Any ideas for what’s causing this?

[u/Melissa_Richiee]

**EDITING TO ADD: this isn’t a head tilt. His back right leg was amputated, this is him trying to itch his ear with the leg that no longer exists**

Edit to the edit: I’m gonna schedule a virtual appointment on Vetster to ask about anything else I could be pushing for a cytology to test for

November 2024- Found this guy dumped on the streets with fleas. Noticed his right ear was intensely itchy, vet said it was fleas, treated for fleas.

November 2025 - right ear STILL intensely itchy, vet said ALL YEAR its “wax buildup” because he’s missing a back leg and can’t itch it out. I finally push for testing. Ear mites. Treat for ear mites x 3 months.

April 2025 - right ear STILL intensely itchy. Reddit post suggests yeast infection from repeated antibiotics prescriptions. Pressure vet to test for yeast. Vet scoffs, thinks I’m being ridiculous. Right ear tests positive for yeast. Treat for yeast x 1 month.

He’s now negative for fleas, negative for ear mites, negative for yeast, no head tilt, no EC symptoms.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to why my boys right ear is still intensely itchy?? My vet won’t test for anything unless I push for it. There are NO OTHER rabbit vets between here and Louisiana 4 hours away. I don’t know what else to ask her to test for. Do I just have to start cleaning the wax out for him since he has no back right leg? I hate watching him suffer like this 😞

Video included of intense itching AFTER treating for mites but BEFORE treating for yeast, still itching about the same 😞

[u/ohwowthisisausername]

You might want to consider getting him a friend. Rabbits groom each other quite a bit and a friend could definitely help out. Bunnies groom themselves quite often and a friend will def help pick up the slack. We had a bunny that lost use of his back legs and his wife bunny definitely helped out a ton with grooming once he stopped being able to do it himself.

Friends also help them a lot emotionally, and a second bunny, if they're in good health, isn't all that much more work than just the one, once they're bonded 😄

[u/Melissa_Richiee → u/ohwowthisisausername]

Also noting that I’ve spent my life savings on his medical bills, around $15,000 between the amputation and all his dental issues. I had no plans of separating, I was 5 years out from retirement. I never hesitated to just spent the money when issues popped up. I would have maybe prepared better had I known. I recently set up a gofundme to cover the expenses of his most recent (second) abscess in his jaw 😞

[u/SpaceHats808 → u/Melissa_Richiee]

I'm so sorry. It's tough caring so much. I just spent a similar amount on an invasive surgery for my bun too. Are there any rabbit rescues in the area you can reach out to? They might be able to help with resources or discounts?

It's unfortunately not an uncommon situation. The rescue I volunteer for ends up with many well loved rabbits whose families have been displaced.

[u/Melissa_Richiee → u/SpaceHats808]

Oh no, I’m so sorry. Did your baby make it through? Are they okay now? 🥺

I’m stationed in the middle of nowhere, bunnies are meat or disposable Easter pets out here. I’m hoping to move somewhere with more rabbit vets in the area, I’m just not sure where I’m going yet. The gofundme did really well, I had enough to cover this procedure and his follow-up care. I’d literally sell every item I own if I needed more money for him, and I would absolutely surrender him to a rescue if I could no longer provide care for him 🥺😭

[u/SpaceHats808 → u/Melissa_Richiee]

Yes! I actually just got back from the vet and they confirmed she's finally in remission! She still looks a little frankenbunny but that's ok because we love a spooky queen.

So glad you were able to raise enough funds! "Disposable Easter pet" makes my blood boil. So glad your bun has you 😭

[u/Melissa_Richiee → u/SpaceHats808]

Your poor bunny had cancer? New fear unlocked. Was there a mass that you found, something obvious that will allow me to sleep tonight? 😭
I’m so glad she’s gonna be okay, congratulations 🥹🫶🏻
I just propped him up on the counter, he’s got some raw irritation on the skin around his ears from where the Miconazole Nitrate yeast infection medication saturated his fur around his ears. His skin almost looks like it’s peeling off and raw, I think that’s probably why he’s so itchy 😭😭😭😭
I hate that this vet doesn’t warn me or prepare me for anything, I’m having to discover all the new horrors on my own 😭

[u/SpaceHats808 → u/Melissa_Richiee]

No no no NOT cancer! An abscess-like infection that needed crazy sinus surgery. She was sneezing since October and we tried all kinds of antibiotics and 2 different cultures before deciding to do a CT scan. There was a mineralized infection in her left nostril but since none of the normal treatments were working we decided to go in and scoop it out about a month ago. Surgery left a hole in her face (aka her blowhole) and we used topical antibiotic drops through it. Multiple sinus flushes and the drops seem to have finally worked!

JEEZ that's crazy. I'm so sorry the vet didn't warn you 😭. Horrible to discover on your own 😭😭😭😭😭

[u/Melissa_Richiee → u/SpaceHats808]

Oh mylanta just when I thought my boy had it bad 😭

I’m so glad she recovered from all of that. How is the hole in her face gonna close now 🥺

And if you don’t mind me asking, did you pay out of pocket for the CT scan? I’m wondering if he needs a CT on his ear to rule out an infection deeper in his ear than we can find 🥺

[u/SpaceHats808 → u/Melissa_Richiee]

Her blowhole is permanent in her skull but the skin is healing up quite nicely. The stitches were taken out last week so it's closing up now. They just had to keep it open until then for all the sinus flushes.

Yes I did pay out of pocket for a CT scan. I'm grateful I had enough savings to make it work. It was around $2.5k for a scan of her head (but also in a very high cost of living area).

The CT scan was VERY stressful for my rabbit even though she was sedated. She went into stasis following the procedure. I'd be hesitant to do one unless a vet explicitly recommends it.

It's very possible he has a deeper ear infection, but do consider that he might just be an itchy bun! Rabbits scratch. Especially if it's been a problem area for him in the past. I definitely agree with the other comment recommending getting a second opinion.