crust on ear??

[my baby max]

hi everybody, so my bunny has this crust-like thing that feels like a rock on one of his ears. i’ve been wondering what it could be, but google does not suffice. the crust begins small and grows until he scratches it off and it bleeds, making it regrow again. one crust even ”ate” his ear… i don’t know how else to describe it. when he scratched it off, it’s as if a piece is missing… i’m wondering if it could mites, myxomatosis or if anyone else had this problem before?

i took him to the vet once and she just told me “oh it’s probably just a scratch/wound, here’s a cream” i thought maybe she could be right and whenever i applied it he would scratch that area vigorously as if he was allergic to it; i quickly removed the cream when i noticed that. i will be taking him to another vet tomorrow, but just wanted to check in on this forum if anyone has any ideas.

here are some pictures of it: one of the crusts in the photo has been scratched off, it was a large crust.

[Wick & Fable]

Considering the crust is in multiple spots and has not gone away with wound topical treatment, it may be mites: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Mites … or some sort of fungal infection.

I would recommend finding a different vet to have this assessed properly before trying any treatments (at-home treatments for fleas/mites is not recommended due to the need for rabbit-safe treatment, as well as proper dosing information). Rabbits must go to rabbit-experienced vets, so perhaps you can find one here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Choosing_a_rabbit_veterinarian#Rabbit_veterinarian_listings

Do not use any treatment which contains fipronil [Frontline® – Merial]. Fipronil is effective, however, serious adverse effects such as depression, anorexia, seizures, and death have been observed in rabbits, especially young and small ones.

 

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[my baby max]

update: I went to another vet yesterday, and wow… it was a very traumatizing experience for my bunny. I think it was better than the other one, but the vets flipped my bunny on his back multiple times to check his temperature and clip his nails. I asked them isn’t it bad to do that, they just said holding him from his armpits would break his spine.

So the doctor ruled out the crust to be some sort of fungal infection like you said or even syphilis??? he doesn’t interact with any other animals…

Here are the other medications he prescribed just in case I could receive any insight:

trimeth. sulfa suspension as an antibiotic (i’m a bit skeptical as I think it has sugar and cherry flavor)

ciprofloxacin for his eyes

pyrantel dewormer because the vet found out he has tapeworms

[LBJ10]

It’s hard to tell from the photos. They could be scabs from bites (another rabbit). Or they could be keratinized papillomas.

Wick makes a good point about the possibility of mites. Although ear mites usually start out inside the ear and crusts form outward after the infestation progresses, I wouldn’t dismiss this. It could be an atypical case.

[DanaNM]

Those medications are safe for use in rabbits. I’m usually OK with a vet flipping a bunny if needed to do medical procedures (vs. some people just carrying their rabbit around like “a baby”). There are ways to hold them not completely flipped to do those things, but some bunnies struggle a lot.

All of that said though, if you didn’t have a great experience and you have other options, you could get a second opinion.

Sorry I think you missed a word in a sentence. Did the vet say they ruled out mites? or ruled out a fungal infection or syphillis? Or decided it could be fungal?  Rabbits can get syphilis from their mothers when they are born, but it usually doesn’t appear on the ears (it typically is on the mouth in those cases).

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Wick & Fable]

You can’t 100% rule out syphilis without a blood test, ‘technically’. But it’s not like vets need to do confirmatory tests for every possibility.. that’d really increase the bill prices! But yes, highlighting what Dana mentions, syphilis on just ears is not common at all, but I wanted to mention it -just in case- since there have been weird locations of syphilis crusting at times.

Trimethoprim Sulfa is safe to use and it is an antibiotic. Not 100% sure what the vet is trying to address using it, but it likely cannot hurt to try an antibiotic (unless you are noticing adverse effects from it).

It is good that tape worms were found and are being treated for.

 

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[LBJ10]

I’m going to guess that the vet ruled it a possible yeast/fungal infection. Trimethoprim Sulfa does have anti-fungal properties. However, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t prescribe a skin cream.

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