Please help!! 1 year old Rex rabbit bad rash unsure about vet recommendations

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Nicksully71

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Ok so this is my girlfriends Rex rabbit who has been sickly most of his life it seems like there is always something we originally found this exotic vet when he had a cold and he seems very experienced and is very nice but I don’t think this rabbit has ever been well and we have been to the vet so many times now and for a long long time of constant medication his rash has gotten a lot worse it’s very dry and flacky he has bumps all over his ear feels like a nestle crunch bar we went back to the vet and got more medication but it does not seem to be doing anything and the eye dropper is like his worst nightmare he squeaks and squirms around like crazy and just won’t take it what should we do and what could this be
The rash started on his nose just dry and flacky used the blue tube for several months per vet recommendation spread to his mouth and eye bumps appeared on ear got much worse got new medication skin healed on nose mostly around eye and mouth but ear got worse
Also has a bald spot forming on neck
He is still and always has been active independent and hungry poops all the time and had zero appetite or behavioral changes through this
Please help we are desperate!904CC33A-0965-47E4-9098-C668385C3AAB.jpeg9E94AA3D-5412-476A-BB97-B0731E4CF6B9.jpeg578D5C38-D58B-418B-A42D-54D9C60A553C.jpegF0DE10BA-4671-4624-9816-8787BCF8F263.jpeg945E66D8-D483-40E8-97DA-E03998CD4B31.jpegF8322798-BED4-4918-AF53-6CD239D20245.jpeg5EE4B442-E018-4909-AC01-DA86E56DF922.jpegEF67B8B5-9BE0-4B04-9CA9-B6CFD1F41E19.jpeg0C337E1A-D264-40B6-8A67-B835E1FF583E.jpeg
 
We are in the Hattiesburg area of Mississippi and if anyone is local that knows of a good vet please let us know our area only has so many rabbit savy vets
 
He is supposed to be
He has several rabbit patients and works with zoo on most of their animals
That’s all the medication we have for him
Nope not one in our state
Can you get over the counter fur mite medication
 
He is supposed to be
He has several rabbit patients and works with zoo on most of their animals
That’s all the medication we have for him
Nope not one in our state
Can you get over the counter fur mite medication
Maybe try calling a few vets from the list some vets do online consulting especially these times and if you send them clear photos like you've posted they might confirm my diagnose, I am not a vet myself. They can give recommendations on medicine, there's some available online from pet stores, they will be able to suggest or prescribe.

If I am right and this is fur mites you will need to apply it on his neck and ears once a week over 4 weeks and also clean his area and find out where he's got them from, it could be from hay or if he's outdoors or through contacts etc. I don't want to give you names because I am not a vet and this is only what I guess, see if you get more replies on this thread or maybe you can get online vet's appointment.
As far as I can see and it is my understanding that your rabbit was diagnosed wrongly and that's why you have zero results with all the medicine you have already.

And I can be wrong as well so I just don't want you to start trying every new medicine suggested on an online forum you need to diagnose properly first and then cure.
 
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So, there are two possibilities that I think it could be, sarcoptes mange or treponematosis(rabbit syphilis).

The white crusts on the ears look like it could possibly be sarcoptes mange(burrowing mite). Even with a negative skin scrape this is still a possibility. It's normally treated with either ivermectin or Revolution(selamectin). With the ivermectin, vets will usually give it by injection at least 3 treatments 14 days apart. It is available otc and can be given orally, however dosing has to be very precise and improper calculation could result in OD and death. Revolution would be the easiest as it's usually a one time topical application, but it is rx.
MediRabbit (sarcoptes mange in rabbits)
MediRabbit (Revolution/selamectin dosing info, 18mg/kg)

The other possibility since it started around the nose and spread to the mouth and eye, is treponematosis(rabbit syphilis). It can also produce a white crusty looking exudate and lesions, similar to what occurs with sarcoptes mange. It's also something that even some rabbit savvy vets aren't very knowledgeable about and may miss properly diagnosing. It doesn't usually affect the ears, but a severe case left untreated could spread to other areas. I see the bottle of baytril in the photo. If your rabbit has been on this, it could explain the skin lesions partially clearing up. Baytril can temporarily help with the skin lesions healing, but it won't cure the disease and it will reemerge once the antibiotic is stopped. Pen g injections(injection only, never orally) are needed to cure rabbit syphilis.
MediRabbit (rabbit syphilis)
MediRabbit (atypical form of rabbit syphilis)

Take a look at the photos and clinical description of mange and syphilis in the links I posted above, and see which seems to match the symptoms your rabbit has presented with and which disease best matches the crusts and lesions you have seen. Then if one of your vets is better about working with you and listening to suggestions, I would suggest ringing them and talking to them about what you suspect it is and ask if you can get the medication needed for treatment. If you suspect syphilis, you can get pen g otc, but only the short acting one(procaine), and you would need to know how to give daily injections of it. It's better and easier to use the long acting pen g procaine/benzathine for treating it(which you would need to get a prescription from your vet for), plus your vet could show you how to do the injections yourself if you felt comfortable doing that.

I'm leaning towards it being syphilis based on your description of symptoms and the fact it cleared up somewhat with baytril treatment(?), though I'm leaving mange as an option based on the photo with the white crusty exudate on the ear, as that looks very similar to mange.

If you do end up treating for syphilis with pen g, it's essential that any leakage on fur is cleaned off thoroughly so your rabbit doesn't ingest it while grooming. Ingestion of pen g can result in fatal enterotoxemia occurring. I would also suggest adding benebac plus probiotics to the diet, no high carb/sugar foods, and a lot of good quality grass hay. This is to help with gut function and try to prevent digestive issues occurring due to the antibiotic. Also keep a very close eye on poop changes. If you see fecal poop that is watery or pudding like(not just mushy cecotropes which isn't diarrhea and an emergency), that is diarrhea and an emergency. It means your rabbit has developed enterotoxemia and needs treatment with questran and metronidazole.
 
Last edited:
So, there are two possibilities that I think it could be, sarcoptes mange or treponematosis(rabbit syphilis).

The white crusts on the ears look like it could possibly be sarcoptes mange(burrowing mite). Even with a negative skin scrape this is still a possibility. It's normally treated with either ivermectin or Revolution(selamectin). With the ivermectin, vets will usually give it by injection at least 3 treatments 14 days apart. It is available otc and can be given orally, however dosing has to be very precise and improper calculation could result in OD and death. Revolution would be the easiest as it's usually a one time topical application, but it is rx.
MediRabbit (sarcoptes mange in rabbits)
MediRabbit (Revolution/selamectin dosing info, 18mg/kg)

The other possibility since it started around the nose and spread to the mouth and eye, is treponematosis(rabbit syphilis). It can also produce a white crusty looking exudate and lesions, similar to what occurs with sarcoptes mange. It's also something that even some rabbit savvy vets aren't very knowledgeable about and may miss properly diagnosing. It doesn't usually affect the ears, but a severe case left untreated could spread to other areas. I see the bottle of baytril in the photo. If your rabbit has been on this, it could explain the skin lesions partially clearing up. Baytril can temporarily help with the skin lesions healing, but it won't cure the disease and it will reemerge once the antibiotic is stopped. Pen g injections(injection only, never orally) are needed to cure rabbit syphilis.
MediRabbit (rabbit syphilis)
MediRabbit (atypical form of rabbit syphilis)

Take a look at the photos and clinical description of mange and syphilis in the links I posted above, and see which seems to match the symptoms your rabbit has presented with and which disease best matches the crusts and lesions you have seen. Then if one of your vets is better about working with you and listening to suggestions, I would suggest ringing them and talking to them about what you suspect it is and ask if you can get the medication needed for treatment. If you suspect syphilis, you can get pen g otc, but only the short acting one(procaine), and you would need to know how to give daily injections of it. It's better and easier to use the long acting pen g procaine/benzathine for treating it(which you would need to get a prescription from your vet for), plus your vet could show you how to do the injections yourself if you felt comfortable doing that.

I'm leaning towards it being syphilis based on your description of symptoms and the fact it cleared up somewhat with baytril treatment(?), though I'm leaving mange as an option based on the photo with the white crusty exudate on the ear, as that looks very similar to mange.

If you do end up treating for syphilis with pen g, it's essential that any leakage on fur is cleaned off thoroughly so your rabbit doesn't ingest it while grooming. Ingestion of pen g can result in fatal enterotoxemia occurring. I would also suggest adding benebac plus probiotics to the diet, no high carb/sugar foods, and a lot of good quality grass hay. This is to help with gut function and try to prevent digestive issues occurring due to the antibiotic. Also keep a very close eye on poop changes. If you see fecal poop that is watery or pudding like(not just mushy cecotropes which isn't an emergency), that is diarrhea and an emergency. It means your rabbit has developed enterotoxemia and needs treatment with questran and metronidazole.
So completely rule out the mites? I've seen same bald spots as he has on his neck on many rabbits and they were cured with mite treatment, I had no experience with syphilis or mange so can't tell but the OP said this rabbit had it for long time so it should progress more rapidly, I mean I've seen photos for those illnesses they looked really bad.
 
So, there are two possibilities that I think it could be, sarcoptes mange or treponematosis(rabbit syphilis).

The white crusts on the ears look like it could possibly be sarcoptes mange(burrowing mite). Even with a negative skin scrape this is still a possibility. It's normally treated with either ivermectin or Revolution(selamectin). With the ivermectin, vets will usually give it by injection at least 3 treatments 14 days apart. It is available otc and can be given orally, however dosing has to be very precise and improper calculation could result in OD and death. Revolution would be the easiest as it's usually a one time topical application, but it is rx.
MediRabbit (sarcoptes mange in rabbits)
MediRabbit (Revolution/selamectin dosing info, 18mg/kg)

The other possibility since it started around the nose and spread to the mouth and eye, is treponematosis(rabbit syphilis). It can also produce a white crusty looking exudate and lesions, similar to what occurs with sarcoptes mange. It's also something that even some rabbit savvy vets aren't very knowledgeable about and may miss properly diagnosing. It doesn't usually affect the ears, but a severe case left untreated could spread to other areas. I see the bottle of baytril in the photo. If your rabbit has been on this, it could explain the skin lesions partially clearing up. Baytril can temporarily help with the skin lesions healing, but it won't cure the disease and it will reemerge once the antibiotic is stopped. Pen g injections(injection only, never orally) are needed to cure rabbit syphilis.
MediRabbit (rabbit syphilis)
MediRabbit (atypical form of rabbit syphilis)

Take a look at the photos and clinical description of mange and syphilis in the links I posted above, and see which seems to match the symptoms your rabbit has presented with and which disease best matches the crusts and lesions you have seen. Then if one of your vets is better about working with you and listening to suggestions, I would suggest ringing them and talking to them about what you suspect it is and ask if you can get the medication needed for treatment. If you suspect syphilis, you can get pen g otc, but only the short acting one(procaine), and you would need to know how to give daily injections of it. It's better and easier to use the long acting pen g procaine/benzathine for treating it(which you would need to get a prescription from your vet for), plus your vet could show you how to do the injections yourself if you felt comfortable doing that.

I'm leaning towards it being syphilis based on your description of symptoms and the fact it cleared up somewhat with baytril treatment(?), though I'm leaving mange as an option based on the photo with the white crusty exudate on the ear, as that looks very similar to mange.

If you do end up treating for syphilis with pen g, it's essential that any leakage on fur is cleaned off thoroughly so your rabbit doesn't ingest it while grooming. Ingestion of pen g can result in fatal enterotoxemia occurring. I would also suggest adding benebac plus probiotics to the diet, no high carb/sugar foods, and a lot of good quality grass hay. This is to help with gut function and try to prevent digestive issues occurring due to the antibiotic. Also keep a very close eye on poop changes. If you see fecal poop that is watery or pudding like(not just mushy cecotropes which isn't diarrhea and an emergency), that is diarrhea and an emergency. It means your rabbit has developed enterotoxemia and needs treatment with questran and metronidazole.
I was talking about this photo, if we just leave other symptoms for a minute, can syphilis or mange cause fur loss like that? Skin is looking healthy and no irritation

9e94aa3d-5412-476a-bb97-b0731e4cf6b9-jpeg.49940
 
Mange is mites. It's just a burrowing mite, as opposed to a surface fur mite. Though mites will commonly affect the ears and neck, it would be unusual for mites to be right around the eyes, nose, and mouth where the symptoms originally started, which is why I lean toward syphilis. But it's also possible this rabbit could have both mites and syphilis going on at the same time, as that does look like it could be mites around the ears and neck, though I would still say mange mites as opposed to fur mites, due to the white crusts on the ears. Hopefully the OP will be able to determine if it's mites or syphilis or both, by comparing photos in the links.
 
Mange is mites. It's just a burrowing mite, as opposed to a surface fur mite. Though mites will commonly affect the ears and neck, it would be unusual for mites to be right around the eyes, nose, and mouth where the symptoms originally started, which is why I lean toward syphilis. But it's also possible this rabbit could have both mites and syphilis going on at the same time, as that does look like it could be mites around the ears and neck, though I would still say mange mites as opposed to fur mites, due to the white crusts on the ears. Hopefully the OP will be able to determine if it's mites or syphilis or both, by comparing photos in the links.
Hope the OP will be able to get poor rabbit to vets and with all the information you shared here could ask them for more tests so they can confirm diagnosis before starting any course of medication :)
 
Wanted to add to my post above but was too slow,
I was talking about fur mites Cheyletiella parasitivorax, not about Sarcoptic mange, I think they are quite common and this is typical spot for them, but I agree that other symptoms are not typical for fur mites just was talking about that massive bald spot. I also agree that it can be more than just one problem with that bunny.
Hope the OP will be able to get poor rabbit to vets and with all the information you shared here could ask them for more tests so they can confirm diagnosis before starting any course of medication and will keep us updated :)
 
Im still unsure after looking at those the crusts of the first the mange looks pretty similar to his but I do notice that all of the examples seem to show that it affects the feet near the claws which would make sense from grooming which he does all the time
The syphilis examples all seem to have more color to the affected areas all of his sores seem to have white to tanish color to the them
Also as for the bald spot it shows zero signs of anything wrong it’s almost as if someone carefully shaved that area one day and it never grew back
 
We are going back to the vet tomorrow hopefully I will be able to go because my girlfriend seems to not want to ask so many questions and assume that he will notice anything wrong with our rabbit and tell her
 
I just checked his paws and they look fine other than what is left from small sore hocks that are healing but otherwise healthy no stains in the fur/hair no baldness or thinning hair and no sores and now he angrily flicks away from me for touching his paws
 
We are going back to the vet tomorrow hopefully I will be able to go because my girlfriend seems to not want to ask so many questions and assume that he will notice anything wrong with our rabbit and tell her
You can also show your rabbit to a few vets to get another opinion, I've heard of vets who just google the symptoms and base their diagnosis on that, I understand that your gf doesn't want to suggest anything let them guess and see what they say, but maybe later if you mention syphilis maybe there are some tests available and not only observation. You can't diagnose syphilis by comparing photo on the internet, it can help with getting some ideas, what would be possible but that would be just one of your guesses, I would only trust a professional running real tests and prescribing medication based on the results, not on guesses. Best of luck with your vets and keep us posted
 
While I am by no means an expert on rabbit syphilis, I am very familiar and knowledgable on different external parasites, particularly mites. I hate to disagree with Jbun and very seldom do, but this case is very much presenting to me as Demodex mange, not sarcoptic. Sarcoptic mange to the extent we're seeing would have a dramatic effect on behavior. It is also semi-zoonotic, meaning that people in regular contact would likely get a slight rash themselves, although it wouldn't stick around long since each species of sarcoptic mite is species-specific. Additionally, sarcoptic mange in rabbits tends to appear first and most dramatically on the face, around the eyes and nose, or/and on the feet.

This definitely looks like Demodex mange, or standard non-infectious mites. It also could be syphilis, but that is not something I can claim much knowledge about. Demodex tends to appear on the nape of the neck, around the ears, and progressing towards the muzzle. It tends to not cause dramatic behavior change until it is very far progressed.

You definitely need to see a rabbit savvy vet and should get a skin scraping to be on the safe side. The vet should prescribe treatment for mites and probably ear mites too, which are yet another species, if that is the diagnosis found. Good luck, and it is always OK to ask the vet as many questions as you have, they are always happy to help!
 
Actually, Jbun has a really good point, I missed the line about excessive grooming and fur loss on the feet. Those actually could be signs of Sarcoptic mange, although I wouldn't be completely willing to write off a run of the mill non-infectious mite infection. Sorry, Jbun! Good luck!
 

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