Ear mites?

[Littlebun]

Hi all. I live in a third world country with no access to a rabbit savvy vet. I’m trying to avoid taking my bunny to a regular vet because I know they’ll do trial and error method in the treatment.
I have a 7 month old Holland lop, in very good health. Currently she’s molting and it’s a pretty heavy molt. I’m experiencing it for the first time since getting her.

Last 4-5 days ago I noticed her ears were quite red on the inside. She wasn’t scratching more than usual. I just noticed them by chance. I suspected mites but didn’t start any treatment because like I said I don’t want to go to a vet unless absolutely necessary. There’s dogs and cats there and it could cause her too much stress.

However now the redness has gone but I’m seeing some dry skin or dead skin flakes attached to the inner ear that come off when I rub her ear with a soft bristled brush or even if I just pick them with my hands. So I’m not sure what’s going on. Either she’s had some sort of allergic reaction to something or it’s because of moltimg or it is mites.. I have seen google images of mites and her ears don’t look like that. Theres no scabbing and no head tilt. She’s acting very normal. I’m attaching photos for reference, please help and please remember if I could take her to a good vet I could but since I cannot I would like to know if any of you can help! I’ll be very grateful!

The very red ear was how it looked a few days ago when I first noticed. But after a few days it’s now looking more normal. However I am particularly concerned about the flake you see in my hand.

 

[Preitler]

Hi, the temporary redness isn't something I would necessarily associate with ear mites, I would rather think that the rabbit could be in heat stress, they get rid of heat through their ears.

You wouldn't see mites, or the symptoms, on those pictures, you would need to look straight into the ear channel, if the skin there is crusted, flaky, dark, irritated that would be a sign for possible mites.

Treatment can be simple, a few drops of oil into the ear channels for aome time (I think about 2 weeks), but more relieble results can be achieved with the right drugs, like Ivermectin.

See this post:
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/ear-mites.106326/#post-1208413

 

[Littlebun]

Hi, the temporary redness isn't something I would necessarily associate with ear mites, I would rather think that the rabbit could be in heat stress, they get rid of heat through their ears.

You wouldn't see mites, or the symptoms, on those pictures, you would need to look straight into the ear channel, if the skin there is crusted, flaky, dark, irritated that would be a sign for possible mites.

Treatment can be simple, a few drops of oil into the ear channels for aome time (I think about 2 weeks), but more relieble results can be achieved with the right drugs, like Ivermectin.

See this post:
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/ear-mites.106326/#post-1208413

Thanks for the advice! I really hope it isn’t mites. She’s an only bun and kept indoors so not sure how she could get them but I’ll try to treat her with the oil..

In case she does need Revolution treatment for mites, how much dosage would she need? She weighs around 820 grams which is like 1.8 lbs.

Also is this weight ok for a 7 month old Holland lop?

 

[Blue eyes]

Someone recently posted a similar question. That thread has further info that may be of help as well...
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/ear-mites.106326/#post-1208416

 

[Littlebun]

Hi again. So I’ve been applying olive oil on my bunnies ears and the flakiness has disappeared from the inner flap of the ears however now she has some dandruff on the shoulder and spine area and a few spots look a bit red. I would love to give her Revolution but I don’t know where to find it from. As I said I live in Pakistan and I don’t have access to it here. I could order it online so is it available anywhere? I’ve googled it and a few random websites seem to have it but how to make sure its the genuine product?

 

[Littlebun]

The vet in my city has this for mites but I cannot possibly trust this medicine when only Revolution is recommended for rabbits

 

[Littlebun]

Not sure if the attached image is opening properly, but the mite medicine my vet has is called Advantage Multi and it’s for cats.

 

[JBun]

It sounds like your rabbit has fur mites.

Medirabbit: fur mites

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Mites
The moxidectin in that Advantage multi would treat mites, but you have to be very careful to apply the correct dose based on your rabbits weight, as moxidectin is pretty potent. Retreatment is necessary to completely get rid of the mites, every 10-14 days for 3 treatments. Moxidectin isn't commonly used for rabbits, so I don't know much else about it. But it is considered generally safe for rabbits.

Medirabbit: safe antiparasitics

If you can find Revolution/Stronghold (selamectin), that would be preferable. It's a much safer and effective spot on topical treatment for rabbits, and you usually only need one application, though you do need to apply a double or triple dose (12-18mg/kg) to be most effective when treating rabbits. It may be available online without a prescription from Australia, if you can't find a reputable source in your country.

Or the other treatment for mites is with Ivermectin, and that's a more widely available antiparasitic. I've usually used an injectable solution, but give it orally (needle removed from syringe). Precise dosing is important with this one as well, as only a very tiny amount is needed, and too much risks possible overdose.

 

[Littlebun]

Hi all, so I never did anything about my bunny’s mites and while her ears look ok to me now, there is flaky dandruff on the top of her ears like on the outside area. She probably has fur mites and I am too afraid to inject ivermectin as she has the Vienna gene too. Honestly I don’t know what to do at this point. I don’t have access to Revolution at all.

I’d also like to know if these ear and fur mites are dangerous to humans? Can they cause Lyme disease?