Fungus

Question

Front Shot  

Wider Angle Shot   Hi Dana,

I was touching my bunnies nose and it felt rough. I've only had him for 5 months now, and I can't remember whether his nose was like this before.

However I noticed he does use his hind legs to scratch that part quite often. He also likes to lick me very often, and since he is on the ground, he often licks my feet. The problem is I do have a problem with nail fungus, and is it possible that this is what has infected his nose? My GF also has some Oribiotic, can I put that on his nose?

Please see attached photos (of my bunnies nose, not my nail).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Mr. Brown

Answer
Dear Mr. Brown,

Never use medications meant for humans or other species on a rabbit unless you are absolutely sure it's safe.  In this case, the medication you describe would not do any good, as the condition on your bunny's nose is most likely mange.  This is caused by microscopic mites, which will not be killed by fungicides or antibiotics.  (The types of fungi that cause nail bed problems in humans will not thrive in the environment of a rabbit's skin.)

You can read more about mange here (along with other common rabbit skin maladies):

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

The best, safest treatment is topical application of selamectin (Revolution; Stronghold), but DO NOT use anything containing fipronil (e.g., Frontline), as this is deadly to rabbits.  I hope you can find a rabbit vet here in the international listings to help you:

http://www.rabbit.org/vet

And I hope this helps.

Dana