Thanks Angieluv....I think you did an excellent job in covering this issue. I think most all of the regulars know my disdain for Baytril. I haven't used it for years.....I don't even use it in wildlife. It has been so terribly overused over the years that it is quickly becoming totally ineffective. In the rare times it does work in a rabbit...it works better if it's injected.
I personally think nearly every vet is far too conservative in treating ear infections in rabbits. Many base their treatments on dogs or cats. A rabbit depends almost totally on their ears for their balance and orientation. Unlike many other species, rabbits can't see directly in front of their face. They see two separate images in gray shadows with some shades of greenand blue visible. This little quirk prevents them from truly sensing up and down if their ears are out of whack. We can look at a known fixed point...they can't. Their response is a tilt....the tilt is always toward the worst infection.....and they spin. Most vets, even the "exotics specialists" do not fully realize and apply the differences in rabbit vision and orientation. Many are also limited in their treatments by practice policies....and that is especially true for associate vets. The boss doesn't want negative publicity from using drugs that are in their reference manuals...which are terribly outdated in some cases (ever wonder where the vet went when they left the exam room and "will be right back"?....they are on the internet). Since certains drugs and treatment protocols are published in their books....they did it by the book regardless of if were effective or not. In today's world..Baytril just doesn't do it any longer. I have been using Zithromax for nearly 7 years.....well before most vets were aware of using it in rabbits. We are starting to see some resistant bacteria show up to that drug. And what is really scary...there are penicillin resistant bacteria roaming around.
In the case of ear infections, I know the most likely pathogens....a culture would make things a certainty. My drugs of choice for ear infections are usually a combo of Pen G(a specific concoction of Procaine and Benzathine) along with Zithromax. This combo gives excellent coverage with minimal risk. Chloramphenicol is an excellent choice. There are some risks to the humans handling this drug....but it should be considered safe and effective against sensitive bacteria in rabbits. I have recently been using Convenia against several pathogens including penicillin resistant bacteria. It's too early in the game to get a good picture on this drug when used in rabbits..but so far, so good. Like all drugs, Convenia is "off label" when used in rabbits. One of my volunteers is a licensed vet and we have made gestures to Pfizer regarding us testing and validating it's use in rabbits. I do use a version of Baytril in the ears....Baytril Otic....it's a combo of Enrofloxacin and Silver Sulfadiazine. It needs to be placed as deep in the ear canal as possible in order to reach the target area. You have to pull those ears up and go in deep.
I do not play with ear infections. If the damage is severe, the tilt will never correct. I fire all the big guns at vestibular infections. I suggest getting much more aggressive and do so very quickly. Time is everything when treating rabbit vestibular infections.
Randy
