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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Ears

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    • Rookie
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        Sprocket has been itching his right ear pretty intensely so I looked inside and saw some ear wax…yellow regular ear wax color…is that something I can clean for him or is it a vet visit? Is it normal or is ear wax an automatic infection?

        *appointment made for Thursday. Not out usual vet since we moved and that is 45 min away and I work day hours for the next 2 weeks with no days off to take him. Not happy going to another vet but I want this checked asap. Also probably a Good idea to check out the closer vet just in case. Checked they are rabbit savvy.


      • Wick & Fable
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          I’ve never seen Wick have ear wax, but yellow is a bit concerning. And if he’s itching it a lot. I recommend vet visit.

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • Lauren
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            My bunno is having the same issue! He’s been itching one ear more frequently and when I’ve check there is yellow discolouration!
            I’m wondering is it wax or is it the start of mites?
            It’s a little dry but nothing major!
            Would love some advice on the subject! I’ve heard lops sometimes struggle to clean their ear wax out?


          • Rookie
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              Yeah we are going Thursday. Wish we had something sooner. But they didn’t have any appointments. I feel bad for him


            • Rookie
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                MITES?!?!? no… I’m going to have to now bribe him again to let me take a look. He hasn’t been exposed to other animals or outdoors and I change when I get home so I wonder where he could get mites from…can commercial hay have it maybe? Packaging and All?

                I pray it’s just wax. Now I can’t wait for Thursday to come asap!


              • Luna
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                  A tiny bit of wax can be normal, but it can also be a sign of mites/infection. Either way, it’s good you made an appointment since really only the vet will be able to distinguish between the two. Certain kinds of ear cleaning can be done at home, but unless you are sure that it isn’t an ear infection, cleaning/moistening the ear can make an ear infection worse.

                  Lauren – Yes, it is true that lops are more susceptible to ear infections because there is less aeration that goes down into the canal compared to a bun whose ears are upright. Less aeration can allow bacteria to grow. Higher levels of humidity can also play a role. But don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that your lovely lop is guaranteed to get an ear infection .


                • Rookie
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                    Ugh so made the mistake of googling it…BIG MISTAKE! …THE HORROR!!!

                    Is it Thursday yet?!?!

                    Also just looked again and now I can’t see the same yellowish stuff now it looks empty. I will try and look again when I give him bedtime treats.

                    Thursday hurry up! I will call tomorrow and Wednesday for any cancellations just in case.


                  • Luna
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                      Look away from the google pics! They are pretty rough to look at, but I think those are really bad and/or untreated cases. When Luna had an ear infection, I saw those google pics and freaked out (thinking her ear was going to transform!), but her ear infection just looked like wet dark-yellow wax down in her ear.


                    • jerseygirl
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                        It is normal to see some wax with lops, I reckon. Just cleaned some out of my 2 lops but they also both have pus deep down in the ear. 

                         Rumball has gone a decade before this ever being an issue. So I guess he & I have been lucky in that respect.

                        But Sprocket being young, Im guessing it’s just a bit of wax.
                        Try not to panic. Even if beginning of earmite, it’s totally treatable.


                      • Rookie
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                          At the vet now…not our usual vet…wasnt a fan of the experience…dr Erin at Greenwood handles bunnies super confidently and she had no trouble with sprocket….here….they couldn’t hold him, his legs were not properly secured he almost fell off the table…they had to wrap him up to do his ear and mouth exams… Dr Erin does it solo no problem… it’s good to have a back up vet but still will be taking him to greenwood.
                          As for the ear… no mites…but he did have some “debrie” so they took a sample and it’s cocci bacteria so he is getting drops


                        • Wick & Fable
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                            Those things happen. In those circumstances, in a non-lecturing way, but in a “Hey, this might help” way, you can kind of suggest “Usually holding him like this works better…” and other things. As rabbit owners, I think we need to understand that since we are so keen on getting rabbit-experienced vets, it’s hard for rabbit-novice vets to gain practical experience, since we never choose them. I think some would appreciate the feedback and recommendations.

                            The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                          • Rookie
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                              Baytril Otic sounds fair for anyone?


                            • Rookie
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                                This was listed as a rabbit savvy vet which is why I went there.


                              • Wick & Fable
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                                  I’m sure you took the necessary steps to ensure a rabbit savvy vet, so I’ll change my sentiment to just be vets generally then.

                                  Baytril is a broad spectrum antibiotic, so it makes sense in my opinion, though I have no knowledge on the bacteria diagnosed.

                                  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                                • jerseygirl
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                                    Posted By Rookie on 9/20/2017 4:22 PM

                                    Baytril Otic sounds fair for anyone?

                                    That’s what I was given for Gooseman yesterday. He has pus in the ear canals. Vet removed some but hopefully the abx will help clear up the rest.  Im putting some in Rumballs ear also, with the vets blessing.  Fingers crossed it works well for Sprocket!

                                    p.s. I was told to keep it in the frigde and shalke well before use.


                                  • Rookie
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                                      Wouldn’t that be suoer cold for the bunny ear when administering it? They didn’t tell me anyhting about the fridge or shaking. I’ll check the label.


                                    • jerseygirl
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                                        It would feel a bit weird, Im sure. They don’t like the sensation of drops anyway, from what I can tell. Though Goose didn’t react when I put them in (cold) in his worse ear.

                                        I had different drops for Rumball several months ago. Otomax. I didn’t have to refrigerate those ones.


                                      • Luna
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                                          Agree with JG – when Luna had an ear infection she was given Baytril Otic (I remember shaking the bottle but I can’t remember if it was refrigerated or not). Did your (backup) vet show you how to administer the ear drops? There is the ear canal where the drops should go, but there is also a pocket next to it where if the drops go in it they won’t do anything because it is just a dead end.


                                        • Rookie
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                                            Do she did not. I had drops for rookie and our vet showed us how to do it properly. I can pretty much tell when it goes in cause he starts shaking his head. I’m sad I have to do this to him x2 a day and for 14 days.


                                          • Rookie
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                                              Is it normal for the ears to be read after administering the drops? Also so hard to get the right count for drops…if you put the dropper in to the ear properly then you can’t see it.
                                              Vet called earlier this morning and I asked about refrigeration…she said no. But by then I put it in the fridge for the day. Took it out when I got home and let it stand for 3 hours.


                                            • Rookie
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                                                I’m fr3aking out… I can’t remember the bacteria exactly that they said sprocket has and I googled the one I wrote you guys and I remembered and it’s bad. They also never told me if it was an inner or outer infection or how bad the infection is and far it is along…i think I may take him to my vet Monday if I can. I need Dr Erin tell me what’s going on. I’m going to have to ask over the weekend to have the day off and have to call Greenwood see if they have appointment available.
                                                I will call the lame vet tomorrow and ask the above question to try and put my mind at ease for now even though I don’t trust them very much at all.


                                              • Rookie
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                                                  **update**
                                                  the vet I took Sprocket to messed up big time. When we went they said his right ear was clear and that his left had the infection. I was suspecting they were not very thorough and I didn’t like the way they handled sprocket at all so it has been nagging at me to try and take Sprocket to our vet back in the city.

                                                  I called the vet I saw first and asked the nagging questions I had…can the infection spread from one ear to the next..can in it spread to his eye..how bad is it..is it inner or mid ear etc… they said they cant tell whether it is mid or inner ear without the bunny being under…(BS as our vet can..) and they said the other ear will be fine as bunnies use different feet to clean each ear and since only one ear gets drops the dropper wont contaminate the other either. I was like… oookay…

                                                  So I called and got the appointment for today. I had to take the day off from work to do it but I was like..no I have to take him cause it is nagging at me that they didn’t do a good job. this was last week Thursday.

                                                  So we went to our vet. Turns out Sprocket’s left ear is actually clear except for the baytril Otis residue in it from the drops they gave us. HOWEVER!!! the RIGHT ear is very infected to the point of not being able to see his ear drum due to puss and debris. I was like “are you kidding me!?”

                                                  so the vet last week either didn’t look well into the right ear at all or they got the ear wrong completely. I don’t think the infection can get that bad in less than a week if they said it was clear and the swab showed no infection in the right ear.

                                                  I am so mad!!!!

                                                  so sprocket got new drops and this time for BOTH ears for 2 weeks. also paid 100$ for this visit than the messed up one. ugh…so frustrated that I lost a week of recovery time for him and if anything it got worse cause of their screw up.

                                                  end of rant


                                                • Luna
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                                                    Oh no, I’d be so mad! Good thing you followed your instincts and saw his normal vet. Is he still scratching his ear?


                                                  • Rookie
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                                                      He is but nowhere near as intensely or often as when I first realized he may have an infection. Now it’s pretty much normal ear scratching. He did start scratching his right a bit which is why I asked about the infection being spread over…but they said it wont…but I kept thinking I don’t know….
                                                      Needless to say I’ll keep taking him to his normal vet from now on.
                                                      Our vet did say that the ear canal is now swollen or shut yet so it should clear up okay with the new drops.


                                                    • Luna
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                                                        Not* swollen? That’s good . You might also think of keeping a journal/log of his food and water intake while he is on his ear drops. Luna wasn’t symptomatic when she had an ear infection so I used a food log to help me keep track of her progress. Although her attitude was great, I knew the first ear drops weren’t working because she started to eat slightly less (10-15% less hay), so I took her back to the vet and we tried different ear drops (Baytril Otic) and she responded a lot better.


                                                      • Rookie
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                                                          Yes sorry NOT swollen.
                                                          His ear got hot and red from the baytril otic and that’s when I called the vet that gave it back and asked about it. They said it could be normal. He is my only bun so I’m pretty good at being able to monitor his food intake and so far that has not been an issue. He has a hay bowl so it can be easily seen when he isn’t eating as much.
                                                          The only symptoms he did have were the ear scratching. His eating and mood etc were all normal.
                                                          He got new drops now for both ears. Out vet said baytril otic while used by the vet universities he says is controversial in bunnies to work. He says it’s too think to reach deep enough in the ear canal to work as effectively as other things. So he says it should always be mixed with something that is NOT steroid. So we now will be using trizEDTA+66.7mg/mL baytril soon. #64 (59ml) 3-4 drops 2 x a day for 2 weeks


                                                        • Luna
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                                                            I agree that steroids in ear drops are controversial, but I think Baytril Otic is steroid free. I hope the new drops help .

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                                                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Ears