Ear mite relief until vet?

[Elizabeth_7979]

I recently rescd a rabbit that had dumped outside, we originally thought he or she had been injured because 1 of the ears were laying down. It appeared to be discolored as well, but upon further inspection after trapping we discovered that it was just a severe mite infection. We have a vet appointment set up with a that deals with rabbits but I was wondering if there were any methods of relief I could try at home till then? I was told the bunny (no gender known yet) is sufferingfrom psorptes caniculi...sorry if I butchered the spelling. The ears are extremely crusted

 

[woahlookitsme]

Ivomec or revolution (selamectin) can be used to treat for ear mites. Revolution can only be acquired from a vet but ivomec or ivermectin might be available at your local feed store (like Tractor supply). Here is an awesome site Claire posts
http://medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/earmite/Psoroptes.htm

anecdotal: for ivomec breeders will put 2-3 drops in each ear this is repeated in two weeks and works very well for us

 

[Elizabeth_7979]

Thank you so much!

 

[tonyshuman]

Hope that helps your bunny. One thing to make sure is that ivermectin is toxic to some bunnies, particularly those with blue eyes or Dutch markings. Ivomec ear drops could get ingested if the bunny grooms their ears. Revolution is a much safer alternative. Once the medicine has started to take effect you can try to work with the crusts a bit. It might be good to get oral pain meds for the bun though before trying to deal with the crusts if they're extensive.

 

[missyscove]

It's important not to remove the crusts by hand as that can be really really painful for the rabbit.