Please help

Hi guys.

Recently my pet rabbit Wayne (female) was treated for a possible ear infection/EC.

Her symptoms started as nystagmus and circling and loss of balance.

The vet gave her some revolution to treat for mites as well, some Panacur for 28 days and a long course of Baytril. (10 days at first and I ordered another 14 day dose afterwards after having read that ear infections need to be treated more aggressively.)

I have another thread posted here regarding her situation but am in need of some quick advice, so I thought that it would be best to post another thread as I have a few other injuries as well.

Wayne seems to be doing better however during the end of her Baytril and Panacur treatment she developed a slight head tilt. She has been fine since then and I have been giving her ionic silver drops in her ear twice daily as well as ionic silver and Echinacea/Goldenseal orally twice daily. Her slight tilt is still present but not too bad although her ear on the tilted side is always downwards. I'm not sure if this is an issue or a permanent tilt she has developed. I'm also not sure if she had EC, mites, or an inner ear infection. There were no proper diagnoses made.

Recently my other rabbit Drake (male), has started having similar episodes that Wayne first developed before her treatment. He hasn't had nystagmus or any circling episodes but I noticed earlier today that he was acting off and walking around oddly as if he had vertigo similar to Wayne originally had. So far he has only had the one "episode" that I have noticed. He wasn't treated while Wayne was being treated and they are both house rabbits and live together.

Now I'm unsure of what's going on. I don't know if they have ear mites, Wayne is always scratching herself and they both scratch at their ears regularly. I noticed some scaly yellowish/greenish/brownish wax like stuff in her ears before but have since checked and it appears to not be as visible, whether it was regular ear wax or a deep mite infestation. There was not a lot however when I did notice it.

I'm lost and unsure of what to do and am looking for any advice.

I doubt that they both developed ear infections, unless mites are present. Wayne sometimes has dandruff appearing stuff around her head/neck as she is all black and it is easily visible whereas Drake is brownish and it's more difficult to notice any dandruff or mites.

My guess is ear infections, with or without mites, or EC which is what I suspect as Drake developed the same symptoms as Wayne just recently after she had finished her treatment.

Drake has also had "snuffles" in the past. Their noses both are sometimes a little wet and rarely Drake will sneeze out thick white mucous. I notice this more in the winter te when the air is more dry for some reason. Perhaps they've both had an underlying case of "snuffles" that has spread and developed into head tilt / an ear infection.... ?

I don't know what to do. I want them both to be okay. I was going to call my vet and ask if she will provide revolutuon for both Drake and Wayne to clear any mites, as well as a 6 week dose of Panacur for each rabbit. Although Wayne has just recently finished Panacur, will this be fine to give her more, as she still does have a slight tilt to her head?

I'm so lost and stressed and confused and overwhelmed on what to do. I'm also in a tight spot financially at the moment which doesn't help!

Could anyone provide any recommendations? I'll keep administering Ionic silver and Echinacea/GS to keep their immune systems strong, I've also been giving them turmeric and Vitamin C supplements.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

To have two rabbits with both showing signs of balance and possible ear issues, makes me think that you could have an ear mite problem going on. It would be very unlikely for them both to come down with an ear infection at the same time, unless you are doing something like applying drops in both of their ears(which I would personally stop and not continue as this could be the root of the problems you are now encountering). And I wouldn't think EC likely either, as it would also be uncommon for both rabbits to come down with the same symptoms in a disease that can exhibit with a multitude of symptoms.

If you are doing ear drops in both rabbits, then this may have caused both to develop an ear infection as this is adding moisture into their ear canal that doesn't easily dry out, and if this has happened it would need treatment. If it is not this and Drake hasn't had ear drops, then I would treat for ear mites in both. If you do revolution, I would want to treat more aggressively and retreat in 2 weeks. If ivermectin is used, this is done every two weeks for 3 treatments. I personally would go with revolution as it seems to be a bit safer med than ivermectin, though ivermectin is cheaper and is available otc as an injectable worming med, so might be a consideration if funds are tight. If you go with revolution(selamectin), just make sure after applying that the rabbits are kept separate for whatever the recommended time is, so that they don't groom it off each other.

White mucous is a definitive sign of a bacterial infection, so Drake does have an upper respiratory infection that if it is reemerging, would need treatment with antibiotics. It is possible for these types of infections to be connected with dental infections or ear infections. So yes, it can spread.

These types of problems can be very difficult to figure out, and very difficult to resolve. You can only do your best to try and help your buns, and remind yourself of this, and that you are providing them with the best home and care that you possibly can.

Thanks JBun I really appreciate it. I thought that ear mites could be the cause as well, as I did notice some stuff in Wayne's ear before, but it was only a little amount of stuff and was deep in the ear and barely visible. Would ear mites alone cause balance issues or would this more than likely be ear mites that have caused an ear infection?

I can stop applying the Ionic silver drops if that will help, I just read online through a few sources that many apply it topically and into the ear to clear infections in humans and animals. If this could be an issue and cause an infection and do the opposite of what I was intending for it to do, how do topical ear drops work that vets prescribe? I've read a few sources where some were prescribed oral medication and topical ear drops to fight an ear infection. Just curious how applying the Ionic silver would cause an infection if it's used to treat infections?

I've read that with ear mites they can only life off of the host for a short period of time. If I were to treat both with revolution, which I believe works for a month to repel all bug infestations, would this be long enough for all of the mites and their eggs to die off in the environment as well, or should I throughly clean and disinfect the area where the rabbits are kept? Would it be necessary to treat more than once if the mites won't survive long in the environment?

I find it odd how they may even have mites, unless they are coming from the hay which I get from a farm that is kept in my apartment.

Drake hasn't sneezed out any mucous lately but has in the past. I've also tried to keep their immune systems high with Vitamin c supplements and a variety of herbs. If he does start sneezing again I'll be sure to treat appropriately.

Do you feel at this point I should treat for only mites? Or an ear infection as well? Wayne's minor tilt that she developed after treatment with Baytril and Panacur has improved and is not as bad as it was before so I figured that the Ionic silver and Echinacea/Goldenseal tincture along with the Vitamin C intake has helped.

I'm waiting to hear back from my Vet regarding ordering more Panacur just to be safe as it's not too expensive where I am either.

Thanks for the kind words and advice JBun... I'm trying my best but am just worried that I may not be treating appropriately as I should be, especially now with Drake having shown balance issues

Just an update

I've checked Drakes ears and they seemed fine and I haven't noticed any signs of mites being present. Also, how long can Panacur be gave to a rabbit? If by chance I do get more for both Wayne and Drake, Wayne having just recently finished a 30 day cycle. Thanks!

Sorry to continue to add to this, I can't seem to be able to edit previous posts.

If mites aren't directly visible than what are the chances of them both having inner ear problems affecting balance? Is it possible for mites to not be visible but be deep in the ear canal and cause balance issues?

I've always found information to be more accurate from community forums such as this and those who have had experience with health issues in rabbits than I have from a single veterinarian that may or may not be too rabbit savvy. (There's not many rabbit savvy vets in my area) Apologies for all of the questions, I'm going to be speaking with my vet later today, but if anybody could provide some further information regarding the questions/concerns I've posted above, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I can't really say what you should do, as I can only make guesses on the information provided and suggest what I might do in a similar situation. I've really given you my best guess with all the necessary information, and can't really add more to what I've said already.

I wouldn't normally say mites would be a primary cause of balance issues, but then I've read some reliable accounts of rabbits recovering from balance problems after receiving mite treatment. It would be the easiest to rule out. If a week after administering mite treatment, there isn't improvement or the condition worsens, then I would presume that's probably not the problem.

With the ear drops. you would need to be able to verify they were working correctly for them to be of any use. Otherwise you are only adding regular drops of water into the rabbits ear, which can set up a moist environment that could set up the conditions for bacterial growth, or risk of worsening the condition if an ear infection is already present.

i'd be suspecting EC more than mites at this point.

If you are into going to the vet.. find one that can diagnose more clearly (blood tests, scraping ear wax etc).

Snuffles can manifest in a variety of ways ... including balance and bone density. The white snot is probably just the snuffles rearing it's ugly head again... probably due to stress on the body as it's very opportunistic.