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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Spreading hair loss

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    • Quintus
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        Hi everyone

        I have a huge problem with fur loss on one of our rabbits and now it seems to be starting on the other one.

        I hope someone can help here, I will try and give as much info as I can remember.

        Fist, before i give the history, we had the rabbit at the vet and they did a biopsy. It showed no sign of cancer or mites, just massive skin irritation. He is still active and eating and it does not look like it is itchy as he is not scratching any of the affected areas. The rabbit is very old, moving to 13 years now but does not have a history of skin problems at all, in general he has been a very healthy one compared to the others.

        So, the background.

        They used to be house rabbits but after we moved to a bigger house they had full run of the yard (fenced). They still have access to the house but over time they showed a preference to be outside and it came to a point where I moved all their food etc out since they hardly come in anymore. This one specifically has the whole front yard to himself (he is old and the others fight with him) and he has made a various little hideouts for himself. This was the situation for about 2 years with no problems. 

        This past December we went on holiday for two weeks and I did not want to put them in small cages again after they were used to running free so I built free standing walk in cages using old pallets (untreated). (picture attached) At this point I was running out of time and we left before I could treat the wood with any chemicals for waterproofing and mildew.

        After we came back I noticed a brownish stain (picture attached) on some parts of his fur, especially around the thick hair of the neck and sides but since it looked like dirt stains I thought he was just digging again somewhere. A few weeks later I saw it is still there so I wanted to brush him and at this stage I  discovered it is some kind of excretion and that his hole body was full of this scab like bits and that the hair on those parts are completely loose.

        To explain what it looks like. Halfway up the hair there is a crust that makes everything clump together in small clumps. This is either yellowish or brownish and causes the staining I mention earlier. Imagine when you get a carpet burn and that clearish liquid that comes out scabs over your hair..that is pretty much what it looks like (sorry about the image). On the skin itself it looks like the top layer of skin forms a dry scab and then just comes off, together with the hair. Underneath is healthy pink skin but with no hair. On the scab itself the skin looks flaky like covered in dandruff (sample pictures attached). In some cases I could see that infection formed under the scab but it looks like this could have been due to moistness (it was the rainy season). I also have a suspicion this is where the discoloration comes from. That was treated and is cleared up but the scabbing continues.

        At this point I assumed it was because he is so old and his immune system is just losing the fight against some allergy but this morning I found a similar small patch on one of the others so I am back to square one. The old one is now covered completely in scabs and tufts of clumpy hair on his body and face, everywhere except the underside (tummy and chest).

        Now, in terms of finding the smoking gun, here are the facts.

        It seems to have started after I moved them to the new cages. The cages have in the meantime been treated with a creosite based treatment on the outside, I left the inside raw wood. 

        I found some mildew (picture attached) under their blankets meaning there was some moisture that came in with the rain and the inside has been damp. I did check however and none of it has seeped up to the point where the rabbits would be wet but the wood has been damp for a while. I packed the floor and walls of each enclosure with a few layers of blanket because the winter is approaching here.

        No change in food, snacks or environment.

        Litter is still the same as always

        No sign of rats or mice near their cages or food

        Bought some slabs of grass to cover the ground in the cages when I built it.

        Occasionally I cover the bottom of the cage with cut grass after mowing the lawn

        The rabbits are housed individually, each have their own cage as they are all male and fight when they are caged together.

        Has anyone else experienced this? I am at wits end now that the other one is showing the same signs


      • Quintus
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          I should probably also mention that all of them spend about 12 hours a day outside the cages, I only close them at night because of owls


        • jerseygirl
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            Welcome Quintus

            I’ve added in the photos for you. They were attached successfully but there is an added step of clicking on the “Insert Image” icon to have them appear in your post.

            From your description only, I wondered if your older rabbit had something like sebaceous adenitis, but it really does look like a fur mite infestation. It would make sense that your elderly bunny is the most affected. Is the brown in the fur oily or waxy at all? The sebaceous glands secrete a brownish substance.

            So the vet did a biopsy? As in tissue sample? Or a skin scraping perhaps? Have you given them a mite and flea treatment regardless?

            Mites aren’t always detected in the test. I remember years ago, a vet telling me about a rabbit that was losing fur and generally very poorly. They tested for mites twice. Eventually the owners felt they had to put the rabbit to sleep as they felt it was suffering. The vet had a feeling and thought she’d test one more time. This time, mites were detected, appropriate treatment given and the rabbit recovered!

            http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/furmite/fur_mite.htm

            Note in the attached link about seborrheic lesions. This may explain the brown you’re seeing at base of fur that’s coming out. 


          • jerseygirl
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              Has the vet tested for fungal infection?


            • Quintus
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                Thank you for adding the pics.
                They did a scraping and a biopsy (skin sample) , not sure if it was tested for fungus.
                The discolored parts are a little oily, not to the point where it feels damp but you can feel it on your skin – like after playing with a dirty dog.

                Thing is I tend to agree with you. To me everything points to mites but we did do a mite treatment just in case. I also bathed him with shampoo for mites that the vet gave me but refused to do it again as he clearly went into shock and found the bath very traumatic. I sat with him in a dry towel and kept him warm for almost two hours to get the shivering to stop and since he is so old I did not want to do it again.

                Maybe I should remove him from the cages for a while and do the mite treatment again just to be sure.


              • jerseygirl
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                  What mite treatment have you used so far?
                  It just looks so typical of fur mites and affecting the typical areas of the body also, including the tail. Do you see him chewing at his tail at all?


                • Bam
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                    I agree it sounds and looks like fur mites. My bunny Bam had fur mites. I don’t know if there are types that have developed resistance to some anti-parasitics.

                    Just a warning, one we always give in threads about skin parasites: never use any compound that has Fipronil on bunnies. It’s very toxic to them.


                  • Quintus
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                      Wow, that picture in the link you sent showing the dandruff is exactly what it looks like. We are taking him back armed with this knowledge. I will give feedback later in the week. Thank you very much

                      I haven’t seen him scratch or chew on his tail at all but like I said, he roams free in the garden so I only really see him when I go out to check if everything is ok


                    • Bam
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                        We’ll be very happy for updates!


                      • Hazel
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                          I agree with the others, it looks like fur mites. Our bun needed three doses of Ivermectin when he got fur mites, but his case wasn’t as severe as this. As you said, his old age is probably making it worse. Do you have a rabbit savvy vet? With the right medication, this should be simple enough to treat. However, as long as they’re staying outside, this will keep happening over and over. I know you’ve put a lot of work into building them a great habitat in your yard, but I would still advise you to move them indoors. They will always be exposed to parasites out there, unfortunately.


                        • LBJ10
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                            I agree with everyone else. Everything points to mites. Skin scrapings do not always show mites even though a bunny can be heavily infested. A topical treatment or Invermectin injections would be more effective, in my opinion.

                            Bam is correct about Fipronel (commonly sold as Frontline). It is toxic to rabbits and should be avoided.


                          • Azerane
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                              If it is mites, the problem you are likely having even though you treated him is that some mites breed in the soil and then live there until they find a host like your rabbit. That’s assuming your cages have soil, it looks like it from the image. So a single treatment won’t be enough because he will always be reinfected so you will likely need to treat repeatedly and also treat the soil in the cage with something (although I’m not sure what).

                              See this page for some more info: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/Uncommon/Other_mite.htm

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                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Spreading hair loss