He's balding again

[m.e.]

So, Rex was balding. The vet preemtively treated him for mites (though none were ever detected) and did a fungal culture (which came back clean); that was in late January, and by mid-February all of his fur had grown back, shiny and soft as usual.

Now just this past week he's started balding again. He has a good diet - Oxbow pellets, fresh greens, unlimited hay - is still very active and has no other health problems. He isn't itchy and doesn't appear to be at all bothered by this fur loss. Is this age related? Is it diet? Is it something we haven't thought of?

I just don't know anymore :?

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Oh no Emily - not again!I wish I could help but I've never experienced anything like this. Have you had him fully checked for any underlying issues? Just I know when Ruby was ill her moult was very bad.:?It does seem like this could be something specific to the rex breed, but I'm not sure.

Do we have any rex experts who have seen this kind of thing before?:?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Ok, here are some questions that might help figure out what is going on.

1. Rex is 6?

2. Do you have some photos of him we can see the balding?

3. Has the weather changed again recently? Even for a day?

4. Has his location in the house been different in recent months?

5. Do these bald spots appear on their own or have you brushed him?

6. Where is the balding taking place? Patches? one spot? where on the body? The same as last time?

7. Mites can live on hosts without being noticed - could a cat or something have them and reinfested Rex? (I still don't think it is or was mites tho)

Just a thought - I wonder if he's molting out where he balded before? could it be just a different "fur" condition from that?

 

[m.e.]

1. Rex is 6?

He's 9; definitely an 'elderly' bunny.

2. Do you have some photos of him we can see the balding?

This photo isfrom the first episode in January; he's not quite that bad yet this time around.I'll try to borrow a camera and take some photos of his current condition.

3. Has the weather changed again recently? Even for a day?

Well, this is New England In the past month we've had freezing days and balmy days and dry windy days and damp drizzly days...and everything in between. Temperatures outside have fluctuated between 20's and high 40's (F), but temperature in my bedroom (where he lives) is kept very stable.

4. Has his location in the house been different in recent months?

Nope, same room as he's always lived in - his environment is very stable. No change in food, bedding or hay.

5. Do these bald spots appear on their own or have you brushed him?

They appear on their own. I haven't brushed Rex in months as he absolutely hates it. I do, however, "brush" him with my hands as often as I can. Since Peanut's been gone he's needed more helps taking care of his butt tufts

6. Where is the balding taking place? Patches? one spot? where on the body? The same as last time?

Yes, the exact same as last time. It starts as patches on the shoulders, moves down his sides and back (though last time it didn't go further than his midsection - no balding on his back legs or butt). He loses fur on his cheeks, forehead, and neck, as well as his chest and groin area.

The patches are uneven and sporadic (it's not total balding, someareas of very short, cropped fur remain). The fur loss comes and goes, especially on his face. He'll start growing hair back on his cheeks only to lose it on his forehead, etc.

7. Mites can live on hosts without being noticed - could a cat or something have them and reinfested Rex? (I still don't think it is or was mites tho)

The cats were preemitively treated for mites at the same time Rex was (and everything in my bedroom was COMPLETELY scrubbed). The catshave never shown any signs of balding, itching, or anything that would signal a mite infestation.

 

[m.e.]

Bunnys_rule63 wrote:

Have you had him fully checked for any underlying issues? Just I know when Ruby was ill her moult was very bad.:?

No, he hasn't been thoroughly checked for other issues, but I think that's probably a good idea.He had lost a couple ounces at his last visit, but the weight loss coincided with a higher activity level and replacing some of his pellet intake with salads, so it didn't seem concerning.

However, since this all started he's alsobeen drinking more water. Not excessively, and it could be unrelated, but it's enough to give me the niggling sense that something might be up.

Luckily I'm on break this week; I'll call the vet today and get him an appointment.

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

This might sound odd...but anyway....deworm him with Panacur (under a vet's supervision). We have had a similar experience with our elderly lady Squirt. She would start losing fur....looked like she had stripes. We did all the skin scrapings, fungal cultures, etc. Finally pieced together the puzzle that she exhibited the slightest evidence of a GI slowdown every time this happened...and it happened at somewhat regular intervals. We never got anything to show up on a fecal (and they are never perfect anyway). But we decided to deworm and she has not had that problem since....and that was about three years ago.

Randy

 

[m.e.]

Thanks for the tip, Randy :nurse:

We have an appointment today at 1:40 EST. I also posted on Etherbun hoping to get some more good input. I'll keep you posted

 

[pamnock]

Older animals can often be prone to skin problems. I had found in old horses with skin problems that giving an easily metabolized food often helped to clear up skin ailments. You might try giving a small amount of Nutri Cal daily in addition to pursuing the elusive diagnosis.

Pam

 

[m.e.]

Thanks, Pam. I have been wondering if it may be related to changing needs as he ages. His condition definitely seems to improve when I remember to give him a couple black oil sunflower seeds with breakfast.

*eta*

We're heading out now. I'm starting to get worried, just because the last time I brought a rabbit in for a seemingly minor problem, she was gone less than a week later I know it's just paranoid bunny-mommy thinking, but it's hard to shake...

 

[Bo B Bunny]

You know, Bo's fur got better when I started giving those to him also!

 

[m.e.]

Okay, so here's the breakdown of the vet visit:

• Dr. Fulton put him on Revolution for the mites, which she believes - based on the condition of his skin, and the fact that the Ivermectin seemed to work - are still the cause of his fur loss. It should be said that she is an extremely knowledgeable rabbit vet, is up to date on her information, and I really do trust her judgement.
• Rex had blood drawn for a full panel, and the results should be back tomorrow or Saturday.
• He has cataracts.
• He's down to 4.75 pounds He's been at 5 pounds for years, and now has lost 1/4 pound in under six months. Per Pam's suggestion, I'll start giving him Nutri-Cal and making sure he's eating enough to keep his weight up. His teeth checked out fine.
• Weighing in Randy's suggestion about the de-wormer, I feel more comfortable waiting until a) the results of the blood panel come back (given fenbendazole's affect on the liver), and b) the Revolution treatment is finished, before we consider also starting him on Panacur.

 

[m.e.]

Dr. Fulton was off Friday and Saturday, so she left a note for Dr. G (the very busy headexotics vet) and he called today with Rex's lab results:

• A slightly elevated white blood cell count. May be lymphomatic, and Dr. G thinks it could be due to a stress response at the time of the visit. He's not too concerned.
• Rex was a little dehydrated (also due to the visit? We'd beenout for almost an hour at that point)
• A slight increase in liver function, though still within range of normal.

Dr. G thinks we probably won't need to change anything, but he's going to be discussing the results with Dr. Fulton and she'll call back sometime early this week.

 

[m.e.]

Hey guys -

It's been a week since Rex was given his first dose of Revolution. We saw some immediate results, but it seems like those mites are going to be really persistant. He still has two doses to go.

Mom looked at him today and said, "He looks like an old man", all scruffywitha bald and very wrinklyneck. Part of me feels like Old Man Rex may very well have said good-bye to his luscious fur, but we'll see.

Anyway, thanks for all of the input

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

I was going to ask what the vets had to say after consulting. What did they say?

Darn it, I was hoping for better news. Randy?

 

[pamnock]

m.e. wrote:

Hey guys -

It's been a week since Rex was given his first dose of Revolution. We saw some immediate results, but it seems like those mites are going to be really persistant. He still has two doses to go.

The immune/defense systems of older rabbits can start to break down and the rabbit becomes more vulnerable to illness. You are correct that this may be a chronic problem. Easily digestible nutrients such as Nutri Cal can be very helpful in supportive treatment.

Pam

 

[m.e.]

AngelnSnuffy wrote:

I was going to ask what the vets had to say after consulting. What did they say?

I haven't heard from Dr. Fulton. The way it was left was that if, after consulting with Dr. G, she felt a different approach was warrented, then she'd call. So I guess maybe no news is good news? :dunno

pamnock wrote:

m.e. wrote:

Hey guys -

It's been a week since Rex was given his first dose of Revolution. We saw some immediate results, but it seems like those mites are going to be really persistant. He still has two doses to go.

The immune/defense systems of older rabbits can start to break down and the rabbit becomes more vulnerable to illness. You are correct that this may be a chronic problem. Easily digestible nutrients such as Nutri Cal can be very helpful in supportive treatment.

Pam

Thanks, Pam. I've started giving him a small daily dose of Nutri-Cal (along with 2-3 black oil sunflower seeds, and a small amount of 'show feed' that I used to help fatten Peanut up when she was sick). Hope that's not overkill :laughsmiley: He does need to gain back some weight and so far the diet changes haven't caused an upset tummy. I'm hoping that the Nutri-Cal will help his immune defenses.