Ring worm

[caustin4]

I think Jar Jar Binks (one of my English lops) has ring worm on one of his ears. I've never has experience with this before, but it looks like ring worm based on pics. I think he got it from me bringing it back from the pound. I went to an animal shelter and they had us wear gowns because they recently (a month or so maybe) had a ring worm outbreak. Of course I washed my hands and everything, but it must have spread somehow. It's been about a week now of him having it. I originally thought it was just a cut, but the original cut kept looking more and more like ringworm

What should I do? I could take him to the vet, however it's not my usual vet since I'm not in town anymore. I could also wait until next week to take him to my usual vet (if I can even get an appointment). I'm a little worried about finding a new vet and where to go, though I suppose for emergencies and cases like this I should. I bought some anti fungal cream online and it should be coming in soon. I read online that its safe for rabbits, but I'm not quite sure what to do. Any advice? How difficult is ring worm to get rid of? Will it spread to the other bunnies quickly?

 

[Shelbster]

I'm dealing with ringworm now. You can wait for a week, it SHOULDN'T get too bad. IS she scratching/biting? If you choose to wait, monitor very closely. How I found out mine had it was because she chewed off all the nails on her back feet and is now making a very big wound on the sole of her foot She is currently in a E-collar...

But to ease discomfort, you can use chamomile extract or oil (not alcohol based, I think it's too strong, and if you can get your hands on grapefruit seed extract (make sure it's not Grapeseed extract), and add a dilution of 10 drops per gallon of drinking water, and 5 drops per 2 tablespoons of water for a topical application. If you can, also Petco and maybe some other places will sell a thing called Veterycin. It's a spray that is magical for wounds and infections and fungi.

Good luck!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Need to go to vet and get anti-biotic. Fairly simple to treat.

 

[missyscove]

Skin lesions can be caused by a number of different things. A fungal infection (ringworm) is one consideration and in general they are self-limiting (meaning it will go away on its own in a healthy rabbit) in rabbits but are typically treated because they are zoonotic.
I think your best bet is to take him into the vet to confirm that it's fungal and not something else (like mites).

What is the cream you ordered and where did you read that it's safe?

If it is ringworm, be sure to check yourself and any other humans and animals in the house for lesions.

 

[majorv]

Ringworm will usually glow fluorescent under a blacklight, at least it does on goats and lambs. Wouldn't hurt to try it if you have one. As someone mentioned,Vetericyn is safe for rabbits and livestock and works against infections, including fungal.Vanodine is another one. I wouldn't consider this an emergency, but it can easily spread to other rabbits, pets and humans.

 

[missyscove]

majorv wrote:

Ringworm will usually glow fluorescent under a blacklight, at least it does on goats and lambs.  Wouldn't hurt to try it if you have one. 

According to Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 3rd edition (Quesenberry & Carpenter), "Fluorescence of mycelia under ultra-violet light from a Wood's lamp is not a reliable method of testing in rabbits because Trichophyton mentagrophytes does not fluoresce and debris, bacteria, and keratin plugs can cause false-positive white to blue fluorescence."
T. mentagrophytes is listed as the usual cause of fungal dermatophytosis in rabbits with Microsporum spp. affecting them less commonly.

 

[Geoff]

That is certainly often the case... not seen too many rabbits with Microsporum and never recalling a single case that glowed with a black light. Ringworm (dermatophyte or skin fungus) is closely related to 'athlete's foot' so sometimes people use the same medications for both... however, be careful when using creams on rabbits- try to limit it to places they can't lick (ears are a good choice) since most rabbits will lick off what you put on them... and topicals are often 'annoying' to rabbit skin and can end up making the whole situation worse instead of better. These fungal infections can be self-limiting, but often spread and reinfection occurs since the spores fall into the environment and pop up as new infections on different spots of the body, or different animals. They can be relatively easy to get rid of as most of these fungi do not tend to develop resistance to medications.... but it happens sometimes.. these dermatophytes live deep in the follicles, too, where it is hard to get topical medications into. Sometimes bathing works better, but lyme dips are by far the best topical treatment if you are limited to topical route for some reason (costs etc.). Lyme dip is stinky stuff (smells like rotten eggs) and should be diluted correctly, not rinsed off, and applied using gloves (or your hands will stink for days). Clean up the environment as well as possible to keep this from becoming an epidemic. Dermatophytes can become a serious and overwhelming disease for some rabbits, so if you are losing the battle, see your veterinarian ASAP.

 

[majorv]

missyscove wrote:

majorv wrote:

Ringworm will usually glow fluorescent under a blacklight, at least it does on goats and lambs. Wouldn't hurt to try it if you have one.

According to Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 3rd edition (Quesenberry & Carpenter), "Fluorescence of mycelia under ultra-violet light from a Wood's lamp is not a reliable method of testing in rabbits because Trichophyton mentagrophytes does not fluoresce and debris, bacteria, and keratin plugs can cause false-positive white to blue fluorescence."
T. mentagrophytes is listed as the usual cause of fungal dermatophytosis in rabbits with Microsporum spp. affecting them less commonly.

Oh well :dunno, I stand corrected...works pretty good for goats/lambs though.