bunnychild
Julia
I've used olive oil to help with mites, and it really works. I was amazed. Keep in mind though that this was a slight case on the ears.
Mange/Mites - Important Question regarding my rabbit
- Thread starter mr.bunny
- Start date
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missyscove
Christina - Moderator
I'm not sure that I would use both ivermectin and selamectin. The drugs are pretty similar.
I tihnk your rabbit could have an infection secondary to the mites. It's great that you did a skin scraping to confirm the mites and the ivermectin should take care of those.
I'd talk to your vet about a pain reliever or possibly even a steroid to help with the other skin issues developing.
I tihnk your rabbit could have an infection secondary to the mites. It's great that you did a skin scraping to confirm the mites and the ivermectin should take care of those.
I'd talk to your vet about a pain reliever or possibly even a steroid to help with the other skin issues developing.
ladysown
Well-Known Member
NO.. you are NOT bathing the rabbit in the oil (veggie oil)
It is a tried and true method for killing off mites. (normally used for ear mites) but if these are mites in other body areas, then you need to get rid of them for the sake of the rabbit.
The description is that this rabbit has mites.
the mites are spreading
ergo the treatment is not working.
Therefore go to a non-medicated approach and get rid of the mites.
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
I personally do not take my rabbit's health into my own hands despite all I read; I see a vet first and then verify what they say with my own research. I know that not everyone can do the appropriate research and make an informed decision. My profession is as a research scientist in biomedical areas so I have the background to read scientific articles and texts thoroughly and make appropriate decisions based on them. Veterinarians are trained to translate the science into practice. That is why the word of a veterinarian, if they are staying up-to-date and were trained well, trumps all. I also do not find the scientific evidence or rationale for the "drown the parasites in oil" treatment to be very compelling. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence, but that is all.
In this particular case, it sounds like the rabbit may have another issue going on. It is quite common for rabbits to have fungal or bacterial infections in the mouth and genital area. One obvious example would be rabbit syphillis, and the broken skin caused by the mange mites could have also opened up the possibility of an active, opportunistic infection by one of the species of yeast and/or bacteria that are commonly found on the skin of a healthy rabbit. I would encourage another skin scraping, with a focus instead looking for microscopic pathogens instead of just the larger multicellular parasites.
In this particular case, it sounds like the rabbit may have another issue going on. It is quite common for rabbits to have fungal or bacterial infections in the mouth and genital area. One obvious example would be rabbit syphillis, and the broken skin caused by the mange mites could have also opened up the possibility of an active, opportunistic infection by one of the species of yeast and/or bacteria that are commonly found on the skin of a healthy rabbit. I would encourage another skin scraping, with a focus instead looking for microscopic pathogens instead of just the larger multicellular parasites.
Just to update anyone who was having the same issues regarding the mange/mites. I used ivermectin 0.2ml on my 2kg rabbit for about 5 weeks. Each injection every Monday. Also, I put a puppy/kitten revolution (selamectin) on his neck and repeated it after two weeks and then stopped. I washed the affected areas with hibiscrub and made sure i gave it a good scrub. I washed the nose, hocks and in between his paws. About 5-6 weeks after the first injection, my rabbit now looks fantastic again. His paws are normal, no crust at all, hair has grown back in the hocks which were red raw and a massive lump of dried skin fell off his nose to reveal his cute little nose again! Luckily the mites didn't get to his ears so they stayed fine and basically everything got better. A small little scar like area still remains on the nose but other than that, so so happy. I think the hibiscrub really helped out too. So happy to see him happy. Thanks for all your help.
