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Mass under the ear.

22 9:45:32

Question
Mina\'s ear.
Mina's ear.  
Hello Dr,

My six months old she-rabbit is treated since two weeks for, what my vet thought, could be ringworm.
I'm actually really concerned there was no test done (under the Wood light) so maybe that is not the correct diagnosis ?
She has a mass (red and it looks painful when I touch it) forming for some days now, which was not there before.
I tried to contact my vet to have an emergency appointment but she's not answering.

Do you have an idea of what this could be ?
Maybe a parasite of another kind ?
I took a photo of the ear :
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/7766243408_c678586425_b.jpg

It's red, swelling, hard at touch...

Thank you so much for your answer.
Veronica

Answer
Dear Veronica,

While this isn't a life-threatening emergency at this moment, it is certainly something that must be examined and treated by a rabbit-experienced veterinarian.  While I can't see it in person to know for certain, this looks like an abscess in the middle ear.

Unfortunately, rabbit pus is very solid, and cannot be expressed the way pus in most animals can.  Removing an abscess like this may involve surgery.  If the condition is chronic, then the ear can be marsupialized.  You can see pictures of this here:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Abscess/skin_abscess.htm

Scroll down to the white bunny with the abscess at the base of the ear.  Kind of gory, but it is an effective way to allow the ear aeration and drainage.  This helps prevent recurrence of infection.

Medical means can be tried first, but a culture and sensitivity of the bacteria in the ear should be done first, to find the most effective antibiotic for the job:

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

If it's Pasteurella, dual-acting Penicillin G Procaine/Benzathine injections (NO oral penicillins for rabbits!) can be very effective, though it may take some time for the abscess to resolve.  And of course, pain medication such as metacam and/or tramadol will help bunny feel better during the recovery process.

I hope this helps set you on the right track for your bunny's full recovery.

Dana