Ear disease in rabbits: how to treat 

Rabbit meat is tasty and healthy, doctors classify it as a dietary food group. Today, many s are breeding these fluffy pets. But like any living creature, the rabbit is subject to many diseases. The most common ear diseases in rabbits are:

• ear mite or psoroptosis;
• myxomatosis;
• purulent otitis.

There are many reasons for the occurrence of diseases: infections, parasites, inappropriate temperature conditions. To grow a healthy livestock of rabbits, you need to be attentive to pets, monitor their condition, know the symptoms of diseases, ways to help. Most often, users type the phrase: “diseases of rabbits ears, symptoms and methods for their treatment.” We will try to answer these questions in the article.

Ear mite – psoroptosis

Psoroptosis is scabies, a contagious disease that can infect an entire herd of rabbits in a short period of time. The reason for its appearance is a yellow ear mite, which reduces the immunity of the animal.

Symptoms

You can determine the onset of the disease by the following symptoms:

1. A sick animal becomes restless, stops eating. Constantly shaking his head and rubbing his ears against the cage. In addition, the ears wilt.
2. Small bumps appear inside the ears, then bubbles with liquid. Liquid flows out of the bursting bubbles, scabs form (tissue dies), sulfur accumulates.
3. The females refuse mating.

If you do not start timely treatment of psoroptosis, then the brain is affected in the rabbit.

But sometimes the disease begins without typical symptoms. It’s just that the rabbits begin to intensively scratch their ears and constantly move in the cage. If there is the slightest concern of animals, you should contact your veterinarian. After examining the rabbit, he will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Treatment

Experienced rabbit breeders understand the symptoms of ear diseases and begin treatment. They recommend treating the auricles of pets with a mixture of turpentine and vegetable oil for psoroptosis. As medicines you can use:

• Ciodrina;
• Acrodex
• Dicrezil;
• Psoroptolomus.

Disease prevention is a simple way:

Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a serious disease accompanied by inflammatory processes, purulent conjunctivitis. Bumps and blisters appear on the body. Untimely recognition of the symptoms of the disease in one rabbit can lead to the death of the entire livestock.

Symptomatology of the disease

Obvious symptoms of the disease appear, as a rule, only after 20 days from the onset of infection. But with a daily examination of animals, the disease can be detected at an early stage: red spots appear on the skin, and small nodules appear on the ears and eyelids.

What are the symptoms of the disease?

1. The temperature can rise to 41 degrees, then return to normal.
2. The eyes are watery, purulent clots appear on them, as with conjunctivitis.
3. Tumors appear on the body, growing to the size of a pigeon’s egg.
4. Gelatinous edema may occur on the genitals and head.
5. Rabbits have drooping ears and wrinkling of the scalp.
6. The oral cavity becomes inflamed. This symptom is accompanied by purulent discharge, wheezing.

Features of treatment

If you notice the symptoms of rabbit disease in a timely manner, then the treatment has a positive effect. The veterinarian conducts it with strong antibiotics and immunomodulators. For subcutaneous injections recommend:

• Gamavit;
• Ringer;
• Baytril.

In addition, special drops are instilled into the nose; iodine is used to treat wounds.

Sick and recovered animals are kept separately from the main herd. Rehabilitation after recovery takes two to three months. Keep rabbits in a warm room.

Many rabbit breeders make videos about treating their pets at home:

Traditional methods of treatment

An ear disease of rabbits such as myxomatosis can be treated independently with folk remedies if it is detected at an early stage:

1. Sunflower oil is overcooked and the lesions are treated.
2. Wounds on the ears are treated with urine, keeping it in the sun for at least 3 hours.
3. They feed rabbits with ear disease with fresh horseradish leaves.
4. The food should be nutritious, you can add pumpkin pulp and freshly prepared pineapple juice to it.
5. If breathing is difficult, aromatherapy is carried out using eucalyptus oil.
6. For injection, a solution of camel thorn is injected into the lower leg.

Prevention

As a rule, myxomatosis begins in late spring, when insects appear, carriers of the virus. How to protect eared pets from illness:

1. Protect access to insects with protective nets.
2. 2-3 times a week, inspect the skin of rabbits, ears and fur.
3. Get vaccinated at an early age.
4. Keep the cells clean, treat with special means.

Treatment of cells after disease

Cells after diseased animals are processed:

• Glutex;
• Virkon;
• Ecocide C;
• 5% alcohol solution of iodine.

You can clean the cells with folk remedies:

• whitewash with lime;
• treat with hot lye;
• wash with bleach solution.

Purulent otitis media

Otitis is an inflammatory process that affects the inner, outer or middle part of the rabbit’s hearing apparatus.

The cause of the disease of the external ear can be:

• fungus;
• the presence of an insect;
• wounds;
• accumulation of large amounts of sulfur.

Symptoms

1. Constant itching in the auricle causes the rabbit to constantly shake his head, tilt it to the sides, and scratch his ears.
2. Pus flows from the ear.
3. The rabbit does not allow you to touch the ears.
4. The animal becomes lethargic, practically does not eat anything.

Symptoms of the disease are similar to ear mites (scabies). Only a veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. Most often, drops are prescribed that relieve inflammation, itching and pain. Ointments for lubricating the ears or intramuscular injections of oxytetracycline 10 mg / 1 kg of body weight are also prescribed.

Other ear diseases

Ear diseases in rabbits are not necessarily caused by viruses and parasites. The auricles can suffer from cold and heat.

cold ears

Rabbits, especially small ones, have great difficulty in cold temperatures. The ears are the first to suffer. With symptoms of frostbite, they become cold, swollen. Pets won’t let you touch them.

There are three stages of frostbite:

1. With frostbite of the first stage, you should immediately rub the ears with snow and bring the rabbit into heat. When the pet is dry, both ears should be lubricated with petroleum jelly, camphor oil, goose fat.
2. Frostbite of the second stage is characterized by watery blisters on the ears. After a while, they will open, painful sores will appear. If the animal has cold ears, you do not need to wait for the bubbles to burst themselves. They should be opened, and zinc, iodine or camphor ointment should be used for processing.
3. The third stage is characterized by wrinkling, drying of the skin. In a word, she dies.

hot ear symptom

In summer, when temperatures are high, rabbits’ ears can become hot. With such symptoms, animals need to be given more water and move the cages to a cool room. If lethargy and immobility do not go away, then the cause of hot ears is not the elevated air temperature. Need veterinary help and proper treatment.

To summarize

You can raise healthy rabbits with careful care. In addition, preventive measures are needed. Rabbit cages should be kept clean and disinfected. All animals, from an early age, must be vaccinated in a timely manner. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should immediately begin self-treatment or seek advice from a veterinarian.