E. Cunniculli

[Rachel&Olivia]

  Hello everyone. I am a 23 year old stay at home mom. I am new to the bunny world. I just got my first bunny about 2 months ago. Her name is Olivia and she is a 1 year old Rex. She recently had  a seizure and I took her to the vet to get checked out to see what the reason was for the seizure. Well the vet called about 2 hours ago and she has E.Cunniculli. I do not understand what this is, how she got it, what the damaging effects are of this. They put her on Panacur for 28 days. Someone please help!! i am so upset about this

[littlemissflip]

Hm, it seems odd to me that they would have come to that conclusion so quickly. EC is hard to diagnose, because you can’t specifically test for presence/absence of the protozoa. They do a blood titer, which tests for the levels of antibodies against EC. A high titer indiciates that the bunny has been exposed to EC, but does not necessarily mean that the EC is causing the observed symptoms. Many (possibly most) rabbits have been exposed to EC at some point in time, and most of them never have any problems. We don’t fully understand why some bunnies end up symptomatic while most do not…

Hopefully your vet tested for other possible causes of the seizures as well, and by ruling those out (and with a high EC titer result) came to the conclusion that EC infection may be the cause. When you went in to pick up your bunny, did the vet explain all the tests they ran? Hopefully they gave you more information on EC as well!

If you google E. cuniculi, you can find lots of information about it. Here’s one article for starters: http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-2/e-cuniculi.html
Basically it’s a protozoa that can infect the eyes, brain or kidneys of a rabbit. The symptoms are different depending on where the infection is. Seizures would be symptomatic of a brain infection. If not treated, bunnies can become paralyzed

Panacur (or Fenbendazole) is a very common treatment for EC. Our bunny had an EC infection in his eye that caused cataract infection, and we were able to successfully treat him with panacure (and thus save the eye–hurray!). We treated him daily (or maybe twice daily) for a month, and then twice weekly for several months, and then weekly for several more months, for a total period of ~7 months. We had bloodwork done periodically, because one of the possible side effects of panacur is elevated liver enzymes. His were slightly elevated during treatment, but they’ve returned to normal levels after the treatment was stopped.

He’s been off the meds for 8 months now, and so far no signs of the symptoms returning! We’ll always have to keep our eye out for any evidence that the infection is returning, but so far so good!

Hope this helps! And best wishes for your bunny… I know how scary the EC diagnosis can be. Don’t hesitate to ask your vet lots of questions!!

[Rachel&Olivia]

Thank you so much for your help. When the vet called me it was 2 hours before they closed. It takes me an hour to get there. So when I got there they were starting to close. The receptionist gave me the meds and I asked her if I could speak to someone about how to give the meds and what was going on and he response was “the vets are busy you can call in the morning”. I was really disappointed and upset with that response. I called this morning and I am still waiting for someone to call me back. They gave me panacur. I’m supposed to give it once a day for 28 days. I got the medicine in Olivia this morning. It ended being a huge job and I had to get my husband to help me. We ended up having to wrap her in a towel. She looked like a bunny burrito. But I got it in her. I know they did a full blood panel on her and she said all of tht came back normal.

[littlemissflip]

Wow, what a bummer that the vets kinda brushed you off like that–very frustrating, especially with something as confusing and scary as an EC diagnosis! I hope they get back to you soon and make themselves available to address all your questions! If not… is there another vet you could try?

You might try mixing the panacur with a bit of fruit juice to make it more palatable. It comes unflavored and is kind of chalky, but you can flavor it with juice and it might be more appealing. Our bun generally likes sweet-flavored meds, but he didn’t like the panacur on its own. We mixed each dose in a 1:1 ratio with all-natural strawberry banana juice, and voila–he LOVED it! As in, he’d come running and eagerly lap it up out of the syringe So much less stressful for all involved… So maybe give that a try and see if it helps? If you typically give fruit treats, you might cut back on those a bit though, since the juice will have a high sugar content.

[RabbitPam]

Welcome to the site. Glad you found us. I’m sorry your new little bunny is having a hard time, but I would urge you to go onto the House Rabbit Society website for some of the best information available. (Other than here, of course!) It has resources for medical information that you can search so they may have a good article explaining E.Cunniculli. It’s not uncommon in rabbits.

You can also do a forum search here for former posts from people who have had their bunnies treated for it. I think BB or Sarita have had this experience. I will alert them now so they can direct you to some links or more info.

But it’s always good to catch something early and be on the alert for it afterward. It is treatable.

[BinkyBunny]

I’ve never had a vet be able to give me the results of a titer test right away. But maybe yours has quick access somehow. Regardless though, in my opinion, it is good precaution for the vet to treat for e.cuniculi if it is suspected.  (even if they don’t have the tests back). Many will give the meds for it anyway as many want to combat and lessen any possible permanent damage that could be caused by e.cuniculi.

Check out http://www.onthewonk.com — thought it is geared towards bunnies with head tilt, it may be helpful as well.

I am not familiar with e.c causing seizures though. Maybe others have had this experience?? I am more used to the head tilt, disorientation, eye problem or hind leg weakness. Though e.c can affect the nervous system so I am sure that can come with a whole host of other issues. I am just more familiar with the most common ones.

I really can’t stand it when the demeanor of the staff at a vets office is dismissive. I know they are under pressure and busy alot of the time. Lots to keep track of and do all at the same time which can be difficult. But I really can’t stand that feeling that can be given that YOU are imposing on them with questions and concerns that are normal for you to ask about. (and NECESSARY in this case as someone needed to show you how to do this)

I wouldn’t let one person’s reaction or behavior represent what the actual vet may be like (as many times they have no idea what is going on with the attitude at the front desk during the day). Even if a vet was busy, a vet tech may have been able to respond to you quicker if you were able to wait a few minutes. I would tell the vet about your experience tomorrow.

Note regarding e.cuniculi treatment: IF (and that’s a big if) in fact your bunny is having symptoms due to e.cuniculi, then the meds, and keeping him healthy and stress free as possible will help him keep this under control. But how a bunny reacts to this disease and the meds is completely individual.  Some do great, others deal with ongoing symptoms that can be challenging.  There currently is no cure, and an estimated 1 in 4 rabbits will test positive but will never suffer any symptoms.   Symptoms can sometimes happen as a bunny’s immune system is lowered by illness or age. 

Keep us udated with what your vet says. 

[LittlePuffyTail]

I just want to welcome you and Olivia to the site. This is a great place for info and support when dealing with a bunny illness.

[swedishbun]

Welcome to the site.

I agree with the others that the vet seemed a bit hasty to diagnose EC.

Is there a way to take the little bun to another vet and get tested? EC is such a serious disease and shouldn’t be treated by the vet flippantly.

{{{Sending lots of hugs}}}

[LBJ10]

I’m confused by your explanation. Did they give you the results on the same day you brought her in?
In defense of your vet, did the receptionist say why they were busy? Maybe an emergency case was just brought in and they were working on said animal. Since they knew you were coming, I would have thought someone would have been available to talk to you otherwise.

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