Okay background first. My bunny barn sits inside my horse pasture. Safer from dogs and coyotes that way. I have done rescue horses and rescue rabbits for years- as well as own two of my own horses and raise and show Dutch and English Spot rabbits. Due to it being a barn I do have some stray cats that come in and out as well as have issues with birds, mice and rats- traps are always out and always checked, cages are covered to prevent bird droppings. I also work at a vets office.
so I had one of my old retired does, 7 year old Dutch doe Connie, losing fur weird large dandruff looking flakes coming up with it and coming out in clumps. Nasty gross mowhawk looking shed in winter down her spine- initial thought was lice. I've had lice on a rescued horse 5 years ago. Got her a dose of revolution because I know the revolution is safe for them and I know it works on lice. Seems to be getting better but still large clumps falling out. Only other rabbit in the barn that looks odd is her littermate, Natalie. I don't see any of the lice or mites. So I brought both girls into work one day (10 days post Revolution on Connie) and I had one of the other techs look them over. We laid them on the table side by side and went through both of them. Dr. Reister said it could have been lice, Dr Brogli said possibly walking dandruff but Revolution takes care of both, but Dr. Reister pulled some of the clumps up and put them in a culture plate. 11 post vet check/21 days post Revolution- Connie is looking fantastic and Natalie hasn't looked that far off- but everyone in my barn has been given a dose of Revolution just to be safe. I go to check on the culture plate and it's red- signifying Ringworm according to Reister. Nothing about her looks ringworm, no hair loss other than the line of weird shedding she did, no bare spots even the back line didn't go completely naked. No small round lesions or anything.
So what on earth do I do for Ringworm? Where did it come from? Everything Reister has looked up doesn't have a label for rabbits. I can't find anything! I talked to the lady that is in charge of Life for Pets, Sue, and she said with all the old cats she has up in her barn(they are in large pens in her barn not free ranging) they throw ringworm every now and then and she just let's it take it's coarse and it goes away on it's own. Part of me wants to quit doing the rabbit rescue, I never had this problem before I started taking in rescues. Just my show and breeding stock and I do quarantine the rescues for at least 3 weeks before I bring them to the same side of the barn as my own and no other humans other than me and my sister who helps out sometimes ever get near them. I am assuming it came off the rats or mice or even the stray cats as I never get near any of them to know what they look for. I am right now just taking the advice from Sue and letting it run it's coarse. Connie looks great, she's had a 2nd dose of Revolution and will get a 3rd when the 30 days has run it's coarse.
Suggestions? I do have pictures but nothing uploaded online anywhere.
so I had one of my old retired does, 7 year old Dutch doe Connie, losing fur weird large dandruff looking flakes coming up with it and coming out in clumps. Nasty gross mowhawk looking shed in winter down her spine- initial thought was lice. I've had lice on a rescued horse 5 years ago. Got her a dose of revolution because I know the revolution is safe for them and I know it works on lice. Seems to be getting better but still large clumps falling out. Only other rabbit in the barn that looks odd is her littermate, Natalie. I don't see any of the lice or mites. So I brought both girls into work one day (10 days post Revolution on Connie) and I had one of the other techs look them over. We laid them on the table side by side and went through both of them. Dr. Reister said it could have been lice, Dr Brogli said possibly walking dandruff but Revolution takes care of both, but Dr. Reister pulled some of the clumps up and put them in a culture plate. 11 post vet check/21 days post Revolution- Connie is looking fantastic and Natalie hasn't looked that far off- but everyone in my barn has been given a dose of Revolution just to be safe. I go to check on the culture plate and it's red- signifying Ringworm according to Reister. Nothing about her looks ringworm, no hair loss other than the line of weird shedding she did, no bare spots even the back line didn't go completely naked. No small round lesions or anything.
So what on earth do I do for Ringworm? Where did it come from? Everything Reister has looked up doesn't have a label for rabbits. I can't find anything! I talked to the lady that is in charge of Life for Pets, Sue, and she said with all the old cats she has up in her barn(they are in large pens in her barn not free ranging) they throw ringworm every now and then and she just let's it take it's coarse and it goes away on it's own. Part of me wants to quit doing the rabbit rescue, I never had this problem before I started taking in rescues. Just my show and breeding stock and I do quarantine the rescues for at least 3 weeks before I bring them to the same side of the barn as my own and no other humans other than me and my sister who helps out sometimes ever get near them. I am assuming it came off the rats or mice or even the stray cats as I never get near any of them to know what they look for. I am right now just taking the advice from Sue and letting it run it's coarse. Connie looks great, she's had a 2nd dose of Revolution and will get a 3rd when the 30 days has run it's coarse.
Suggestions? I do have pictures but nothing uploaded online anywhere.
