Fur Mites & Lice

Went to the vet today and confirmed Skor had fur mites and lice. It is quite obvious he did not get them here in Malaysia because it takes almost 3 weeks for eggs to hatch. Apparently, these mites and lice are the hatched version. We only had Skor for approximately 3 weeks and so, it was quite obvious these parasites came with him.

Fur Mite

Lice

This time Dr. Lee attended to me and she gave me quite a lengthy explanation. She also confirmed that FrontLine should not be used on rabbits. The best drug to use is Ivermectin namely Merial Ivomec. Skor was given only 0.05ml dose for 1.2kg although he was 1.6kg. This being the first dose should be a little less than needed so that it would not be too much for Skor to take.

Dr. Lee pulled some fur from Skor and put them under the microscope. There were eggs too! Dr. Lee allowed me to take a look through the microscope and it looked like a whole new world. I could just imagine Skor's body zoomed in and cannot help but to feel itchy all over.

Dr. Lee explained that there are 2 types of mites. Those that burrow under the skin and those that lives on the surface. Rabbit almost never get the burrowing type or even flea. I concluded what she told me as all these parasites live on rabbits or any other hosts for a reason. And the most common reason is to feed on the skin rather than the common belief of feeding on dandruff. Mites/Lice do not feed on dandruff but instead causes dandruff. Ivermectin will stay at the skin surface when administered and the lice or mite that feeds on the skin will die from consuming the drug.

I previously had the impression that there are blood sucking parasites and skin eating parasites. To kill blood suckers we should administer Ivermectin and for skin eaters we administer FrontLine. But that is not the case. The conclusion was clear. Most common mites and lice living on rabbits feed on their skin and administering Ivermectin at least twice a week apart will kill them off. They will still stay on the rabbit as dead parasites until falling off along with their fur.

I never fail to learn something new each time I visit the vet. Will be bringing Skor for another jab next week.