# Well dang,,ear mites



## Marshloft (Mar 24, 2008)

Well,,, Please don't slap me,,, I waited too long...
When I first got this doe 4 weeks ago,, I didn't know diddly about what ear mites were..
Welll,,, this doe had some crusty's in her ear,, yesterday I realized how much more it has grown,, almost the entire length of her ear...
After doing some research,,, I found that "mineral oit" will kill the mites..
And then the crust will eventually flake away...
So,,,,,,,, today I go out there to do the mineral oil,, and I think I'm too late for just the oil.
She is now bleeding in the ear....and not just a little,, the whole ear is bloody...
What should I do 1st,,, 2nd,,, and so on???
Hydrogen peroxide to clean the ear???
Mineral oil,, then HP????
Gary H.


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## menollyrj (Mar 15, 2006)

She's scratched it bloody. I'd still put in the mineral oil or even some triple antibiotic ointment. The oil in the ointment should kill the mites & the antibiotic would help the wound.

FWIW...

-Joy


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## Marshloft (Mar 24, 2008)

OK,,,
Well,,, I don't have a triple antibiotic...
If my arm was so infected to the point of needing hospitalization,, I would cut off the arm...
That being said,,
This is what I do have,,
Iodine,,,
neosporine
Hydrogen peroxide
Herbal oil,,, consists of these oils,,,, "Comfry extract,,Castor bean,,Jojoba,, Ginseng,,Aloe,, among others..
So,,, these are my options,, just insure whether to clean with HP prior to adding the oils,, or,, just the oil..
Gary H.


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## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

I would pass on the herbal oil, just to be safe. You can use Olive oil, gosh, I thought someone had used cooking spray too for ease of application, but you can put the olive oil in one of those oil sprayers I think.

I am afraid I don't remember how long or often to treat it though. You can use the neosporin on it though, I've used it lots here, and haven't killed any of mine yet! 

When I had the poopy rabbit last week, I bathed it with the dogs "natural" shampoo, oops, it had tea tree oil in it! :O So you have to be careful with the "natural" or Herbal stuff


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## Dian (May 11, 2003)

I also think the blood is from her scratching. I would use the oil first to kill the mites then the neosporine if you think she needs it. Do you have WD40? If you do-that is what I use for ear mites. Spray the heck out of the ears and stand back. They shake their head which throws the oil, but probably also gets the oil down in the ears good. If its really bad you might have to repeat whatever you use in a day or two, but I have never had the WD40 not clear the mites out.
Dian


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

WD-40


Works like a charm. I also had a doe that had crust all the way to the tips. I only did 1 short burst, possibly only a second or 2. The next day the flakes were falling off. About 1 week after the first dose I gave her another short burst and it has been fine for 6-8 weeks.


Edit.... remember, WD-40 is a PENETRATING OIL. I would be a little cautious about spraying a lot into the ear, but it seems as if the poster above has had good results.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

*NO WD-40!!!*

I'm sure it will work to kill the mites, but her poor ears are already scratched bloody. Ever get WD in an open wound? It stings!

When I had a doe with mites (and boy! Do they seem to come on FAST), I used olive oil. Didn't know I wasn't supposed to clean them, so I did go after her with a stack of q-tips. 

As long as you get the oil instilled into the ear, all should be well. But if you use something that will sting, she may give you cold butt for a good long while.

Pony!


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## Marshloft (Mar 24, 2008)

Well,,, I done did the dirty deed,, with HP...
Her ear was so swollen and red with infection,,, I felt like I had to at least take care of that first..squirting HP with a shringe...
She did real well during that part,, and ,, geeez,, I can't even tell you what came out,, it was bad..
Then with the help of my 8 yr old,, we did the oil,, I should change my name to "Hamburger Charlie" after that ordeal...I may have scars tomorrow...
She didn't like that at all.. but,, its a done deal now...
Now ya tell me about the WD40,, I got that,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
LOL..
Thanks to you all
Gonna give her a rest now for a day or 2 ,, 
Gary H.


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

Pony said:


> *NO WD-40!!!*
> 
> I'm sure it will work to kill the mites, but her poor ears are already scratched bloody. Ever get WD in an open wound? It stings!
> 
> ...





So does alot of human procedures. Dont you think the doe is suffering with all the scabs in her ears? She is uncomfortable all the time. Myself, if a cure was going to hurt for a few minutes and then be gone forever, I would go for the few minutes of torment.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

General Brown said:


> So does alot of human procedures. Dont you think the doe is suffering with all the scabs in her ears? She is uncomfortable all the time. Myself, if a cure was going to hurt for a few minutes and then be gone forever, I would go for the few minutes of torment.


Sorry that I came on a bit strong, didn't mean to offend.

Sure, the doe is suffering with the scabs and all that gooey junk in her ears. My reasoning was that it would only compound the injury to introduce something that would hurt and possibly further traumatize already damaged tissue. Kind of like lemon juice or salt on a cut. <wince> That hurts!

Yes, a lot of human procedures can cause pain, too. But you can reason with a human. Rabbits have yet to show me that they are reasonable creatures when miserable with ear infection.

When it comes to handling my rabbits, if there's a way that's less painful to help them vs one that will hurt, I'll go for as little pain as possible. Once a rabbit receives pain at human hands, it's hard to win her over. That makes it more difficult to handle her and any subsequent kits.

If a rabbit's ears aren't already bleeding, then the WD probably works fine. I just prefer to err on the side of caution and less/no pain.

Pony!


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## ladysown (May 3, 2008)

> When I had the poopy rabbit last week, I bathed it with the dogs "natural" shampoo, oops, it had tea tree oil in it! :O So you have to be careful with the "natural" or Herbal stuff


 So what's wrong with tea tree oil? I use when my rabbits have owies and seems to do a good job on them, helping them heal up quicker.


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## Cloverbud (Sep 4, 2006)

General Brown said:


> So does alot of human procedures. Dont you think the doe is suffering with all the scabs in her ears? She is uncomfortable all the time. Myself, if a cure was going to hurt for a few minutes and then be gone forever, I would go for the few minutes of torment.


I've been certified as a veterinary technician for eight years, and working in the field a lot longer. I can say without a doubt that WD-40 is not an approved treatment for ear mites. WD-40 is for clippers. Period. There's the risk of rupturing an ear drum, shooting liquids under pressure into the ear. I'm pretty sure that WD-40 is not meant to be introduced into the middle ear.

Yeah, ear mites are uncomfortable. But put away the blood-letting and the leaches.


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## XCricketX (Jun 7, 2006)

Rinse out ear with lukewarm water, over-the-counter ear pain reliever drops from Walmart... then IVERMECTIN horse paste.

Get rid of wooden cage structures. 

Ear mites.. Gone!


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

Cloverbud said:


> I've been certified as a veterinary technician for eight years, and working in the field a lot longer. I can say without a doubt that WD-40 is not an approved treatment for ear mites. WD-40 is for clippers. Period. There's the risk of rupturing an ear drum, shooting liquids under pressure into the ear. I'm pretty sure that WD-40 is not meant to be introduced into the middle ear.
> 
> Yeah, ear mites are uncomfortable. But put away the blood-letting and the leaches.




I understand that it is not an approved medication. Perhaps I didnt explain myself correctly, but I never sprayed the WD into the ear canal, just about halfway up the ear and above. And it was quick sprays.


The doe is fine, no shaking of the head and absolutely no sign of mites. I guess if everyone wants to go to the vet and pay you and him a huge fee for something that costs pennies, then they can do so. 
Outside of the claim of the high pressure in the ear, do you know for *SURE *that there is a danger?

I know it works. And actually, I learned about it on this very forum.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

General Brown said:


> I understand that it is not an approved medication. Perhaps I didnt explain myself correctly, but I never sprayed the WD into the ear canal, just about halfway up the ear and above. And it was quick sprays.
> 
> 
> The doe is fine, no shaking of the head and absolutely no sign of mites. I guess if everyone wants to go to the vet and pay you and him a huge fee for something that costs pennies, then they can do so.
> ...


I believe the point was not whether the treatment was effective, but whether it was humane treatment of the animal.

As you pointed out, WD 40 is a penetrant. And actually, it's not so much a lubricant as it is a Water Displacer. That's where the WD comes in. (I'm a gear head gal, so I know some strange things....)

Since WD is not an approved treatment, I would not be comfortable using it on my meat animals. Not to be all PeeWee Herman about it, but do you know for *SURE* that there is *no* risk?

Throwing in a comment about the cost of veterinary care is specious. For one thing, you have no idea how much Cloverbud's vet office charges, and secondly, no one even mentioned going to the vet for ear mites.

Pony!


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## goat^farmer (Dec 28, 2005)

My BF rabbit had a sever cause of ear mites on their buck a while buck n I mean had scaps so bad they where doubled on top of each others. BF took buck in house put warm water in ear slowly then took q tip an slowly cleaned the ears all the way out. the buck just sit there with BF cleaned his ears after cleaned ears put some mineral oil in that was warm pput back in cage an next day treated ears with hap[y jack ear mites only treated 2 times n they where gone no more ear mites. also now the buck ears has a liquid put in his ears to keep clean alone with other rabbits. oh yea forgot to say before buck was treated he was bleeding on side of ears an then after h e got treated no more ear mites at all. forgot to add now all rabbits get this in ear name of produce is Jeffers Ear Cleaner & Therapeutic Treatment no more ear mites or anything.


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## Cloverbud (Sep 4, 2006)

Well, if you can't discuss things logically, attack the other poster.


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## Michael Leferink (Jul 12, 2003)

While there are a variety of ways to treat ear mites, there is one method that has been used for generations that is still the least expensive and works as well as any other method and better than some. Plain old generic over the counter unscented mineral oil. Get it where ever it is cheapest. Put it in a clean squirt bottle and soak the ears, neck, top of the head and under the chin. Repeat at least once per week for eight weeks. Will the ear mites come back? Yep! But they almost always do, no matter what is tried. Maybe they could be stopped by going to a laboratory type management system, but there go the profits! One thing that will help is to always treat both the buck and the doe at immediately after breeding. This will keep the little buggers at a manageable level.

MikeL


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## Marshloft (Mar 24, 2008)

I clicked on the forum and thought I had posted on the GC forum...
Anyway,,, I do appreciate all your help,, She is looking much better..
Thanks again..
Gary H.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Marshloft said:


> I clicked on the forum and thought I had posted on the GC forum...
> Anyway,,, I do appreciate all your help,, She is looking much better..
> Thanks again..
> Gary H.


Yeah, it did get hot there for a couple of posts. Full moon?

Pony!


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## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

I think I read that Tea tree oil is toxic in cats, and since rabbits groom themselves it should also not be used for them. I try to err on the side of caution for them anyways.


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## rabbitdawg (May 24, 2008)

Thats one of the problems with the New Zealands or Californias which I bet is what has the ear mites with the crusted up ear.When I had those troublesome breeds I used Ivomec(1%) solution in their ears just like you would do for your dogs if they had ear mites.
The solution is to raise a healty rabbit breed so you don't have to WASTE YOUR TIME with all these health problems.
Of course raising them in suspended cages over concrete helps also. And never under any circumstances use any type of wooden cages,etc or you are just looking for problems.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

rabbitdawg said:


> Thats one of the problems with the New Zealands or Californias which I bet is what has the ear mites with the crusted up ear.When I had those troublesome breeds I used Ivomec(1%) solution in their ears just like you would do for your dogs if they had ear mites.
> The solution is to raise a healty rabbit breed so you don't have to WASTE YOUR TIME with all these health problems.
> Of course raising them in suspended cages over concrete helps also. And never under any circumstances use any type of wooden cages,etc or you are just looking for problems.


 Sorry to hear you've had trouble with big white rabbits, but I don't know that it's fair to label a particular breed as "troublesome." 

The way I see it, each breed has its own pros and cons. Many of us have NZW or Cals (and crosses) with few or no particular problems. The occasional bout of ear mites or what have you is not limited to a specific breed. It just comes with the territory of raising rabbits.

One of my does had ear mites last year. Treated her with olive oil. Haven't had a case since. Doesn't mean I won't ever see them again, just that it's not an ongoing issue out there in the cages. 

My favorite buck is a NZW. He's sweet, sires large litters, and is healthy as the day is long. Haven't had a single problem with him so far. My last buck was Cal, and he was good, too. 

Mites happen. So does a lot of stuff. <shrug> That's life in a fallen world.

Pony!


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## Marshloft (Mar 24, 2008)

Pony said:


> Mites happen. So does a lot of stuff. <shrug> That's life in a fallen world.
> 
> Pony!


 I tend to agree with that statement..
I may be new to rabbits,, but not at all new to raising animals/livestock.
Most things are prevented using good management practices,,, developeing ones own herd,,, with the occasional new blood from reputable sources.
Its the "starting out" a herd thats the difficult part... Lots of things to learn,,, etc. etc.
Gary H.
p.s. the doe's ear is all cleared up,, "amazing"....


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Marshloft said:


> I tend to agree with that statement..
> I may be new to rabbits,, but not at all new to raising animals/livestock.
> Most things are prevented using good management practices,,, developeing ones own herd,,, with the occasional new blood from reputable sources.
> Its the "starting out" a herd thats the difficult part... Lots of things to learn,,, etc. etc.
> ...


Yup. I have 1 rabbit from the original 7 last year. Had two others that didn't make the cut. One died, the other is living the happy life of a pet. The rest went to the freezer with the exception of one buck, who went to a friend who wanted Cal's. 

It's all part of working at it and learning.

As for your doe :dance:

So glad to hear she's all healed up! 

Pony!


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

OK....everyone does things differently. I just know what works for me.


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## vulpinefarms (Apr 18, 2008)

I use mineral oil too, but used too much once and learned the hard way. It can cause them to have the runs if you put too much in or get it on their fur.... So use it sparingly!! A little goes a long way, in my opinion...


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Mineral oil smothers the mites. You can use vegetable or olive oil.

Repeat daily for about 10 days.

Please don't use WD40 because it is poisonous. The rabbit swallows it as it grooms itself.

The best treatment is Ivermectin 1% injectable at .018 cc per lb of rabbit weight, given under the skin of the shoulders now, and repeat in 10-14 days.

Treat all rabbits in the barn/area/herd at the same time for best long term
control.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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