infected nails?

Question
QUESTION: My rabbit Daisy is 6. Recently I noticed one of her nails sticking out at an odd angle. At the base there was a red lump - vet said it was an abscess, but given Daisy's general health (she was recovering from a recurrence of EC)she felt that the best option was to lance it and for me to bathe it with Hibitane as aften as possible. Daisy was put on Flagyl, Baytril, and pain relief. But the problem got worse. Within a week she developed another lump on the sole of her back foot, then almost all of the toes on her front feet developed red areas at the base of the nail - not lumps, but red and a bit raw-looking. Daisy was put on weekly Bicillin injections and the vet told me all we could do was keep her as comfortable as possible. Then, I noticed my other rabbit George has also developed red patches on some of his front toes. We are all seeing the vet today but frankly, I think she's as mystified as I am. I haven't changed anything in their environment for 2 1/2 years. My floors are hardwood, covered with rugs and towels for the bunnies. Daisy does pee everywhere, due to her back end being a bit wonky from the EC. But I try to change the towels whenever they're wet.Do you have any ideas what this could be?

ANSWER: Dear Joelle,

This might be surprising, but what you describe really sounds like a very mild case of mange.  This often begins at the toes, and around the nail bed, causing swelling and sometimes crusts to form.  This will eventually spread to the ears, around the nose and eyes, and other areas if not treated.

I can't see the toes to be sure, but since both rabbits are getting this, I'm betting I'm on the money here.  Please see:

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

If these were my rabbits, I'd ask the vet to prescribe Revolution (selamectin) and give it a try, just in case.  It's very safe, and even if it doesn't work, it will not harm them.  But I'm betting from your description that Revolution will do the trick. This really sounds like mites.

If your female bunny is developing a hock sore, this might not be related to the mite problem.  Please see:

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

I hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Dana, thanks so much for your advice. I will speak to our vet and get the Revolution ASAP. But if it is mites,  do I need to sanitise the whole house? If so, what can I use to kill the mites but not us? Thanks again.

Answer
Dear Joelle,

You probably don't need to do much more than to wash the bunny's bedding, change the litterbox, and do a general cleanup.  The mites are not infesting your house.  They tend to live on the rabbit, and show signs only when the bunny is somehow stressed or otherwise immunocompromised.

As the Revolution does its work, the mites in the house will die because they will pretty much be on the rabbit.  It's not like fleas, who leave the host to lay their eggs.  The mites stay where they are.

And they are *everywhere*.  You'd be very surprised if you could see what comes in on your shoes or through an open window on the breeze.  

In most cases, these little travelers don't cause any problems.  But for some reason your bunnies may be stressed, and this is usually when they show signs of illness that they otherwise could fight off.

To check your bunny's living situation, first check the diet:

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

and then have a look at general bunny housing and care information here:

www.rabbit.org/

to be sure that everything in their environment is conducive to good health and a happy sense of wellbeing.  If you do that, I'll bet you won't have a recurrence.

Hope this helps!

Dana