Itchy

[rabbitgirl]

I swear, this boy picks up EVERYTHING!

First of all, I was combing Fen today and noticed huge amounts ofdandruff in the areas where his new coat is coming in. Just the newfur. Anyone else see this?

Second, I looked in his ears (did NOT like that) and noticed they wererather red. Now it could be just his allergies (itchy ears go with hayfever!), but what can I do to help? Oil in the ears? I know I've usedolive oil for several skin/infection situations (the only thingthat helped mastitis/swollen teat, works wonderful)--is that safe forthis? (Is he gonna hate me or what!! )

Fenwick is like those little kids that pick up every little bug and coldthat goes around. It's always something!

Rose

 

[Rowan]

I don't know about rabbits but olive oil is safeto use in human and cat ears, so I'd imagine it was ok especiallyifyou've used it on other places on them, I'd go for a wipeover rather than a whole lot though.Could he have mites?That's the first thought that came to me when I read your post. Isthere some way of strengthening a rabbits immune system? I've beentaking on terminally ill cats for a couple of decades now and I knowthat it's possible to see huge improvements in them by changing themover to an allnatural diet and giving certain supplements butI know almost nothing about rabbit health beyond what I've come acrosshere and in some very basic books. If it is dandruff then his internalorgans aren't functioning as well as they should, which I guess youknow because of his allergies, poor boy. Have you tried usinghomeopathy on him or anything similar?

 

[HankHanky]

rabbitgirl wrote:

First of all, I was combing Fen today and noticed hugeamounts of dandruff in the areas where his new coat is coming in. Justthe new fur.

Second, I looked in his ears (did NOT likethat) and noticed they were rather red. Now it could be just hisallergies (itchy ears go with hay fever!), but what can I do to help?Oil in the ears? I know I've used olive oil for several skin/infectionsituations (the only thing that helped mastitis/swollen teat,works wonderful)--is that safe for this? (Is he gonna hate me or what!!)
Rose

Hi Rose,

sounds like Fur-Mites. You could treat with Ivermectine Horse pastwormer. A drop the size of a Green-Pea. repeat in ten days. If thatmakes you nervous you could rub Listerine Mouthwash into the area andsurrounding area. Or you could do both. The Ivermectine will also takecare of the ear-mites though I don't think that is the problem fromyour description. I hope this helps.

Dennis,C.V.R.

 

[Carolyn]

HiRabbitgirl!

Highly suspect it to be mites.

Since mites can be passedeasily from one rabbit to another,you might wish to treat all your babies. An over the counterkittenflea powder can work. If you go that route,try not to let your rabbit breathe in the dust. Use asdirected. You can also use Ivermectin1.87. A small dollop, about a pea-sized amount, placed on theforepaws of the rabbit for them to lick off is another way you couldgo. You'd want to follow-up3 timesat 14dayintervals to kill them all.

For ear mites, you could use mineral oil, but that can getmessy. The mineral oil would clog the pores of the mites andthey'd suffocate. It works, but it's messy.

Clean out and scrub the area completely because they hide and reproduceand are extremely hard to see. Mites can live 3-5 weeks, soyou have to keep after it.

You might find this website helpful.http://www.mybunny.org/info/mites.pdf

-Carolyn

 

[rabbitgirl]

Thanks! I've checked out that site once beforeand what Fen has now doesn't look anything like that. Unfortunately,because it's always easier to treat when one knows what one is dealingwith. I suppose it's possible though, and I'll check him more closelyto see. He's not losing hair (except for molt, normal stuff).

Rowan, I use homeopathic remedies whenever possible for safety's sake.I'm going to try chamomile as I heard it's good for allergies. If youhave any immune boosters, let me know!

The dandruff appears during the peak of molt and isn't in the old fur.

Thanks all, I'll take another look tomorrow. His allergies are betterlately so if the redness in his ears has also decreased I'll assume thetwo were related.

Rose

 

[rabbitgirl]

HankHanky wrote:

heIvermectine will also take care of the ear-mites though I don't thinkthat is the problem from your description. I hope this helps.

Dennis,C.V.R.

What do you mean, it doesn't sound like ear mites? Why do you think so? Just curious.....

The dandruff is nowhere near the ear area, actually--it's a separatething from the redness deeper in the ears. And not bald. Was thedandruff what made you think of fur mites, or the ear thing?

Thanks a lot!!

Rose

 

[rabbitgirl]

Carolyn wrote:

For ear mites, you could use mineral oil, but that can getmessy. The mineral oil would clog the pores of the mites andthey'd suffocate. It works, but it's messy.

So does any kind of oil work the same way, or just mineral oil?

I figure, whatever it is, a little oil will soothe it somewhatanyway....or hope so!

Rose

 

[Rowan]

Chamomile is great to soothe anything raw orinflamed so I'd say that was a very good choice for Fenwick. Since Ionly recently got rabbits and thank goodness they're healthy littlethings, I haven't yet looked into which of theremediesInormally usecan begiven to rabbits, so Icouldn't recommend anything safely to boost his immune system at thispoint beyond homeopathic immune stimulants and various different floweressenceremedies, which I know are safe for anyanimal.

If you want I can do some research on it and let you know, well I'mgoing to do the research anyway, but if you're interested in it I'mmore than happy to send it. This thread has made me reallyinterested in finding out as much as possible about natural rabbithealth and what it'ssafe to givethem,howdifferent remediesaffect themetc. Just in case one of my little flock ever decides to get ill,heaven forbid.

I read on another thread that Fenwick is doing better today I hope that continues, keep us posted.

 

[rabbitgirl]

Rowan, I'd love to hear anything you come upwith! I was trying to think of the best way to get chamomile intoFenwick. My best thought was either some chamomile tea in his waterdish or with an eyedropper (lol--as if he isn't mad enough at metreating him!). Or what about rubbing it on his nose?

As to his ears--as of today I'm pretty sure it'snot mites!Two days ago they were dry, red, and chapped looking, deep in the earcanal. Today they are absolutely fine(normal palepinkish-gray and no itching, no head shaking), and his nose is stilldoing pretty well. It's been a bit dry today and yesterday though soI'm guessing he'll get worse for a few days unless we get some rain.The sniffles and the ear itchies seem to be related, but I'll keep aneye on him and see what develops.

Oh, yeah--NOT allergic to pine shavings (found some really goodtriple-filtered low-dust shavings). So we have at least some beddingfor winter!

I wonder if there's a type of hay or straw he's not allergic to.Timothy hay wasn't good, and regular straw isn't good, but maybe marshhay or oat straw would work.

Just thinking out loud, would appreciate any ideas!

Rose

 

[Rowan]

Hi Rose

Sorry I've haven't had time to do much research on the immune systemboosters yet but you're better puttingthechamomiledirectly onto his skin as it's a skin complaint,internally it has a number of applications but probably wouldn't workthat well for his skin. You've got a few choices, depending on what youcan get hold of/prefer.

The flowers are what you want, the leaves are more used for calmingnerves. You can usually buy them unbagged at health shops, though aslong as they're the flowers it doesn't matter if they come as tea bags.

Option one, put the dried loose flowers or teabag in a cup or similarand fill with boiling water, leave it to stand for fifteen to twentyminutes, strain off and cool to luke warm then bathe anywhere thatFenwick is sore or inflamed with it.

Option two, probably not a good idea on his face Take driedflowers as before, just cover them in boiling water, leave til warm,then strain off the liquid and put the flowers themselves onto him as acompress for as long as he'll tolerate.

Option three, get some chamomile oil (which is expensive but you canoften buy it in much smaller amounts than usual essential oils) and putone drop into a teaspoonful of warm water, mix and use that to bathethe sore areas.

I've been thinking about his immune system and it might be worthgetting very small amounts of as many herbs and wild plants as aredefinitely safe for rabbits and giving them to him to see what he wantsto eat. A lot of - but not all! - animals, will instinctively know whatthey need to help their condition. If he does show a preference for aparticular one on more than one occasion it gives another referencepoint to help decide the best remedies to help him.

If you want to send me a pm with as much detail as you can think ofabout Fenwick, his age, symptoms, personality, size, life history,attitude to things, day to day life, everything you can possibly thinkof, any preferences, aversions, how active he is- I'll seewhat I can find out about what might best help him, I've got two verygood homeopath friends and have contact with a homeopathic vet as wellas the knowledge I've collected over the years. I promise I won'trecommend anything that could harm him in any way

 

[mhiszxpinay]

First of all, I was combing Fen today andnoticed huge amounts of dandruff in the areas where his new coat iscoming in. Just the new fur

..i agree with hank...it sounds likefur mites to me. they look like dandruff...but most of the time therefur mites. :?

 

[jordiwes]

Hi everyone,

It seems to me like my Wesley is really itchy. He's cleaning himselfquite a bit and when we scratch him on his bum, he just loves it, alittle too much. this is new. Jordi seems to be normal and they areboth indoor bunnies. Any ideas, or should we just take him to the vet?

Thanks!