regular treatments

[Blackhereford boy]

Do any of yall do regular treatment like you would for dogs or cats. If so what do you use.
By treatment i mean like wormer flea tick ext.

Thank you

 

[pennylove]

Usually wormers are unnecessary for rabbits. They're not especially vulnerable to intestinal parasites.

They can be prone to fleas, particularly if kept in company with other animals, like dogs and cats. We treat our rabbits the same way we treat our dogs and cats--with natural methods first. The dogs get regular baths, since they're in and out so often and we treat them food-grade Diatomaceous Earth. We also use DE in our area rugs during the summer months. We treat our yard and gardens with granulated garlic and we feed the dogs Brewer's Yeast, all of which are natural flea and tick repellants. One of our dogs is highly allergic to fleas, so if she gets bit, she'll start itching like mad almost immediately--only if that happens do we resort to topical pesticide flea preventatives like Frontline or Advantage.

So far, preventing our dogs and cats from contracting fleas or ticks has protected our rabbits. We haven't even needed to use DE on the rabbits (thank goodness, because combing it into Angora wool would not be fun). I think if you're very proactive about flea prevention first, you wont have a problem with your rabbits. But if you need to, Advantage is safe for dogs, cats, and rabbits, just follow the dosing guidelines very carefully and make sure you weigh your rabbits; don't take a risk by estimating their weights.

This is an interesting question, though! I'll be interested to see what others are doing.

 

[Blackhereford boy]

Thank you I have never thought of those other treatments

 

[Blackhereford boy]

What do u use to treat/prevent ear mites
Or any other ear infection thing

 

[pennylove]

Well, we've never had a problem with ear mites in our rabbits. We treat our cats, if they get them, with a natural oil mixture. We've devised our own recipe over several years, which includes Yellow Dock Root extract. Look around online for "natural ear mite remedies" and pay attention to recipes that call for essential oils. The oil suffocates the mites if applied repeatedly over several days and helps remove the debris from the ear canal.

For ear infections, we've used this product: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/oils/herbal.php#ho_ho_ear "Ear Oil"

But for any kind of serious infection, the rabbit needs to see a vet. It's likely Tresaderm will be prescribed, which is an antibiotic and pain-relieving ear drop. Ear infections in rabbits are pretty serious--don't let them go untreated.

 

[Blackhereford boy]

HoW do i tell when it is infected

 

[pennylove]

Any or all of these symptoms may or may not be present:

--the ear may be hot to the touch. (It's best to use the back of your hand or your wrist to gauge temperatures, not your palm.)
--it may be red or inflamed inside.
--it may smell foul or sickly sweet.
--there may be waxy or greasy black goop (usually a sign of ear mites, rather than an infection, but ear mite infestations can cause secondary ear infections).
--there may be crumbly black or dark brown debris (again, usually ear mites, not infection).
--there may be white, off-white, creamy or cheesy discharge (usually a yeast infection--contagious, wash your hands after contact so it doesn't spread).
--the ear canal may appear swollen.
--the rabbit may be excessively itching one or both ears (anything more than a periodic, brief ear itch is unusual in rabbits).
--the rabbit may be tilting its head to one-side, have difficulty with balance or jumping. May develop wry neck if left too long.
--if the rabbit has been shaking its head excessively, it can develop aural hematomas (large swollen sacks of fluid behind the lining of the ear), which need treatment. If a hematoma is developing, the ear will be heavy, feel "thick" or may have a visible bubble under the skin that's hot, red, and feels like it contains fluid. They're very painful for the rabbit and generally require lansing. I mention them because I know you have lops and they're more common in lops than in rabbits with upright ears.

With infections, no two are exactly alike because they are caused by different factors and may affect different areas of the ear. If the rabbit has any of these symptoms in combination, it likely has an infection. Whenever there is an ear infection presenting in one ear, always, always treat both ears. I would consider an infection severe if the rabbit's eating/drinking patterns change, the rabbit appears to be sleeping more often (and it's not due to excessive heat), and it has at least two other symptoms. Most importantly, if the rabbit appears distressed, it needs treatment.

I'm kind of concerned that you're asking all of these questions over a series of days and your rabbits are going without treatment. Good animal stewardship means getting them the proper care when it is needed. Don't let your rabbits suffer.

 

[Blackhereford boy]

Oh no they r not suffering actually is hot here and they have a fan this if for future reference and none of my animals suffer they see a vet regularly and are treated as family not as any thing else my 8 year old sister owns them and plays with them more than the dog. And this is also information for my future reference as a veterinarian my whole life is devoted to my animals and I think It is stupid to have animals if they are not treated right and if anyone dose treat their animals wrongly they should no longer own the animal

Thank u for all the helpful reference matteral

 

[AprilW]

I prefer not to do any preventive treatments on my rabbits and I've very rarely had any problems.

 

[reereechickens]

Any new rabbit or chicken gets Ivermectin for worms or mites. I give a couple of drops behind the neck or pea size of the paste per mouth. Everybody gets wormed every 6 months as a preventative.

The Ivermectin should work great on ear mites but not an ear infection.