Ear Cytology in Healthy Pet Rabbits

Pet rabbits medicine takes an increasing place in small animal practice. Despite significant progress in lagomorph medicine, surgery, and imaging, there are still numerous unexplored areas. The study of external otitis in the rabbit is almost exclusively limited to parasitic otitis [2]. However, pet rabbits like dogs and cats can be seen for non parasitic external otitis (allergic, fungal, or bacterial). Without cytological data on external ear meatus it is almost impossible to study such conditions. Cytologic examination of external ear meatus is the key point of external otitis diagnosis, treatment, and follow up [1,20]. In dogs and cats the results of cytologic examination of ear swab are used to choose the proper topical treatment, based on the presence and concentration of bacteria, fungi, and inflammatory cells. It is a simple, practical and inexpensive diagnostic test, which gives immediate results. Interpretation of such a test is impossible without any data in healthy animals [19]. In rabbits most cytology data are based on fine needle aspiration in dermatology [6,11], and there is no data regarding cytological examination of healthy or inflamed ear meatus in rabbits. Only one publication in 11 New-Zealand rabbits which were used for breeding and meat production gave some information on Malassezia sp isolation in healthy ear meatus [3].