antibiotics

Question
Yes'Mam, my question is, What antibiotics are safe for rabbits?.I have four rabbits. My young buck has gotten scratched either by himself or by one of my does.They are all about three months old.Young and Frisky! Buckwheat has a scratch on his right ear,I noticed it yesterday morning when I fed them, but it Didn't seem to have any fever it was normal temp.Just to be on the safe side I have him by himslef now.But I noticed this morning it was a little pink and slightly swollen.Will I be able to give him some penicillin? I usually give a 1/2 cc to my cats when they recieve an injury from the neighbors animals.Thank You for your time.      Veronica

Answer
Dear Veronica,

Under no circumstances should you *ever* give oral penicillins to a rabbit.  They are deadly, as they kill off the normal intestinal flora and allow overgrowth of Clostridium bacteria, related to those that cause botulism poisoning and tetanus.  Lincosamine antibiotics (e.g., clindamycin) will have the same effect.  They should never be used in rabbits except under extraordinary circumstances.  

It is also important to make sure that if the bunny has an infection that the *appropriate* antibiotic be used.  
the right dose for a cat may be completely inappropriate for a rabbit.  Each species has its own physiological and metabolic idiosyncracies, and if you don't know what they are, then please DO NOT try to play vet at home.  Your rabbits could pay with their health, or even their lives.

Please read:

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

to understand why giving any antibiotic you happen to have on hand can do much more harm than good.  

Wash the wound very well with dilute betadine solution (about 1 part betadine to 3 parts clean, lukewarm water) and keep a very close eye on it.  If it shows signs of infection, please find a good rabbit vet near you:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and get him the correct treatment.  It is very unwise for you to self-treat an infection at home without even knowing what you're treating.

Please also note that the bunnies should be spayed/neutered to avoid this fighting problem:

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

Hope this helps.

Dana