Help for dry skin on ears?

[Meg]

Hey everyone!  🙂

So Teddy (age 13 1/2) has had dry skin flaking off on the front and backs of his ears for quite a while.  I seem to recall (but not 100% sure) being told not to use lotion for bunnies, and our vet said we could try MalAcetic wipes.  We tried them, but they didn’t help and are labeled as “drying”.  The past several months, we’ve been rubbing his ears twice a day with rosewater wipes, and he enjoys that a lot, but the flaky dry skin continues.  It must be itchy and uncomfortable (and due to advanced arthritis, he can’t groom his ears himself anymore).  Is there any kind of lotion, balm, or other thing that would be OK for bunny ears, do you think?

Thanks so much!  🙂

[DanaNM]

Do you think it could be fur mites? The back of the ear is a common spot for them to start, esp with reduced grooming and old age.

Ruling out mites, I believe I remember someone on here using a tiny amount of coconut oil for this. Hopefully someone with a better memory will chime in!

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

Rabbits normally carry a certain amount of fur mites that dont cause trouble as long as the bun’ immune defense is strong enough to keep the mites in check. The immune defense however weakens with age, in humans as well as pets.

This said, flaky skin on the ears doesn’t have to be caused by mites. It can be “just” dry skin. Our long time forum moderator LittePuffyTail (whom you might remember) used to brush her bun’s ears lightly with a very soft baby brush. I myself have done that, plus applied a skin lotion containing propylene glycol. I got it on prescription from my vet, but the same exact lotion is  available otc for humans, at least here.

Plain food grade coconut oil wont harm either. You could try on one ear first so the other ear functions as a reference. If you see persistent increased irritation where you’ve applied the oil, obviously stop.

 

[Meg]

Oh, I didn’t know about fur mites!  I looked at the page on MediRabbit, and I’ll check closely once Teddy wakes up from his nap, but I think it’s unlikely in his case.  I haven’t noticed anything that looks like scabbing, just white dandruff-like flakes.  And it’s been this way for years, honestly, so I am guessing it would have progressed more by now if it were mites?  Also, Teddy’s had his ears checked by a vet during exams a couple times since he stopped being able to groom, and they said his ears looked pretty clean.  Still, it’s good to be on the lookout for!

Great to know about the lotion, Bam — do you remember the name of it?  Otherwise we can try coconut oil too. Good idea about trying one ear first for a bit.

And yes, we use the soft baby brush too!  That’s been wonderful for general brushing as well — Teddy enjoys it.  It’s not a powerful mat-buster, but it’s good for daily brushing and it must feel more like being groomed by a bunny.  Teddy’s always hated being groomed with the normal tools, but he loves the baby brush.  🙂  The soft rubber baby comb it came with is also excellent for combing poops out of his fur without hurting him.  (That’s just been an issue since he lost mobility.)

Thank you so much!  🙂

[Bam]

Yes, if it were mites you would’ve seen progression i e worsening. There would be (skin colored) plaques and increaibg amounts of flakes.

The lotion I use is called Propyless. It has 200 mg propylene glycol per 1000 mg, i e 20% propylene glycol. Its a human grade pharmaceutical, albeit otc. I dont expect the brand name would be the same in the US.

Brushing the ears gently with a soft baby brush could offer considerable relief. I think Teddy would just consider it a welcome part of normal bun/ hoombun  grooming.

[Meg]

Thank you so much, Bam!!  This is great to know.

Yes, Teddy does really like having his ears brushed with the baby brush.  We’ve been doing that and then rubbing with the rosewater wipes afterwards.  Now I’ll try finishing off with the coconut oil or a propylene glycol lotion if I can find it here.

Thanks so much again!! 🙂

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