ear mites

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jil101ca

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One of my does, Blackie has ear mites. She usually sits with her left side to me but a few days ago she sat with her right side to me and I saw she had a sore looking ear. I didn't want to bring her out as she was due to have kits.I brought her in the house tonight to get a good look at her ear and everything I've read and all the pics tell me ear mites. She was a very good girl and let me clean her ear with some warm water and then I massaged some oil in the ear. Is there anything esle I could do for her. She does not like to be handled and I thought for sure she would fight me but she didn't. She is such a good girl and really enjoyed her treats.

Sadly she had 4 very large kits last nightwhich were all deceased. She always has her babies on day 31. Could she have been late because of the ear mites and could the mites be why the kits were all dead?? The other ear looks good and none of the other rabbits have any symptoms.

Where do the mites come from? No animals have been near the buns but I did just get a enw bale of hay, do they live in the hay???

Thanks for all replies....
 
Most rabbits naturally harbor small populations of mites that their immune system keeps well under control.

When the immune system is stressed, the mites may over-populate.

The mites can be treated with OTC ear mite medication or Ivomec drops in the ear. In stubborn cases, the Ivomec can be given orally (1/10 of a cc per every 5 pounds of body weight).

Pam
 
Hallo!

I don't think that the death of the kits is connected to the ear mites, but, I'm not a vet, so this is just a logical guess and not actual knowledge.

As far as ear mites are concerned, only one ear can be affected, this is very common. They could have infested the hay bales, they could have gotten near the rabbit from somewhere else in their environment. Are they indoor bunnies? Mites are so extremely small, like a speck of sandsousually they cannot be detected without a microscope.

Ivermectin is very effective in killing mites. You can do also a research, the RO health issues section, rabbitrefs and medirabbit are a good start.

Marietta

 
pamnock wrote:
Most rabbits naturally harbor small populations of mites that their immune system keeps well under control.

When the immune system is stressed, the mites may over-populate.
Click to expand...


As Pam said, any stress on the immune system can cause the mites to over-populate. The pregnancy and the death of her kits (prior to kindling) may have stressed her immune system. I'm sorry she lost the kits.
 
Great advice so far. Invermectin and Revolution can both be used to treat ear mites. Invermectin you can find at most farm/feed stores and Revolution you will need an Rx for. There are instances where Invermectin can have fatal side affects so be very careful if you go that route to be sure the dose is correct.

To be safe, if I were you I would get her to a vet for Revolution. It should be very cheap for 1-2 treatments you can do yourself at home.
 
Blackie's ear looks alot better tonight. I repeated the oil massage and alot of crustys came out. A more experienced (than me)rabbit persontold me about using the oil. That is how she has always treated mites the few times she has had them. It's an old time remedy and seems to be working. Blackie seems to enjoy the ear massage so it must be soothing to her.
 
Ive never had to treat ear mites, but Ive read a few things that say do not peel off the dead skin around the ear, no matter how tempting it is. If treated properly it will fall off on its own. Peeling it off can be very painful to the bunny,
 
I too have read the same. It makes sense, kind of like ripping off a scab. I've found that the oil loosens the crusty scabs and alot of it is coming off with a very gentle wipe with a Qtip.

If I were doing anything to cause her pain, if I were doing anything to hurt her or she doesn't like, trust me, she will let me know. She is a very dominant rabbit and takes no nonsence from anybody or anything. She gives a grunt first and if you don't pay attention to her warning then she will claw you with her front feet. When she had her very first litter I kept checking on the kits, she grunted at me and when I did not remove my hand she charged. She is not aggressive by any means just knows what she wants and expects her "Mom" to head her warnings.
 
jil101ca wrote:
Blackie's ear looks alot better tonight. I repeated the oil massage and alot of crustys came out. A more experienced (than me)rabbit persontold me about using the oil. That is how she has always treated mites the few times she has had them. It's an old time remedy and seems to be working. Blackie seems to enjoy the ear massage so it must be soothing to her.
Click to expand...

Just a note - especially for those who show - the oil can make a mess of the fur around the head, so don't use this treatment close to a show date.

The advantage of Ivermectin paste rubbed into the ear is that it's not messy, and because it slowly works its way down the ear, is a less stressful application than oil running into the ear canal.;)

Pam
 
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