Skin Problems

[Tango]

hi there!



my bunny just recently developed a funny thing on the inside of his ear quite near the top of his ear. it look like a round patch of really dry flaky skin, but is slightly red underneath. my vet says it looks like ring worm, and has ordered me some special bunny fungal ointment as she deals mainly with cats and dogs and was worried about harming the bun with too string a medicine. What i'm wondering though, is are bunnies particularly susceptible to skin problems of that the fungal sort (or any other kind for that matter?) ? also, is it likely to be very contagious? i'm not doing anything much different (except not letting him too near my face) but the rest of the family won't touch him now in case they get ring worm!?!?!?! related to this... how long should it take to clear up and is it dangerous to bunny's health? finally, is there anything i should or could do to prevent such things in the future, like how you dip dogs to prevent tics and fleas? (i'm sure you don't dip rabbits, but anything preventative?) i don't want his health to be in danger and i don't want emotional scarring (i'm a psychologist.. he he he) from everyone suddenly withdrawing affection!



anyway, what a long ramble!

thanks so much!

May

 

[naturestee]

Actually, fungal infections are fairly rare. According to the bottom article, it is most often found in one single rabbit at a time and may be linked to immunosuppression. It's also rarely epizootic.

Epizootic: An epidemic outbreak of disease in an animal population, often with the implication that it may extend to humans. For example, Rift Valley fever (RVF) primarily affects livestock and can cause disease in a large number of domestic animals -- an "epizootic" -- and the presence of an RVF epizootic can lead to an epidemic among humans who are exposed to diseased animals.

But it can be transmitted to humans:
http://www.medirabbit.com/Zoonotic/Zoonotic_main.htm

This article has more info on diagnosis and treatment. It does have some icky pictures, though.:?

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Fungal/fungaldermatosis.PDF