Ear Drops

[Bill Jesse]

My vet thought my rabbit may have yeast in her right ear causing her to flop over to the right. I know she has mobility problems as her right rear leg does not always follow directions from the brain.
I have some Baytril Otic and was told to put a big squirt into her ear twice daily. I settled for 3 drops at a time. I checked the drop size in the sink to see how much each drop was. However she does not like it. She shakes her head and scratches the ear for about 5 minutes after I introduce the meds. I massage the ear for a minute or two after. Its almost as if this is giving her more grief than her "maybe" yeast situation. Frankly I am not happy putting her under such stress.
Am I doing this wrong or is there a more humane method?

 

[JBun]

No rabbit likes having ear drops in their ear, but usually it's just a minor irritation that only lasts a few minutes then they are back to normal. If she gets over it in a few minutes and you think it might help her, I would keep at it to see if it does help.

 

[Bill Jesse]

She does get over it after a few minutes. Interestingly I have noticed her shaking her head a bit more than before. Maybe he did it before but I was not there to witness it.
One thing I did before medicating her this morning was run he container under hot water and let it sit. I think it was "toasty" warm but not hot and she seemed to accept it easier. Maybe she is just getting used to the process. Don't worry though - the Baytril was not boiling hot, just lukewarm.

 

[Bill Jesse]

She really does not like the procedure. Once done she runs around like she is on fire and scratching her ear wildly. The upside is her right rear leg is getting exercise.

 

[Bill Jesse]

I notice she is scratching her ear more frequently since taking the med. She is halfway through her 14 doses and I am debating giving it a break to see if there is a reaction.