Ear Mites?

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Pumpkin

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So about 2 weeks ago, my lop-eared bunny, Pumpkin, started scratching his ear a lot and shaking his head. I finally got him to the vet today, and they said it was ear mites. Because of the whole covid thing, I couldn't go inside with him and see everything or even talk to the doctor. I just talked to a helper and they said that they took a sample in the microscope and saw something that looked like ear mites. She didn't say that they found a living one, just a piece that looked like it. The vet I go to isn't rabbit savvy, since there are none around me for a while so I was just wondering if you guys think it's actually ear mites or not. The symptoms are scratching his ear a lot and shaking his head. He's an indoor single rabbit. The only other thing is that we have a Christmas tree and we have cut pieces of wood in our house for our fireplace and he occasionally goes by them.
 
Does he have scabby bits inside of his ears? That is a sure fire way to know if it is mites. If it is mites, there are some remedies online to control the mites until you get the vet. Many remedies are on YouTube. Hope your bun will get better!
 
when brownie and bubbles had mites, I used some baby oil on their ears and it worked to drown the mites out. this might not be the best way but it works for me.
 
Does he have scabby bits inside of his ears? That is a sure fire way to know if it is mites. If it is mites, there are some remedies online to control the mites until you get the vet. Many remedies are on YouTube. Hope your bun will get better!
No his ears look fine.
 
when brownie and bubbles had mites, I used some baby oil on their ears and it worked to drown the mites out. this might not be the best way but it works for me.
Wow. My vet gave him an "injection" while he was in there. I'm assuming that means he put something down the ear. He didn't ask me if I wanted to do something differently. That's too bad for me because that vet visit totaled to 64 dollars and I don't think it covers the two more times I need to come again. But I probably wouldn't have been comfortable putting anything down his ear myself so maybe it's better this way.
 
And how did you guys clean your bunny's room when they got it. I'm gonna throw out everything that doesn't need to be in there and wash everything else. Then I'll vacuum but do I need to spray any mite killing spray around the room?
 
No, the injection was the right treatment if it is ear mites and not an ear infection causing the excess scratching. Baby oil is a home remedy which has to be applied every day and doesn't always work. The injection was likely ivermectin, which is the correct treatment for mites in rabbits. And yes, it does have to be given two more times, two weeks apart.

MediRabbit (ear mites in rabbits)

Of course the better option in my opinion, is to use spot on Revolution(selamectin). Sometimes one treatment is enough, so doesn't necessarily need to be reapplied, but can be to be safe. Instead of going back for two more injections, I would ask your vet if you could just pick up some Revolution for the remaining treatment. Revolution is a prescription antiparasitic. It's just applied topically between the shoulder blades, and you can do that yourself at home. You should be able to just go in and pick up a tube from your vet and not even have to bring your bun back. If you want an even cheaper option, tell your vet you would like to buy it online or find a local pharmacy that carries pet meds to get it from, and the place can call your vet for approval. Vet offices usually triple med prices, so much more expensive to buy from them. Or stick with the injections if that proves cheaper.

It also is possible to buy injectable ivermectin otc online. I've given it orally in the past when necessary, ,but it's better to only do that if experienced and comfortable calculating dosages and administering medications, as an overdose is toxic with no reversal med. The UK has ivermectin available as Xeno 450 spot on for rabbits, which I really wish we had available here in the US. It would make it so much easier for rabbit owners here.

No special cleaning. Just throw out old litter and hay, and wash anything else you can after your rabbit has been given the med.
 

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