Ear wax? FREAKING OUT: 2/3/2015

[LBJ10]

Wooly was holding his ear funny, shaking his head, and scratching at his ear last night. I looked at his ear, but couldn’t see anything on the outside. Well, this morning I went in to check on him. He was sitting quite content with Leopold and there was this chunk of wax looking stuff on his fur. I picked it off of him before it got lost and took a picture. It was gummy like ear wax, but it was brown-ish. I looked in his ear again and couldn’t see anything. The skin looks completely normal, no irritation or flakiness.

I remember a long time ago, he was messing with his ear. When the vet stuck the scope thingie in there, this piece of wax was stuck on the tip when she pulled it back out. She said the wax was probably causing a tickle or itch sensation in his ear and that’s why he was messing with it.

I guess I didn’t think rabbits got a lot of build up in their ears. Is there a reason for this? Perhaps Leopold just isn’t doing a good job helping him with his ears. Anyway, here’s the picture. Thoughts?

[Megabunny]

Looks bloody. Of course I’m paranoid about ear infections but my vet says they are almost always in the middle ear and they can’t get the wax out even if the ear drum is ruptured I think he said that they otherwise clear the wax themselves. That’s all I’ve got

[LBJ10]

It looks redder in the picture than it actually was. But yeah, I wondered about that. I mean, you would think it would be more yellow.

At any rate, I don’t think this is necessarily an emergency. I probably wouldn’t be able to take him to the vet until Wednesday, but I don’t know. I would have to call when they open on Monday to see if they have anything on Wednesday.

[LBJ10]

He was holding his ear normally and running around like a crazy bun earlier. *shrugs*

[LBJ10]

No new chunks were found this morning when I checked on him. How strange. Unless it was some sort of scab that was in his ear, like he accidentally scratched it way down in there. I don’t recall him acting like his ear was hurting recently though.

[Megabunny]

Gus has never acted like he was in pain far as I couldntell. Of course that’s what they do. It looks like wax I’ve gotten out before but idk what to make of it

[LittlePuffyTail]

hmmm….that sort of looks more like a scab or something. Olivia gets a little bit of sticky orange wax that she shakes out once in a while. Bindi has thick, whitish ear wax from all the past infections.

I wouldn’t worry about it unless any scratching or shaking continues.

[LBJ10]

UPDATE:

Well, Wooly started holding his ear funny just a little bit ago. I went over to him and rubbed his ear. He turned his head into my hand, but then moved away. When I tried to look in there, he picked up and scurried across the room. *sigh* He has been acting fine these last couple of weeks. Now it is clearly bothering him again. Of course the streets are really bad and I’m wondering how I’m going to make it to work tomorrow. Why does he have to do this now? I will have to call the vet tomorrow morning to see when they can see him.

[LBJ10]

Poor thing, he’s sitting there looking rather unhappy at the moment. Leopold could care less. He’s just lying next to him all sprawled out.

[Megabunny]

Don’t risk yourself on the roads LBJ If this is an infection it’s been going on for awhile and you would do better to wait an extra day than risk the roads

[MoxieMeadows]

If the roads are anything like over here, It’s best not to risk your lives. Unless it looks like something serious/urgent, I’d wait until the roads got better.
Sending ((((Vibes))))!

[LBJ10]

I called the vet this morning and they said they could see him right away. I can see WHY. The roads were treacherous! Literally a thick sheet of bumpy ice is covering the roads.

Well anyway, we made it in one piece. The vet said she could see some gunk in his outer ear, but she couldn’t see anything further down in there. She was worried about rinsing it because she thought it might shove potential deeper into his ear. So she used a swab to remove the debris and sent him home with some antibiotics. We are trying the pills this time since Wooly has had a really bad track record with liquid medicine. I asked my mom if I could “borrow” a banana. LOL My thought was that I could crush up the pills and hide them in the banana. I tried it tonight and he ate…….. half of the piece of banana and then refused to eat anymore. =\

[LBJ10]

It doesn’t help that my mom brought me a somewhat green banana. It didn’t smell very sweet when I cut a slice off.

[Deleted User]

I’m a bit funny when it comes to ear problems too LBJ. Not sure if I told you, but Sam (old dog) looked like she was dying (literally) and we rushed her to the vet to make sure she wasn’t suffering any pain and found that a cyst burst near her ear drum (no wonder she is deaf!). An injection, cream and antibiotics did the trick – you’d think she was 14 again! Ha ha ha……

Hope this works for Wooly (poor baby). What are you thinking? Not having banana in your house??? My hubby (sigh!) makes us go to the shops when he runs out. No wonder Henry likes him and not me! LOL!

[LBJ10]

I went back for another try with his half-eaten banana slice. He was avoiding me like the plague! I just don’t know what to do. How do I get him to take his stupid meds? If I use the liquid kind, he will fight and fight and fight. Then when I finally get a little in his mouth, he just lets it dribble out. He won’t smack his lips and swallow it like a NORMAL bunny. So here I was, think I would be clever this time. But he is now refusing the banana with the crushed up pill. I can’t win!

[Deleted User]

Wooly is a bunny – you’ll never win! Lol!
I know, this isn’t funny….. I have NO idea what to suggest. With my dog’s I don’t hesitate to hold them down and shove it down their throats.
I dread the day I have to medicate Henry! But don’t put it past me – I ‘will’ try and hold him down….. ha ha ha!

Actually LBJ…. when you work out how to give medicine to Wooly, let me know!

[LBJ10]

I really feel helpless. My baby has been having problems on and off and it seems there is nothing I can do about it. I never know if the antibiotic he gets just isn’t working or if he simply isn’t getting enough in his mouth. When it’s the liquid kind, we end up with more on him than in him. He just won’t swallow it.

[LBJ10]

I thought surely he would eat the banana. I mean, how the heck can he tell there is something in it? If this were Leopold, I would have absolutely no problem. He would inhale it so fast that he probably wouldn’t taste anything, including the banana.

[Deleted User]

This always makes me wonder…. vets give us these medications, how do they administer them??? Why is it so easy for them and not us? What do they do that we can’t seem to???

I meant it when I said I dread the day that I have to medicate Henry! And if/when I have to, I will NOT be leaving the vets office till they show me how they do it! A dog, yer, sure! A bunny – huh? What is their secret???

Edit to ADD – I used to try and hide the dog’s medication in meat/chicken – they know! It amazes me that they can eat and swallow the chicken and still ‘spit’ out the tablet??? So I shove the tablet down their throat (I know, sounds terrible) and then offer the meat to make sure it’s been swallowed. Bunnies??? I have no idea how anyone has ever been able to do it, and the things that I have read that everyone has tried…… *SIGH*!

[LBJ10]

Their secret is that bunny is scared stiff. LOL
When they get home, they are comfortable enough to put up a fight.

My vet actually joked saying that they have long lasting antibiotic shots for cats and they should make one of those for bunnies. It would be a lot easier.

[Deleted User]

I second that LBJ! Lets hope it happens before Henry needs it – can you imagine me holding him down getting my finger bitten off while shoving a tablet down his throat….. LOL!

And yes, that’s true – scared stiff! I didn’t think of that, DOH!
The only thing I can suggest is that super naughty human food….. Henry loves our ‘smiths chips’ and ‘shapes biscuits’ (from Amanda’s video) ha ha ha! I’d break the tablet up and try and sneak it that way. Does Wooly have a favourite naughty human food? I promise not to tell anyone on BB!

PS – When I tell people Henry climbs on me in bed – the truth is, I’m usually eating shapes or smiths chip’s and Henry is climbing on me to get some – cheeky bunny!

[LBJ10]

OMG, I am in a panic right now. I came home and Wooly looks terrible. He’s eating fine, but his 3rd eyelid (nictating membrane) in protruding out on the same side as his ouchie ear. It’s covering half of his eye and his ear is still hanging down funny. There is obvious discharge coming from his eye. I called the vet office and they said his regular vet won’t be in until tomorrow. They had me hold while they went to fetch the other vet, but then they said he was on the other line and I couldn’t speak with him. They said to keep giving him the meds prescribed (he won’t eat the freaking banana!) and to wait to for the vet to call me in the am. It’s supposed to snow again tonight/tomorrow morning. They said that if I’m really worried, I can take him to the emergency vet on the other side of town. I’m freaking out because they really don’t do small animals/exotics at the emergency vet.

What do I do? I’m afraid that he’s going to keep irritating it more because he still wants to scratch his ear and he might be accidentally scratching his eye area too.

I have antibiotic eye drops left over from the time before. The expiration is 4/2015. Would it hurt to put some of that in his eye? I’m scared about his eye. Like I said, he is eating just fine and pooping as far as I can tell.

[Cottontail]

(Not sure if this will help) My cat has a sensitive 3rd lid that swells out and looks like a cherry when she gets sinus/ear problems, and I found the best thing to help with the eye is to flush it with some saline water and put on the humidifier until the underlying issue can be fixed. (if you don’t have a humidifier, boiling a big pot of water has a similar effect)  The moisture helps it go back down on it’s own. When it protrudes it dries out, gets itchy/irritated and usually swells a while unless its’ moistened somehow… Is there any way he’d stay still long enough for you to take a dropper and squirt his eyelid? I know he won’t like it but I’m sure it would help him feel a little better until something can be done.

As for the antibiotic eye drops, I couldn’t say. It should be fine as long as they were stored properly. If it was for the same condition then it may help.

{{Vibes}}

[JackRabbit]

LBJ – did you try giving him a piece of banana with no meds in it? Are you crushing the pill up until its powder? I imagine the pill is bitter so it may take more of the tasty stuff to get all of the pill in him. Applesauce? Pumpkin? Strawberry? What kind of fruit do you have in the house? Any herbs that you have that he likes? If so, wet a leaf, dab some pill powder in it, roll it up so the pill powder is on the inside so he can’t smell it, and see if he’ll eat it.

[JackRabbit]

Do you have any canned pineapple?

[Hazel]

The only thing I could suggest is baby food, but if your roads are still bad you can’t go out and get any of course.

Sending lots of vibes for Wooly! I hope the vet can figure it out tomorrow.

[Megabunny]

If the eye meds Don’t have steroid in them I don’t see that they’d hurt to try

[Megabunny]

You probably know this, but while steroids could actually help the swelling, if there is an ulcer or infection it will make it worse. Sure hope the snow
Doesn’t come for you.

[LBJ10]

Well, this was an absolute disaster. I mashed up a piece of banana and then mixed the ground up pill in it. It didn’t fit in the tiny little syringe that I had so I put in a food injector syringe (without the needle). I tried holding him to no avail. Then I told my husband to hold him, but he was fighting so much we thought he was going to have a heart attack. I got banana goo all over my shirt, my husband’s pants, and Wooly’s face. None went in his mouth.

I put a couple of drops (at least I hope a couple made it in there) in his eye. Mega – They are just antibiotic eye drops. I don’t see any steroids in the ingredients. It’s bascially saline solution with antibiotics in it.

The poor thing is so traumatized. My husband suggested I slightly moisten a banana chip instead and place a the powder on it that way. He sniffed it, took one bite, and then NOPE. *sigh*

I’m so worried. I tried to clean the fur around his eye a little, but it looks like I would really need to wet it. Leopold tries to clean it, but Wooly won’t let him.

[LBJ10]

Why didn’t I just take him to the vet 3 weeks ago when his ear first had an issue? After that piece of whatever is was fell out, he was acting normally.

[Megabunny]

We have no crystal ball LBJ. Don’t beat yourself up. I’m feeling bad not pushing you those three weeks ago and being more clear in my thoughts. Besides this is so odd with the eye. Keep us posted

[MoxieMeadows]

((((WOOLY))))
How did you mash the banana LBJ? For Moxie’s last day of meds last week (she’s on it again though *sigh*) I ran out of baby food. so I froze a banana and then thawed it under warm water. I used a fork and mashed it, adding a teeny bit of water to make it have the consistency of baby food. I mixed it with a crushed pill. I was able to syringe it using a tiny syringe (holds about a tablespoon.). I don’t know if that helps, baby food or canned pumpkin might be ideal though. But if roads are still bad where you are, you might just have to make do. If you have a blender you might be able to blend a banana with a tiny bit of water to make it into a good consistency. I’m sorry I’m not much help, and I really hope Wooly gets better. It’s so scary to have a sick bun. Don’t beat yourself up, there’s no way you could have known for sure. You are a great owner, and some people wouldn’t even bother to bring a rabbit to the vets at all. You are an amazing bunny owner, so don’t beat yourself up like that!
Sending tons of (((Vibes))) to Wooly and you! <3
Keep us updated!

[LBJ10]

Mega – My thought is that whatever is in his ear is probably affecting his tear duct. It just kills me to see him like that. The eye thing came on so fast though. Like I said, it did not look like that yesterday. There was a teeny bit of “tearing”, but it didn’t look serious. I know I couldn’t have known for sure and when he acted normally I thought surely it was a scab or something that had come out. His ear seemed fine up until Sunday when he suddenly started holding it funny.

Moxie – Yes, I mashed the banana. It was pretty much baby food at that point. Like I said, he ate a couple of bites yesterday and then he must have tasted the antibiotic. I’m sure those pills taste nasty. After that, he refused to eat any more of it. So I guess he might have eaten half of the dose. I was thinking if I could just get a dose forced in him that he would start feeling the effects and maybe he wouldn’t look so bad. I don’t know how I will ever get him to eat it willingly. Forcing it doesn’t work either. I swear, that had to hurt when he jerked so hard that his head hit my chin. It certainly hurt my chin! When I do finally get some medicine in his mouth, he refuses to swallow. He let’s it run out of his mouth/spits it out.

Thank you both for you help and for making me feel a little better. Wooly went to bed on his own and he was eating dinner pellets when I shut them in. He was eating hay earlier tonight. I guess that’s a plus. Ugh, why does it have to snow again tomorrow? Oh well, the vet is supposed to call me tomorrow so maybe they will suggest something that will help.

[LBJ10]

Thank you JR and Hazel. I’m trying to think of something stronger than banana. He’s never had pumpkin before, so I don’t know how that would go over.

Cottontail – The saline is a good idea. I don’t think I have any plain saline solution except for the nasal spray. I have an unopened one. I imagine I would get a lot more than his eye though.

[LBJ10]

Spoke with the vet this morning. She said to give him what was left of those eye drops and to come get more if I need it. She said she wasn’t surprised that his eye started doing that, but didn’t think saline solution would do a whole lot.

I still need to figure out how to get him to take those pills though. The banana is a no go. I’m so worried about stressing him out too much. He fights and fights and he even let out a little squeak last night. He is so stubborn.

[LBJ10]

OMG, guys, his eye looks so much better! Now if only we had ear drops……

[MoxieMeadows]

LBJ— I know you are much more experienced with bunnies then I am, but my vets taught me a technique to holding them while syringing them. May I ask how you are holding Wooly?

[LBJ10]

Oh Moxie, I have tried everything. I’ve tried “sitting” on him. I’ve tried holding him down in my lap. I’ve tried putting him on a table. I’ve tried wrapping him in a towel (bunny burrito). I can get his body itself to stay still, but I can’t keep him from jerking his head. My husband tried to hold him down too, but he couldn’t even keep him still (hence the banana/medicine all over my husband’s pants). He just fights SO hard. I worry about him getting too worked up because he’ll start breathing heavy and then you can tell he’s struggling to breath (stuffy nose).

So I picked up canned pumpkin and vanilla yogurt (as per vet). I also asked in the chat thread if honey would be insanely bad. I don’t want to give him something that will make him sicker. =\

[LBJ10]

Okay, I did a taste test.

Honey – No
Yogurt – No
Pumpkin – Heck No!

Then I tried giving him a piece of banana again and he turned his nose up. I’m sure he’s afraid it will taste bad. *sigh*

[Megabunny]

Probably not a good time to try and get him used to pumpkin if he’s never had it before, but I’m surprised he didn’t want the yogurt. Oh Wooley. PLEEEEESE cooperate for Mom!!

[Roberta]

Just mash it down as finely as you can, mix with a little unsweetened apple juice and syringe it in fast. Waiting for them to play nice doesn’t go anywhere, they just have time to work out new tactics of avoidance. Limit the amount of juice so it doesn’t dribble out. You could also stew some apple and push it through a sieve and mix the powder tablet in that.

[MoxieMeadows]

I would try baby food if you haven’t tried it yet. Moxie’s favorite flavor so far is Blueberry and Pear. I honestly don’t think Wooly will really agree to anything, it’s just important that you get him to take his medicine. I really hope he will take his medicine easy!

~~~Wooly~~~

[LBJ10]

It was time for drastic measures. I mixed the crushed pill in some applesauce and loaded it into the syringe. I cornered him, grabbed him, sat on him, and then forced the syringe into his mouth. He wash worming around so much, I had to lean sideways a little bit so he couldn’t back clear up to my feet (he’s so little that the sitting tactic doesn’t work well). I was finally getting some in his mouth and he was eating it (although not willingly). Then Leopold came flying over to see what the heck I was doing to poor Wooly. He smelled the applesauce and so he kept trying to push his face in there. I pushed him away with my hand and he (Leopold) bit my finger. What a brat!

[LBJ10]

Now he’s hiding from me. He is so upset that he refused a medicine-free treat. Leopold happily ate it for him though. The problem is going to be catching him again tomorrow. He will be very wary of me, I’m sure.

[MoxieMeadows]

LBJ— Moxie didn’t like taking the medicine when I used applesauce for her. It didn’t have enough flavor to mask the taste of the baytril…

[LBJ10]

I’m sure it doesn’t have enough flavor, but I didn’t have anything else to use. I suppose I can try the yogurt tomorrow.

[MoxieMeadows]

Wishing you lots of luck!

[LBJ10]

I got another eye drop in just now, so of course Wooly was pouting. I put them to bed and gave them their pellets. Leopold was eagerly chowing down. Wooly was less enthusiastic. I don’t blame him. So I held the food bowl up to him so he could get a bite. Well Leopold simply couldn’t have that. He scurried behind Wooly and then proceeded to hump him. His friend isn’t feeling well and all he cares about it making sure everyone knows he’s the boss. Seriously? What a turd! I don’t normally push him off, but I gave him a good shove this time. He looked at me like I had lost my marbles. I put some hay right next to Wooly and he began eating that. So hopefully he’ll decide to eat some pellets before Leopold pigs them all down. o_O

[Deleted User]

Don’t feel bad LBJ – I smacked Henry’s bum this morning! He was chewing the end of my cane bed, and usually when I move to stop him he run’s off. This morning he got a bit complacent and didn’t run when I got up, so I was able to make contact with his butt! After almost 2 years and never being able to catch him to go crook at him, I was super excited (I know – bad bunny mum!) to finally make it clear – don’t eat my bed!

Seeing I am no good with helping out with Wooly, I’ll just send more vibes – to you BOTH! (((((Wooly))))) (((((LBJ))))) I reckon YOU need some toooo!

[Paradigm]

Hm. I found the easiest way to deal with Roger (who turned into a crazed maniac whenever my wife tried to hold him) was to burito him in a small towel and put him on my knee with a second towel under it (to catch his spat out/dribbled stuff) at a slight incline. This took place in the bathroom surround by hard floor. Anywhere else and he put up a fight. It was easier to secure his head that way too. So… I guess maybe that also uses the fear vets get – unfamiliar surroundings and what not.

The only other thing I can think it putting him into prey position but that might be a choking hazard.

Naught Leopold! Get well Wooly.

[LBJ10]

I got him again by sitting on him. Basically, I just have to wait for him to wear himself out. I feel really bad doing that though because it’s clear he has trouble breathing (stuffy nose). So I don’t know what’s worse. Stressing him out by letting him fight until he’s tired or not getting any medicine in him at all. When I say he’s fighting, I mean he’s wiggling around and pushing backwards (against my feet) and not getting anywhere. I don’t think he’s in much danger of hurting himself like that.

Paradigm – I have tried to burrito him, but it seems to freak him out even more. Not only is he struggling, he’s panicking because he can’t move his legs.

[LBJ10]

THIS JUST IN:

Wooly bit me tonight before the syringe made it in his mouth. When we were done, he gladly took his treat and then ran into the corner. He gave a single thump for good measure.

I’m just glad Wooly isn’t a real biter. When he bites, he just puts his mouth on you. He doesn’t actually bite down hard. Leopold, on the other hand…….

[Megabunny]

Sounds like progress, though! I think they do learn, after the fight, that a treat is coming and that helps

[LBJ10]

So you think it’s okay to just let him wear himself out? I feel terrible doing that, but I also want the medicine to go in his mouth and not all over the place.

[Megabunny]

How many times a day is it? If he’s not struggling to breathe from the struggle and the meds are doing their job, I guess I’m tempted to advise you to keep it up. You’re certainly a good judge of things like that, and I can tell you’re stressing YOURSELF out. What I’m trying to say is that I really find you to be intelligent and, most importantly, just smart (there is a difference) in your assessment of things, but being your baby, you understandably want confirmation that you’re doing things OK. I’d be the same way. At the same time, I totally trust your judgement in weighing the benefits of this, and I think that if the meds weren’t working, you’d be telling us you want to stop because it seems so pointless.
Does this make sense? Sounds like you should continue because w/o the meds, he will get worse again. Or am I totally off?? For the number of days you’ve been treating this, I would think you’d see SOMETHING improving, and I thought you were, but now I’m unsure.

[LBJ10]

Honestly, he does struggle to breath a little bit. BUT, he seems to struggle even more if I’m trying to burrito him. So this seems like the lesser of two evils. The good this is that with these pills, I only have to give him one per day. I can mix it myself, so I’m not finding myself filling an entire syringe for just one dose. I can just use a little dab of yogurt or applesauce so it is just one or two squirts in the mouth. He seems better, but he has never gotten fully better on oral antibiotics. He will become stable, but he always has a little bit of stuffiness. After torturing him with tests, the vet and I decided to just let him be for awhile. He has been doing fine up until just recently when he ear suddenly got weird. Anyway, he has been improving. His eye thing scared me a bit. But with the eye drops, that has improved significantly. I don’t think I should stop either thing, but like you said, I just worry and second guess myself. He’s my baby. =(

[JackRabbit]

There ought to be a long acting shot they could give so we don’t have to torture our bunnies. That or good tasting meds! Meds that taste like the real thing — carrot, banana, strawberry, poop, carpet, wii cables, phone chargers, ……

[Megabunny]

That’s too funny!

[LBJ10]

JR – My vet said the exact same thing (about long lasting shots).

[JackRabbit]

When my son was little, the doctor prescribed an antibiotic one time for 3x per day for ten days. You wouldn’t believe the look I got when I asked if there was a shot they could give him instead because I didn’t know if I could handle 30 doses!

[LBJ10]

Oh gosh JR, 30 doses? I don’t blame you. It’s 1x a day for Wooly and they gave me 2 weeks worth.

[JackRabbit]

Yea, my son wasn’t as fast as a bunny, but boy was he strong and determined!

[MoxieMeadows]

LBJ— I feel your pain! Moxie’s still on meds (and I have a feeling she will soon be on more, she’s had not much improvement…). Although I think they give up after a while, recently Moxie will just allow me to squirt it in her mouth, and lick the rest off the spoon, I think it has something to do with the flavor of baby food though… Sending (((vibes))) for a quick recovery!!

JR— I remember many years ago when my sister was about three. She went jumping into a pile of leaves during fall (like all children normally do) and got a little piece of leaf in there. Well it scratched her eye ball and got infected or whatever. So my mom had to apply a cream the Doctors prescribed directly onto my little sister’s eye. It didn’t hurt, but just imagine a screaming child trying to break free while you are trying to put medicine in their eye! Truly horrible…
So I totally understand you wanting to just give him a shot!

[Author]

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