male
rabbits, other than castration.
For detailed
information on hormonal skin disorders in rabbits, see:
“Skin
Diseases of Rabbits”, by E. van Praag, A. Maurer and T. Saarony 408
pages, 2010.
Further readings 1. Florizoone K,
van der Luer R, van den Ingh
T. Symmetrical alopecia, scaling and hepatitis in a rabbit. Vet Dermatol. 2007 Jun;18(3):161-4. 2. Kojimoto A, Naitoh H, Ozaki S, Suzuki S, Murakoshi
N, Yokota K, Uchida K. A scleroderma-like lesion in a rabbit with Leydig cell tumors. Jap J Vet Anesthesia & Surgery
2006;37:39-42. |
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Thank you to Vince for
his patience and his cooperation in taking the numerous pictures.
e-mail: info@medirabbit.com
