How to Identify A Growth In a Rabbit's Ear

by Crystal
(New York)

Reader Question:My pet rabbit whom is about 5 years old appears to have some sort of growth in his ear? Not sure what it is and I would like to know if anybody can figure out what it is. Please answer my question ASAP.

This growth is in his lower left ear. It has been exactly like that for several weeks, because I have been treating it thinking it was ear mites, but now I'm not so sure. He behaves normally, he still eats, drinks, and poops normally. He also doesn't seem to have hearing loss in said ear.

(Also, the rest of the ear looks entirely normal, except for the infected area)

Vet Suggestion for Treating A Growth in a Rabbit Ear

Hi Crystal,

To determine what the growth in your rabbit’s ear is, a veterinarian will need to take a tissue sample and send it to a pathologist for evaluation. Sometimes this can be done using just a needle and syringe and placing the cell sample on a glass microscope slide. At other times a larger piece of tissue is required.

If the mass is attached to the ear by a narrow stalk, the veterinarian may choose to remove the whole thing and send it off for identification. If, however, the surgery looks like it could be rather complicated, many veterinarians will choose to first biopsy the mass and wait for the pathologist’s report to tell them what it is. In this way, the doctor can be sure that surgery is truly in the patient’s best interest and plan the best way to proceed.

Good luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM

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