Giant bald spots…Update 12/2

[FluffyBunny]

A little background…on Thursday afternoon, I took my (3 yr old male) rabbit, Mr. Bunny, to the vet for sore hocks and possible digestional troubles. No medicines were given, but as was suggested, I’ve been putting on Sergeant’s Veterinary Balm everyday on the foot sores.

So, on Friday, I noticed that on his forehead, between the ear and the eye, on the left side, he was just losing hair in tufts. There wasn’t any new fur coming in, but the skin looked healthy, so I shrugged it off as shedding. The next day, he lost even more fur – and on the right side, too.

Now, today, the spot on the right is over an inch long and about 3/4 inch wide, and the left spot isjust barely smaller. He’s also rapidly losing fur in a line between the spots. Until yesterday, the skin looked healthy, but now, it’s a brighter pink color than the rest of the skin and there’s a bunch of red speckles scattered around. There’s still no new fur, but there’s no new fur loss, except in the middle.

What do you think could be causing this? It really doesn’t seem like shedding; he’s gone almost a week without any signs of new fur coming in. Do you think he could’ve caught something from the vet’s? The timing is really perfect for that.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Gosh, I don’t know, could you post a picture? I hope he is ok though and it is nothing serious… Has he been scratching the bald spots?

[FluffyBunny]

It is in a place that he normally scratches quite a bit while grooming, but he hasn’t been scratching it much the last few days, oddly. It seems a little sensitive.
I’ll try to get a few pics if I’m able to.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/Rabbit-hair.htm
This Person has a similar scenario as you, it might be mites or fleas.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Well, I know when my Mini-Rex sheds, he sometimes sheds out and it leaves a little bald spot, often on his head and face and then it grows back. I think you should give your vet a call though and explain what you see because you say there is reddening and red spots, not sure what that could be.

[jerseygirl]

Gosh, poor Mr B doesn’t need this also! If you strongly suspect he got something from the vet clinic I would have them diagnose and provide meds for free if it is mites or fleas. The red specks could be flea poop – so if the dissolve in water to be a reddish brown colour it might be fleas. If they move – maybe it’s some kind of mites? The other thing I thought is could be be having a reaction to the balm for his feet? Maybe not so – if his feet seem ok, but just though he could transfer the balm there when he scratches or grooms.

From memory that spot between ear and eye is common starting point for mites I think.

[RabbitPam]

Please call your vet immediately. No matter what it is, she just saw him and is the best one to tell you what’s wrong. This could be a side effect of what she gave you, and therefore he will need to make a change. If it’s something else, she didn’t catch it and he needs further examining.

[Sarita]

Yes, call the vet and find out especially since he’s on medication and seen recently. Posting a picture isn’t really going to help either – I’ve found that pictures don’t always tell the story and a physical exam is usually needed. Let us know what the vet says.

[FluffyBunny]

Alright, we called the vet back. They said that it sounds like something else is definitely going on, and they would like to see him again. We have an appointment in an hour and a half.
Thanks guys.

[Sarita]

Keep us updated! Hope Mr. B is okay.

[FluffyBunny]

Well, Mr. Bunny went to the vet. They examined him and said that the foot problems is probably unrelated to the new bald patches.
They said that he probably has either fur mites or some type of fungal infection. They gave him a shot of Ivermectin and topical antifungal medicine, took a few fungus cultures, and gave me a suggestion to sanitize the entire room. They said they’ll know if it’s fungus, mites or something else within a week.

[Sarita]

Oh goodness. Poor Mr. B :~( Hopefully the ivermectin will cure this ailment.

[RabbitPam]

So glad you took him back in. What a bunch of things going wrong for Mr. Bunny.

{{{{{{{{{Get better soon, Mr. B.}}}}}}}}}

[FluffyBunny]

Since yesterday, the bald spot on the right side has grown about 1/2 inch. It now goes around a large portion of the base of his ear. Just a few hours ago, the skin there looked healthy. Now, like the original spots, there’s red speckles and dry skin forming.
Also, the skin in the original spots seems a whole bunch dryer than it was a few days ago. Now there’s peeling, dry skin coating the entire bald spots.

Do you think I should call the vet back? They told me if I had any concerns or questions that I could drop them a call, and I might not otherwise be able to contact them until Tuesday.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Yes call them and ask if this is a problem.

[BinkyBunny]

ditto – let us know what they say.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Let us know what the vet says-you should definintely call

[FluffyBunny]

I called the vet today. The lady I got wasn’t very talkative and just said that as long as he’s eating and pooping, he’ll be fine. He lost a really big amount of fur today; now it looks as if he has on a headband. However – there seems to be some healthy peach fuzz on one side in a small area…possibly fur growing back?

My Mom took some pics earlier; I should have them in an hour or two. Poor little bunbun…all of this is happening when his 1 year anniversary with me is in just 2 days. >.<

[Barbie]

Awww poor bunny. It might be a good sign if he has fur coming back in, but it possible that the regrowth could be unrelated and the problem might still be there… I would call and see if you can talk to the vet or ask to have the vet call you back rather than talk to the receptionist. I have a great vet, but her receptionists aren’t the nicest/most knowledgable

(((Healthy vibes)))

[FluffyBunny]

Here’s the pic taken today – 11/17

You can really see how far the baldness goes in that photo. Also, you can see the marks on his back from his constant heavy shed.

In real life, the bald spot looks redder and you can really notice the dry, flaky skin.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Woh! I think you are dealing with an extreme case of a receding hare line…..

I think you should call and ask to see if you could talk to the vet. Hope he gets better soon!

[FluffyBunny]

Darn it, M_W.

[MooBunnay]

Poor Mr B…I’ve never seen anything like that before. I’ve only seen a couple bunnies that had no fur at all, and that we think was due to lack of nutrients, but since you are taking good care of Mr. B that can’t be it. I hope that the cultures are able to tell you something and that Mr. B. is feeling better soon. Is he still acting pretty normal as far as his mood and his eating/pooping habits?

[BinkyBunny]

What a silly thing for the receptionist to say. That as long as he is pooping and eating everything is fine? I mean that doesn’t mean that NOTHING else is going. She shouldn’t be telling people this. Anyway, I would call back and ask for the vet to call back.  It could be that it took a bit for the meds to work so it got worse before it got better, but this is something you need to confirm with the vet.  

 

Keep us updated. 

[FluffyBunny]

Yeah, I know, BB. >.< A bunny could have half its ear ripped off and still be "just fine" by those standards. She seemed to mostly be bored with me…She said right after that that I should just call them back if he really gets a whole bunch worse and of course stops eating and pooping. ._.

MB: He definitely doesn’t have a nutritional deficiency…Hmm, I just thought of something – is it possible for bunnies to have trouble absorbing nutrients?
His mood is still the same; big binkies, a constant desire to explore, plenty of affection. His eating and pooping habits seem normal too.

[jerseygirl]

If you can pin point that this began after his visit to the vet the first time – I would really be emphasizing that fact when talking to the receptionist. It irks me she said that – like she was palming you off. It’s quite a rapid onset. Maybe the need to test more rather than guess at fur mites or fungal infection. I’m a little cross (on your behalf)….

[FluffyBunny]

What types of other tests should I ask about?

Something I never mentioned is that the vet took a little bit of hair from Mr. Bunny’s head and looked (under a microscope) for fur mites. He didn’t find any. Right after that, though, he said, “If none of the fungus cultures come back, we’ll just keep doing Ivermectin since it’s probably fur mites in that case.”
I haven’t really considered, until now, that it could be something besides those two…

[jerseygirl]

Ah, I jumped the gun then…he actually did do some tests. Did you get results from the culture? They could do a skin scraping but I just read that fur mites don’t always show in this or under the microsope. If it is fur mites – from those pics I’d say they’ve reallt settled in. Maybe some more Ivermectin? I’m wondering about ringworm too though I had thought the patches with those were completly round. Sorry, I don’t know what you could ask for. If you’re not seeing results from the treatment then that enough cause for concern and they did say call if you had concerns. Did the vet give you an idea of when you should start seeing improvments?

[MarkBun]

For what it’s worth, I just sent the photo to Dr. Harvey to see if she has any input other than mites.

[Sarita]

Poor Mr. B – that is definitely not normal. I had a NZ White rabbit who had a horrible rash that we could not get rid of either but it wasn’t on his head and we eventually just did a surgery to remove that part of his skin and he was fine. You obviously cannot do that on Mr. B or else he would end up with a facelift. I would be interested to see what Dr. Harvey might have to say.

[katie, max & penny]

i’m printing out this picture and showing my vet at work today.

she’s wonderful- i’m going to ask if she can think of any more tests.
sorry i’ve been MIA on this thread- but seriously, not acceptable for the receptionist/vet.

with all of us bunnylovers here, we WILL figure it out

[FluffyBunny]

Thank you, K.H and MB, for showing the pics to your vets. I’d be interested to see what they say. If anyone needs a zoomed-in pic, I have that too.

The vet called us back last night. They said that all of the fungus cultures came back negative. They also said that if the Ivermectin was having the expected results, I would have seen more positive change by now. So we’re bringing Mr. Bunny back for (yet another) checkup and a second Ivermectin shot today in a few hours (on his bunniversary…sigh ). The vet says that if I still don’t see much improvement after the next shot, he plans to refer us to a specialist.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Awww you guys are dolls for asking your vets for her!! Fluffy your lucky-Markus is showing Dr. Harvey-she’s like THE rabbit vet!!!!

That almost looks like mange to me….Does anyone know if they can get mange?

The vet says that if I still don’t see much improvement after the next shot, he plans to refer us to a specialist.

Well, if nothing this is promising A specialist could really nail it down I’m sure.

Please keep us posted {{Hair vibes}}

[Balefulregards]

Rabbits can get mange…but I hazard a guess of ringworm here. Especially with your description of the red dots on the skin and the way the patch “looks” and has moved. If it was mange, the ivermectin would have helped…

[katie, max & penny]

my vet thinks its fur mites even if your vet couldnt see any. she said “if it walks like a duck and quack likes a duck”…. she recommended treating mr b with fur mites meds and seeing it that helps. she said she would spend less time trying to figure out exactly what is is and more time treating the side effects, like the hair loss, flaky skin, etc.

[MarkBun]

Dr. Harvey also says that she can’t recommend anything else but she’s more than happy to talk to other vets about situations. I have PM’d her phone number to you.

[Deleted User]

did you already check out this link?

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

[KatnipCrzy]

I don’t have any possible suggestions on what it might be- but I can clarify that “ringworm” is an inaccurate name for the condition- it is not a worm (as you know)- it is a fungus and it does not always present as “rings”- especially in pets.  Did you vet look at Fluffy with the lights off and a special lamp (Woods lamp)?  Ringworm does NOT always show in that light- but it often does. 

And mites can be hard to find also- since they burrow in the skin- the vet scrapes to get a sample- and obviously tries to get a representative sample- but the mites can be deep or not in the sample taken.

[Boysclub]

hope it isnt mange. my dog got it REALLY bad and lost all his fur but my vet kept saying it was allergies, i had taken him to by boss’ husband, an equine (horses) vet to get his shots and he took on look at my dog and said he had a VERY server case of mange. I had to shave him right down, german shepherd/siberian husky cross and bath him everyday with benzoyl peroxide shampoo for 6 months. and this was in november. as well as give him ivermectin. my poor dog was not happy at all and i dont blame him. i felt so bad for him and now he gets really bad hot spots and ugh.

i hope you find out whats going on!

[RabbitPam]

How is Mr. Bunny doing today? Were the vets able to consult with one another and suggestion the next step in treatment?

{{{{{{{{{{healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}}}

[FluffyBunny]

Hi guys! Sorry for not updating in so long! I’ve got some good news & bad news about Mr. Bunny…

Good news:
A few days after he got his second Ivermectin shot, fur started really growing in in the original bald spots! It’s starting to get hard to tell anything happened there. He just went in for the third (and, hopefully, final) shot yesterday.

Bad news:
Today, he suddenly started losing a giant amount of fur in between his eyes…and now he has a (brand-new) big, irritated bald spot there – and it’s getting bigger. >.< I think that's a sign that there's still mites (or something else) there? There weren't supposed to be any mites left after the second shot.

Do you think I should call back the vet if it continues?

[Sarita]

Yes, call the vet! Makes me wonder if maybe he’s having an allergic reaction to the ivermectin.

This is so frustrating isn’t it!

[FluffyBunny]

Yes, it certainly is.

[RabbitPam]

I’m so sorry it’s continuing. Definitely call the vet.

[FluffyBunny]

Well, I called the vet (much to the dislike of my Dad, who’s absolutely certain that “all that can be done has been done, and if it’s okay it’s okay, if it’s not we’ll figure it out”)…

They said that they’re really not sure what it is then, and I should go to a rabbit specialist…But just before they gave us the name and # of one, my Dad quickly said that he wants no special treatment of whatever the bunny has, he’s totally sure it’s okay, and everything has to and will clear up without any further help. He then quickly got off the phone with the receptionist. They said that they guess they’ll call us back later.

I’m sorry…I’m a bit frustrated…>.<

Mr. Bunny’s new bald spot has gotten a whole lot bigger today, and it’s starting to get the red specks the other spots had. D: Also, on his shoulder near where the injections were, there’s another bald spot…it looks really really weird, it’s some really bright red skin surrounding a circle of totally white skin.

[Beka27]

This is frustrating. It’s hard with pets, especially exotics like bunnies, b/c even the best vets are not going to be 100% correct with every diagnosis/treatment every single time. And it costs quite a bit of money to treat buns. Keep us posted on how things proceed.

(((Mr. Bunny!)))

[jerseygirl]

What about trying a topical treatment yourselves? Like revolution – it’s a bit different to ivermectin.

I don’t suppose the clinic were not charging you for these treatments…  probably not. It just seemed this all started after he’d been there the 1st time.   Do you have to treat Mr Bunny’s habitat also?

Edit: On the red specks….do they come off the skin? Can you gently put some clear tape on the area and remove it to see if the flecks come off.  

Also, again on Ringworm, sometimes there are small red spots….I was just reading you can check for ringworm by using a UV (blacklight) but it’s only one type of ringworm that shows up with this apparently.

[BinkyBunny]

It sort of sounds like ringworm. Ask your vet about that. And tell your dad that that is contagious even to people so that may make him sing a different tune.

Edit: Oh, I just read Jersey’s response.  So obviously ditto on my thoughts that it could be ringworm.

[Balefulregards]

I am nearly positive it is some type of ringworm – especially as it is moving to nearby places AND the size and shape of the patches. Ivermectin would have killed many of the other things, but wouldn’t touch ringworm.

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