Mites

[kurottabun]

We realised Kurotta has been scratching his ears/face area a little more frequently these two days. Not extremely excessive kind of scratching, but he does look itchier than usual.

Upon closer inspection his ears look a little redder with some dandruff/dry skin. The fur looks more scarce as well but I’m not sure if I’m just imagining things. Does it look like an initial stage of mites?

Pictures below:

[jerseygirl]

I think it looks like some dry skin. Not uncommon there either. How do his paws look? Is he able to groom his ears okay? You mention some hind end weakness in your other thread. It might be tricky for him to balance and groom his ears.

Given that he does have another condition going on and has had some weight loss, im wondering if it would be worthwhile to give him a dose of selamectin anyway? Mites can pop up when a rabbits immune system is burdened.

When Gooseman had suspected mites, he was looking more thin. I only had to do 2 doses of Revolution to make a difference and he was overall looking better. He has a chronic, low-grade upper respiratory condition along with permanent facial spasm so he doesn’t groom so well. Every now and then he gets flakey spots in his fur so I keep Revolution on hand.

[Bam]

My bunny bam had mites when I first got him. Threre were white-yellowish “crusts” – not very visible, but readily felt with my fingertips. There was also dandruff, of course and some hairloss. (I did two rounds of treatment and we never saw any mites again). This looks a lot more like just dry skin to me, but as Jersey says, selamectin can be given even if you’re not certain there are mites. It’s bunny safe. Use kitten dose. In many countries selamectin (Revolution, Stronghold) is prescription only, but in for example Australia it’s OTC, so the availability varies across the world. If selamectin is not available at all in your country, ivermectin can be used. Selamectin is a derivative of ivermectin.

I know you know this, Kurotta, but others that are reading the forums might not, so here’s the warning we always issue when antiparasitics are discussed:Never use any compound containing Firpronil on a bunny. Fipronil is sold under a whole host of brand names, among others Frontline and Sentry. Fipronil is deadly toxic to rabbits but safe for cats and dogs.

[Q8bunny]

To be honest, I’d dose him with a spot treatment just in case. He’s vulnerable right now, and if it IS only dry skin, it won’t hurt. You could also lightly Sudocrem his ears for the dryness

[kurottabun]

@jersey The hind end weakness was back in May, he’s recovered from that already ? As for the more recent weight loss, we’ve been giving him leftover Fenbendazole from May and he’s also shown improvement since (it’ll be 28 days on Tuesday). He does have a bit of trouble grooming his ears normally though because they’re pretty short and hence difficult for him to grab hold of. We haven’t checked his paws – is there anything we should be looking out for?

@bam I’ve not seen any crusty bits so far, am definitely keeping a close eye. I think I recall seeing Revolution being sold the last time we were at the vet. Is Advantage the same thing?

@Q8 Ooh thanks for the tips!

So even if he doesn’t have mites it’ll be safe to give him Revolution? How do I apply it?

[jerseygirl]

I asked about his paws incase he’s wiping anything away from mouth or nose, then possibly transferring to ears if he does groom them.
Revolution is applied to the back of neck or between shoulder blades. Advantage isn’t the same and is more for treating fleas only. Some of the newer types of Advantage have moxidectin added, but that only treats some types of mites.

Since you’re almost due to finish this round of fenbendazole, you might want to give a few days – week before using anything else. If you buy revolution from the vet, you could ask if giving it at same time as the other med is an issue or not.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yes, Revolution is safe as a precaution. Just make sure your vet gives you the right dose for your buns size.

I recently found a flea on my cat, Kyle. No trace of any on Elara but I treated them both anyways.

[kurottabun]

Alright, that’s good to know Kurotta’s ears don’t look like they’re getting worse. He’s still scratching them sometimes but I can’t really differentiate if that’s his normal grooming session or that it’s exceptionally itchy.

Is it okay to wait it out? If it’s mites should I be expecting to see it getting worse?

[Q8bunny]

Mites get worse and need treatment.

Revolution in the bunny dose (the kitten one) come in a tiny plastic ampoule. I hold it in my hand for a while until it’s warm, then press the top hard to pierce the ampoule, and remove the cap. Then I go to Chewie to give head rubs, parting the fur on his neck (right at the base of the skull) in the process of grooming and kissing him, then quickly squeeze the ampoule empty on the skin exposed there. If it’s warmed up nicely, I even have a moment or two before he realizes I got his neck wet with a few drops of liquid and runs off with disgusted foot flicks. ?

[kurottabun]

Hmm so if it isn’t getting worse then it’s most likely not mites?

I can totally imagine Chewie doing that lol! Kuro is an angel so there shouldn’t be an issue if I do it while he’s lounging (which is most of the day) :p

[Q8bunny]

To be honest, it’s like gas. I treat even if I suspect mites – assuming I haven’t treated in the past month. But with moulting season and weather changes, it could also be a dry patch?? You could Sudocrem it and see if it helps xo

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