ear wax lump at base of ear , vets advice worrying

Hello, ive searched the site but im still no wiser.
My 7 year old lop has a pea sized lump at base of his ear, inside. My vet strongly advised NOT to massage it or use ear drops as this can make things worse. I could push the wax the wrong way.
He said the only option is to operate and open the ear canal to the side. A big op and very painful apparently.
This is pretty upsetting
It is starting to bother him, it has grown within the last week.
My vet is a rabbit savvy exotics specialist and for nearly ten years he has been brilliant. But do you think his advice is a bit hasty?
Any advice would be great,
Laura

it depends what the lump is? because bisc had the same thing a while back and it was definitely wax so our vet recommended massage to loosen it and make it easier for bisc to remove himself. he did advise against drops or putting anything into the ear as this can make things worse. in the end he was in for something else and under a GA they were able to clear it out for him, although manually, not by an op.

of course if it's not just wax, and rather an abscess or something unknown at the moment then other tests and possibly an op may be needed and i would agree with not massaging it or anything at all incase it makes things worse.

if your vet is a rabbit specialist and experienced then i'd think they know what they're doing and advising. our specialist said they get alot of referrals for ear base abscesses from other vets because they think the newly formed wax is pus, but alot of the time it's 'just' a build up of wax. but i'm sure your vet knows the difference being a specialist. ours did also say though that sometimes wax does need more treatment at some stage like a sedation for it be removed properly.

pehaps discuss it all with them again?

eta: here's bisc's thread http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?440176-bisc-lump-at-base-of-ear-earwax-build-up not sure how much it will help but it's there anyway

eta again! - the way you massage it is important though. it has to be circular upward movements to send it the right way

Thanks for your reply! Yes i left a message for him to ask about antibiotics. How would he be able to tell if its wax or infection? As it is inside where you cant get to it.....
With bisc, could they only tell because he was under?

I worry that they are just trying to make money out of me but they have never done this before.

It just seems extreme to operate. He said he sees it alot in lops over five and that the problem will not right himself. Sounds like hes done the op lots of times. Its quite like plastic surgery I wish i could massage it but i wouldnt dare after being told not to.

I think you are right, i need to go back and ask the questions. I just want to be armed with knowledge first

This is the operation your Vet is referring to:

*WARNING- the following link contains graphic images of surgery*

http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/navc/2006/SAE/617.pdf?LA=1

My bunnies saw a rabbit specialist for their health checks a couple of months ago. Both Boo & Mouse (lop & lop cross) had a little wax in one ear each. We were advised if this got A LOT worse then it would require a surgical procedure to sort out. I didn't really ask any more but I remembered being surprised ear drops & massage were not discussed as solutions as I'd read about them on here. Questions for vets are of course always good. I don't believe there is any reason to suspect your specialist is trying to extract unnecessary money out of you though as he seems to be singing from the same hymn sheet as mine.

Pretty shocking isn't it , that a bit of ear wax can require such a procedure? All the best for you & your bunny.

Hi jacks jane. Thank you. Have any of your buns had this op? Or do you know of anyone? I wonder how routine this is. Pretty horrible. I feel sick at the prospect. Poor joe. Perhaps wax removed under aneasthetic first? He didnt seem to see this as an option though x

lauraandmike said:

Hi jacks jane. Thank you. Have any of your buns had this op? Or do you know of anyone? I wonder how routine this is. Pretty horrible. I feel sick at the prospect. Poor joe. Perhaps wax removed under aneasthetic first? He didnt seem to see this as an option though x

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First I'd try to establish from the Vet if it is an ear base abscess or if his ear canal is full of 'gunk'. From what you have said it sounds as though both may be involved. I have not had a Rabbit undergo an ear canal resection/ablation. I have had a Rabbit undergo ear canal cleaning under GA.

I would ask the Vet what diagnostics he proposes to run prior to going ahead with major surgery. Skull radiographs are certainly needed, a CT scan would be even better but may require a referral to a Specialist Hospital.

Has your Rabbit been prescribed any medication so far ?

Ok i will get booked in and see what he is willing to do before surgery. Is is possible to tell if it is gunk or wax without any anaesthetic or surgery? If it is both these things do you think surgery is the only option? Of course scans first, i will tell him what you have advised.
The vet hasnt given any medication or treatment as yet.

lauraandmike said:

Hi jacks jane. Thank you. Have any of your buns had this op? Or do you know of anyone? I wonder how routine this is. Pretty horrible. I feel sick at the prospect. Poor joe. Perhaps wax removed under aneasthetic first? He didnt seem to see this as an option though x

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I know of a couple of rabbits who have had this procedure, with a very savvy specialist. They have both done wonderfully well afterwards with no further issues.

However, as J&B suggested, more questions are necessary, and finding out exactly what the cause is (i.e. wax or abscess) is essential. Your vet should be able to advise on this one, much more so than anyone on here

If it's an abscess, then it might be worth asking about injectible Depocillin or some other penetrating antibiotic.

Good luck xx

Oh and the best for your bunnies as well! How are their ears at the mo, do they have lumps? Joe is itching his ear carefully, not with his usual gusto, but eating and chasing me and undoing my shoelaces as normal!
Yes it is shocking what problems a bit of wax and floppy ears can cause.
I have read lots about drops and massages, wish it was that simple

That is good to know!! Thanks for posting mightymax. He is a brilliant vet and is well known for his love of bunnies.
I would like to know how he can tell though, would he have to take a culture? Not sure how he would get it out , oh dear ....

lauraandmike said:

Thanks for your reply! Yes i left a message for him to ask about antibiotics. How would he be able to tell if its wax or infection? As it is inside where you cant get to it.....
With bisc, could they only tell because he was under?

I worry that they are just trying to make money out of me but they have never done this before.

It just seems extreme to operate. He said he sees it alot in lops over five and that the problem will not right himself. Sounds like hes done the op lots of times. Its quite like plastic surgery I wish i could massage it but i wouldnt dare after being told not to.

I think you are right, i need to go back and ask the questions. I just want to be armed with knowledge first

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usually an infection inside will be obvious, or other symptoms the rabbit has may point to it. bisc would shake his head a bit and scratch the ear alot. the vet looked inside (during the consult) and there was nothing to suggest an infection, however he did say i had to keep a very close eye on it because it can become more serious. so your vet might think it's at that stage already where the risks of it becoming more are higher and so cleaning the ear out is the best option. the way you talk about the vets, i don't think they sound like they would try and make money out of you at the expense of putting your rabbit through an op.

it sounds like your rabbit has the build up deeper inside possibly.

bisc is a lop aswell and our vet also said the same, that they see this alot in lops because the wax can gather where the ears bend. he always likens it to if you bent a straw - the ear canal is squashed in those places.

it's never nice knowing your rabbit needs an op though, even if you have a good vet x

Yes i think theres a proper build up. Poor little chap. Ill take him back this week and have a discussion.

The vet did say leave it for now, until it seems to bother him. During the last two days seems to have got worse. New wax cant get out i guess.

I deal very badly when the rabbits are ill and go in to some kind of panic mode, i couldnt eat the lunch i made! Eeurrgh

lauraandmike said:

Yes i think theres a proper build up. Poor little chap. Ill take him back this week and have a discussion.

The vet did say leave it for now, until it seems to bother him. During the last two days seems to have got worse. New wax cant get out i guess.

I deal very badly when the rabbits are ill and go in to some kind of panic mode, i couldnt eat the lunch i made! Eeurrgh

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I'm the same under stress. Wishing you lots of luck and good vibes xx

it is hard to deal with the worry and stress when they're not right. hopefully things will be clearer in your head after another chat with the vet x

You need to discover whether this is a abcsess causing a growing lump (of pus) or as you seem to suggest wax - they are very very different. The operation is the best thing if its a large lump that is beginning to swell at the very very base of the ear - as Jack's Janes pictures show.

Hi everyone thanks so much for your support! Been back to vets, hes going for a CT scan. Then op from there. Jane your advice was spot on.

Complications of facial paralysis etc. If theres anyone on here whos gone through this please get in touch. I have insurance to cover it but is it fair to put him through it?

Facial paralysis is always highlighted as one of the risks - but I have had three buns with ops that have this as a possible complication - and it has never happened. They just have to warn you about it. TBH I have also had buns with facial paralysis (usually caused by inner ear infection and never anything to do with ops) and they were fine.

lauraandmike said:

Hi everyone thanks so much for your support! Been back to vets, hes going for a CT scan. Then op from there. Jane your advice was spot on.

Complications of facial paralysis etc. If theres anyone on here whos gone through this please get in touch. I have insurance to cover it but is it fair to put him through it?

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I dont think anyone can advise you as to whether to embark on invasive treatment. Each case needs to be judged individually. For some Rabbits invasive treatment may be appropriate, for others it may not. So far I have always opted for palliative care rather than invasive treatment. The surgery is pretty radical. However, I am not saying that I would never consider the surgical option if it were thought to be appropriate for a specific Rabbit.

I always try to bear in mine that just because a lot of high tech/invasive treatment may be surgically possible it is not always right to do it. There is usually a myriad of issues that need to be taken into account when deciding the best way forward for an individual Rabbit.

I wish your Rabbit well whatever you decide to do xx

lauraandmike said:

Hi everyone thanks so much for your support! Been back to vets, hes going for a CT scan. Then op from there. Jane your advice was spot on.

Complications of facial paralysis etc. If theres anyone on here whos gone through this please get in touch. I have insurance to cover it but is it fair to put him through it?

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Perhaps the CT scan will throw further light on the situation, and help you and the vet decide. When is that scheduled for?

It's a hard decision for you to take. When things like this happen I usually have two conversations with my specialist (not my usual vet) because during the second conversation we sometimes have a new viewpoint on whether to tackle invasive surgery or not.