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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A E. cuniculi parasite in rabbits

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    • Al Walls
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        Does anyone have suggestions for alternate treatment for this parasite. Panacur isn’t working. I am also looking for advice for providing long term critical care.


      • Sarita
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          Here is a good article with some information on various treatments:

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


        • BinkyBunny
          Moderator
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            It’s been many years since I had to treat a bunny with e.cuniculi, but my bunny Bailey was treated with Ponazuril with good results. If your bunny is suffering from symptoms like head-tilt, check out http://www.onthewonk.com. My experience has been with hind-leg weakness and amazingly, acupuncture seemed to really help with that (and I was a skeptic). I also did physical therapy recommended by my vet to keep my bunny’s legs flexible and strong.

            So if you can provide a little bit more info about the symptoms your bunny is having from e.c, that will help us help you.


          • Al Walls
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              Pepper does have head tilt. Her Vet said it was 30 degrees right. The parisite is in the brain so the prognosis for recovery is guarded to poor. However, we are commited to providing Pepper with long-term care.

               


            • Sarita
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                I’m going to try posting this link again:

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


              • Sarita
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                  The link should work now Al.


                • BinkyBunny
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                    The link works! I don’t know why it wasnt. I tried to fix it myself to no avail. Strange.

                    Anyway, head tilt and the long-term prognosis really depends on the individual bunny. I have seen bunnies whose brain adjusted and they got used to the tilt and lived normal lives (not rolling) and have improved with massage and meds, and lived a good life. I have heard of others who have struggled much more.

                    How long has this been going on at this point?


                  • lzrddr
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                      The more recent discussions among rabbit veterinarians concerning this parasite have shown the pendulum now to have swung the other direction- less worries about it being the cause of head tilt (in fact, some now say it NEVER causes head tilt since it has never been recovered from areas of the inner ear or nearby brain tissue that could possibly result in a head tilt).. .and SO MANY rabbits test positive for E cuniculi that the conclusions are now it is WAY over diagnosed. So treating rabbits for head tilt with a panacur-like drug are not likely to have any positive results at all… yet some rabbits get better with or without treatment explaining why some rabbits put on Panacur get better (they were going to get better anyway per these rabbit specialists). Most head tilts are now thought to be bacterial in origin (often ultimately related to bad dentition, which in turn is related to improper diet). However, trauma/injuries are common, reaction of aural medications, toxicities, tumors, etc. can also cause head tilts. The prognosis is always guarded, but many rabbits seem to get better. I have treated dozens of rabbits that have had head tilts and many have gotten better, probably in spite of my treatments, possibly none actually because of them. I put them all on antibiotics long term now, and some anti-inflammatory medications. Testing them for E cuniculi has become so frustrating (impossible to interpret the results) that I don’t even do it anymore.


                    • Sarita
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                        That is very interesting lzddr – it’s so nice to hear from a vet in these discussions and to know what the current thoughts on rabbit diseases are.


                      • Sara
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                          This morning I noticed that my rabbit was dragging its back leg. I saw the vet today and he things it has something to do with his nerves which can be caused by e cuniculi. My rabbit also seems to be incontinent and his legs, bum and tail were soaking wet of his urine. I cleaned him up but soon after that he was in the same state again. When I was at the vet he was using his back legs to stamp as he hates the vet. The vet prescribed baytril and panacur. I have to come back to the vet on Saturday this week. Hopefully he has improved by then, otherwise I have to think about putting him to sleep is what the vet told me. The vet also said that I have to wash my hands every time when I touch my rabbit as I am almost 8 months pregnant. My rabbit has been eating here and there and drinking a bit. I have noticed that his back legs have become worse this evening and are dragging behind him. Also when he was lying down I saw his back legs twitching. He is trying to walk but every time when he tries to walk he walks in a little circle. So at the moment that main issues he has are that his back legs don’t seem to work and that he does not have any control over his bladder. He does not seem in pain though.
                          Do the symptoms sound like that he has e cuniculi? And is this curable? How long do I have to wait to expect to see any improvements? It is breaking my heart to see him in this state and I feel helpless.


                        • Bam
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                            I’d say the symptoms your bun has fits with e cuniculi. It can be treated, but thevoutcome is very difficult to say anything about. We have buns here that have been successfully treated and have healed. It might not be possible to completely eradicate the e cuniculi, but the bun can become a healthy carrier.

                            It takes a while for Panacur to take effect. It’s a slow acting drug and it can be weeks before you see improvement. Panacure should be given together with symptom-relieving drugs and drugs that help the kidneys if the kidneys are affected. E cuniculi tends to affect the nervous system and the kidneys primarily.

                            E cuniculi can be transferred to immunosuppressed humans even though it’s rare, and you should of course not take any risks seeing that you are pregnant. Washing your hands is good.

                            ETA: This is an old thread,  and we ask our members not to revive old threads. You’ll get more answers if you start a thread of your own on this same topic.  You can link back to this thread if you don’t want to type your whole post out again,  but it’d be more practical if all replies are in the new thread.  

                            If you can’t start a new thread,  pm me or one of the other leaders and we’ll help. 

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                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A E. cuniculi parasite in rabbits