TOA
PAYOH VETS
| CASE 1. Sarcoptic Mange in Rabbits in Singapore follow-up after an anti-mite ivermectin injection |
Rabbit sarcoptic mange is 100%
curable
Consult your vet promptly
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Crusty nose, ears and paws |
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Noses are almost normal as new skin grows and crusts drop off. Paws and eye lids are recovering at day 11 after injection as shown in the pictures below.
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| 11 days after the injection, I could see the red noses of the rabbits. The skin was still inflamed but growing new normal cells. The rabbits were sent home and should be recovering well if the mites had been eliminated in their cages. | |
Microscopic insects called sarcoptic mange mites burrow into the skin of the nose, feet, ear edges and eyelids of rabbits, causing itchiness and big crusty skin. It is not known why the crusts of the nose keep growing bigger and bigger instead of sloughing off. Do not abandon the rabbits. Your veterinarian will be able to get one or two injections to eliminate the mites. The mites don't infest human skin though.
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| 5 days after an anti-mite injection, the skin of the crusty noses is almost back to normal as the crusts drop off and the skin is cleaned. |
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The
brown and white rabbit 5 days after the anti-mite injection. It took a longer time for the mites to be eliminated at the ear edges and at the paws. The injection killed off the mites at the edges of the ears and in the paws. New skin will form as the old skin falls out. These mites seem to go for the nose, paws, eye lids and ears, causing much itchiness. These areas are cooler and this may explain why the mites flourish in such areas.
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SORE HOCKS. The black and white and the
brown and white rabbits had circular skin
sores on the underside of its legs. These are
sore hocks.
As the rabbit bears weight mainly on the hind legs, the lower part gets injured. This rabbit (picture below) lives in an apartment and likes to stand on its hind feet to beg for food. It is free to roam the apartment and has not been kept in a cage for a long time. It does not stomp its hind feet angrily, according to the owner. So how did it get sore hocks? Could it be the standing on hind feet? It is hard to say. It does walk on tiled floors. Sore hocks need veterinary attention. After that no more contact with the wood shavings in its cage for the next 30 days. Daily washing of the sores will be necessary. Newspapers are the cheapest bedding for such cases and the sores will heal quickly after the veterinary injections. |
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| Rabbit sarcoptic mange is a curable disease. Owners need not use any cream or wash. One or two injections by your vet should eliminate all the mites. Consult your vet promptly. |
| CASE 2 recorded in 2007. Death due to injection? |
Many Singaporean
pet owners ignore or buy some medication from pet
shops to treat the sarcoptic mange in their rabbits.
When they find that the medication was ineffective,
they might consult the veterinarian. By that time, the
rabbit is thin and in poor health.
Now, many Singapore owners wanted one visit and
not need to consult the veterinarian anymore. If
the rabbit is already in poor health, one anti-mite
injection may kill him. When the rabbit dies, family
members may get angry with the vet and wants to know
why.
In this case, the brown rabbit died over a week
after the injection. The owner who was not present at
the consultation asked me why.
She
did not bring the rabbits for treatment but her
representatives were informed that the injection was
risky as the rabbits were thin and in poor health. It
would be better if they had been treated much earlier.
The representatives (friends of the owner) decided to
proceed with the injection and had accepted the risks.
Only that one of the two cards dealt was the ace of
death. Unhappiness resulted and explanations were
demanded.
When a pet dies, seldom do the owners trust the
veterinarian. No second chance. They do not consult
him anymore nor ever forgive him.
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CASE 3
recorded in 2008. Delay treatment in high-fevered rabbits. |
In Dec 7, 2008,
the owners of the rabbit with Sarcoptic Mange
complained that the rabbit was not eating and had
crusty ears as well as paws.
"Get a skin scraping to show the mites," I told my
assistant Mr Saw. "It is best for owners to see the
mites under the microscope."
"I can take your word for it," the mother said. "I was
told by my family members that the rabbit has mange."
Mr Saw left the consultation room promptly to get a
scalpel blade to scrape the skin to get the mites
buried in the skin.
"No need to do that," I stopped Mr Saw. There are some
raw skin areas with blood in the right ear. Mites
would be found in the bleeding spot (see picture). He
got the skin scraping onto the slide and put on some
oil. Actually there was no need to use oil. Water
would do but since he had done it, I did not comment.
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"Crusty nose,
ear edges and paws in this rabbit suggested
sarcoptic mange infestation," I said to the
mother. "Usually the eyelids are infested too." "There is one crust on the eye, " the elder sister's sharp eyes pointed to a small barely visible 3-mm rough skin crust on the upper eyelid of one eye. This 7-year-old girl, as willowy as her mother, has the eagle eyes of an excellent scientist or doctor. |
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| The rabbit ate some 3 hours after an antibiotic injection. More faecal lumps are seen when the rabbit started to eat. |
Now, what will be the
management of this case at least cost for the
owner?
1. Treat the fever by antibiotic injection for 3 days
either by daily visit to the Surgery or by warding the
rabbit. The rabbit was warded at Toa Payoh Vets
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2. Give the anti-mite injection when the rabbit has
recovered from fever fully in 3 days' time.
Observations
1. On Day 2, the rabbit had a normal temperature of 39
deg C. The owners were happy. He was eating as evident
by lots of round stools blanketing the wood shavings.
"2 days before we consulted you, the rabbit just
would not come out of his crate as he normally would
hop out quickly," the mother recalled on the 3rd day
of visit at Toa Payoh Vets. "We thought he was afraid
of the cat."
2. On Day 4, the rabbit's temperature went up to 40.1
deg C. As he was eating and passing more solid stools
all over the wood shavings, I decided that he had to
be treated with the ivomec injection SC. The rabbit
went home. The mites had to be eliminated fast,
otherwise this rabbit would get high fevers again and
would not eat. The total veterinary cost was around
$120.00 in this case.
3. Infection was due to another rabbit during a visit
of a friend who brought in 2 rabbits some 4 months
ago.
The rabbit sarcoptic mange is 100% curable. Rabbits do not die if they are in good health (no fever, eating) when given the anti-mite injection. If the owner insists on treatment despite poor health, the owner has to be given a written advice that he has been informed. This is to avoid misunderstandings and anger in the event of death from other members of the family.