Bunny bald patches? UD Fleas???

newbabybuns said:

I think I have just found two fleas on Lola!!! OMG, slightly freaking out now, I have never had fleas with them before and not sure what to do. MightyMax I think you were right! I am guessing this has came in with the hay in which case I am in a dilemma as we really love that 2013 Timothy hay batch and I think they said they had to scrap the 2015.

These things were definitely bigger than regular mites, very visible and running through the fur, I picked them out and they hopped in my hand. She now has patches of little black bits in places all over her fur (close to the skin) that I did not see before. I am guessing this is flea dirt??

She had a dose of Ivermectin last Wednesday and was due back for a second dose two weeks later, is this treatment effective on fleas?? we were thinking and treating if it was just tiny mites before. And how have they survived that first dose, these were fairly big. Maybe new ones??

I am also now worried her vacs are overdue, I didn't take her while she had ongoing issues with very mushy ceacals. Can they catch things from fleas?

Sorry so many questions, I think this time of night was not the best time to discover it, my mind is racing. Lola was an absolute little sweetie though, as I was going through her fur she was grooming my arm

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newbabybuns said:

Thank you Jane, I went off on a googling spree last night, think I dreamt about fleas! I woke my OH up at 4am telling him I was going to research life cycles of fleas today :lol: When the vets reopen I will call to ask about a change of treatment plan to advantage in the link. I wonder how quickly he can vaccinate her too if she is having treatment for something else?

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MightyMax said:

I'm sorry to hear this, but please don't panic!

Advantage is the treatment of choice for rabbits, but there are other treatments which can be just as/more effective, so speak to your vet and see what they prefer to give. Some folk on here have found that Advantage doesn't work quite as well as other treatments, and it can also irritate the skin. Your vet will have all the info

Good luck! xx

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MightyMax said:

If it were my rabbit, I wouldn't have her vaccinated whilst undergoing a treatment for mites or fleas. Just too much for the immune system to cope with, and you don't want to court further troubles :shock:

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newbabybuns said:

That is exactly what I did do, panic!! :lol: I have checked Cookie (who lives in a different room - was about to try Lola out there with her in Frankies old pen, but have postponed this!) and Cookie seems fine so far. I have a new theory in how they got in, when I looked after one of my neighbours cats I saw something flea like in their mat with their food on when I was sat down on the floor with them and both cats were scratching like mad. I also have been in their house recently. Maybe I brought it in on me and as Lola is in the main house she had more chance of one finding its way onto her.

Lola's fur is so fine and soft, it is tricky to get the little blighters out, but she is enjoying the extra grooming luckily

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daphnephoebe said:

It is possible to bring them in on your clothes etc.

It would be worth treating the house for fleas to prevent re-infestation once you have the buns treated (I'd treat both, even though one is only showing signs & treat whole house). I always recommend indorex ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Virbac-02-4...9293&sr=8-1&keywords=indorex+flea+spray+500ml ) one can will easily do a three/four bedroom house.

Hoover thoroughly first to encourage the eggs to hatch our - spray the room and leave all doors/windows shut half hour, then allow the room to air for half hour before using it as normal (either remove fish tanks from room or cover with thick blanket/towel). you can use it on mattresses too

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MightyMax said:

Yes I was reluctant to believe it was the hay, and I was going to advise not throwing it out ...

What did the vet say?

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newbabybuns said:

Oh gosh, it sounds like it is going to be a big task to get rid of, especially as my house is currently ram packed with things everywhere. Luckily we were going to rip the carpet up and replace with a wooden floor so that should help! I will ask the vet about the Indorex, they may sell it there perhaps.



I remember we had a conversation trying to work out what it was, he asked me if I had seen anything jump on us, I hadn't, just little mites in the hay dust that didn't jump so we blamed the hay. They reopen tomorrow so I will call and ask what the best thing is to do. She had Ivermectin on Wednesday, but these ones I have pulled off her today are big, I have not seen anything dead on her at all so I am guessing it hasn't worked. Would it be too soon to use Advantage after the Ivermectin do you think?

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MightyMax said:

I should see what your vet advises. You need to get on top of the flea problem asap, so if he gives the go ahead, then it should be OK. As I mentioned earlier, I wouldn't do any vaccinations right now ....

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newbabybuns said:

No I will definitely wait for the vacs. When she had the combi vac the past two times it has made her eyelids go red and swell a little so definitely don't want to overload her system. I have spent hours and hours today going through her fur, thinking if at least I can find and pull some out then it is less chance of one infecting her (hopefully they haven't already) I am mad with myself for not thinking about vacs when I got her tummy back to normal. I've just been so distracted recently I hope everything is well with you and your bunnies xx

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Jbun said:

Here in the US vets will often treat fleas on rabbits using Revolution/Stronghold(selamectin). It also has the added benefit of taking care of any mites as well, which Advantage won't.

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