Itchy ears…

[Sydney's Mom]

My Sydney has been tearing at his ears for a little over a week. The skin under his ears is bright red.

I took him to the vet yesterday and she looked in his ears: one she said was perfect, the other had a little amount of gunk (she sniffed and it had no smell). She looked at it under a microscrope and said it was a bacterial infection. She gave me medicine for dogs, Posatex Octic Solution. $43 for a bottle. She said to apply one drop to his right ear daily, and the tech said it was okay to out some on the red irritated areas of his skin under his ear.  She didn’t see signs of mites or fleas….

house rabbit society says that drops can’t get deep enough into the canal, but this is a doctor in the city of Raleigh NC, from a recommended practice, Bowman Animal Clinic. She wants to see him 7 days later but i can’t afford another go at that, plus its a two hour car drive that really upsets Sydney. I’m unsure what to do… I just hope this works

Has anyone else had this experience?

[Megabunny]

Aww.  Have faith! I’ve sometimes questioned treatment on my bunnies, only to find that the vet was right. I don’t take my rabbit to an “exotics” vet, but this vet always has the answers to my questions and has been wonderful and intelligent and perfectly capable, and I don’t have to drive far.

Your vet may be content to get an update over the phone. I find doctors and vets will often say to come back, but when asked, they seem content to have you call in with a progress report. Rechecks are typically quicker and cheaper too.  Keep us posted. Hope your sweetie gets some relief.

[LittlePuffyTail]

My lop, Bindi, has chronic ear infections. Most often, drops do the trick. Sometimes you need to do more than one round. If its a particularly stubborn or bad (as in lots of bacteria) infection my vet will usually put him on oral antibiotics as well.

Sometimes it can be hard to get drops into those little bunny canals, especially lops. Make sure to massage the base of the ear gently after putting the drops in to distribute them in the canal.

I do recommend that you bring bunny in for a recheck as only a vet can tell you if the infection is cleared up or not. A lot of vets offer a discount for recheck. My vet charges half the exam price. Maybe call and ask if they offer a discount.

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