Though it is contagious, they only "for sure" way they know it is passed is via the urine during a shedding( not hair shedding, spore shedding)  And rabbits with e.cuniculi don’t shed the spores all the time, only when it has traveled to their bladder.  It usually doesn’t stay there the whole time.  Did they share a litterbox?  There is also some speculation about whether it can be airborn or not, but right now there is nothing definite about that. 

Where did the bunny you petsit for stay in relation to where Frankie runs around ?

It’s normal for Frankie to want to mark up the place when you are pet sitting another rabbit – even when the rabbit is gone, she would have left her scent.  I think the best thing you can do is try and get her smell out as much as possible. Do you have a steam cleaner?  Then after you clean,  get his scent all over the place he marks.

There are different ways to do that without spreading poo….ewww.! One member used a damp cloth and rubbed it on her bunny and then rubbed the cloth in the areas her bunny liked to mark. I also have recently read that you can do the same thing with just with your hands. I know i have brushed my bunnies and then taken their fur and rubbed it all over the area they would more likely mark. I leave the fur there for a couple of days.

Let us know if this works at all.  This is definitely a trial and error method.

THANKS EVERYONE!  She is becoming spunky again!! I have been waiting to see if the drug was helping and it is! WHEW! She still doesn’t have full control over her left leg, but it’s been less than the week, so maybe it will continue to improve. I’ve gotten her a low litterbox and pillows and a ramp to help her get in and out of it. So far she can jump in pretty well, though sometimes her left leg catches a bit. But she’s doing so much better strength wise. She went from barely being able to walk, to just having problems with her left leg, then holding her left leg up to walk, and now she is using both back legs. Still weaker on the left side, but wow…such an improvement in just a few days.

She will be on Ponazuril for two months this time instead of one, but she will have to have blood test since drugs in the past for e.cuniculi have been known to cause deadly side affects (long term use). Soooooooo I can only hope that this will cure her, or at keep the disease at bay, OR that I can use Ponazuril forever without side affects. Otherwise, if those things don’t happen, the outcome looks grim. But for now – I am just so happy that she is getting her strength back, and she even growled at Rucy and gave her the stink eye again. Plus she started digging in her litterbox again. It’s a good sign that her normal spunky personality is returning. Yippeee!!

Thanks Dawn! That’s funny about Luey.  I guess this is a good way to test out the new man! Can he handle the power of bunny stinky eye?   If so, he could be a keeper.   

(I’m assuming you understand "keeper", i have to be careful when exchanging slang – it may not make sense on the other side of the world)

HAHAHHAHA!! I am so happy that I get to pass on some slang stuff.  It’s usually me asking…what does that mean to those outside of the U.S.   It’s so funny because right after i wrote keeper, I thought, hmmm…I wonder if that could be translated the wrong way – like "zoo keeper".    But when someone here says "he’s a keeper", means he’s a good man – one you’d one to KEEP around. 

So now I can imagine you saying keeper in your Australian accent – "He’s a Keepa"

sevyn. LOL, I know, who would be happy to have a hostile bunny? I tried bonding them for 8 months, before I just decided it was less stressful on us all. Rucy was fine, but Bailey was just way too bossy with Rucy, and though Rucy was being passive, she was unhappy having Bailey boss her around so much. So now Rucy is happier and can do what she wants when she wants without diva bossy Bailey telling her when and where she can lie down, eat and poop. But Bailey has never been happy not being able to boss her around, so many times she’ll chase her from the other side (when Rucy is out running around) and Bailey will stick her nose at her and growl at her, and sometimes they’ll scratch at each through the fencing.

They do lie near each other often, (through the fencing)and eat near each other, but that’s the only time they get along. Bailey packs a nasty bite and has really hurt Rucy before, so I we have built the pen in a way that they can sniff each other but can’t bite.

So, the fact that she is back to her old bossy diva self may not make Rucy and Jack happy, it makes me happy to see her have enough energy and spunk to get diva-ish again.

Well, I’m sad to report that she just seems to be getting slowly weaker again. She has an appointment again on Monday to do blood tests etc. I have started doing a particualr t-touch metho on her recommended by Dr. Harvey, as well as some physical therapy to help prevent her muscles from stiffening up. It helps at the time to get her moving, but each day, it’s like starting over again to loosen her muscles and get her more active. On Monday, I will also be discussing acupuncture with the vet and set up an appointment if necessary.

I’ve made soft ramps to help her up to her litterbox, because she stopped using it as much. It is hard to watch her struggle to scratch her ears, she usually just shakes her head. She had regained her ability to scratch her own ears, but now she can’t anymore.

e.cuniculi sucks!

Thanks everyone for your continued support! Her tests came back with no major problems to her organs (due to the meds), but we’ll need to test again in a month. My husband is in charge of her care right now while I am out of town, but the day before I left, she seemed to be a bit stronger, so maybe all the PT and massages are helping.

I’ll keep you updated.

mediserpa – e.cuniculi is an incurable parasitic disease that affects a bunny’s nervous system, brain, and/or kidneys. One of every four rabbits are tested positive though not all will develop symptoms. Testing positive doesn’t mean a rabbit has it, just means a rabbit has been exposed – only time willl tell if it actually contracted it. Symptoms very from rabbit to rabbit. Some get head tilt, some get hind quarter paralysis or full blown paralysis. I noticed Bailey getting weaker, and so I have done everything I could to prevent it from getting worse.

Head tilt can happen for many other reasons too, but if you are worried, you can always have your bunny tested, and treated with drugs that are supposed to help kill off the parasites (sometimes with great results long term or short term – again how a bunny responds is also individual.)