mycotoxicosis & pain,& painful skin lesions

Question
My bunny was just Dx with Mycotoxicosis.I found her @2mths ago,she was abandoned and sick. 3 vets later,I learned why she was so ill...Mycotoxicosis. She is taking Batryl Susp. & antibiotic oint. for her eyes,but her skin is so painful...what can I use to clean her up?She has open cuts,& draining lesions,I know it must hurt so much,is there a soap that wont hurt??& anything safe to help her pain OTC?

Answer
Dear Debi,

Mycotoxicosis is a catch-all term used to describe illness caused by exposure to mycotoxins--poisons produced by fungi.  You don't say exactly what the signs of this are in your rabbit, but I get the impression that the skin is covered with sores?

This really does *not* sound like the illness typical of mycotoxicosis in rabbits, and I wonder how experienced with rabbits the vets are who diagnosed this.  HOW did they diagnose this?

I have noted that a vet who is not experienced with rabbits will sometimes mistake common mange for a fungal infection, which it is NOT.  Mange is caused by parasitic mites, and the treatment of choice is Revolution (selamectin) (NOT Frontline, which is deadly to rabbits).

You can see examples of severe mange and ear canker here:

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

but your bunny may not look exactly like that.  If you can send very clear pictures to me at dana@miami.edu I might be able to offer more suggestions as to what this might be.

Pain management is very important here, and you might ask the vet about metacam and tramadol, if the bunny has really bad skin.  For now, I would do no more than bathe the open lesions in a dilute solution of povidone iodine (Betadine, diluted in lukewarm water to the color of weak tea).  Use soft gauze pads (these are available in big packages from good pharmacies that sell hospice and hospital supplies), and gently wash the wounds so they're clean and can stay dry and not ooze.  Betadine will disinfect the wounds, and there is no pain relief as good as getting rid of bacteria and dirt, at least for starters.

Cleaned areas of skin that are very raw (not open wounds--just sore) can be soothed with a *very* thin layer of neosporin or similar triple-antibiotic ointment, but do not use the type with topical anesthetic.  Just the straight stuff.

Also, I'd recommend that you use the list linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find a vet you *know* is experienced with rabbits, and who will recognize the pathogen causing a condition with which a dog/cat vet might not be familiar in rabbits.  This could make all the difference in the world.

I hope this helps.  

Dana