Mite dip treatment

[Boymom4]

We got the diagnosis from the vet today that our bunnies need mite treatments. They have shots for the next three weeks as well as a prescribed bath in a solution that should kill all the mites. I am a little concerned since I realize that bathing a whole rabbit can cause serious problems. I will clearly do my best to ensure that they get fully dry and warm, however, on top of this the vet said to wash each rabbit in cat shampoo or dawn dish soap before the treatment. Has anyone every had to do this for their rabbits? I understand the dip treatment, but why shampoo??! I feel like skipping that step. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

As far as I know, Dawn is unsafe for bunnies. Both of my boys had mites and were just given a simple dose of Revolution. Is this a bunny savvy reputable vet?

[jerseygirl]

Im really surprised by the vets recommendation. And that they didn’t just give the 1st injection today. So now you’ll be looking at taking them back in 3 more times.
Is it Ivermectin injection they’ll be getting?
If this clinic sells Revolution, I would be buying some of that and just treating them at home. Gooseman had some ivermectin shots for furmite but it persisted. Ive used Revolution on him since and it’s notably more effective. However, it is more expensive then ivermectin.

[Boymom4]

She is a reputable bunny vet and her knowledge is very good, however this made me more uncomfortable than I expected. They would have done the dip treatment for me there but I opted to do it myself at home as well as The ivermectin shots, since I comfortable with it and have been rehabbing and caring for sick and injured animals since I was very young and would rather save the money and six hours of drive time over the next few weeks.
What is revolution?
The vet said it was not the common rabbit mite, but rather mouse mites, which was not a shock due to an invasion of field mice we had in the house when the cold weather set in. (It was awful) Does they type of mite make a difference in this case?

[Boymom4]

Called the vet and asked why the shampoo. She said it was because getting the treatment into the fur is harder with the natural oils and the shampoo would help cut those beforehand.
The dip treatment is Pyrethrin, three times, once per week. There are three Ivermectin shots as well.

[Boymom4]

Called the vet and asked why the shampoo. She said it was because getting the treatment into the fur is harder with the natural oils and the shampoo would help cut those beforehand.
The dip treatment is Pyrethrin, three times, once per week. There are three Ivermectin shots as well.

[sarahthegemini]

Completely bathing a rabbit seems unnecessary. Using dawn dish washing up liquid to pre-wash them sounds absolutely insane. I’m sorry but I would get a 2nd opinion.

[Boymom4]

Yeah I agree but there is no second opinion available unfortunately. This vet is the best rabbit vet within a couple hundred miles. Everyone else says they will see / spay or neuter them but otherwise do not provide treatment for their species. It is frustrating, however I have trusted her extensive knowledge and willingness to get technical about the details on all other issues. She has saved one off our rabbits lives for a very uncommon problem too.
I just wish this was an easier thing to get on board with. I have read on revolution too but am not entirely convinced that is going to be as effective. I also can’t help but wonder if we get another home invasion of mice if this isn’t going to be a reoccurring issue. ? We live in farm land and all our close neighbors have cats which seems to make our house the popular one to run to. The mice seem to be getting trap savvy now, and with rabbits I am afraid to use poison. The whole nine yards is a frustrating mess.

[LBJ10]

Wow, that must be some mite infestation. =\

That being said, I would not advise using that dip. I’m surprised the vet would suggest it (that more so than the Dawn). Here is what MediRabbit has to say:

The use of over the counter products against mite or ear mites should be avoided. Most contain pyrethrin. While one of the least toxic insecticides for animals and rabbits, pyrethrins/pyrethroids are neurotoxins which lead to continuous “firing” of nerves. Observed problems in rabbits include limb paralysis, seizure, coma, tremor, sometimes death.
Many of those products contain additives that prolong the effect of the pyrethrins, and inhibit the breakdown of these products in the body. They can lead to toxic reactions in rabbits. Piperonyl butoxide is one of them. If no immediate death, there should be **slow** recovery with time, around 48 h.

If you absolutely must bathe the bunny (I’m not familiar with mouse mites), then I would not use Dawn. I would use something like Zymox, which is safe for rabbits and will help prevent infection if bunny has been scratching their skin too much. But, really, I’m doubting you would need to take such extreme measures. I would only see this being appropriate in an extreme case. From what you’re describing, it sounds like that this is far from being an extreme case.

As the others said, Ivermectin and Revolution should be effective in treating mites. It might take more than one treatment though. But I would definitely start there before resorting to bathing.

Just so you know, anything with fipronil should not be used on rabbits. I remember a very sad case on here where a vet used Frontline on a rabbit, insisting it was better for mites. While it is good at killing mites, it’s also good at killing rabbits. It’s highly toxic to them. The story was heartbreaking. So please make sure your vet knows that.

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