My bunnys ears

Question
Hello Dana, I'm a little concerned about my 2 year old male rabbit, Chocolate. Over the past month or so he's been scratching his ears and shaking his head quite a lot. I'm aware that this could be canker or ear mites, but he hasn't got any redness/crusty areas inside his ears. He is otherwise well. Do you think this is the beginnings of canker? Thank you very much, Jenny

Answer
Dear Jenny,

A mild case of ear mites won't always show up as crust, so it would not hurt to ask your vet about giving Chocolate a dose of Revolution (selamectin) to see if that clears up the problem.

When he's at the vet, he should also have his ears checked for any sign of infection, which also can cause head shaking and itching.  Best to catch it early.  If there is pus in the ears, then please ask for a culture and sensitivity test:

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

so the best antibiotic for the job can be identified.

Hope this helps!

Dana