Rabbit Ear Mites & Vet Problem

Question
Dear Vision Hills Sanctuary,

I have two rabbits. Earlier today, I noticed something sticking out of my dwarf rabbit's ear. I thought it was hay but after taking a closer look, I became horrified with the enormous amount of flakes that completely covered the rabbit's ear canal. I read that mites can come back and can also infect others including humans so I quickly went to research and found out it was ear mites. Without haste, I cleaned out all the cages and tools my rabbit uses. Thankfully, the rabbits live in separate cages due to their past quarrels. I'm not sure how long and when the ear mites occurred because lately (past week), I've been ill and busy with my classes so my mom took care of them for me.

I read somewhere online to use olive oil and consult with the vet. However, I never been to a vet and I understand my rabbit needs injections of Ivermectin and Revolution. Are appoint to the vet costly? About how much are the visits? My dad told me to disown the rabbit, which I strongly oppose. He feels that it's costly and a hassle to treat animals. Moreover, I am not certain what I can do at the moment.

So far, I used cotton balls and Q-tips to dab the external ear with olive oil. I dropped some olive oil on the thick flakes that sealed the hole. I gave the other rabbit a bath but I'm afraid to do so for the infected one because I read that shampooing and wetting the area will only make the situation worst. I feel really guilty for not being a responsible owner.

I need clear instructions because the liability of the net isn't a 100%; some of the articles I read contradict each other. What would be best for my rabbit? Please respond as soon as possible (I heard mites spread extremely fast). Thank you!

Sincerely,
Karen

Answer
The most effective treatment is Ivermectin, with a followup shot in 2 weeks.  It takes ear mites a long time to reach the outside of the ear, they could have had them for months.  I am assuming they are outdoors, it's not at all uncommon for outdoor rabbits to get ear mites.

If you know a farmer who has Ivermectin and would let you use some, that would be cheaper.  I don't know what a vet would cost in your area, but all you would want them to do is an exam and the injections.  Do not let them talk you into cleaning out the ears, it's unnecessary if you are giving Ivermectin and extremely painful to the rabbit.

Once they have the shot, the crusts will start falling out in a couple of days.  The followup shot is to kill any eggs that were not killed by the first shot.

You can find more information at http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#mites

Kim