Yeast infection

[OliverBun]

Olive has a yeast infection, not a bacterial infection. I’ve been given ear drops for him. I can’t find much info online, but my vet said it’s the least serious of ear problems.
But naturally I’m still extremely worried. Does anyone have experience with yeast infections in the ear? Anything to look out for? Any cause for serious concern?

[LBJ10]

I’ve only dealt with yeast infections in the ear of a dog. I would think it would be fairly easy to treat. In dogs though, it can be a recurring problem. Certain breeds are predisposed to it due to the structure of their ear canal.

[OliverBun]

Ok, well I’ll type the information here that I’ve received about yeast infections in the ear as an informational post for anyone searching this in the future.
My rabbit has been shaking his head/scratching at his ears for about 6 weeks now. The shaking and scratching was so bad that the vet originally thought he had mites, but didn’t see any. Structurally, his ear looks good. In fact, we had to see the vet three times. Finally on the third time she decided to swab his ear for yeast. However, visually there appears to be nothing wrong. My vet said this is common with yeast infections.
Oliver has been prescribed Clotrimazole twice a day for 14 days. This med is strictly an anti-fungal. He was originally on Mometemax, but that had no effect as the antifungal wasn’t strong enough for the yeast. My vet said the only possible side effects of the medicine is some irritation of the ear, but nothing else.
Apparently, a yeast infection is the least harmful of all ear problems rabbits can have. It doesn’t cause stasis or spread to their brains, it’s just super itchy and annoying.
Oliver has had two doses of his ear drops. He’s scratching less but is holding his ear down and isn’t moving around much.
I will continue his treatment and update in a week or so about his progress.

[Bam]

Thank you for the information! It’s very helpful! We’ll be happy for updates!

[LBJ10]

Hmm, that’s very interesting. Thanks for sharing what the vet said. We don’t hear about yeast in the ears too often, so this might be helpful if someone is searching in the future.

I would think that the antifungal could potentially cause irritation. They do in people and dogs. So keep an eye out for that. His ear might be sensitive for awhile, even after his infection is under control.

[OliverBun]

Update: no poops at all since around 10am (currently 11pm) but Olive seems totally normal. He’s currently eating dinner so I’m trying not to panic yet… Hopefully it’s just a little slow down and not stasis.
His ear is a bit red but nothing like what the mometamax did to it.
I have a black lab who gets yeast infections in his ears regularly. My vet said it doesn’t pass from pet to pet, but I highly suspect Oliver got his infection from the dog.

[OliverBun]

Oliver’s ear is bright red and becoming flaky. He’s holding it down and treating it very gingerly. Still shaking his head a bit today.
Still very limited pooping. However, he’s still eating and producing some poops.
He’s been very thirsty. Not sure if that’s a side effect or a recovery from his minor stasis.
He wasn’t very active today, but he seemed content and was purring quite a bit.

[LBJ10]

Oh dear, poor thing. I was thinking the medication would cause sensitivity, but bright red and flaky sounds concerning. And it isn’t good that he’s eating less and acting lethargic. Has the vet said anything?

[Excript]

Hi Oliver, may i ask how frequent oliver shakes his head and scratch his ears? like in a span of 10 minutes?

[OliverBun]

After the med he has periods where he leaves his ear alone for a few hours. Then for about 20-30 minutes he’ll scratch and shake his head non stop.
Before the med it was maybe 5 times every 10 minutes that he was messing with his ears.

[OliverBun]

Oliver’s vet is out until Monday. I’m going to continue with the treatment until then.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Poor Oliver. Definitely call the vet ass soon as you can about the redness.

Bindi has had yeast infections in his ear but they were at the same time as bacterial infections. It was several years so I’m sorry I can’t really remember what he was treated with.

((((Ear Vibes for Oliver)))))

[OliverBun]

Olive still isn’t pooping in the evening but he’s eating dinner and pooping during the night and in the morning. He’s also not really interested in his breakfast.
His ear seems a bit better. He’s still holding it down and it’s a pink color now. It only turns bright red right after the drops.

[OliverBun]

The vet said the flakes are probably due to the alcohol in his drops. She’s going to see if there is an alternative med without alcohol. Still very limited pooping. I’m very confused about the pooping situation.

[OliverBun]

Oliver is still scratching at his ear and is losing fur around it. His skin is also very flaky. I’m feeling very concerned. Pooping is still a problem. Talking to my vet on the phone is near impossible but I’m going to call again tomorrow. Any input would be appreciated.

[LBJ10]

My only thought is that the antifungal is causing a reaction. It isn’t uncommon for them to cause redness and increased itching. Unless it isn’t a yeast infection after all. I don’t know. You mean you can’t leave a message for your vet and they call you back when they have time? That’s what my vet does.

[OliverBun]

They swabbed his ear and seemed very certain it was yeast. Unless there is something else causing the infection… I call my vet and the front desk takes a message. Then the front desk calls me back with a message from the vet. I’m a teacher so I can never answer when they call. They say ridiculous things. Like last time they said Oliver had 3 more weeks of this treatment. My questions never get answered and the info I get it completely unhelpful.

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