Sick pregnant doe

Question
First off my angora rabbit was not sick when she was bred, a couple of days ago I noticed that she had dandruff on the back of her neck. I had her on ivermectin orally for the past month so this came as a suprise.I had thought it was due to the bug bites she had and that she was scatching. It suddenly took a turn for the worse, the skin has now developed into waxy pieces, the bites have been bleeding and the scabs on them are yellow and nasty looking. I have no idea what to due and she's due in two weeks ! Please help!

Answer
Dear Liz,

I would get her to a good rabbit vet who can have a look and see what might be causing these lesions.  If she's still on ivermectin, then it's not likely to be mites, unless you've been unlucky enough to get a resistant strain of them on your bunny.

We now use Revolution/Stronghold (selamectin) against mites and fleas.  It's topical, and lasts for about 30 days, which is a lot longer than ivermectin.  We no longer use ivermectin at all, since selamectin is so much more effective and easy to use.  Product information from the manufacturer claims that it is safe to use on a pregnant animal, but you will want to consult a good rabbit vet before proceeding, of course.  You can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

In the meantime, you can make the bunny more comfortable by carefully washing the affected area with povidone iodine (Betadine) diluted in clean, lukewarm water to the color of weak tea.  This will disinfect the area, in case there is secondary bacterial involvment, and help dry it out so healing can begin.  Do not use anything harsher than povidone iodine, which will be very effective at cleaning and disinfecting the area until you can get her to a good vet.

Please also see:

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

I hope this helps.

Dana