Infection

[DorothyTheMiniSatinBun]

What are the signs of infection in a rabbit and how long do these signs or symptoms take to appear?

I cut Dorothy’s nail too short last night, and she bled A LOT  I used some styptic powder, but it still took a long time to close up (maybe like 15-20 minutes), and she ran around in this time, licking her nail and re-opening the wound. I tried to clean her pen up as much as I could after we eventually closed up her nail, but I was wondering what to look for in the rare case her back paw does get infected? Thanks.

[Bam]

I’d first of all keep an eye on the foot and toe and how your bunny moves around. Infections generally start as swelling and pain locally.

It’s very unlikely that your bun will get an infection though. That it bled profusely is actually a good thing, the blood washes away bacteria and also contains factors that help with healing.

It’s very scary to cut into the quick of an animal’s nail, but it’s something most pet owners have done one time or another. Complications are very rare.

[DorothyTheMiniSatinBun]

Thank you bam, I feel a lot better. I was so surprised to see that much blood! She is moving around great today, which is reassuring because last night she seemed a lot more lethargic than normal, but then again maybe she was just worn out from all the stress of getting her nails trimmed and also from me cutting the quick!

[LBJ10]

I agree. An infection would start locally so you would see pain, redness and swelling in the offending toe. But, like Bam said, infections from a toenail being cut too short are rare.

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