Ear mites / Ear infection update

HI Becki,

Thanks so much for your reply. It was a C+S test nothing showed up at all..

Ive had a look and marbocyl antibiotic looks interesting, its in the same family as baytril I think... anything is worth a shot. Are you giving marbocyl in injection or orally ?

Can you please explain what the dupaphen injections are ? I cant seem to find this on google search.

Pumpkin is on Loxicam which is the same as Metacam twice a day. It does seem to help.

How is Rhia doing now ?

Dawn x

Rhia was originally on a huge dose of metacam, its now down to 1ml per day but I do sometimes have to give an extra dose if it bothers her.

Duphapen (Sorry, spelt it wrong before) is penicillin, as far as I know - Im not sure what else. This is injection only.

The marbocyl is given orally.

The combination of the two abx has been fantastic, we seem to have at least got it under better control. I think they have maybe done all they are going to now & it may be time to try something new - will have to discuss with the vet but they have worked wonders & I would definitely try. As you said, you have nothing to lose by doing so

I wonder why the C & S test didn't bring anything back. There MUST be some kind of bacteria there for such a bad infection (That is worded wrongly but you know what I mean! ) - Do you think maybe its worth another go?

Sending you both more hugs !! XX

Becki wrote:Rhia was originally on a huge dose of metacam, its now down to 1ml per day but I do sometimes have to give an extra dose if it bothers her.

Duphapen (Sorry, spelt it wrong before) is penicillin, as far as I know - Im not sure what else. This is injection only.

The marbocyl is given orally.

The combination of the two abx has been fantastic, we seem to have at least got it under better control. I think they have maybe done all they are going to now & it may be time to try something new - will have to discuss with the vet but they have worked wonders & I would definitely try. As you said, you have nothing to lose by doing so

I wonder why the C & S test didn't bring anything back. There MUST be some kind of bacteria there for such a bad infection (That is worded wrongly but you know what I mean! ) - Do you think maybe its worth another go?

Sending you both more hugs !! XX

Hi Becki,

Thank s for responding...

Ive looked it up and Duphapen is pencillin... I have suggested we used pencillan but the vet keeps saying it will kill rabbits. I have read of loads of cases where the rabbits are fine and it works well on pus type infections.

These ear infections seem so difficult to shift...in many it seems like management for life.. Orginally Septrin seemed to work but now not so sure, he has been on it off and on since May... wonder if Pumpkins body has just got used to it.... is this what you think has happened to Rhia ?

One of the worse problems is you cant see the pus, its so low down the ear in Pumpkins case.. will go back next week.

What symptoms does Rhia have now ?

Dawn

Could well be that their little bodies are becoming immune to the different abx. As far as I am aware, I think penicillin can be very dangerous but only orally..or something like that. I have used it numerous times & it has genuinely been a miracle drug about four seperate times for us - on all different buns. Is there maybe a specialist you could get a referral to? I think generally, ear infections such as this pair seem to be suffering are life-long conditions, more often than not. We were certainly warned that this could be the case.

Rhia in the past few weeks isnt doing as well as she had been, hence I am wondering about changing her meds. She headshakes a lot, and some days she's just very 'off' - seeming tired, flat & overly grumpy. Im concerned about the metacam dosage as she cannot stay on this for life but she is only reacting to a quite-dangerously high dose..but for example tonight, she was so clingy with me, wanting me to sit & stroke her for ages, but I touched the base of her ear accidentally & she shot through the ceiling growling.

What about Pumpkin??? Is there a specialist you could be referred to?

Im so sorry Im almost asleep here, need to get to bed - will try & get on tomorrow before work xxx

Would the vets consider using the RWAF vets facebook page for advice?

cheryl'n'bruce'flo wrote:Would the vets consider using the RWAF vets facebook page for advice?

I was thinking about giving them a ring.... thnaks

Dawn

Hey Dawn,

Sorry to hear pumpkin is still poorly bless him.

K x

Becki wrote:Could well be that their little bodies are becoming immune to the different abx. As far as I am aware, I think penicillin can be very dangerous but only orally..or something like that. I have used it numerous times & it has genuinely been a miracle drug about four seperate times for us - on all different buns. Is there maybe a specialist you could get a referral to? I think generally, ear infections such as this pair seem to be suffering are life-long conditions, more often than not. We were certainly warned that this could be the case.

Rhia in the past few weeks isnt doing as well as she had been, hence I am wondering about changing her meds. She headshakes a lot, and some days she's just very 'off' - seeming tired, flat & overly grumpy. Im concerned about the metacam dosage as she cannot stay on this for life but she is only reacting to a quite-dangerously high dose..but for example tonight, she was so clingy with me, wanting me to sit & stroke her for ages, but I touched the base of her ear accidentally & she shot through the ceiling growling.

What about Pumpkin??? Is there a specialist you could be referred to?

Im so sorry Im almost asleep here, need to get to bed - will try & get on tomorrow before work xxx

HI Becki,

Sorry to hear Rhia is struggling the past few weeks.

Today Pumpkin ear stopped spasming but his little cheek and face was really spasming so more metcam...

The one thing that is confusing us about Pumpkin symptoms is only in the beginning did he scratch his ears or shake his head... he now only scratched them post ear wash the rest of the time there is no ear scratching or shaking of his head which surely with a middle ear infection you would expect... This is orginally why we thought it was a tooth problem... he has been off his food a bit last few days and is squelching when he eats so dont know whats going on there ...teeth were ok last week.

We know he must have had a bad ear infection to lose both ear drums even though we couldnt pick up the bacteria on the C+S test ...perhaps there is just perminant damage to the facial nerves cos of the spasms... or he has another infection we are just not picking up on ie in the tooth area and this is causing the spasming...

We are going to keep a diary for the next week on his symptoms to see if this helps us/ him ...

Keep me posted with how Rhia is doing please...

Dawnx

How is little Pumpkin doing, now?

xx

Oh I'm so sorry to hear Pumpkin is no better Pud is still on his ear cleanser and ear drops and injections and seems a lot better for it but we have a long way to go yet.
Topping up the Vibes for Pumpkin xxx

Tuckerbunnies wrote:Oh I'm so sorry to hear Pumpkin is no better Pud is still on his ear cleanser and ear drops and injections and seems a lot better for it but we have a long way to go yet.
Topping up the Vibes for Pumpkin xxx

glad Pud has been showing some progress , hope it continues ...

Dawn x

Becki wrote:How is little Pumpkin doing, now?

xx

HI Becki,

Since stopping all his medication except painkillers his ear seems to have settled, it is not spasming from the top like it was . Vet says there is not sign of inflammation in his ear now which is a good sign... just cant see what is going on further down.

He is losing weight though not been eating properly for past 9 dys, he is squelching when trying to eat now . Vet has looked but cant see what the problem is, 2 teeth seem very worn down.. so we are trying to fatten him up to have a dental, x rays and bloods on Wednes. He is hungry .... we have been deviosu with watered down pellets and banana seems to be working. His lower ear, upper/;lower lip is still spasming .... confused what symptoms are from ear what is from teeth...

Go back Tues to make a final decision about dental on Wednes ..really worried as his breathing was so bad dueing his ear wash for 45 minutes 2 wks .... we have agreed this time his sedation will only be 15 mins .... and pray for the best we cant leave him like this...

How is Rhia doing ?

Dawn x

Hi Dawn,

I hope Pumpkin is doing better.

I noticed a few people posting about ear infections. Is ear resection surgery common over there?

Harley has had an ear infection, that at this point we believe will continue to cause problems. Due to breeding, his ear canals are less than 1 milimetre in diameter and also being a lop, his ears just aren't getting any air flow and are the perfect place for infection to start. Ear drops also don't do anything for him as they don't actually get into the ear canal.

At the moment he is completely unphased and is responding extremely well to antibiotics (he is now almost completely off any medication) and the infection was mild to begin with (it was also caught very early as I often take Harley for check ups and have his nails clipped, teeth checked and ears inspected!).

If he does indeed end up being a bun with chronic ear infections, he will be having a lateral ear canal resection, where they open up the ear canals and extend the ear opening. This does two things; opens up the ears for air flow (the ear opening is extended past where his ears flop) and also increases the opening meaning ear drops can get in there and help to keep the ears clean when something goes wrong.

Is this something that is an option for you? It may not be appropriate in your case, but I did come to this forum to search for that when I discussed the surgery with Harley's vet and couldn't find any reference here. I wondered if it was really done much in the UK?

Sending lots of bunny hugs and kisses to Pumpkin.

Jodie wrote:Hi Dawn,

I hope Pumpkin is doing better.

I noticed a few people posting about ear infections. Is ear resection surgery common over there?

Harley has had an ear infection, that at this point we believe will continue to cause problems. Due to breeding, his ear canals are less than 1 milimetre in diameter and also being a lop, his ears just aren't getting any air flow and are the perfect place for infection to start. Ear drops also don't do anything for him as they don't actually get into the ear canal.

At the moment he is completely unphased and is responding extremely well to antibiotics (he is now almost completely off any medication) and the infection was mild to begin with (it was also caught very early as I often take Harley for check ups and have his nails clipped, teeth checked and ears inspected!).

If he does indeed end up being a bun with chronic ear infections, he will be having a lateral ear canal resection, where they open up the ear canals and extend the ear opening. This does two things; opens up the ears for air flow (the ear opening is extended past where his ears flop) and also increases the opening meaning ear drops can get in there and help to keep the ears clean when something goes wrong.

Is this something that is an option for you? It may not be appropriate in your case, but I did come to this forum to search for that when I discussed the surgery with Harley's vet and couldn't find any reference here. I wondered if it was really done much in the UK?

Sending lots of bunny hugs and kisses to Pumpkin.

Hello Jodie,

Thank you so much for your post.. it is very interesting and I have been doing some research on ear resection as I had never heard of it before ...

I have found this paper that goes through the procedure which has been done in the states.. I have no idea if resection is / has been done in the UK. I am going to give the vet the paper and then discuss it with her or find a man that can! As we are at a loss what to do.. just keep going round in circles..

Resection paper DOES CONTAIN 3 GRAPHIC PICTURES OF SURGERY RESECTION http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Surgery/Ear/ear_surgery.pdf

We cant carry on like this , its been 3 wks he has been on watered down pellets , he has been worse with ear spasms for past few dys took him back to vets and his ear is back to being inflammed again.. Vet has prescribed his 3rd lot of ear drops (different kind) Aurizon for next 12 days, Im sure this will help the section of ear we can see , but alas not the base of the ear as previously the drops cant get fuilly down the ear..

I will update when I have spoken to vet.

How is Harley now ?

Dawn

Yeah Harley is really well. He was lucky to have responded so well to antibiotics, but he has been off them now for a week. So we have a check up in the morning to see how it's all going.

The specialist we see has mentioned the ear resection is becoming increasingly popular, and it's almost something they would recommend for lops! Pretty crazy - but they said the ear problems are just awful. Apparently a lot of autopsies on bunnies who have died suddenly have shown inner ear infections, etc. It was very interesting to talk to them about it.

It would certinaly be something worth researching for poor Pumpkin - I am sure you are just beside yourself.

Let me know what you find out about it in the UK. And good luck!

I don't know how ive missed all this, but I hope you find a cure/ answers soon!!

Give pumpkin a big hug from me!!

Infection of Pumpkin ear has got worse... it is now spread to his chest / systemic... we nearly lost him last week... thankfully he responded to marbofloxacin and he has picked up again , able to eat and run around a bit..but the antibiotics are just not doing the job , neither are the ear washes/ cleansers antibiotic drops etc... we have tried everything so far...

Due to his chest he is to poorly to have any more surgery so its a case of making him comfortable and keeping him out of pain...

His ear has been bad last couple of days ... back to the vets today ..

we are all just frustrated and worn out with it all ... its going to take a miracle ....

Sorry I havent been on much its been a very difficult time.

Dawn x

Strange that you post today, I was just thinking about you yesterday

I'm sorry to hear there is no improvement, you must be at your wits end

I so wish there was something I could do to help

Just seen this update, I am so sorry.

I'm sorry if we already talked about it, but do you know exactly what infection is in his ear?

Sending HUGE Vibes xxx

HI Becki and Thumper,

Thanks for posts, we have no idea what the infection is ... its been going on since Feb ....

He has improved as he is moving about faster ... but not eatng as much today.. post vet moody I hope ! Continuing with marbofloxacin and starting pred ear drops again to try and reduce ear gunk that it is causing his ear and now eye to spasm....

He has maintained his 3kg weight now for 2wks ... going back on Tues if weight and chest sounds ok to look at ear wash again for 3rd time to try and relieve the spasms/pain but not sure he can make it through surgery.

I left my vet with paper I researched on ear disease by Nikki Fox, Deb Moore and John Chitty. cant find the link now will post later.


Latest paper July 2011 by Eric P Chow see if there is anything else we can try.
http://www.exoticpetmedicine.com/article/S1557-5063(11)00113-3/abstract


Dawn

How is Pumpkin doing?

I've been thinking about you guys

Any progress from giving the vet the paper?

I know ive said it before but I think John Chitty is happy to consult directly with Vets so perhaps he can shed some more light on things?

Sending love and hugs to you bothx x x

Hi Katie and Thumper ,

Thanks for thinking of us.

We are considering trying something mentioned in one of the papers .... he is booked in to have his ear syringed next week as the spasms are to bad now , he appears to be in some discomfort/sleep with his ear against the wall to stop it spasming.....

THis time after the syringing we are considering putting in an ear wick.... or beads of antibiotics which are inserted in the ear and dissolve slowly... my vet has never done this before but she will look into it..

One of the problem is that even from the papers , none of the treatments inc surgery resection seem to completely be able to solve the ear disease. Its very hit and miss ...


We just have to try everything to make him as comfortable as possible.

He is the cutest and now just chooses to take his loxicam whilst sitting up knowing he will get a bit of carrot afterwards.

I am worried about losing him under aneasethetic after what happened last time with his breathing .... on a plus point he has put weight on ...

Will let you know what we decide next Tues...

thanks
Dawn x

How is pumpkin? Did you try any of the things mentioned above?

Thumper2001 wrote:How is pumpkin? Did you try any of the things mentioned above?

HI Thumper,

Pumpkins chest is to bad again to consider surgery/placement of wick so we have changed antibiotics in the hope this will help.... we are back again next Tues ...

thank you for thinking of us.

Dawn