Sweetie still has ear mites

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Sweetie

Sweetie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
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Location
Bremerton, Washington, USA
I went in to the vet office today with Sweetie and Prince. Yes it was very hot out and I had a spray bottle, ice pack and hand heldfans and water with me while going to the vet. I sprayed Sweetie a total of 4 times by the time we had reached the vet office, and only had to spray Prince twice. After the appointment I called my aunt, but she was still at work, so I called my cousin and he came and picked me up and gave me a ride back home. It got to 100 degrees here in Bremerton. I tried getting a ride to the vet also but no one would give me a ride.

While at the vet I put them in front of a fan to cool them off. It was on high but they were loving it. If anything happened it would have happened at the vet. They were in front of the fan for approx. 30 minutes. Like I said they were loving it.

When their time came up to see the vet, he checked both of them and Prince has a very mild case of them, so the vet didn't administer an injection. Sweetie still has ear mites, not getting better or worse. Can this happen?

The vet advised that I clean their ears, as it may help in the ear mites clearing up. He said to do it with a kleenex and saline solution, but I am not sure how exactly to do this. Please someone show me. I don't want to hurt my rabbits ears.
 
I don't know how to do this with rabbits. I've only washed out dogs ears before but I wanted to say that I hope she gets cleared up. Those little things are so bothersome to pets.
You are a good bunny mom! I'm not sure many would go to the measures you do to care for your little four footed family!
 
The best way to treat ear mites is with a drug like Advantage, Revolution, or Ivermectin (not Frontline). Cleaning them out with saline solution doesn't do much. I have heard of "drowning" them in baby oil applied to the ears, but that treatment doesn't always work and putting anything into a rabbit's ear is tricky and possibly dangerous. Their ears are very sensitive, and having extra stuff in there can trap moisture and lead to infection. I would ask for a medical treatment of the mites for both rabbits, and you should also steam clean any fabric (carpet, drapes, upholstery) that they come into contact with to kill any eggs in the environment.
 
Umm....I think you might need to find a real vet. Treating mites is basic stuff....doesn't take much to do it right. You can clean ears until the "cows come home" so to speak and that will never eradicate mites. Find a real vet and ask for Acarexx...kitten version. Not a cheap treatment. Very effective and one time is all it takes. This is a variant of Ivermectin but contains some components that will penetrate any debris and kill the adults and take care of the eggs. Acarexx is available only at vet clinics. I use a product called Epi-Otic for normal ear cleanings....and a product called Cerulytic for the tougher cleans. Both of these products are made by Virbac and available without prescription at many clinics and online. These ear washes are made specifically for ears....saline/water will sometimes lead to fluid in the ears which can result in collateral problems. Ear mites are just something that has to be treated properly in order to eradicate them....cleaning the ears will not do it...neither will mineral oil, baby oil, etc.Insist the vetvet do it right and it will be fixed.

Randy
 
Thank you for the replies.

tonyshuman: I will be cleaning my place fully every single day. How often do I steam clean my carpets?

ra7751: I will check with the vet about Acarexx if Sweetie does not get better with the Ivermectin. Also I will be using those products when I get them. They are available at the vet clinic right?
 
When Sassy had mite. they used a medicine that began with a letter I , can't remember the name. Duh. Anyway it didn't work. So they had me use Revolution. It worked quick. So I would check your vet about Revolution. :)
 
We shall see. Sweetie had her second dose of Ivermectin on the 29th of July 2009. I will see what happens in two weeks, if she is any better or worse. I hope that she gets better.
 
Thank you very much April! If the Ivermectin doesn't work for Sweetie's ear mites then I will ask the vet about Acarexx, the one that Randy suggested!
 
Acarexx contains ivermectin as the active ingredient. It or just plain ivermectin should work if done correctly. I worry about the use of oil as a treatment, because it could get deep in the ear and block off the ear canal. This could allow bacteria and stuff to grow in there.
 
Honestly, the easiest way to get rid of parasites is a general worming (Ivermectin). On RO we don't give advise on dosing methods but I can tell you that I use injectable Ivermectin at the first sign of mites. I have too many rabbits to risk an out-break
 
Um, I wasn't aware that we don't advise on dosing methods. I do it all the time, particularly with simethicone and bicillin. I think it's fine to suggest stuff like that, as long as we all know that nobody here is a vet and you do what we say at your and your rabbits' own risk.
 
Sorry I was in a hurry. That's pretty much what I meant. I've been jumped before for doing it so I wanted to make sure somebody didn't step out on that same limb.

I'm so sorry- hope I didn't offend anybody. Sometimes I get to typing to fast to move on to something else and don't re-read to see if it's offensive. :nerves1
 
No no--not offended. I just wanted to mention that I always post stuff like that and nobody's told me I'm wrong to do so yet. I didn't know you'd been criticized for that before. I always welcome people to share that kind of info, as long as everybody knows that we're not liable for what may happen if you follow our advice. I come from a long line of lawyers, and I know that there are enough posts in place on the forum that say we're not vets, we're not responsible if something goes bad when you follow our advice, etc. Sorry that you got criticized for that before. It must have been a thread I didn't see? I only withhold specific info on dosing if I don't think it's the right thing, ie if somebody asked me how to dose bicillin when I really think they should go to the vet to get a diagnosis first.
 
Very good advice. Sweetie is on the Ivermectin injections. Her first dose of Ivermectin was 2 weeks before July 29th. The vet checked her and the ear mites did not get better or worse so he gave her another dose of Ivermectin on July 29th. I go back to the vet on August 12th to see if she needs a third dose or not. Also to see if Prince will need to restart the injections. I hope that Sweetie will not need anymore injections and Prince won't have to restart them. I want to do all I can to help my bunnies get better! I love them a lot!
 
Well just had the vet appointment and the ear mites are clearing up. They are really mild right now. The vet said that their immune system should clear the ear mites up. Also wants to see Sweetie and Prince in a month, on Sept 9th to see if the ear mites have totally disappeared or not. I am actually very proud that the ear mites are clearing up.

Sweetie doesn't have to have more injections and Prince doesn't have to restart the injections. This makes me so proud.
 
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