ear infections – help?

[Yasmin&Quozl]

Hi everyone, 6 days ago I noticed Quozl shaking her head and scratching at her ear – she is half lop, and has always had one floppy ear and one straight ear and it was her floppy one she was irritated by. I had a lop bunny as a child and remember him having ear infections and being told as a child that it was just more common in lop rabbits, so I wasn’t so worried but took Quozl to the vet the next day. She was found to have a minor infection and I was given a course of 5 days of liquid oral antibiotics to give her. By the second day of the antibiotics she wasn’t scratching or shaking her head. I carried on through the full course, and she had her last dose this morning and this afternoon I took her to the vet for a check up.

The infection has cleared up, but in comparison to her other ear the vet said the floppy ear had a little yellowish discharge at the end of the ear canal, indicating there was something going on deeper in the ear. She said there wasn’t really anything she could do, as drops are too potent and risky for rabbits and it wasn’t serious enough to warrant anything invasive, and also not a full infection to warrant more antibiotics on an animal with such a sensitive digestive system. She told me to just monitor her closely, and bring her in asap if I notice her in discomfort again, and if infections reoccur in her I might need to give her antibiotics by injection at home??

She said this can be an ongoing problem with some rabbits… And that some can have this discharge their whole lives and never had major problems, but in some rabbits this problem escalates and they can even need surgery to remove the inner ear She also said that maybe Quozl’s floppy ear wasn’t naturally floppy – and maybe she has held it differently the whole time I’ve had her because she’s been in discomfort from this problem?!

I wasn’t too worried, just figured we’ll see how it goes and anyway Quozl seemed totally fine now. But I got her home, and this evening she’s shaken her head four times – she NEVER shakes her head like this, only ever saw it those first two days of the infection… So I’m a bit worried now.

My questions are – has anyone else had bunnies with this inner ear thing, and how did things pan out? Is there anything sort of preventative that I can do to help Quozl? Is it common for cross-breed bunnies to have one upright ear and one floppy ear, and is it common for rabbits to flop one ear for months on end if they had a problem with it? Is it safe for rabbits to be given multiple courses of antibiotics? I refuse antibiotics myself as I have digestive problems, and use natural alternatives that work perfectly fine – I’m worried, as she is so small and her digestion so sensitive, that multiple antibiotics will harm her in the long run… but don’t know what else to do.

Sorry for such a long post, she’s my first bunny and I love her to bits so I’m having a little tizz…  

Thanks for taking the time to read my worried ramble, love Yasmin x

[LittlePuffyTail]

I have a lop with chronic ear infections. Most of the time he’s given antibiotic ear drops, usually Baytril Otic. Not really understanding why your vet would not give ear drops? Sometimes with a stubborn infection, my vet will do a culture to determine the exact bacteria to prescribe the best antibiotic. It usually takes at least 10 days of treatment, sometimes more. Very stubborn infections have found us using both oral and ear antibiotics.

Ear problems are more common in lops and, in some cases, such as my Bindi’s, they can become chronic. Bindi has had frequent infections for many years now. I doubt very much he has any hearing in his ears as they are constantly filled with a pus-like exudate. (gross, I know).

How confident are you that your current vet is rabbit savyy? I can’t understand the hesitation in using oral antibiotics. But if there is not much bacteria in the ear just some gunk, perhaps a bunny safe ear cleaner would be helpful.

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