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Did the vet swab the ears for pus to do a culture and sensitivity test? Because so many rabbit bacteria are antibiotic-resistant, this can help determine what the infection is and what antibiotic will treat it. The doctor frequently gives a weak, broad-spectrum antibiotic like Baytril while you're waiting for the culture and sensitivity test to come back. It can also be a yeast infection in the ears, or staphylococcus, streptococcus, etc etc.

Baytril's compound name is enrofloxain. This article is very good about ear infections, including treatment. Please note the part on page 4 where it says that using antibiotic ear drops can lead to deafness if the eardrum has been ruptured. Earlier up (page 1-2) it says that pus is seen in the ear canal if the eardrum has ruptured. That really worries me! Medirabbit (where that is from) is a very reliable source, in general.

I have not heard of having an infection in both ears before. That may be because I've only been in the rabbit world for 2.5 years, but I have read about everything I can get my hands on about rabbit health because I find it so fascinating. Usually, an ear infection is in one ear, and the vestibular system (that tells the bunny which way is up) is out of whack, leading to a head tilt, usually toward the ground on the side that is infected. I wonder because your bunny was kept in such unsanitary conditions that it may be a fungal infection instead, because that would more likely result from the bunny not being able to keep herself clean. Ear infections usually occur as a result of stress, and I know she experienced a lot of it, but I just haven't heard of it happening in both ears at once. I'll try to get the attention of some of our more senior Infirmary mods.
;)
 
That makes me really angry.. I hate being jerked around at vets, or people thinking they are all specie savy if they are not. This is an exotics vet so he should of gone a different route then the baytril, I didnt think anything of it because that works well for the rats.

I called the animal welfare place and it said if it was an emergency to call this other number. So, since this isnt an animal related emergency Im waiting till tomorrow to call earlier about this issue so they can check on the other animals that are more than likely being neglected.
 
They didnt do a swab, but he looked at her gooey eye and used that tool(having a blonde moment) and he showed me the puss that was in there. It looked really nasty. He said thats what is causing all her other issues with the eye and nose. She was kept sooooo dirty, in puddles of pee and poo. I havent seen anything like that. So, if the ear drum is ruptured, I shouldnt use the ear drops correct? I havent given the ear drops yet and Im probably not going to now. Why would he give me ear drops!!! UGH!!!
 
Ok, so she has pus/mucous coming from her eye as well? That would be a sign of a very strong infection, one that needs injectible antibiotics for sure. Yes, if the ear drum is ruptured, you wouldn't want to use the drops. I don't know if it's possible to see ear pus without the ear drum being ruptured, will continue to look...
 
This post is by a rabbit expert http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/Ear-infection-Rabbit.htm
And she mentions cleaning pus out of the ear. The Medirabbit also mentioned cleaning out the ear, even if the eardrum is ruptured.

Medirabbit article also says: "Discharge is observed in the external ear canal upon rupture of the eardrum."

Now the vet can see behind the eardrum if it hasn't ruptured--they use the otoscope with a bright light and can see the presence of pus behind the eardrum even if it hasn't popped yet. If there is noticeable pus/discharge in the ears, however, they have ruptured, at least that's what I'm taking from the Medirabbit article.

Also "An otoscopic examination is necessary to determine if the eardrum is ruptured. If this is the case, antibiotic-containing eardrops will lead to ototoxocity. The consequence is permanent deafness, loss of balance or death. A safe alternative to remove pus and debris is to wash out the outer and middle ear with a saline solution."
 
Oh my gosh, I am just catching up on this thread. I'm sorry the vet didn't give you a better course of treatment. I hope you can take the pills back for something better.

Pipp, tonyshuman, if he doesn't have any thing in the form of an injectable antibiotic, do you guys think zithromax is acceptable for this type of severe infection? I would think he can get Brie some of that for Shay if it is applicable.
 
I think if its only ruptured if you can see pus in the external ear, you can phone the vet and double check. Hope he's still working.

Definitely use the Baytril oral ASAP, even if you have to mix it with a little honey.

I think printing out the Medirabbit and any other pro info and taking it to ANY vet will allow them to prescribe do the proper treatment.


sas :pray:
 
Don't know if you will be heading back to the vet soon. Wish you good luck either way though. Since you weren't feeling too sure about this exotic vet, I was thinking it might be good to arm yourself with this, in case he does go a different way with treatment:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=15010&forum_id=10
The first section has important information about oral forms of penicillin that cannot be administered to rabbits...
 
Yes, I would offer the pill, and if she won't take it, crush it up and add something sweet so she'll take it. It sounds like she's got a lot of bacteria going on there, so anything is better than nothing right now. I wouldn't use the ear drops just yet, though--call and ask if the vet thought the eardrum was ruptured.
 
kirbyultra wrote:
Pipp, tonyshuman, if he doesn't have any thing in the form of an injectable antibiotic, do you guys think zithromax is acceptable for this type of severe infection?
Click to expand...

Baytril may be best, maybe PenG, maybe Zithromax, but it's going to take a culture to find out.

I'm sure Baytril is commonly thown at ear infections while they wait for the results.

I assume the vet was guessing that the bug was Pasturella? Maybe high-dose Baytril is best, I don't know. But its going to take something strong no matter what, so it would have to be high-dose. (I'm sure Randy will also have an alternative, Baytril is commonly losing effect in many areas).

The antibiotic drops can't always penetrate from what I gather, but you may want to also ask about Zymox Otic solution, which seems to be successful at eating away at the pus and inhibiting growth.


sas :pray:
 
Yes, Baytril is commonly used while waiting for culture and sensitivity tests. However, the vet didn't take a swab for those tests.

Pasturella is the most common cause of ear infections in rabbits. I haven't heard of it showing up in both ears though, but if she has it in the eye as well, it could be a serious, large-scale infection.

All the vet manuals say that Baytril can be effective against Pasturella, but since it's so indiscriminately used by vets without checking, a lot of bacteria are resistant and I wouldn't use it long term. At the very least, it should have been injectible Baytril because that is stronger and works more quickly.

I think she's going to need more than one antibiotic, probably an injectible and an oral. Zithromax may be one of them. However, some bunnies don't tolerate zithromax very well (GI issues), so I wouldn't give it unless the vet said to. :(

Oh the thing they washed the bunnies ears with in the above post was that Zymox Otic stuff that Pipp mentioned.
 
Ear infections can happen in both ears, if its bad enough. It can be yeast, pasteurella....or it can be both. Those two are the most popular.
 
Do you have the number of mg or strength of the baytril tablets...just curious about the amount prescribed . Baytril is not the strongest med around but in this case (As Pipp mentioned... this bun needs a antibiotic right now as her temp is quite high so I would give the baytril until you check with the vet about the drops.

it is not uncommon for vets to prescribe baytril as many other drugs mentioned here are extremely effective for rabbits but technically off-label foor rabbits . The more expert the vet the more likely they know how to use those other drugs...

How are you giving the med ?
 
Any updates? I'm glad we have people on here who know about what temp a bunny is supposed to be off the top of their head. I found this about how to take temps:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

Normal temp is 101-103F. That page also mentions ways to cool the bunny down, but in this case I think the best thing to do is administer antibiotics and see if that helps with her fever.
 
I'm currently at work, but once I get home I'll look at the mg of the meds and let u know how she is doing. Thanks for all the information guys you don't understand how much I'm learning.
 
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