Can I treat EC without a vet?

[Bernard2020]

Hi, I recently found out my Bernard might have EC. The vet based it on her having a white thing in her eye. But Bernard has already been to the vet twice within a month and she just got spayed. I don’t want to keep stressing her out. I was following another thread where another bunny was suspected of having EC and someone mentioned they could buy Panacur (I think that’s what it was called) at local feed stores. So is it ok to just go buy some and give it to her without going to the vet?

[jerseygirl]

Since the vet mentioned it previously and they have Bernards weight on file, could you ring and ask them to decant some panacur for you to pick up?

It is a wormer used for a lot of animals and available in different forms (liquid, paste, granules) & strengths. I expect the feed store would have larger bottles intended for farm animals. That’s actually what my vet uses and they portion out what’s needed to treat a rabbit.

I know in the UK, pet rabbit owners tend to regularly do panacur treatments as the buns are either houses outdoors or are indoor/outdoor. The product usually indicates 9 days panacur every 6 months. However, treatment for known EC is 28 days. I do know or some rescues there that routinely treat incoming rabbits with the 28 day course.

I will mention that panacur (fenbendazole) can cause bone marrow suppression so the 28 (or 30) days is carefully prescribed as a balance to treat active EC infection but not cause more harm. Some vets will do a blood check 2 weeks into treatment. Then another at 4 weeks. Or they will check after the full course if the rabbit needs to have more panacur. I am not sure this is common practice though, to be honest.

[jerseygirl]

Just wanted to ask; had the spot or area in her eye changed at all? A white spot in the eye can also be caused by a fat or calcium deposit. And I assume the vet ruled out injury?

[Bernard2020]

That makes sense, it’s probably better to just get it from a vet. I’m not sure if it has changed, she’s sleeping now so I’ll check in the morning. The vet didn’t really rule anything out. She just said it’s possibly EC but I’ll have to come back later for her to look at. She was pretty vague about it. Could an injury cause it? A couple months ago (when the neighbors abandoned her in my backyard to live under my shed) I noticed a sore above her eye or on her eyelid, it was on the same eye with the white thing. The pic of it is my profile if you wanted to see what it looks like.

[LBJ10]

Uveitis is a common manifestation of EC in younger rabbits. But uveitis can also be caused by an injury and/or bacterial infection.

Since Bernard hasn’t exhibited any other symptoms, I’m going to guess that the vet decided to “let sleeping dogs lie”. Perhaps because of the pandemic? If the eye is stable, they may not have felt it was an emergency.

Typically, vets do treat for EC when it is suspected. JG is correct about the method of treatment and monitoring.

[Bernard2020]

So do you guys think I should leave it alone? Or should I make an appointment?

[Asriel and Bombur]

The test is a bit expensive, but it’s definitely worth asking to be definitively tested for EC. Especially because the eye spot could be caused by a variety of things. My boy Bombur was tested for EC and we found out in 2 weeks. The vet would still probably put you on Panacur while you wait for the results, just in case it is EC.

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