rabbit ear yeast infection

Question
I am having a hard time finding any general information about yeast infections and treatments in a rabbits ear.  I am currently treating my rabbit for it.  Last night when giving ear drops I had noticed a small amount of blood in her ear.  Just smeared on the inside of the ear lobe.  I couldn't find anywhere that it might be coming from.  There was no more blood this morning, and she seems to be fine besides not liking the ear drops.  I am on day 7 out of 14 on the ear drops and she still seems to have a lot of junky earwax stuff in her ears.  Is this something to be expected?  My bun is estimated to be around 7 years old (I've had her for 6 1/2 years) and she has reduced mobility in her back legs, so it is hard for her to reach her ears to clean them.  

Answer
Dear Melissa,

How was it determined that the problem is a yeast infection?  The only way to do this is via an ear culture, or by the vet taking a cotton swab and taking a sample to check under the microscope.  Some rabbits do get yeast infections in the ear, and this often happens when the rabbit has been on antibiotics.  These kill off the bacteria that normally keep yeast in check, and then the yeast population can grow out of control.

Fungal infections are often also a sign of general immunosuppression, so a complete wellness check, including bloodwork would not be a bad idea.

What type of drops are you giving her?  If they were not prescribed by the vet specifically for a *yeast* infection, they could be making things worse.  

Another possible cause is ear canker, caused by parasitic mites.  You can read more about this, plus its safe treatment, here:

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

If you don't already have a good *rabbit* vet, please use the list linked here to find one:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana