Fur loss / Ivermectin advice? U/D - Been to vets

I am concerned for my bun!

Just before he had his myxi jab, Thor seemed to have problems with itchy ears, so I asked the vet to check him for ear mites. There weren't any visible but he had a little discharge, so he was prescribed some ear drops.

When I took him back two weeks later for the VHD jab, his ears were lovely and clean from the drops (which he hated!) but he was getting little bare patches on the outside of his ears, so I asked if it was possibly fur mites instead.

The vet didn't want to take any action straight away because of possible interactions with the VHD jab, and said that the loss might have been due to previous scratching, or may just be his new coat growing in.
The vet asked me to check on him in a week (last Wednesday) for further fur loss and to treat with Ivermectin, available from them or online, if it kept going, and said either way he didn't need to come back.

Well, it kept going quite dramatically! The bare patches on his ears have got bigger and it's spread down the back of his neck to his back.

I treated him last Wednesday with Beaphar Anti-Parasite Spot On, which is two 150µg pipettes of Ivermectin (according to his weight). He still seems a little itchy though.
A few questions:

1) How will I know if the treatment has been successful?
2) When will the fur start growing back in?
3) His skin where the bald patches are looks quite inflamed, what can I use to soothe his skin?

Many thanks for your help!

Its usually obvious when a rabbit has a suface mite infection as occasionally you can see the mites in the fur or, more commonly the fur falls away ion clumps with white/yellowish powder stuck the the fur and skin (hence the name 'walking dandruff' for mites). Fur mites are usually most obvious running along the spine. Burrowing mites are harder to see and a skin scraping will be required. They tend to be harder to eradicate.

In severe cases your vets may give ivermectin by injection, usually 2/3 shots, a couple of weeks apart.

Is there any sign of powdery residue, is he scratching himself? How long has this been going on for?

Has your vet ruled ringworm out?

Teatree oil is good for soothing inflammed skin.

Thanks for replying!

I think he is going to have to go back to the vets, there doesn't seem to have been any improvement and he is still scratching a bit.
It's been going on for the past few weeks.
There's no sign of residue or visible mites and the vet didn't mention ringworm, I'll ask them about that.

Thanks for the tea tree oil tip, do you just dilute it with a carrier oil and apply with cotton wool? I tried this with lavender oil but it didn't really help the redness, he just seemed quite offended!

Just one more question - in the meantime, what measures can I take to treat his surroundings? He's a house bun, so do I have to do anything special to the carpets?

Its hard to give specific advice until you know what your dealing with, but generally I would keep him away from other animals incase it is mites as the do spread.

Clean his hutch throughly every week and dispose of all dirty bedding immediately.

Ringworm tend to present as small circular patches of missing fur. I would ask the vet to take a skin scraping as thats the only real way to identify/rule out a possible parasitic infecstation.

Just thought, Aloe Vera gel may be a better option for applying to the skin.

I have plenty of aloe vera because my mother has fallen prey to a multi-level marketing scheme and she brings me a new tube every time she visits! :roll: Do you use it safely on your rabbits then? I'd considered it but then I saw aloe vera on a rabbit-toxic plant list so I thought the gel might not be OK.

I disinfect his cage every other day; his bedding consists of bath mats and towels which I've been putting in the wash at higher temperatures since he's been itching so hopefully that should keep his environment under control.

I'll see what the vet says when I go, thanks loads for your responses! I feel a little more reassured now

OK well the vet gave him an injection of Ivomec and to come back in two weeks' time. He said that mites were the most likely candidate, although he couldn't see any in the swab, and that if there was no improvement he'd see whether it was fungal (although it doesn't look that way).

In the meantime his fur does appear to be growing back in although he is a little dandruffy and itchy still, so fingers crossed for a rapid recovery! :bunny:

BTW, the vet said it had been a very rabbity afternoon as a rescue lady had been in! It wasn't Sooz by any chance? (Hunters Bar Vets Clinic)

Hi,

Glad your bun is on the mend....just a tip. Never apply lavender oil to your rabbit, whether it is mixed with a carrier or undiluted.

I know a rescue owner who does this often to help bond bunnies, yet when she put some on a foster bunny I was pairing up, the rabbit had a severe adverse reaction. Lavender is a skin irritant and because of the constant grooming the poor bunny did to try and soothe her skin she ingested the fur and practically destroyed her stomach lining. She lost all of the fur on her back and neck and was lucky not to have sustained liver damage. My vet hit the roof when she discovered lavender oil had been used, double checked with the poisons department who confirmed it is toxic to rabbits. You may have some that don't react at all but it only takes one exception!!

applebed said:

OK well the vet gave him an injection of Ivomec and to come back in two weeks' time. He said that mites were the most likely candidate, although he couldn't see any in the swab, and that if there was no improvement he'd see whether it was fungal (although it doesn't look that way).

In the meantime his fur does appear to be growing back in although he is a little dandruffy and itchy still, so fingers crossed for a rapid recovery! :bunny:

BTW, the vet said it had been a very rabbity afternoon as a rescue lady had been in! It wasn't Sooz by any chance? (Hunters Bar Vets Clinic)

Click to expand...

Yes it was me, I took Inca (who had been neutered and had his incisors removed) in for his post-op check.

Im guessing you saw Rob? The fact it is 'dandruffy' sounds very much like mites to me.

charlie82 said:

You may have some that don't react at all but it only takes one exception!!

Click to expand...

Wow thanks! Phew, I'm glad I only used the *tiniest* amount to see how he'd go. I thought that because some places sell rabbit stuff with lavender in, and that they can eat lavender (according to some safe lists) it might be OK, but evidently I was wrong!

Yes Sooz I saw Rob, though it was Anita who I saw last time! Small world eh?

It is indeed. I never seem to see other rabbit owners in there though, about twice in 3 years and Im there at least twice a week.

Both Rob & Anita are fantastic vets, you've got a great surgery there

I avoid seeing John though, but thats a whole other story :?