Flaking of Penny's skin behind the ears

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kirbyultra

kirbyultra

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I noticed that Penny had some flaky stuff on her back today. I took a closer look this evening and found that her skin is dry and flaking off in the area immediately behind her ears.

Penny is on her 2nd month's dose of Revolution for ear mites. Her 2nd dose was given last Friday, 5/14. When she got her first dose, I did check her out for fur mite evidence but did not find any. This dandruffy stuff is new. There's flaking only in the spot behind her ears which is almost exactly where I poured her Revolution. The fur in that area of her neck had felt fairly chalky for several days which in my experience from last month was normal residue from the drops of medication. Is it possible that her skin is sensitive to the drop and it's drying off and shedding now a week later?

I didn't really notice it this much last month, but I wasn't really looking to be honest. Her bond mate, Kirby, does not have any flaky stuff on his fur. Just Penny, and just in that one spot.
 
Personally, if I use a facial scrub like neutrogena, my face becomes a disaster for the rest of the week, and gets flaky. I don't see why a bunneh couldn't have sensitive skin too?

Can you get a picture, Helen?
 
This is the best I could do. It's hard to get the camera to focus on the skin with one hand holding down the fur and her head (camera kept focusing on my finger instead :p)

Here's where the area is, on her neck.
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The rest of her looks a-ok.
DSC_0775.jpg

 
I have never seen flaking from Revolution but I have seen (more than once) a total bald spotdevelop on the the spot the Revolution was applied.

soI am thinking that it is skin flaking off from the iirritation of the Revolution.
 
Wow baldness is pretty extreme.

I hope it's just some irritation or drying of skin from the meds. I'll watch her the next couple weeks to see if it subsides or develops...

Thanks!
 
helen,,curtail the use of this product,,we need more research,,but i do-not use it,,-i like advantage,,however--earmites are best controlled after ear cleaning and an injection from the exotic specialist..hows my little toby and kirby...sincerely james waller
 
The Revolution is probably irritating her.

One easy treatment for ear mites is pouring baby oil in the ears once daily until the irritation is gone. This drowns the mites and will not hurt the bunny. It's just like if you dunk your head in a pool, the water comes out. :) This is messy though so I'd pour it in outside or in a bathtub and then let the bunny run a bit out there since they shake their heads, flinging oil everywhere! I have not had to use this treatment yet but I have heard that usually by the second day it's better and it takes less than a week of treatment for the mites to be totally gone.
 
Well it's already been done so that ought to be it for the mites :p

I'm surprised to hear this. I have previously read that Revolution was absolutely safe and effective in rabbits and because it's a monthly dose for 1-2 months it's less stressful to administer on a rabbit than pouring something into the ears daily.
 
Having had oil poured in my own ears at one time (no, I didn't have mites, guys!), I can honestly say that I would prefer some slight surface skin irritation over oil.

The sensation is puke-worthy.

However, I can totally see the application for a rabbitry... appears to be very cost-effective, and fast.
 
The oil treatment is actually not recommended anymore for bunnies because the oil can trap bacteria deep in the ear canal and cause pockets of infection. With rabbit ears being so sensitive already, I try my best to keep everything out of there, and anything you apply into a bunny's ears should have a volatile liquid as its base--like ethanol or isopropanol--so that it will dry out completely and not trap pockets of liquid in there.
 
NorthernAutumn wrote:
Having had oil poured in my own ears at one time (no, I didn't have mites, guys!), I can honestly say that I would prefer some slight surface skin irritation over oil.

The sensation is puke-worthy.
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I have also had to put oil in my ears when I had something wrong in there as a child. I must have been only 6 or 7 but I remember it. Puke worthy doesn't begin to describe it!

I would agree... I would rather put up with some dryness than pouring something in my ears, anything, for a week or 10 days. I'm sure Penny would agree with that.:expressionless
 
my rabbit Addison also has so/me flaking and fur loss on the back of her ears, but not where the ears meet the head and neck, it in the center of both ears. She's acting normal for the most part, running around like a nut and eating correctly, but she's acting a bit more timid than usual. The inside of her ears look pink and healthy, she's just over a year old. Could this still be mites?
 
It could also be fur mites. I always say that if you're ever concerned, it's best to do a dose of Revolution. It's well tolerated and does the trick!
 
Well it's been like a week and Penny's skin is no longer flaking off :) I'm going to say it was minor dryness and irritation from Revolution and all else is well. :) :) Thanks everyone.

Interesting thing about Revolution... Someone told me that the drug does not require veterinary prescription in a lot of other countries. U.S. is not one of them. :( It's unfortunate... I mean, you can buy Frontline at a pet food store, but not Revolution for our buns.

I'm told there are websites online that'll ship from say, Australia, and the price is still reasonable including shipping. I don't even want to tell you what my vet charged me for the revolution Penny got. Highway robbery to say the least.
 
It's because Revolution is used in cats and dogs as a heartworm preventative - an alternative to the pills. You need a vet's prescription in the US for heartworm preventatives because you have to get a heartworm test prior to starting preventatives.

I've heard of Revolution causing irritation in cats and dogs, so I'd assume it could do the same to rabbits. I'm glad it doesn't sound like Penny's reaction was to severe though.
 
james waller wrote:
helen,,curtail the use of this product,,we need more research,,but i do-not use it,,-i like advantage,,however--earmites are best controlled after ear cleaning and an injection from the exotic specialist..hows my little toby and kirby...sincerely james waller
Click to expand...
Hi James
Revolution (selamectin)is very safe for rabbits if dosed correctly
 
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