E cuniculi and GI stasis

[seymour]

My bun Seymour is around three years old and has had four instances of bad gas/GI stasis that required (expensive!) emergency treatment. The first three cases were about 6 months apart, but the most recent one, which is currently ongoing, is within 3 months of the last. 

He has a very fibre-rich diet, receives only a tiny amount of pellets, and eats a ton of hay. He is free-roaming so gets lots of exercise, his teeth are fine, and he’s not a “chewer” so I don’t think he ingests anything weird around the house. We’ve never been able to determine what the underlying cause of the gut problems is, which I know can be hard to figure out. So frustrating! 

Today at the vet they suggested that E. cuniculi could be an underlying cause of GI stasis, and did some blood work to determine if EC might be present. Has anyone had experience with a EC – GI stasis connection? I hadn’t heard about this from my previous vets, and my Googling has not turned up very much. I would love to hear from you if you’ve had an EC diagnosis, or if you have any other ideas about what might be causing chronic-ish gut problems in such a young bun! 

Thanks in advance. 

[Bunny House]

I’m so sorry no one answers this yesterday. I personally haven’t had experience with those two combined. I would suggest starting treatment for EC as test can come back falsely negative and positive so it’s best to treat it no matter the test. I hope someone can help you further on this issue.

Nose bumps to you two!

[Asriel and Bombur]

Yes! My Bombur’s EC is mostly gut and kidney related. I have to have him on a super strict diet or else he will start going into stasis. The kidneys are the main thing affected by his EC, but his gut isn’t the greatest because of it. He gets a small fruit treat once a week, 2 tablespoons of pellets, 1.5-2 cups of greens and unlimited timothy/orchard hay. He had a really bad form of stasis about a year ago called Enterotoxemia, which is typically fatal. My vet didn’t catch that it could’ve been EC related until he started dribbling pee and peeing outside his box. But then she said his frequent gut issues are also a sign of it. We always keep gas drops, reglan, and critical care on hand just in case he ever has an issue and we are unable to get to a vet. Bombur is also only a year and a half, so I very much feel your frustration!

Contrary to what Bunny House has said, EC drugs aren’t really going to help the gut much, especially because you can’t obviously predict when he’s going to have stasis. The best way to manage it is honestly through his diet and keeping his stress levels at a minimum. Some EC drugs can also cause a severe decrease in white blood cell counts, so unless he’s having an active flare up of EC with a non-gut related issue, I wouldn’t do it. 

[Boing]

Yes, I’ve heard of it too. Cincinnati often has tummy troubles. It may be an indirect cause. That’s what his vet implied. He has major kidney issues and some water in his lungs or on his heart. I forget which, possibly both; his issues affect so many organs and systems it’s hard to keep track. But she made it sound basically like he has very little energy for exercise on account of all of this, which isn’t good for gut motility.

[seymour]

Thanks, everyone. It’s helpful to hear about your experiences. We haven’t gotten the results of the EC test yet, but I’m curious to see if he has it. At least then we would have some sort of explanation! Either way, we will continue on with the careful diet and healthy bun lifestyle

Have either of you treated for EC and seen an improvement in the gut problems? Can EC even be cured, or just managed?

[Asriel and Bombur]

EC can never be cured, only managed. Bombur has been on 4 rounds of Oxibendazole, and the drugs didn’t help his GI tract much. Really being strict with his diet has had the greatest impact. The EC drugs are mainly going to make a difference for symptoms that are urinary or neurological in origin.

EC can have a false negative result too. So unless your bun is in the top tier for antibodies, the odds of EC coming out as a positive are unlikely.

[Asriel and Bombur]

EC can never be cured, only managed. Bombur has been on 4 rounds of Oxibendazole, and the drugs didn’t help his GI tract much. Really being strict with his diet has had the greatest impact. The EC drugs are mainly going to make a difference for symptoms that are urinary or neurological in origin.

EC can have a false negative result too. So unless your bun is in the top tier for antibodies, the odds of EC coming out as a positive are unlikely.

[seymour]

Hmm ok. Seymour’s titers came back positive for “moderate” EC, so we are starting on a 28 day treatment of fenbendazole. The vet seemed concerned that these levels could put him at risk for kidney and/or ocular disease, so I guess we’ll start with this and see. Poor bun.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Bombur’s is kidney related. He dribbles quite a bit and is prone to urine scald during a flare up.

[Kiwi]

What ended up happening? Did he recover from gut issues after the ec treatment?

 

My bunny is going through the same

[Bam]

Kiwi: This is an old post. We ask members to not reply to old threads, it is unlikely that the original posters are still active on the forums.

I do happen to know, though, that the bun Bombur who is mentioned in the thread is still around, he’s an old man now 🙂

Please start a thread of your own on this topic. EC is a topic that (sadly) never gets old. If you make a new thread and describe the situation your bun is in, you’re likely to get more answers.

ETA: Kiwi, I’m sorry, didnt recognize you at first!

I do think it’s better if you write about your bun’s case in the first thread you created! Its easier for people if all info is gathered in the same thread.

EC can most likely cause stomach problems, but it’s not very well known. EC can technically affect any organ system that has a high blood flow. EC is a very “sneaky” parasite the workings of which is not yet fully understood. Panacur, often together with meloxicam, is still the standard treatment. The aforementioned Bombur has had several relapses over the years. He too has a combined problem with recurring  stubborn ear infections.

[Author]

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