Mastitis in Rabbits: Infectious Mammary Gland Infection in Nursing Does
- Mastitis is inflammation and usually bacterial infection of one or more mammary glands, most often in a nursing doe or a doe with pseudopregnancy.
- Common signs include a hot, swollen, painful mammary gland, red or purple skin, abnormal milk or discharge, reduced appetite, lethargy, and weak or dying kits.
- See your vet promptly if you notice mammary swelling. Same-day care is important if your rabbit seems painful, stops eating, has fever, or the gland looks dark, bruised, or draining.
- Diagnosis may include a physical exam, cytology or culture of milk or discharge, and bloodwork if your vet is concerned about systemic infection.
- Treatment options range from exam, pain control, and antibiotics to abscess care, hospitalization, or surgery in severe or recurrent cases.
What Is Mastitis in Rabbits?
Mastitis is inflammation of the mammary glands. In rabbits, it most often affects lactating does, but it can also happen during pseudopregnancy or after trauma to the nipples and surrounding skin. In many cases, bacteria enter the gland through nursing-related irritation or small skin breaks, leading to a painful infection.
A rabbit with mastitis may have one affected gland or several. The gland can become firm, warm, swollen, and tender, and the skin may look red, dark pink, or even bluish in severe cases. Some rabbits stay bright early on, while others become quiet, stop eating, or develop signs of a more serious body-wide infection.
This condition matters for both the doe and her kits. A painful infected gland can reduce milk flow, and infected milk or poor nursing can leave kits weak, dehydrated, or fading. Early veterinary care often improves comfort and lowers the risk of abscess formation, tissue damage, or spread of infection.
Symptoms of Mastitis in Rabbits
- One or more mammary glands that are swollen, firm, hot, or painful to the touch
- Red, pink, purple, or bluish discoloration over the gland
- Abnormal milk or teat discharge, including thick, bloody, clotted, or pus-like fluid
- Reluctance to let kits nurse or obvious pain when the abdomen is touched
- Reduced appetite, hiding, lethargy, or decreased fecal output
- Fever, dehydration, or weakness in more serious infections
- Abscess-like lumps or draining tracts near the mammary chain
- Kits that are crying, thin, chilled, weak, or dying because they are not nursing well
Mild cases may start with one enlarged gland and a rabbit that still seems fairly normal. More serious cases can progress quickly, especially if the gland becomes very painful, dark, or starts to drain. See your vet the same day if your rabbit is not eating, seems weak, has multiple affected glands, or if the kits are failing to thrive.
What Causes Mastitis in Rabbits?
Most infectious mastitis in rabbits is caused by bacteria entering the mammary gland. Veterinary references commonly describe Staphylococcus aureus as an important rabbit pathogen, and mastitis is especially noted in nursing does and heavy milkers. Other bacteria can also be involved, including organisms that normally live on the skin or in the environment.
The infection often starts when the teat or nearby skin is irritated or damaged. Nursing trauma, scratches from kits, abrasive bedding or wire surfaces, damp or dirty nesting areas, and poor sanitation can all make infection more likely. Mastitis may also follow milk stasis, where milk is not removed normally, or occur during pseudopregnancy when the mammary tissue is active even without a litter.
Some rabbits develop localized abscesses, while others become systemically ill if bacteria spread beyond the gland. Recurrent mammary problems can also raise concern for cystic changes or, less commonly, mammary tumors, so persistent swelling should not be assumed to be a routine nursing issue.
How Is Mastitis in Rabbits Diagnosed?
Your vet will start with a physical exam and a careful history. They will want to know whether your rabbit recently kindled, is nursing, has shown nesting behavior without pregnancy, or has had changes in appetite, stool output, or kit survival. On exam, your vet may find a gland that is enlarged, warm, painful, discolored, or producing abnormal discharge.
To confirm infection and guide treatment, your vet may recommend sampling milk or discharge for cytology and bacterial culture with susceptibility testing. This helps identify the organism and which antibiotics are more likely to work. If the swelling is unusual, chronic, or not clearly infectious, fine-needle aspiration or other sampling may be used to help distinguish mastitis from an abscess, cystic change, or mammary tumor.
Bloodwork is often considered when a rabbit seems lethargic, feverish, dehydrated, or has stopped eating, because rabbits can become unstable quickly when pain and infection trigger gut slowdown. In some cases, your vet may also recommend imaging or additional reproductive workup if there is concern about concurrent uterine or ovarian disease.
Treatment Options for Mastitis in Rabbits
Spectrum of Care means you have options. Here are treatment tiers at different price points.
Budget-Conscious Care
- Office exam with mammary gland assessment
- Rabbit-safe pain control prescribed by your vet
- Empirical antibiotic plan when infection is strongly suspected
- Home monitoring of appetite, stool output, hydration, and kit nursing
- Nest hygiene and bedding changes to reduce re-exposure
Recommended Standard Treatment
- Exam plus weight, temperature, and hydration assessment
- Cytology and/or bacterial culture of milk or discharge
- Targeted antibiotics based on likely or confirmed bacteria
- Pain control and supportive feeding plan if appetite is reduced
- Recheck exam to confirm the gland is shrinking and the rabbit is improving
Advanced / Critical Care
- Hospitalization for fluids, assisted feeding, and close monitoring
- Bloodwork and additional diagnostics for systemic illness
- Abscess management, wound care, or surgical treatment when tissue is severely damaged
- Advanced pain control and intensive GI support if gut stasis is present
- Discussion of spay and mammary surgery in severe, chronic, recurrent, or cystic cases
Cost estimates as of 2026-03. Actual costs vary by location, clinic, and individual case.
Questions to Ask Your Vet About Mastitis in Rabbits
Bring these questions to your vet appointment to get the most out of your visit.
- You can ask your vet whether this looks like infectious mastitis, an abscess, cystic change, or another mammary problem.
- You can ask your vet if a culture or cytology sample would help choose the safest and most effective treatment.
- You can ask your vet how to monitor appetite, stool output, hydration, and pain at home during recovery.
- You can ask your vet whether the kits should continue nursing, need supplemental feeding, or should be managed differently.
- You can ask your vet what warning signs mean the infection may be spreading or turning into an emergency.
- You can ask your vet whether this rabbit has risk factors such as pseudopregnancy, milk stasis, trauma, or poor nest hygiene.
- You can ask your vet if a recheck is needed to make sure the gland is healing and not forming an abscess.
- You can ask your vet whether recurrent mammary disease changes the discussion about spaying or surgery.
How to Prevent Mastitis in Rabbits
Prevention starts with clean, dry housing and careful postpartum monitoring. Nesting material should stay as clean and dry as possible, and damp, soiled bedding should be replaced promptly. Good sanitation helps reduce bacterial exposure, especially during the nursing period when the mammary glands are active and more vulnerable.
Check a nursing doe daily for mammary swelling, heat, pain, or skin changes. Early detection matters. Also watch the kits: hungry, chilled, or fading kits can be the first clue that nursing is not going well. If your rabbit has sore skin, scratches, or rough flooring that may be irritating the underside, ask your vet how to reduce trauma safely.
Avoid abrupt management changes that may contribute to milk stasis, and talk with your vet if your rabbit has repeated pseudopregnancy, recurrent mammary swelling, or chronic reproductive issues. In some rabbits, addressing underlying reproductive disease and discussing spay timing may be part of long-term prevention.