Fur Mites?

[Cspr]

Jade's false charlie kit appears to have fur mites, but Ivermectin doesn't seem to be doing much, according to the man who is boarding some of my rabbits. :x The kit is four weeks old.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Miss M]

I don't think that's fur mites. The nose makes me think of vent disease. I don't know, though, in light of the foot. No idea what's up there. It's like it's been carefully shaved!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I agree with Miss M. Looks like syphilis/vent disease.

http://www.raising-rabbits.com/rabbit-syphilis.html

There is something else going on with the foot. The skin looks healthy, so I don't think it is mites or anything else to worry about. However, in case it is "something" if you have any Nu-Stock or Blu-kote, you might apply some just to rule fungus and bacteria out.<br /><br />__________ Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:28 pm __________<br /><br />You need to check the genitals of the doe and the buck you bred her to. If the buck has been used on other does, they need to be checked as well.

Treat any exposed rabbits as outlined in the link I provided above, whether they show symptoms or not. This includes all kits.

 

[Cspr]

Oh no. :c I've caused so much trouble for Ken! I'll have to tell the breeder, too. :/ Yikes. Well, hopefully I can wire Ken some money for the penicillin and he'll know what to do. Ugh. I doubt driving down to his place would help much, considering I don't have a quarantine area anymore because of my father being so weird about rabbits.

 

[Diamond]

Vent disease takes long-term antibiotic therapy to eradicate, not just a shot or two of bicillin. With a kit, I would consider culling. And I would also consider where it got the disease from... most likely its dam, and that means that all the others have been exposed, and it is active in the rabbitry where they are being housed. At which point, some thought and discussion should probably take place.

You are generally looking at treating vent disease with injections of bicilln every other day, and this must be maintained on a diligent schedule for two weeks AFTER symptoms disappear.

At breeding time, I carefully inspect the doe as well as the buck whom are going to be bred for any and all health problems, including vent disease, ear mites, fur mites, eye problems, etc. For most of us who have more than just a few rabbits, this is the only time we really do hands-on with our breeding stock. I also worm and clip nails on bunnies at this time.

 

[Cspr]

Thanks, Diamond. Ken said that the Ivermectin seems to be doing something, so fur mites might have caused some of the issue. Sigh. He doesn't think it's vent disease, but everyone here claims it probably is and this might mean either the dam brought it with her or he has a serious problem at his rabbitry or both? She's been there for the four weeks the kits have been around. I mean, it might have been from the buck she was bred to. I told Ken to check my doe out, so hopefully he'll get back to me tomorrow about that. I hear it can be asymptomatic, though?

Yeah. Even with my small herd (just a trio of breeding stock kept at my place), I check each rabbit's health before being bred. My main pair are good and one doe seems to have poked her eye on her straw, so I won't be re-breeding her until she's healed up if she missed, like I think she has. -shrugs- But I bought Jade bred from a breeder a state away because none of her breed in state are show quality. There's been no problem with the rabbits until a few days ago and I just learned about the kit being sick today. The dam and the kits siblings seem perfectly healthy in the photos. -shrugs-

I don't know. :c I feel a bit lost because I may have caused some extreme issues because I wasn't able to take the doe and kits in because my father decided to turn anti-rabbit suddenly. All of my rabbits but Jade and the kits are close, but Ken was the transporter and he agreed to keep them until the kits were older and able to be moved easier and I could find someone closer to board with or work something out with my parents. Groan. -rubs at face- I'll see what news tomorrow brings, I suppose, and go from there.

 

[Diamond]

Good luck. What I have learned with rabbits, is no matter how clean I keep my hutches, no matter how long I quarrantine new arrivals, "IT HAPPENS" meaning I have be3en surprised a number of times by having problems blossom in what appears to be a healthy herd. But I have a fairly LARGE number of rabbits (about 30 breeding stock plus growouts and juniors) and the statistics get stacked up against me.

What I have learned is to always isolate/quarantine when something suspicious pops up. Research, research, research. Do some deductive reasoning and then decide if treatment is worth the time and effort. And who else may or may not need treatment? And also step back to evaluate the whole herd. If its a slow-growing thing like fur mites, e. cuniculi, rabbit syphilis then it is probably worth treating the entire herd because chances are they have at least been exposed and are fighting the disease on a low-grade level without symptoms.

I have started investing in an occasional veterinary consult for the sake of the herd. I spent several hundred dollars having pasteurella panels drawn up on a couple rabbits because there was sneezing going on in my rabbtry over the summer. Fortunately, the rabbits came up negative - no antibodies (no exposure) and no bacterial proteins in their serum. It will take a lot of rabbit sales to ever recoup that money, but at least I know I am NOT dealing with pasteruella. And the affected rabbits did clear up on their own without treatment.