Help! Diagnose this young rabbit

[cornflakes]

Hi everyone, this is my first post and first time being here.
I don't own this rabbit but where I work, they have a couple rabbits and everyday I feed the (mom? dad? not sure) big white rabbit some veggies. The baby rabbit never eats and doesn't interact with me.

I noticed though for the past few weeks or maybe even couple months this baby rabbit seems to have developed a lot of scaly scabby patches along its ear, inner ear, and now it has spread to its back. It looks very flaky, crusty, and there's hair loss in that area too.

I've never seen it scratch or itch whenever I'm there but I only seem them 2 to 3 times a day for about a minute each time as I go to feed.

I took a couple pictures on my phone camera so hopefully someone can see and tell me what it might be? Mites?

They aren't my rabbits, but I love animals and feel compelled to do something about it if possible. I might decide to chip in and pay for whatever medicine the young rabbit needs. It's had this for a long time but only know I really felt like someone should do something for it.

There's a maintenance person who cleans out the pen everyday and restocks the food bowl and clean water...but they are outdoor rabbits living outside both during hot summers and cold winters.

Any help would be appreciated.

Links to pics:

 

[Imbrium]

awww, poor bunny! I'm glad at least someone gives a fluffybunnybutt about the condition he's in, even if it's not the owner! I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but I'm sure someone will wander along who can help. ray:

by the way, is anyone giving them hay? rabbits NEED some sort of grass hay in their diet; you can get a big ol' bale for $10-15 that would last a couple rabbits a LONG time. if you're giving 'em some extra food, hay would do them even more good than veggies if they don't already have some (btw, in case you don't already know, you should be sticking to primarily leafy green veggies and only giving very small amounts of non-leafy veggies like carrots).

 

[cornflakes]

I did some research and thought it might be mites, but i heard those are very contagious and the mom/dad rabbit who lives with the baby is not affected at all by mites, so maybe it's not mites.

Could it be something internal? Maybe a worm? Or could it be an infection that went untreated? I had heard something about the mom/dad rabbit biting the baby or something, in the ear? But I haven't seen any evidence of that. They usually cuddle together.

 

[JBun]

My guess would be earmites. I think Revolution for kittens is what is used to treat that, but you usually have to get it from a vet. Absolutely NEVER use Frontline. It will kill rabbits.

 

[Imbrium]

yes, revolution is incredibly safe if you think it could be a pest of some kind... frontline (the only med sold OTC at grocery stores and such, at least in the US) is incredibly dangerous and can be fatal.

 

[katherine at sacred stories]

Aww. The bunny does look very uncomfortable in the pictures. I'm glad you've taken an interest.

As Jennifer said, grass hay is the most important food for rabbits. Does the bunny ever get a chance to come out and exercise? I know it's not your bunny but is it possible someone could take it to a vet?

 

[woahlookitsme]

That looks like ear mites. This is a really bad stage and when it gets that bad the ear could have permanent damage. The rabbits needs to be treated soon. Revolution on the back or Ivermectin in the ear will work but with this much progression you will need multiple doeses. I think its 2-3 weeks apart. You can also apply mineral oil in the ear to smother the mites but you should also use something else like the two things above.

The scabs on the back is from the rabbit scratching. Ear mites should not become visible like this so if the rabbit is around others they need to be treated too. The first sign of mites is black gunk when you look deep in the ear of the rabbit.

Here is the merck vet manual about ear mites http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/171334.htm

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

woahlookitsme wrote:

That looks like ear mites. This is a really bad stage and when it gets that bad the ear could have permanent damage. The rabbits needs to be treated soon. Revolution on the back or Ivermectin in the ear will work but with this much progression you will need multiple doeses. I think its 2-3 weeks apart. You can also apply mineral oil in the ear to smother the mites but you should also use something else like the two things above.

The scabs on the back is from the rabbit scratching. Ear mites should not become visible like this so if the rabbit is around others they need to be treated too. The first sign of mites is black gunk when you look deep in the ear of the rabbit.

Here is the merck vet manual about ear mites http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/171334.htm

Agreed. Definitly seems like a bad case of mites~the sooner it can be treated, the better. Hope bunny is doing better soon!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Maybe mites but i think the more likely cause could be ringworm. I'd get these pics to a vet and explain the situation and go from there.

 

[Sweetie]

I agree with Larry. I say though, that it is ear mites. Some rabbits won't show any sign of having ear mites. Sweetie won't show any signs of having ear mites when she gets them, I have to be in tune with her to notice if something is wrong with her. She has had ear mites twice, both times were very mild as they were caught very early.

 

[whitelop]

Can I ask where you work?
Is it at a shelter or something?

I don't know if its mites or ringworm, it looks bad though. Maybe do as Larry said and take the pictures to a vet to see if they could tell what it is and give you some suggestions.

 

[cornflakes]

Oh no the news doesn't sound good. I'll try to take some closer pictures of it and show u again. The phone pic is not that high quality.

I wish that I could have gotten on this earlier but I never knew anything about rabbits and ear mites. I had seen this a couple months back or even more but thought it was only some itching or scratching but when it wasn't getting better i started to think its something else.

But the dad rabbit who lives in the pen with the baby is always snuggling with it and he doesn't have any signs of ear mites or the contagion. Does this rule out ear mites or could it still be earmites? I thought ear mites were very contagious (even to humans) but the dad rabbit is perfectly fine and healthy.

I'll take pics to a vet and ask and see what I can do.

Do you know how much it might cost me if I get those medications? (ie. revolution).

I really want to help it now as I feel sad I didn't get on this sooner. I've been feeding the dad rabbit everyday for the past year and i've grown attached to them. I will ask my employers if i can take the baby rabbit out with me to see a vet.

 

[Imbrium]

if he actually goes in for an exam, probably $45-70 for the exam depending on the vet (personally, my vet charges $45 for one animal or $58 for multiple animals)... pretty much all vets will give a steep discount on the second animal if two are seen at the same time, so if you're going to take the baby to the vet you may as well take them both to make sure the dad is in good health.

it looks like a 3-pack of revolution (kitten dose) is about $40 online including shipping fees... not sure what it would be at a vet. if the vet is steeper than that, you can get a prescription and buy it elsewhere, assuming ear mites are the cause. if buying online, beware of any site that doesn't request a prescription, as there are some shady sites out there that sell stuff like expired meds at cheap prices.

if you don't already know a rabbit-savvy vet, I highly recommend checking out our library - http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9 ... sadly, not all vets willing to see/treat rabbits know all that much about them - taking him to a vet could do more harm than good or cause you to pay for improper treatment if the vet you go to isn't truly rabbit-savvy.

 

[cornflakes]

Ok, I just spoke to another worker and he said that the dad rabbit (bigger one) is always biting the baby rabbit since they are both males. The dad rabbit is under stress since his wife rabbit died a few months ago and he keeps biting or attacking the baby 3-4 times a day said the worker. But they still snuggle together and just now as I saw them, they were snuggling. I took some more pictures. It looks really bad...like fungus is growing on and in the ear.

I asked if I can take the rabbit to a vet and worker said he'll ask the owner/boss but said it shouldn't be my concern and just leave it be. This makes me sad. I told him I would be willing to pay for the medicine and even adopt the rabbit for a few weeks to allow it to recover/heal in my house. It sounds like it has to go through some process with the employer if I'm allowed to do such a thing.

Here are the pics with my video camera.

 

[cornflakes]

So the question to find out now is if its EAR MITES
or if its simply due to constant attacking and biting of
the dad rabbit and the wound has been infected and unable
to heal properly.

Once I know what it is, I can get the proper medication for him.

Again, the reason why I'm not certain its ear mites is that
the dad rabbit is perfectly clean and healthy and he's been
in close contact with the baby rabbit for months now. I could be wrong still but the worker said he thought it was ear mites too but now believes its just because the dad rabbit is under stress and is constantly biting the baby rabbit.

 

[Imbrium]

I'm no expert, but it really doesn't look like it could be caused just from biting/stress.

I assume both males are unneutered? they *really* shouldn't be living together if there's any fighting at all occurring... there's a risk of it escalating and leading to serious injuries or even death

sucks that they're being so freaking difficult about letting you do something for rabbits that aren't even theirs! not sure how you'd go about reporting animal cruelty, but I'm sure an animal in that condition who isn't receiving any medical care would qualify. the downside to reporting is that now that you've talked to them, they may guess/assume that you're the one who turned them in which could be tricky when dealing with an employer :S

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

It is illegal to allow that rabbit to suffer like this. Not blaming you one bit as your the only one trying to help but this rabbit can not be left in this state...Its animal cruelty and should be reported to the aspca.

 

[cirrustwi]

It is ear mites. The flaking ick that you see is called Ear Canker. Rabbit skin reacts to the waste products from the mites. At this point, the infestation is really bad. He needs vet treatment because he most likely has a secondary bacterial infection in his skin and possibly into the ear canal. Without treatment, he could lose his hearing and/or his physical ear. The father is probably trying he help by biting and cleaning the ear. But the father probably has mites too, it just hasn't gotten this far.

I urge you to get, at least, the baby to the vet or report this place where you work to an animal rescue organization. I see you are from Canada, so I don't know what the laws are there. If you need some help I know some people who rescue and if we could get him here, I'm not sure how, but if we could work it out, we would treat him and find him a good home (honesty, he would probably be a lifer at my house ). Otherwise, I'm sure someone I know has to know someone in your area that could help.

 

[holtzchick]

Awh, sorry I can't help but sending good thoughts and prayers to this poor little bun.

 

[whitelop]

Why don't you just take the 2 rabbits to a shelter and be done with it? They'll either give the rabbit the help that it needs or put it to sleep. Either one would be better than suffering the way that it is.
Its illegal to treat animals this way. The cage or whatever they're in is filthy and the condition of that rabbit is HORRENDOUS!
Its our job as humans to take care of the animals who can't drive themselves to the vet or tell us that they have ear mites. So why don't you do your civil duty and take it somewhere. I can understand that you probably don't want to lose your job, but do you really want to work for people who don't have any care for animals? I know I wouldn't. That rabbit would have been gone long ago if I worked where ever it is that you work.

I wish you the best, and I hope that the rabbit gets the help that it needs. But the other people who see this can't think that its okay to leave a rabbit like this.