Rosie - is this just dry skin? U/D after vets

I think I must have been looking in the wrong place last night as the area looks just as flaky today. We're going to keep the appointment tonight and see what vet says (should be the one we thought we were seeing yesterday ). Rosie is fine in herself but I am finding the constant trying to do the right thing for them both very stressful.

martlou said:

I think I must have been looking in the wrong place last night as the area looks just as flaky today. We're going to keep the appointment tonight and see what vet says (should be the one we thought we were seeing yesterday ). Rosie is fine in herself but I am finding the constant trying to do the right thing for them both very stressful.

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I am sure. Plus whilst at times it can be useful to hear of various opinions on here in the end it can sometimes become a case of information overload. At the end of the day (urgh, I hate that saying !!) the best thing is to have a Vet we feel able to trust. Not one that we feel we cannot ask questions of, but one we know will always try to do what is best for our Rabbit. It sounds as though your Vets were fine about you questioning the prescribed treatment and agreed to you giving Ivermectin instead.

Most people who post in health do so to try to offer support, but none of us are qualified in Veterinary Medicine (not these days anyway, sadly our Vet members dont have time to post any more), so finding a Vet we can trust is always going to be the most help.

So try not to get stressed about Rosie's latest issue. She sounds to be feeling fine in herself at the moment and if she does have mites a course of Ivermectin should sort that out for her It may help to give her a daily groom as older arthritic Bunnies can find grooming themselves a bit tricky at times. That can lead to a predisposition toward mites xx

martlou said:

I think I must have been looking in the wrong place last night as the area looks just as flaky today. We're going to keep the appointment tonight and see what vet says (should be the one we thought we were seeing yesterday ). Rosie is fine in herself but I am finding the constant trying to do the right thing for them both very stressful.

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Yes, you do try very hard and it becomes quite wearing over time. Especially when it appears to be one thing after another.

I should take the advice of a good vet and stick with trusted advice. Sometimes listening to all and sundry can make your head spin!
I hope you get to see your preferred vet this evening.

Good luck lou xx

Thank you both, we do really appreciate the support. If I feel able I'll discuss with the vet tonight about why they appear to have a preference for the Xenex (especially if they keep ivermectin anyway).

We've been brushing Rosie everyday for a while now. She seems to like it and the birds will have some lovely nests round here as we're pushing her fur into an empty plastic bottle which martyn has hung in a tree and rigged up with a little perch so small birds can get it.

martlou said:

Thank you both, we do really appreciate the support. If I feel able I'll discuss with the vet tonight about why they appear to have a preference for the Xenex (especially if they keep ivermectin anyway).

We've been brushing Rosie everyday for a while now. She seems to like it and the birds will have some lovely nests round here as we're pushing her fur into an empty plastic bottle which martyn has hung in a tree and rigged up with a little perch so small birds can get it.

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I love pegging the fur out on the washing line and waiting for the birds to come and collect it.

Good luck with the vet. I'm sure they have a reason for why they did what they did. Hard to second guess really

Rosie's had the Ivermectin injection. The vet we saw was the one we should have seen yesterday and she said that she thought (thought not certain) that the other vet would have prescribed the Xenex as it's licensed for rabbits but that Ivermectin isn't. Anyway she was happy to give it to her seeing as she's had it before with no ill effects. The affected patch actually looked worse tonight, more flaky and a bit sore. She did also tell us to thoroughly clean her areas (tricky, as she's comes into the carpeted living room) and that Ted might need a treatment as well (they use same litter tray in the living room). I've been to the carpet shop tonight and got some free squares so we can throw the old ones away and we'll wash all her blankets on a high temperature. Does that sound ok? At what point are the mites killed off on Rosie? The vet did say she might need a second treatment if it's not cleared up in 2 weeks.

martlou said:

Rosie's had the Ivermectin injection. The vet we saw was the one we should have seen yesterday and she said that she thought (thought not certain) that the other vet would have prescribed the Xenex as it's licensed for rabbits but that Ivermectin isn't. Anyway she was happy to give it to her seeing as she's had it before with no ill effects. The affected patch actually looked worse tonight, more flaky and a bit sore. She did also tell us to thoroughly clean her areas (tricky, as she's comes into the carpeted living room) and that Ted might need a treatment as well (they use same litter tray in the living room). I've been to the carpet shop tonight and got some free squares so we can throw the old ones away and we'll wash all her blankets on a high temperature. Does that sound ok? At what point are the mites killed off on Rosie? The vet did say she might need a second treatment if it's not cleared up in 2 weeks.

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The normal Ivermectin protocol is one dose every two weeks, for three doses. Also, all rabbits in the household are treated.

No vet that I've come across in the past few years (including my 'savvy' vet) recommended any sort of 'disinfection' routine

martlou said:

Rosie's had the Ivermectin injection. The vet we saw was the one we should have seen yesterday and she said that she thought (thought not certain) that the other vet would have prescribed the Xenex as it's licensed for rabbits but that Ivermectin isn't. Anyway she was happy to give it to her seeing as she's had it before with no ill effects. The affected patch actually looked worse tonight, more flaky and a bit sore. She did also tell us to thoroughly clean her areas (tricky, as she's comes into the carpeted living room) and that Ted might need a treatment as well (they use same litter tray in the living room). I've been to the carpet shop tonight and got some free squares so we can throw the old ones away and we'll wash all her blankets on a high temperature. Does that sound ok? At what point are the mites killed off on Rosie? The vet did say she might need a second treatment if it's not cleared up in 2 weeks.

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If you have a steam cleaner you could do the carpets with that

Re the Ivermectin- reference to the usual treatment protocol can be found on here

http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Common_drug_dosages_for_rabbits

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Ivermectin.htm

martlou said:

Rosie's had the Ivermectin injection. The vet we saw was the one we should have seen yesterday and she said that she thought (thought not certain) that the other vet would have prescribed the Xenex as it's licensed for rabbits but that Ivermectin isn't. Anyway she was happy to give it to her seeing as she's had it before with no ill effects. The affected patch actually looked worse tonight, more flaky and a bit sore. She did also tell us to thoroughly clean her areas (tricky, as she's comes into the carpeted living room) and that Ted might need a treatment as well (they use same litter tray in the living room). I've been to the carpet shop tonight and got some free squares so we can throw the old ones away and we'll wash all her blankets on a high temperature. Does that sound ok? At what point are the mites killed off on Rosie? The vet did say she might need a second treatment if it's not cleared up in 2 weeks.

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Just to add, yes, the other rabbit/s in the household are usually treated at the same time.

Steam cleaning isn't recommended for carpets that are harbouring mites..

Treatment of the environment is important (boric acid such as Fleabusters®; Vet-Kem Acclaim Plus® - Sanofi; Staykil® - Novartis; Indorex® - Virbac; acaricide spray). When treating a carpet, vacuum first in order to further penetration of the spray or powder. Shampooing and steam cleaning are not ideal; their residual humidity can increase the mite problem. During treatment of the environment, rabbits should be kept in another part of the home to avoid the danger of contact with the products.

This is taken from here (reliable source!):

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/furmite/fur_mite.htm

(May be some distressing pics in this link!)

Good luck Lou xx