Lost another to wryneck -- questions for ya'll

[Frecs]

Well, found another kit (Jumpp's this time) with wryneck this morning. I culled it. But, now I have more questions I hope ya'll can help me hash out...

I had mentioned after the last case that I was not going to give them forage for a time as I was concerned there might be contamination on the forage from all the rain we've had. Well, clearly that wasn't the problem.

A few days ago, I found a parasite of some sort (bot fly larva???) attached to a kit's face right above it's eye. I think it was attempting to burrow in and I caught it and was able to remove it and didn't even see an opening or sore after I removed it. Now I'm wondering if perhaps others like it (or earwigs?) have crawled into ears and that is the source of the "wryneck" cases? If so, how in the name of all that is holy do I prevent it from happening again?!

Perhaps I'm grasping for straws but I'm trying to understand what is happening so I can try to stop this.

 

[SatinsRule]

Hard to say, because there are several different things which can lead to the infection that ultimately results in wry neck:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 3&aid=2371

 

[Frecs]

Hard to say, because there are several different things which can lead to the infection that ultimately results in wry neck:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 3&aid=2371

See, therein lays the problem! Too many options and not enough to go on to figure out which it is!

It is possible they are chewing on the wire and getting zinc or lead poisoning but I haven't noticed chewing nor damage to the welds...

It is possible they are getting an imbalance of A, B, or E or selenium (which is deficient in the soil in the Southern US) or copper. But, how do I know if it is one of those, which one, with A--too little or too much???

It could be ear mites but I see absolutely no evidence of mites in any of the rabbits' ears or on their fur...

No chance of it being exposure to chemicals/insecticides/pesticides/fertilizers as I am very organic about everything...animal care, garden, pest control, house, etc.

Pretty sure not raccoon ascarid as that is not what I saw and removed from the bunny this weekend (which looked very much like the web pictures of bot fly larvae).

I find nothing discussing bot fly larvae affecting a rabbit's ears or brain...anyone know if that is a possibility?

They don't mention earwigs which I have seen quite a few since the monsoon...but a google search as assured me those are harmless to rabbits.

So, I think I've narrowed it down to either a nutritional problem or bot fly. Does that sound logical to ya'll? Am I overlooking something? How do I figure out the nutritional issues if that is what it is?

 

[SatinsRule]

No chance of it being exposure to chemicals/insecticides/pesticides/fertilizers as I am very organic about everything...animal care, garden, pest control, house, etc.

Not so fast. While you may not be using it yourself, the people who live around you may be affecting all of that by using it on their properties and it winding up where you are and how you operate due to rainfall runoff, pesticide spraying for insect control (mosquitos are a big one), etc. Also if it winds up in your water supply, that could be affecting you, as well.

 

[Frecs]

No chance of it being exposure to chemicals/insecticides/pesticides/fertilizers as I am very organic about everything...animal care, garden, pest control, house, etc.

Not so fast. While you may not be using it yourself, the people who live around you may be affecting all of that by using it on their properties and it winding up where you are and how you operate due to rainfall runoff, pesticide spraying for insect control (mosquitos are a big one), etc. Also if it winds up in your water supply, that could be affecting you, as well.

True. But, then, why only a few getting sick? (Of course, that question applies to nutritional issues as well...why only a few...why these...)

 

[SatinsRule]

True. But, then, why only a few getting sick? (Of course, that question applies to nutritional issues as well...why only a few...why these...)

Probably because they're the ones you have the highest hopes and biggest plans for. It always seems to work out that way.

 

[LauraNJ]

I'd hit them all with ivermectin and panacur. If it is e.cuniculi then you would give a second dose 7 days later of ivermectin. If at that point the rabbits recover then at least you have an idea of what you are dealing with.

Are you culling them as soon as you see head tilt or are you treating them?

Since you have rabbits who continue to get head tilt, maybe it would be worth the money to take one to a vet and have the ears examined, and them tested for various things.

 

[Frecs]

I am culling as soon as I see head tilt. I've discussed the option of treating with several breeders and decided it wasn't an option for me.

I could not afford nor justify the kind of $$$$ a vet would charge for testing...nor the risk of being marked for ARA assault for culling instead of paying $$$$....

 

[SatinsRule]

Frecs, just because the head tilts a bit does not mean it is automatically wry neck. Sometimes a rabbit will do so when a mite colony forms inside the inner ear canal, and a series of mineral oil treatments combined with cleaning via cotton swabs are all it takes to do the trick.

 

[LauraNJ]

If you are not willing to treat the rabbits and are not willing to test then I have no idea how you will ever figure out what they have or how to eliminate it from the environment.

With all the rain and hot temps I am seeing more mites and bugs in general this year.

Maybe it would be worth it to quarantine the next one that has wry neck and treat for mites at least and see if it makes a difference. If it does then that is a simple fix.

 

[Andrei]

50/50 honey/water and few drops in the ear works great.
Remove the rabbits and spray all cages and area with 10% bleach solution.

 

[Frecs]

Frecs, just because the head tilts a bit does not mean it is automatically wry neck. Sometimes a rabbit will do so when a mite colony forms inside the inner ear canal, and a series of mineral oil treatments combined with cleaning via cotton swabs are all it takes to do the trick.

When the first one happened (my herd sire) it came on quickly (they each have) and I had another breeder come and look at him. He was showing all the signs of wryneck and his ears showed no sign whatsoever of mites.

When the second one happened, this time a 4 week old kit, it was tumbling around the cage. It's ears also appeared clear. But, I don't have a scope to look in deep.

The last one didn't act quite the same...it just laid there staring at the sky...

Should I treat everyone for possible ear mites for to be on the safe side? Are there any negatives to treating their ears for mites (with oil)?

__________ Mon Jul 08, 2013 2:30 pm __________

If you are not willing to treat the rabbits and are not willing to test then I have no idea how you will ever figure out what they have or how to eliminate it from the environment.

With all the rain and hot temps I am seeing more mites and bugs in general this year.

Maybe it would be worth it to quarantine the next one that has wry neck and treat for mites at least and see if it makes a difference. If it does then that is a simple fix.

I'm not a monster, Laura.

There have definitely been more bugs with this monsoon we've had. Perhaps I should just do an ear mite treatment preventatively for everyone?<br /><br />__________ Mon Jul 08, 2013 2:31 pm __________<br /><br />

50/50 honey/water and few drops in the ear works great.
Remove the rabbits and spray all cages and area with 10% bleach solution.

As soon as I dispatch some bunnies heading to freezer camp, I will be using your solution of bleach/water/salt along with a pressure washer I'm going to borrow to sanitize all the wood/wire hutches.