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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What illness is this? -URGENT-

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    • pikachan
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        15 days ago I went to the vet to get my rabbit vaccinated for the first time ( he is 2 and a half years old). 2 days ago I noticed some redness around his nose and right eye and I initially thought that he just hurt himself, because he tends to jump a lot in his cage, but it eventually became darker and I realized that it must be something much worse.

         Yesterday night I checked him from head to toe and I found a few more dark spots on his left ear and, and on his testicles, which looked the worst. I am guessing that they first appeared on his testicles, but in the past few days I didn’t carry him around so I couldn’t notice. I’m attaching a few photos. The spots are very dry, but in the photos they look wet because I had just applied some ointment to them when I took them: 

        http://i.imgur.com/etB5Yyq.jpg

        http://i.imgur.com/uEsfx3O.jpg

        http://i.imgur.com/je1A7kb.jpg

        http://i.imgur.com/888ZR1T.jpg

        Yesterday I went to a vet near my house, since I got very scared when I saw his spots, but this vet wasn’t a specialist in exotic animals, so she told me she wouldn’t risk starting any treatment, but she thought it might be Treponematosis or Myxomatosis… She said that it could be a reaction to the vaccine. She checked him and she said that he didn’t have a fever and that his anus looked alright.

        Today I went to another vet, who was a specialist, and he said that it could be something wrong with his liver (due to the fact that we’ve recently changed his pellets) or some kind of milder Myxomatosis. He suggested starting an antibiotic based treatment and he gave him a Lincospectin shot today and we made an appointment for tomorrow to get another shot.  He also told us to apply a specific ointment to his spots, but to wash it off with wet wipes from his genital area, so that he doesn’t swallow it.

        He hasn’t had any kind of contact with other rabbits and we keep him indoors.He’s still eating, maybe about 80% of the amount he used to eat and he seems pretty energetic.

        What do you guys think? Have any of you encountered this illness? Do any of you know what it could be? Do you know any treatment that would work? I am extremely devastated and worried


      • LBJ10
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          We don’t have myxomatosis in the US, so I don’t have any experience with this. He doesn’t seem to have the swelling around the head that is commonly associated with this disease. You said you think the lesions started on his testicles, which makes me want to suggest vent disease (syphilis) as a possibility.


        • Roberta
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            What was the vaccination for ? Calici or the Calici and Myxo combo ? Also what country are you in ?


          • Bam
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              I have never seen this, but it is consistent with myxo in many ways, the scabs on the nose and genitals and around the eyes. I’ve seen wild rabbits with myxo, but they have been far gone with their eyes all swollen shut. For myxo there is no treatment except supportive and symptomatic care.
              A vaccinated bunny can catch myxo but in those cases the rabbit has a good chance of survival. Myxo can be transferred by ticks and mosquitoes and you can even bring it in on your shoes or on grass etc that you pick outside in an area where myxo is present. In my part of the world it’s autumn and that’s when most outbreaks of myxo happen. Right now there’s a lot of it around here.

              As for the vaccination, the manufacturers say the bunny need to have been infected with myxo before it was given the vaccine if the rabbit gets myxo right after having had the vaccine. I’m not sure what to think about this. It’s not unheard of that a vaccinated person or animal gets a mild form of the illness the vaccine is for, but that may have been in olden days, I’m absolutely not an expert.

              I so hope your bunny gets well.


            • LBJ10
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                You have a point Bam, people can get symptoms of the disease they received a vaccine for shortly after the vaccine is given. This is a known complication for a lot of vaccines. The symptoms usually clear up though. That could be the case here.

                pikachan – Has there been any change in your bunny’s condition?


              • Bam
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                  Thank you LBJ, I was hoping you’d come in and see this because this is (one of) your field(s) of expertise!


                • LBJ10
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                    Well you got me thinking Bam so I tried Googling it. Nowhere does anyone mention cases where rabbits developed symptoms as a result of receiving a vaccine. They just talk about rabbits catching myxomatosis even though they are vaccinated, but the symptoms tend to be less severe and rabbits generally recover.

                    Since these symptoms manifested so quickly after receiving the vaccine, it makes me wonder if it is indeed a reaction to the vaccine. The rabbit does not appear to have a fever, which would suggest an actual infection. So I’m wondering if it is sort of like when humans get a flu shot. A small percentage of people develop flu-like symptoms as a reaction, but they do not actually have the flu.

                    The only other explanation is the rabbit had already contracted myxomatosis right before receiving the vaccine. Or it could be something completely unrelated (like vent disease) and the symptoms manifested because of stress.

                    Hopefully I’m making sense with my logic here. I don’t have any personal experience with myxomatosis because we don’t have the disease here and the vaccine is not available.


                  • Bam
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                      LBJ, you are making excellent sense to me.

                      The symptoms are very like myxo, genitals, ears and eyes and nose-scabs. I hope it’s a mild myxo-like reaction to the vaccine. My Bam got a reaction (I’ve told this many times here) from the myxo shot with little round sores in his ears and at the edge of one eye and they took 2 weeks to heal. He’d nothing on his nose and genitals though although at the time I thought I noticed some swelling of his genitals, but that may have been my imagination (I keep a pet-diary for illnesses and other pet-stuff). That was the time when I googled everything and then some about rabbit vaccinations. My vet later said it probably was a reaction to the vaccine.

                      Let’s hope this is a reaction.

                      Picachan, please report back if you want to.


                    • pikachan
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                        Thanks a lot for the kind replies! Today I went to a few more vets and I think I’ve found a better one. Sadly, it seems like it is indeed myxomatosis. Apparently, he already had the virus in his blood (possibly from his mother, I have no idea) and after he got his shot, it activated… The vaccine he got is called Mixohemovirovac (sorry, it is spelled in my language, I’m not sure how it sounds like in English) and it was for myxomatosis and the haemorrhagic disease. I am from Romania.

                        He started a new and better treatment today, with daily baytril shots, anti-inflammatories, pain killers and vitamins. He’s still eating, not nearly as much as he would normally do, but he still enjoys his parsley, parsnip and carrot. I know that he should be eating hay, but he doesn’t like it very much right now… what should I do? He doesn’t eat too many pellets either, even though they used to be his favourite food.

                        Anyway, I know that he can get through this! He must be a strong boy! Please send him good thoughts and pray for his health!


                      • Bam
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                          Great that you found another vet!

                          It’s great that he eats on his own. I don’t know if you have Critical Care (Oxbow) in Romania, it’s a finely ground powder that mixes with water and can be fed in a syringe – some bunnies will even eat it spontaneously if you mix it with sth yummy. You could also grind your normal pellets (with a pestle and mortar or in a food processor), mix with water and syringe-feed it to make sure he gets all the proper nutrients he needs to get himself through this. His tummy needs fibre to keep working, especially now when he’s on baytril.

                          I send him (and you) my best thoughts!!! Hoping for a swift recovery!


                        • jerseygirl
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                            How worrisome for you! Healing {{{vibes}}} for your little rabbit.

                            I would find the pdf infomation for that vaccine online and see what it says about reactions. The timing of this does seem to point to a reaction. When I did a google search of the vaccine name, some results for a Romanian forum showed. I couldnt read those but perhaps reading those could give you a clue? 

                            Search this; site:www.iepuri.info Mixohemovirovac reactie and it should give you topics there that are related to reactions.

                             

                            Yesterday I went to a vet near my house, since I got very scared when I saw his spots, but this vet wasn’t a specialist in exotic animals, so she told me she wouldn’t risk starting any treatment, but she thought it might be Treponematosis or Myxomatosis… She said that it could be a reaction to the vaccine. She checked him and she said that he didn’t have a fever and that his anus looked alright.

                            I agree with possibility of Treponematosis ( also known as vent disease, syphilis, “hutch burn”) as a rabbit could have this a long time without a problem then symptoms present when the immune system is in overdrive. Its treatable with penicillin G injections.
                            Did your rabbits genitals look like that last photo when this vet checked him? It looks as if he’s had some hemorrhaging into the scrotum.

                            Today I went to another vet, who was a specialist, and he said that it could be something wrong with his liver (due to the fact that we’ve recently changed his pellets) or some kind of milder Myxomatosis. He suggested starting an antibiotic based treatment and he gave him a Lincospectin shot today and we made an appointment for tomorrow to get another shot.

                            Im sorry to say – Lincomycin is not safe for rabbits. This vet should NOT have administered it. Does your current vet know your rabbit was given it? If they do not, please be sure to let them know. Now that your rabbit is on baytril, this should hopefully help prevent overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria that can occur after a rabbit is given a dangerous antibiotics. I would look into getting a probiotic (such as Benebac or BioLapis) and using some acidophilis also. I certainly couldnt hurt!

                            I hope you are able to find out what is the problem and have a healthy rabbit again soon.


                          • jerseygirl
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                              I just found you have posted on that Romanian forum. Ignore my advice above regarding it!!


                            • Bam
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                                Pikachan, how is your bunny doing? Looking at the Romanian forum, it seems more people have had trouble after the Mixohemovirovac, but I couldn’t quite make out what it said because I had to use Google translate. It’s not a vaccine used in Sweden, we get Nobivac Myxo-RHD.

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                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What illness is this? -URGENT-