Ear infection progression

[Luna]

Wednesday Luna was at the vet for her normal physical exam (no symptoms/behavioral changes) and it turns out she has an ear(s) infection. The vet cleaned out thick yellow waxy material from her ears (almost exclusively in her right ear) and prescribed Tresaderm ear drops. Tonight I noticed some stiff tufts of light fur (like molt tufts but stiffer) on the inside of her left paw around the dewclaw area. It didn’t look yellow but does this seem like it’s related to her ear infection? Almost all of the waxy material was found in her right ear, so if it’s related then wouldn’t she have gotten stuff on her right paw and not the left one? 

I’m going to try and get her another appointment, but I don’t know if I should go to her normal vet or get a second opinion? Her normal vet is great but in hindsight I feel like more should’ve been done? She looked at the stuff under a microscope but isn’t it usually supposed to be sent out for testing to identify the type of bacteria? I’ve read how hard ear infections can be to get rid of, so I want to nip this in the butt asap, but on the other hand I worry that I’m overreacting because I don’t know much about ear infections and Luna has never had one before. 

[LBJ10]

Most vets will prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic first, since that is the most cost effective way to go. If the antibiotic doesn’t seem to be working after awhile (and you have to give it awhile), then the vet may want to try another one or do a culture at that time. I think this is most people’s experience. This is what my vet would do. I would, however, be concerned about your vet’s choice in treatment. Tresaderm contains a steroid. It also contains neomycin. I think you might be better of with an oral antibiotic, but that’s just my (nonprofessional) thought on it.

As for the gunk on the left paw vs. right, most rabbits use both paws to groom their ears. The left paw would have been in contact with the inside portion of her lop ear during grooming.

[Luna]

Thanks for your advice LBJ . I’ve read that corticosteroids are immunodepressants, but does neomycin have adverse effects? I thought the neomycin was just a normal antibiotic?

[LittlePuffyTail]

My Bindi is the King of Chronic Ear Infections and LB10 is correct. My vet will usually first look at the sample under a microscope to determine the amount of bacteria. A popular choice is Baytril Otic but I think Bindi’s had Tresaderm (and probably everything else) as well. Most ear infections take at least 2 weeks as they can be stubborn. When the antibitiotic is clearly not working, then it’s time to send away a sample to a lab to determine the exact type of bacteria and the best antibiotic prescribed. Sometimes a combination of oral meds and ear drops are necessary. 

[LBJ10]

You can use neomycin in rabbits, but it should be used with more caution. It can also cause ototoxicity, so I’m not sure why anyone would want to use it as an ear drop. MediRabbit lists it for oral use.

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