How to bathe entire rabbit (Imaverol)

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

As part of an ongoing saga with my rabbit honey (see persistant syphilis thread), the vet has found a very weak fungal infection grown from a sample of the crust on her vent. As she was unable to get hold of me yesterday evening, she left a message for me to pick up the stuff to bathe honey and thumper with (But wasnt available for me to grill for advice).

The instructions are:
Imaverol 100ml x 0.2
Dilute 1ml to 50mls warm water, bathe Honey and Thumper every 4 days, repeat 3 times. Wear gloves!

Any ideas for the best method? Im assuming their faces will need doing as well since honey had crusts on her nose and mouth as well as her vent. I've only given them a bath once before, but this was to clean the back end not the whole bunny.

Has anyone else treated with Imaverol before? I understand its a ringworm treatment (though this isnt what honey has)

Many thanks for advice!

 

[Flashy]

Hmm. Bathing a bunny can be risky. There are anti fungal creams and such, why are they not something that can be used?

As for a bath, I had to give one of mine a bath one time, or actually, a couple of times. I used to run a very shallow amount of water in the bath (luke warm, like with a baby), and get in the bath with the rabbit and do it that way. She never had any problems, however rabbits can easily have problems when it comes to a bath so it might be worth clarifying if there is no other way before doing this.

At least you know what it is now though. That's a good thing!

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

thanks flash - I'm not sure whether its the root cause of the problems or whether its something that has developed because of her low immunity ;(
I havent had the opportunity to talk to the vet yet, but I know that she has been conferring with the rabbit specialist so I guess there is a big reason why they need to be bathed instead of creamed

Im still applying the other cream to the affected areas aswell, but Im assuming that they want something that can be absorbed by as much of the skin surface as possible to penetrate into the bloodstream maybe? She doesnt show any other signs of fungal infection other than the syphillis like crusts on her nose, bunnybits and now the sides of her mouth. Her coat is glossy and without dandraffy bits or scabs and there is no hair loss other than on those small areas with the crusties. Hmmm its really annoying not being able to talk to the vet. Lol its always at the weekends isnt it, darn.

I need to measure out the stuff to bathe them in and wear gloves, so not sure getting into the bath with them would work. Whats even more annoying is that today the adopted dog is coming, so it will be doubly stressful for them. Although they now have an extra white picket fence surrounding their compound

Im not sure whether to wait until Monday and ask the vet again then?

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

Hmm just spoke to the vet.nurse, who asked the other vet but he has never used Imaverol on a rabbit either. She read through the notes and some textbooks and reckons that its not so much a bath as a solution that i need to somehow get past the fur and apply to her skin. Because 50ml is such a teeny amout Im going to try and focus on the legion parts first, then apply the remaining liquid to as much of the rest of her body as possible. With thumper im just going to have to rinse his bunnybits and then do the same trying not to get their fur too wet.

I've found a jumbo syringe that im going to try and use to get to the skin through the fur. then Im just gonna try and distract them from cleaning themselves until it dries. I really need those little lampshade cat/dog collars but tiddly ones for rabbits. hmmm. distraction through treats I think is the best plan.

I would still like to hear from ANYoNE who has used this on rabbits?

 

[Maureen Las]

I have beentrying to find this drug on the web.I can find it being use for funguses in donkeys and also for skin conditions in hamsters.

it sounds as if it is not a total bath but trying to get a the infected areas using cotton wool to apply

I would join etherbun and make a significantly long post re, this to get other opinions;you stated that a rabbit specialist advised this and this is the only thing that is making me believe that it may be safe. otherwiseI would want an alternative.

Iwould be concerned about the rabbit ingesting it
I would not do the baths until you have a body of knowledge and confidence that it is safe and there is not an alternative.


obviously your vet told you to 'give a bath' which is not the way it is to be applied ..

so if you can hold off until you get more info

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

Thanks Angie

I too have been scouring the internet and found this which makes me a little more relaxed about useing it on the buns:

IMAVEROL diluted emulsion is very well tolerated. Unlike the concentrated solution, the diluted emulsion is not irritating to the skin or to the eyes and can be licked up by the animals treated without there being side effects.
IMAVEROL is not absorbed by the skin.
IMAVEROL is not corrosive.

(from http://www.drugs.com/vet/imaverol-can.html)

Also, in terms of application most sites state that (for dogs) bathing or spraying is the method of application:

The animals should be washed with the diluted emulsion 4 times, at 3-day intervals. While doing this, one should rub thoroughly in the direction opposite to the hair growth to make sure that the skin is thoroughly wet. For the same reason, it is recommended that long-haired dogs be clipped before treatment.
Alternatively dogs may be dipped thoroughly in a bath containing the prepared emulsion

(from http://www.imaverol-shop.com/)

I've also found a site that uses this on hedgehogs:
http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/ringworm.htm

I also listened to the vets message twenty more times and its clear I need to use it as a wash and bath them in it. I think the 1ml to 50ml is the dilution scale as this fits with all the other sites using this medication.

But I also think you're right - I will wait until Monday to speak to the vet. Its better to be safe than sorry where my little fluff-balls are concerned. I have enough cream to keep applying to the flaky bits until then.

I also decided powerwash and milton their cage and concrete to make myself feel like I was helping them in the meantime.

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

Also found someone recommending it as a bath for guinea pigs with fungal infections :

http://wheekers.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=pighealth&thread=5028&page=3

and

http://www.cavyrescue.co.uk/guinea-pig-health-care-40.shtml

 

[Maureen Las]

LOL

you produced a better search than me; I have been waiting for a download of the product info from french to English LOL

I noticed that it states in one of the guinea pig forums that if it is an advanced case that you need to also have an oral anti-fungal.

I am goin to pm Randy as he may be more available on a weekend.

Ihave been tryingto leave him be because duing wildlife season he is extremely busy and it is too much for him to be on the forum much
but he was on last night.

I cannot guarantee that he will be able to respond but we'll take a shot at it.

 

[Maureen Las]

Do you feel comfortable using it or do you want to wait until Randy responds (maybe)

Also Claire (tonyshuman) may be able to help with this as she works with pharmaceuticals.

She will most likely be on later...

 

[Maureen Las]

I posted it myself on etherbun
it is sometimes slow on that site on weekends but we will see what we get and I'll report it back...

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

thanks angie - I registered on etherbun but was still searching through the posts to see if there was anything on there already XD
I noticed the mention of oral meds aswell and reckon that when I do manage to get hold of my vet she may mention this aswell. SHe said she would call me back or I should contact her aswell as pick up the Imaverol. Its just a real pain she called at 5.10pm on a friday!

after trawling through the internet I am feeling much more comfortable about the Imaverol and its application, though still a bit worried about bathing the bunnies as I know how stressful it is for them.

Definitely randy or claires opinions would be awsome - they helped me out on my other thread (as did you) discussing honey's diagnosis of syphilis. I know randy was mega busy tho (I think he was tackling a bear or something last time lol)

 

[ra7751]

Well....I can't find any cases of it being used on a rabbit....but it is used often with horses so that leads me to believe that it can be safely used on a rabbit. A fungal infection or ringworms is rare in rabbits but can happen but is usually quite localized. I have only seen one case. And one of my vets saw a case of ringworm in an outside rabbit a few months ago. She used Miconazole and that resolved the issue. If I were to use the Imaverol, it would be only to treat the affected area and it's immediate surrounding tissue. And keep in mind that there is risk in any medical treatment and adverse reactions are possible.

And the bear I was tracking met an unfortunate end. Tried to cross a major highway and was struck by a truck. Injuries forced wildlife officers to humanely euthanize the bear. Young male about 250 pounds. But there will be good come from this as we have the regional biologistcoming to town to present an educational program in dealing with urban bears. Trying to make the best out of a tragic situation. Currently I have a dozen opossums and a half dozen squirrels. My volunteers have over 50 animals that I am helping them with. Just made a large cottontail release. The opossums will be released gradually over the next few weeks and we have numerous squirrels approaching release. Lots of starlings. Had 6 Carolina Wrens foundnested in aRV that was passing thru town. And the rescue of the day was a very rarely seen Virginia Rail. Successfully triaged and transferred to the regional hospital. And we are getting reports of the second round of squirrels being born....and things get very busy with the second round.

Randy

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

Thanks Randy - crikey thats a lots of animals Sorry to hear about the bear though poor creature. I really appreciate your reply as i know how mega busy you are.

Hmmm this is getting wierder and wierder. Im going to wait until tomorrow I think and speak to her. It seems like bathing the bunnies is the mega-drastic option when the actual scabbing is localised to 3 places on honey. However, I was reading somewhere - it might have been etherbun which angie put me onto that ringworm can exist in rabbits without any major external symptoms like hair loss. Which might explain why she wants me to treat thumper too, who has no lesions. However I could have been dreaming that as I fell asleep last night reading about ringworm and imaverol...

Bunnies seem happy and hoppy this morning so im sure they will be OK till tomorrow.

Thanks again guys

 

[Maureen Las]

I didn't see that on etherbun but But it may be true re. the ringworm but this is what I would ask the vet.
Why don't you ask him if you could just treat the localized areas with the Imaverol and also place them on oral antifungals .

i am saying this not based on knowledge but more because I would absolutely hate to bathe the entire body of the rabbit in Imvaroll if it wasn't absolutely necessary

If you used oral med and spot treatment and it didn't work you could bath the entire body.
just a thought
think of me as a person now and not a mod because I don't know any more about this drug than you do.

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

Thanks angie I will fire all this past the vet tomorrow - its a shame I didnt get to speak to her on Friday. But at least I will get some information tomorrow I guess, then I can post on here for those one in a squillion cases like Honey. Bless her little fluffy toes XD

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

Here we are, I didnt dream it:

Cats, and other rabbits or guinea pigs are often the source of infection because they can be asymptomatic carriers and harbor and shed the organism without showing signs of infection

 

[Maureen Las]

honeybunnylovesthumper wrote:

Here we are, I didnt dream it:

Cats, and other rabbits or guinea pigs are often the source of infection because they can be asymptomatic carriers and harbor and shed the organism without showing signs of infection

Very interesting!!

 

[tonyshuman]

Yikes! Sorry, I took the weekend off to plant my garden.

I think that if it is used on guinea pigs and hamsters for skin infections, it is fine to use on rabbits. Guinea pigs and hamsters aren't supposed to be washed either, except in extreme cases. From the documentation, it sounds like it's ok for them to lick up, although I wouldn't apply it undiluted.

Here's what I would do: Get a rubbermaid tub or similar container that's just a little bigger than the bunny, preferably with tall sides so they can't jump out. A kitchen sink might work well too. Make up about 500mL of the diluted solution and put it in the bottom of the container. Put bunny in container, and pour solution over the bunny, rubbing it into his skin as much as possible, like you do with shampoo on your hair. This should penetrate the coat. Rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly, especially the ears.

From what I read, it seems that they'd have to ingest a lot for it to cause problems. It does have some antibacterial activity, so keep an eye out for GI imbalance and maybe give a probiotic like Bene-Bac in addition.

 

[honeybunnylovesthumper]

Wow thanks claire! I will take your advice I think as I forgot its a holiday today so couldnt get hold of the vet again. I think that this is the way the vet wanted it to be applied to (judging from her message).

I've also noticed that the scabbing etc has significantly reduced since I have been applying the Fucithalmic drops to all of her lesions and to her eyes, which confuses me slightly although I know they would come back if I stopped using it. Having said that, I was under the impression that fungal conditions didnt respond to this. I really want to speak to that vet because I really have absolutely no idea now what is actually wrong with Honey - roll on tuesday, lol!

 

[tonyshuman]

That is interesting. The flucithalmic is effective only against bacteria, and doesn't have any cross-over effectivity against fungal infections (some antibiotics do). I would guess it is the other stuff in the drops, like oil and stuff that is moisturizing the skin to help it heal. Also, it could be that the addition of an antibiotic to these areas makes it easier for the immune system to fight the fungal infection. If the antibiotic is keeping opportunistic bacteria in check on the lesion, the immune system doesn't have to work hard to keep the lesions free of bacteria, and instead it can focus its attack on the fungus. That's just a postulation, though.