Rabbit Health and Dandruff??

[Cassv]

So my rabbit is a Satin Angora that is about a year and 2 months old. She has been having flaky skin on her ears and in between them for months. In December I took her to the vet, they didn’t see any mites on her at all under the scope. They scrapped the skin of all areas and did a full exam and did not find any signs of mites besides the flaky skin. She was given a treatment of Revolution just incase the mite case was mild and it seems to have had little to no effect on her at all.

I have made another appointment for her to go back to the vet but we have to wait until the first week of February. Is there anything else that this could be?

She is in a single bunny home, she is free-range indoors only, she is litter trained, gets a little over half a cup of Oxbow adult rabbit pellets through two meals, she gets unlimited timothy hay, and unlimited lettuce mixes that I make, in addition to unlimited vegetables depending on what’s in season at the store. I also brush her every day and that is the only spot that is affected.

[Bam]

There have been cases of fur mites that were resistant to Revolution (selamectin), so that Advantage was used instead.

If your vet didn’t find any mites and Revolution didn’t make a difference, it could be that the dandruff doesn’t come from mites. Some buns get dandruff-like flakes on their ears. You can brush them off with a very soft baby hairbrush. If the skin in the area looks and feels fine, it’s as a rule nothing to worry about.

With fur mites, you eventually get localized hair loss and also scabs. The scabs are easier to feel with your fingers than to actually see, because they are skin colored (yellowish/white) and not very prominent. They feel like tiny ridges or patches of hardened or thickened skin, if that makes sense.

Fur mites can sometimes be fought off by the body’s own immune defense. Otherwise the infestation will progress and the affected area will get more dandruffy and the hair loss become more marked. If that happens, it’s obviously time to call your vet again.

 

[LBJ10]

I agree, you can try Advantage just to be sure. Otherwise, it may just be… dandruff.

[DanaNM]

I was under the impression that Advantage only worked on fleas (not mites or ticks)?

 

. . . 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]

Depends on the mite. Advantage II is ineffective against fur mites. Ivermectin is another option too.

[Cassv]

Okay! This is super helpful and definitely something that I’ll be looking into and trying. I was recommended to use some Neosporin on the area and that seems to help a TON so I’m thinking it’s Probably  just some dandruff or dry skin? Thoughts?

[Bam]

If the problem goes away with neosporin, it’s not mites. If it’s mites, the problem will return. Mites often don’t cause the rabbit any discomfort until the infestation becomes really bad, so this is one of the few instances where you can actually wait and see for a little bit (rabbits are otherwise typically not wait-and-see-animals).

Advantage multi has moxidectin as well as imidaclopride, which is why it can be used against mites. I thought Advantage that’s just called Advantage and nothing else, had been discontinued since the arrival of Advantage II (and later Advantage multi)?

(Since we are discussing anti parasitics for rabbits, I’d like to issue the warning we always issue when anti parasitics are being discussed: Never use any compound containing fipronil on a rabbit. It’s deadly toxic to rabbits, but fine for cats and dogs. End of warning!)

 

[LBJ10]

Bam, yes, I have read some studies looking at moxidectin and fur mites. That is in the same family as selamectin, but may be different enough that it would work on fur mites that have developed resistance to selamectin.

They no longer make the original Advantage (as far as I know). The original formula only had imidacloprid. The formula was revised by adding a growth inhibitor (pyriproxyfen), which prevents eggs from hatching but also carries a higher risk of adverse reactions in sensitive individuals. They called it Advantage II, but it essentially replaced the original Advantage (USA only?). Now there is the new Advantage Multi, which has imidacloprid and moxidectin. This formula is effective against other things besides fleas like mites and intestinal parasites (e.g. roundworms).

OP did not specify what kind of mites they are dealing with (only that dandruff is present). But if it’s fur mites, then it may be worth giving Advantage Multi a shot. Or, as I said above, Ivermectin is a possibility as well.

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