Dandruff vs. Mites

[Alyssaur]

A few months ago I took Noob to the vet because he was itching his ears and he seemed to have white flecks of skin on them.

I assumed it was mites because the flecks are usually a big sign of mites, but my vet insisted that it was just dandruff and prescribed some dandruff cream for Noob.

I wasn't satisfied with that answer, so I took him to another vet who also thought it was just dandruff.

I started using the cream as prescribed and the scaly skin went away. But now it seems to be back and I'm wondering if maybe the vets were wrong and it was mites all along, or if Noob is just going to have dandruff problems.

It's localized on his ears alone and aside from an aggressive scratch here and there, he really doesn't seem bothered by it.

Not to mention, we live in Finland and I personally developed a skin condition after I moved here because the climate is so much dryer than what I was used to. Do you think this could be the same for bunnnies?

Regardless, I'm taking him to the vet again. I'm just concerned that it's more than just dandruff.

 

[pamnock]

Generally, flaking "dandruff"skin is caused by fur mites. A bacterial or fungal infection can alsocause flaking skin.

Do you know what the ingredients of the dandruff cream were?

 

[Alyssaur]

I haven't been able to find the bottle. I must have thrown it out since it was months ago that he needed them. I only remember that it had a small amount of salicylic acid in it.

If it is the latter, where could the bacteria be coming from?

 

[pamnock]

Bacteria can come from anywhere in the environment as well as being normal inhabitants of the skin.

 

[tonyshuman]

Is this on the furry side or the inside of the ear? We have a bunny that had what appeared to be a yeast infection in his ear, with maybe some ear mite eggs as well, so we treated him for both. It looked like some flaky dandruff in the ear. Fur mites on the fur side of the ear are also common. The treatment is not difficult, so I would just ask for it.

 

[MandyK]

I have a rabbit who has flaky skin as well. Dandruff isn't ALWAYS a sign of mites. I've had her checked 3 times, and there are no mites.

Have you thought about buying a humidifier? That might add some moisture to the room he is in. Or maybe go back to your vet and ask him to run more tests other than just checking for mites.

 

[Alyssaur]

The flakes were on the flat furry part of his ears, but now they're completely gone and I don't really know why. The only thing I've done differently is add some iceberg to his salad.

The finnish bunny list confirmed my suspicions about the dry weather possibly effecting his skin, but didn't really have any advice for what to do about it.