Small animal auctions, a rant

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gentle giants

gentle giants

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Joined
Dec 7, 2005
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Location
, Illinois, USA
Last night I went to a small animal auction looking for a few ducks to be pals for the ones we already have. I have been to these before, and it always bothers me, but it was especially sad this time.
There are always a lot of rabbits there that the owners have brought to sell when they get sick or old, instead of taking care of them. Last night, there was one in particular that I simply couldn't walk away from. To make a long story short, I now have a Rex doe that is in very bad shape.
She is emaciated, as in her ribs are protruding and her head looks too big for her body. She has sore hocks, and what looks like the beginnings of ear mites. Her fur is falling/has fallen out in big patches. The sale tag said she is bred, due June 20. She has come off another litter so recently she is still lactating.
Does anyone know what could have made her fur fall out like that? I am going to get her on vitamins and all that, hopeing to get her back in condition before she kindles again. I am going to try a cat ear mite medicine on her to try and fix that. As sad as it is, it might be better for her if she miscarries. I don't know how she could survive kindling again, and nursing kits, unless I can make a huge difference in her condition before she is due. If anyone has any ideas to help out, I would really apprecite hearing them. I am going to try getting pics of her up, if she will let me take some. She is very nervous and scared of being handled.
 
Bless you for taking this poor girl home - she sounds like she is in a sorry state. Afraid I can't help much - I know someone else was concerned about their Rex losing a lot of fur. Hopefully Pam, or someone else can help you more. let us know how she gets on.

Jan
 
Here are pics of the doe, who I have decided to call Charity. I am hoping the hair falling out is from malnutrition, but I am still being very careful to keep her away from my other rabbits, feeding her last and all that.
 
Side view, shows how thin her fur is.
 
One more, showing how thin she is.
 
Aww, the poor little thing! She is so extremely lucky that yougot her. I thinkwhat you didis really wonderful, you have probably saved her life.:kiss:

Do you know how old she is?
 
Oh bless your big heart for taking this poor girl. She sure looks like a beautiful girl as well. I love the name Charity and it suits her.

:mad:Now I am mad for careless people in the world :mad:
 
Wow, she is lucky you found her. I can't believe people are so neglectful. She is cute and with a little love will make a great pet. She seems friendly and does not seem to mind being handled. I am sorry for all those others that did not get saved, bought.. you know what I mean.
 
I can't believe they bred her in that condition. :(

Do you have NutriCal? I'm assuming alfalfa hay and pellets will also be good.

And hopefully Pam or somebody more knowledgeable will chime in here,but I always thought one shouldn't usecat mite medication on rabbits, because they're a different mite. Maybe mineral oilfor the time being just to play it safe??

(And BACI, it's probably more like she's too weak to fight being handled). :(

Oh, and I've got a thread on here about hair loss in mini rexes, and it's looking like some of them do lose their fur in clumps during a normal molt, so that might be at least part of the problem.'Tis the season to be molting.

Let us know how it's going.

And you're a wonderful human being. Your kindness brings me to tears. Bless you.

:hug:

sas and the warren
 
I'm just seeing this. That poor, sweet baby :( I wish I had more in the way of advice to offer, but hopefully our more knowledgeable members will pitch in. I just wanted to say what a wonderful thing it is that you rescued this gal, and I wish you the best of luck!
 
She probably pulled a lot of it out from the previous litter. Could be fur mites, fungal infection, bacterial, molt, parasites, nutritional deficiencyor genetic.

Best bet is to get her to a vet to rule out a fungal infection that could spread to you or other rabbits.

Nutri-Cal would give her a much needed calorie boost.



Pam
 
I'm ordering the Nutri-Cal for her out of a catalog. I don't think the fur loss could be from normal molt, it is down to bare skin, as in no fur left at all in places. I am keeping her separate from my other rabbits, and I take a shower after handling her.
Pipp, you suggested mineral oil--would olive oil or vegetable oil be ok, since I don't have any mineral oil? I just want to get this stopped before it gets really bad. I've seen pics of rabbits with severe cases of ear mites, and it about made me sick.
Once she gets back in condition, and has weaned the litter she is carrying (assuming she is able to have a live litter)I think I will get her spayed. She deserves a break, and I know I will definatly never breed her.

Oh, and is it ok to use Neosporin on her sore hocks? I have her in a solid bottom cage, BTW, because of her feet.
 
I'd hold off on the vegetable oil until somebody with more experience can chime in here. I know certain oils and treatments can damage the inner ear. Even the mineral oilis a temp solution.

I'll look around and see what I can find online.

sas
 
gentle giants wrote:
Oh, and is it ok to use Neosporin on her sore hocks? I have her in a solid bottom cage, BTW, because of her feet.
Click to expand...


I like to use Desitin because itsticks so well.Rubber mats or dry padding in the cage can be used to help relieve some of the pressure from her feet.

Pam
 
Naturestee is checking some things inthe Resource Center. (She's way better at this than me). :)

Meanwhile, here's some threads on ear mites...

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11323&forum_id=1

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=2994&forum_id=1

And here's some info froma commercial rabbitry:

Ear Mites (Ear Mange, Canker)
This is the most common external parasite infection of the domestic rabbit. An infected rabbit shakes its head and flops or scratches its ears trying to rid itself of mites. Thick crusts of mites and serum will accumulate inside the ear. In severe cases symptoms include spasms of eye muscles, nerve damage resulting in partial paralysis, weight loss, and secondary infections of the ears.

Treatment

Massage mineral oil into the ear every third day for four applications.The mineral oil will smother the mites. Follow-up applications smother mites hatching from eggs.
Another treatment is swabbing the ear with a mixture of 1 partiodoform, 10 parts ether, and 25 partsvegetableoil.Remove all scales and crust before swabbing the ear. Repeat treatment 6to 10 days after first treatment. An alternate swabbing solution is25-30% emulsion of benzyl benzoate in vegetable oil.
Treat all animals near the infected animal. Treat all newly introduced animals to prevent the ear mite from entering the rabbitry.

Here's one from a HOME REMEDIES site.

EAR MITES

"I use a mix of apple cider vinegar in olive oil. First, clean the earwith a Q-tip, removing the brown waxy build-up. Then, with a dropper, drop 6 or 7 drops in each ears, holding the earflap closed for a few minutes after each treatment to keep bunny from shaking the oil all over you. A few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the water bottle is also supposed to act as a repellant and general tonic. Handy stuff...a basic for any bunny medicine cabinet!

This one says it's okay...

Q. What is the treatment for Ear Canker (ear mites)?
A. Mineral or vegetable oil or ear mite medication.

 
Here's two threads on ear mites that talk about using oil. I think you can use vegetable oil, although mineral oil might be easier to work with. You should be able to get a small bottle at a regular pharmacy. With either kind, just use a little bit, and only use it in the ears.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=777&forum_id=1&highlight=mite

Ivermectin would be better. You *can* buy the horse stuff and self-dose, although since she's in such bad condition and pregnant I don't know if that would be a good idea.

I'd definately keep this girl quaranteened and far away from your rabbits, wash your hands, etc., until you know the causes for all of this and it's treated. It could be from nutritional problems and frequent litters, but it could also be fungal issues, ringworm,mange (another mite issue, treatable with ivermectin) etc.
 
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