I have VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) and exotics coverage is about $12/month.  It does not cover parasites, or pre-existing conditions unless they’ve been "cured" for 6 months.

For example, my Pepper got an ear infection just before she became eligible for coverage (there is a 60-day waiting period for adopted buns).  Once she was done with her treatment, they wouldn’t cover another ear infection for another 6 months.  If she got one 8 months later, it would be covered.

One of our buns (Deanna) likes to nibble eyebrows and razor stubble (owie!)  She is also a bit of a "barber" with the other buns, she’ll actually nibble holes in their fur when grooming them.  Just another one of those crazy bunny things.

The threads at the top of the forum you were referring to are often called "pinned" topics.  Many boards support them, not sure if this one does.  They are often used for FAQs and posting guidelines.  They are "pinned" so that they never slide off of the front page.

We do get a lot of the same questions coming up (what are good veggies? Why are bunny’s litterbox habits so bad? How do I bond bunnies?, etc.), maybe pins would be a good way to handle this.

For some reason, all my pets seem to think my mascara is delicious. It’s kind of scary when they’re in my face sometimes…

Wordmonkey, I’m not sure if I understood your suggestion. Do you mean a section that refers to threads that cover Frequently asked questions? If that is the case, we actually JUST started a FAQ area that links to forum threads. It’s the first group in the forum. (Guidelines and FAQ ) Since we just started it, we still need to build on it, so it will continue to grow as I continue to search through the forum to find appropriate threads.

If that is not what you are talking about, can you explain what you mean again.   If you mean pinning subjects at the beginning of each section. that’s a good idea.  I’ll have to think about it. I think part of the reason I am hesitant is because  I may prefer one area where people can check for their questions, and not to overload each group with pinned items, so that new posts can easily be noticed and attended too.   But I’m not closed to that. If you want to email me examples of the forums you’re talking about that do that, then I’d be interested in checking it out and seeing if that  is something I would do. 

(Thank you for suggesting improvements though.  I greatly appreciate it!)  

Regarding insurance, the reason they make you wait is to make sure there isn’t any disease or illness that would be considered "pre-existing" I know…silly. They actually never did that when I first started with VPI years ago. They just took on my bunnies without records and immediately covered them. 

I am guessing that the recommendation to not have it done if he tests positive is because stress, illness or if his immune system is comprised in any way he will be unable to effectively fight the e. cuniculi that he is infected with. A great article to read up on is here:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-2/e-cuniculi.html

Liability may also have something to do with it, but since they did not say that they were unwilling, you also need to know the risk.  If you still proceed with the surgery and his body is too stressed or if he becomes ill from something else, he may very well come out of it paralyzed or affected physically in some way because of the e. cuniculi.

I don’t want to scare you, I just want you to be informed so you know the possibilities and have the facts available to you. Hopefully he’ll test negative and you won’t even have to worry about it.

I had Leo scheduled for his neuter and then during the pre-surgical exam (a week b/f the neuter), they decided that his teeth were such a mess that he needed to have his teeth done.  I asked if I could do both surgeries at once.  My vet recommended that w/ a bun you do one procedure at a time.  Esp. since he never had anesthesia and she wasn’t sure how he would respond to anesth. 

Well since his surgery, he’s had alot of issues and is currently on motility meds., 2 antibiotics, and pain meds.  I had to force feed for several days.  Anyway, all of this put his neuter on the back burner for a while.  Not just financially, but also so he can demonstrate stability b/f he undertakes another procedure.  I’m sure that this is similar to the reasons your vet wants to put the neuter on the back burner.  They need to take care of the most urgent situation w/ Butters and then ensure that he is stable b/f anything additional is planned.

I really hope he will test negatively and be able to be neutered.

As Scarlet Rose mentioned, the worry is that if he does have a positive e. cuniculi titer that his body will need his immunity to focus on that. Many rabbits are exposed to e. cuniculi, but the severity can depend on the level of exposure.

Ooo how frustrating! Hopefully you’ll know soon! Heck off the top of my head I  know about the usual treatments.  How new are we talking in regards to this treatment? HRN has a nice article about treatments, is it one of them?:

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/treatment.shtml

Here is an article about a new cure for E. cuniculi.  The drug is called Lapizole.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/news/tm_headline=cure-for-deadly-rabbit-disease–&method=full&objectid=19223391&siteid=66633-name_page.html

Wordmonkey, I’m so sorry to hear about the positive test.!! That sucks. Bailey was first treated with fenbendazole way back when she tested postive, but she never showed symptoms even back then. SHe is showing symptoms now. This is a real tough thing to treat, and there is always so much stuff that says – "yes, this is the one" and then many times disappointment follows.

Then the newest drug Ponazuril is supposed to be the latest and greatest, and has claimed to be "THE CURE" but it is still working out the kinks. Bailey was prescribed it for one month, and she improved quickly, almost back to normal (some damage becomes permanent) , but now months later, she is showing symptoms again. So I just got her back on it yesterday. It may be that she just needed to be on it longer or at a higher dose to fully kill it, but I won’t believe anything anymore until each new drug has had time to show that it is a true cure.

As far as not neutering, I have not heard of that before. Bailey is neutered and bunnies get nuetered all the time that have it. But since your bunny is showing symptoms, they may want to wait until he’s feeling completely healthy as his immune system might be compromised and the surgery would be do stressful and cause problems at this point. If he makes a recovery and is healthy otherwise, then I am not sure what their reasons would be.

Well, wordmonkey, I am sorry to hear this, as I know how you feel. My Bailey is dealing with symptoms right now. I’ll be sending you and Butters peace and healing vibes your way.

EDIT TO ADD: I forgot to tell you that since it is estimated that 1 – 4 rabbits test positive, you may be able to find another tested positive bunny to bond. That way you wouldn’t have to worry about it spreading to another bunny.

Does your bunny have urine all over his fur – caked in from his previous neglectful place? or is it fresh due to his health issues?

IF it’s the caked on kind all over his fur – At the shelter, for ones that look your bunny, brushing can help,  and you can take a damp cloth and rub some of it off, just be sure to take a dry cloth and dry off as much as you can so your bunny doesn’t get chilled.  But other than that the normal process of shedding will reveal a fresh new coat in a month or so.  (that reminds me I have to show the updated photos of Trooper – he’s gettin’ there)

If his hind quarters are urine saoked then you’ll want to do a butt rinse to avoid urine scald.  But I won’t go into detail about that until I hear from you about whether that is a problem or not.

I’m sorry to about the positive e-cuniculi test. Fortunately in this day and and age it is not a death sentence and he can live a great long, comfortable life. Has he showed any symptoms yet? Like BB said, it is very likely that you can find another infected bun to bond him with.
I would suggest letting the urine-stained fur to grow out, especially if he has e-cuniculi as stress can be a trigger for symptoms to start cropping up. I use a new type of comb called “The Shed Ender” on my rabbits that works pretty well at getting the under fur out without the stress of back-combing and I think would help the process along some. I think that were you to even wash him, it would not come out, so patience, it will be gone before you know it.

I’vebeen so busy w/ dissertaion and pet care that I haven’t had anytime to visit in a while.  First off, I’m glad that things have been verified w/ Butters.  Second, panacur, who’d have thought.  My experience w/ panacur has been for worming.  Its pretty potent stuff, tastes really nasty (for animals not people), and has a strong hx in bovines. 

You have to be very consistent when using panacur and it can have great results.  I had to use it when my cat had lung worms.  After I found her pregnant on the street…most of her worm issues went into "remission" during her pregnancy and lactation.  It wasn’t until after the kittens were weaned that we realized that the worms were still present and had gotten worse.  Lung worms can be somewhat rare in felines.

Good Luck!

Actually “horse worming paste” or oxibendazole has also been used for some time on bunnies with e. cuniculi. I’m glad to know wordmonkey that Butters is on fenbendazole (FYI usually the alternate is albendazole) because it is better tolerated by bunnies whose GI tract is extra sensitive and/or if gets upset by the oxibendazole.

Urine scald happens when a rabbit’s hind quarters are soaked with pee for a long time, and the skin gets irritated and the fur falls out.  Bunnies with urinary infections get it because the pee is always dribbling out and they can’t control where it goes.  Bunnies housed in very small cages can also develop it because there is no place for them to get away from their urine.  Here is a picture of a bunny that we took in recently who was urine scalded:

If it gets really bad, it can look like this:

Poor things! :'(

OMG!!!! how sad

Both of those bunnies are fine now.  One, Tamari was adopted a while ago, and the white boy Gabe has a family interested in him too.  Our medical/TLC sites can really work wonders with these guys.

Tamari, the rex with the furless bottom

Gabe, the white boy with the dirty bottom

Wordmonkey, I am so glad to hear that Butters is doing so well. That little stinker has enough spunk in him now to snatch the syringe and run, a definite sign he is feeling better and his bunny personality is shining through.

Osprey, that is so sad to see but glad they are out of horrible situations and can live a better life. Bless our furred little friends.

He snatched the syringe? hahahahha that is fantastic! You should try to get a video of it, he could be famous!

Isn’t it funny how they sack out with their tails sticking out of the pen?  DJ does the same thing, though sometimes it is his tail and his back legs that are protruding.