yucky ears

[werecatrising]

I am amazed and saddened by the amount of crud I have been getting out of Eloise's ears. They are packed solid with waxy debris. Can anyone recommend a good cleaner. i use malacetic for my dogs and cats.

 

[Maureen Las]

This info comes from Kathy Smith's book "When You Rabbit needs Special care"
She is specifically referring to special needs rabbits who cannot clean their own ears

'"Ears that have not been cleaned may itch and irritate the rabbit and overtime the build-up may lead to otits media and hearing loss."

"There are several ear cleaning products available including Novalsan otic solution and Zymox otic solution"

"you can use a cotton tipped swab for the outer ear canal canal but your little finger covered with a soft piece of cloth or tissue may be safer for anything you need to remove deeper within the ear(never attempt to dig too deeply in the ear':it is likely to harm the rabbit."


Since your bun is not special needsI would question why he has so much gunk in his ears and would advise taking him to a vet who can check formites, fungal or other infections. Usually a rabbit can keep his own ears clean.Your vet can also probably provide you with a good ear cleaner

Maureen

 

[werecatrising]

It's an infection-still waiting on the culture and sensitivity. They were just so bad that I am still getting crud out.

 

[Maureen Las]

Why don't you call the vet and ask if you can get an ear cleaner from them,' most of the over the counter stuff shouldn't be used..
there may alsobe a reason he wants to use an antibiotic first ..just talk to him

 

[werecatrising]

I work for my vet- I'm a tech. I was in a hurry before, so didn't go into much detail. Eloise hasn't wanted me to touch her head at all in the week that I've had her. I figured she was just head shy until I got a closer look. Her ears were NASTY! We tried cleaning them out the best we could, but they are very inflamed. I am treating with tresaderm, was just wondering if anyone had any preference when it came to cleaners. We carry mal acetic, oti foam, and malaseb flush. I can order something else if needed. I just don't want anything to harsh that will be an irritant.

 

[ra7751]

Since you work at a vet...do you have Virbac products? If so, use Cerulytic....or a similar type product. It is a little rough in there so pain meds would be in order prior to using this stuff but it is really good at breaking down the crud deep inside the ear. I don't know that Tresaderm is the way to go. This was most likely caused by mites....and I have used Tresaderm for mites in limited situations. But, rabbits are prone to deep infections at any time...mites add to that liklihood and usually lead to secondary bacterial infections. Tresaderm contains a steroid and would be containdicated if there is a bacterial infection....and since rabbit's ear infections are so much more serious and difficult to treat compared to other species, a steroid might not be a good idea. I prefer Baytril Otic along with a systemic abx.....and pain meds.

If you suspect a vestibular infection....do not wait on a culture. Start ona broad spectrum antibiotic (not Baytril-usually ineffective in rabbits or sulfa-can lead to serious GI issues). The most likely pathogen found in vestibular infections are strains of Pasteurella Multocida. That bacteria sometimes does not survive the trip to the Petri dish. If clinical signs of infection is presented (vestibular infections usually result in a fevers reaching 106*), timelost waiting for a culture is time wasted. Since it seems this issues has been going on for a while....I would fire the big guns if bacteria is suspected....Chloramphenicol.

PM me if you need more detailed info.

Randy