WORMS!?

[dlscanne]

If worms make you squimish, read no further…

This evening I found little clearish white worms in Franklin’s stool!  Great Christmas present, I know.  The grossest part is that they were still alive.  Franklin had been treated for worms when she was spayed in May, and was re-tested and came up negative.  I got another rabbit a few months ago and had him tested right away, and he was negative. 

I’m calling the vet in the morning, but can anyone shed some light on this?  Where are they coming from?!  I wash all their veggies, clean their boxes every other day.  Tomorrow I’m scrubbing everything out.   From what I’ve read, it doesn’t seem to cause major health problems and isn’t an emergency.  Both buns seem fine otherwise.  What’s going on?  Am I doing something wrong to cause this?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Worms generally come from inhaling the eggs/spores which are present in feces (I believe it can come from other animal feces too, like dogs or cats so it’s a good idea to let your vet know if you have other pets)
I believe ivermectin is what they’ll give orally, but whatever your vet gives should be good. I don’t believe they can get it from veggies or anything like that. Make sure you treat all your pets (you may not need to take them all in, especially if they’ve been seen by the vet before)

Your right, not an emergency although if left untreated they can cause obstructions so it’s good your going to see your vet Keep us posted!

[Sarita]

They will probably want to test the feces to determine what they will give you so you may have to take a fecal pellet into the vet.

[skunklionshow]

I’m going off a lot of my cat worm experience….

There are several types of worms; fecal, lung, etc.  Stress can cause worms to go into kind of a hibernation.  My Phoebe cat, was pregnant when I found her on the street.  She tested positive for worms when I got her, she was treated, and as she got later into her pregnancy she tested negative.  After the babies were weaned, we found worms again, both fecal and she would cough them up (really disgusting!)  The vet said that stress both psychological or physical can cause them to go into kind of a hibernation state.  Oddly enough, she was the only one that had visible worms.  The babies and all my other cats did not and none were found in their feces.  However everyone got treated w/ Panacure.

I believe that it is only when they are live adult worms that you can see them…eggs etc can only be seen w/ a microscope.  I think Katnip might be able to give a better overall explanation.  But what I’m saying is its possible that your rabbit had worms the whole time or was compromised enough that when exposed to rabbit #2 the wormys came out.  EEEEKEE!

[Sarita]

I got a rabbit from a shelter once with hookworms or pinworms (can’t remember which kind) which I could not see and we treated him with panacur as well and it killed the worms…I’m no worm expert either but I am certain that the vet will want to see a fecal to determine the type of problem and the proper treatment.

[KatnipCrzy]

I would call your vet on the next day that they are open- while it is disgusting to find worms in your bunnys stool- fortunately it is not immediately health threatening.  There are different life stages to intestinal parasites- and usually the way to diagnose is to analyze the stool sample under a microscope after prepping it- and this looks for the eggs of the parasite and coccidia cysts.  The second way to diagnose intestinal parasites is to visually see the worms- like the unfortunate experience you have had.

It is possible that the stool sample check tested negative due to the life cycle of the worms- if the initial wormer killed off the adult worms and there was not an adult population laying eggs when the stool sample was checked- then it would show negative.  I don’t think wormer can kill all stages of the life cycle- so the eggs/baby worms have matured and are now re-established.

I will have to see if I can find more info about pinworms and their life cycle.  I suspect pinworms- but I am not sure.  Your vet might want to check a stool sample, or if you can see the worms you can take a pic to help make sure the vet can identify correctly (so they can see what you are seeing) and previous diagnosis might determine what next step your vet wants to take.  I see pinworms and tapeworms listed as internal parasites for bunnies and tapeworms typically look like rice segments and can be in the stool and stuck to the bunnies fur. 

Make sure to tell the vet about all bunnies and other pets in the house and possible exposure that they might have had to bunnies litterbox or droppings.  During the time the bunny is treated, to prevent re-infection the litterbox should be cleaned very often.  Bunnies have furry feet and are very clean critters- so it is possible for them to reinfect themselves by cleaning/licking feet that have touched the poo that contains eggs.

[bunnytowne]

eeew how gross.   From dog experience the dog vet told me only 1 kind of worm can be seen in the stool with the naked eye. Roundworms I think it was.     The worms in her stool were very very long like spaghetti.

I know you are going eeeew  eeeek.  And that you are taking your bun to the vet right away. 

Our dog was taken in as a stray sort of like the previous post on the cat.  She was so sick with worms her first nite with us she kept kicking her hind legs about. The next day off to the vet she went.  She was a pup about 3 or 4 months.

She had her shots and worm meds.  The next day she was passing red stool and vomiting non stop.  Back to the vet she went again. She was kept overnite and treated for the works.  You would see long long worms in her stool.

After her 2nd treatment they were gone for good. I was careful to walk her in 1 area while she still had the worms and once they were supposed to be gone I would walk her in a different are of the yard. So they didn’t return.

I do know worms appear so gross. EEEEk.

No more worm vibes coming.   Hopefully you will never see those things again.

[dlscanne]

Yuck yuck yuck.  The vet isn’t open until Monday, but I’ll be calling them then and bring some samples in.  I’ll keep everyone updated, this might help other people in the future!  I’m actually at my parents house with them at the moment (6 hours away from my usual vet), but I have one here too where Franklin was spayed and treated for worms.  I haven’t been able to see more worms, and still havent seen any in Winston’s droppings, but I suspect he has them too, and might have even been the one to give them to Franklin!

From what I’ve read online they seem to be either roundworms or pinworms.  Often these don’t have an symptoms at all, even when heavily effected, so as gross as it is, I’m glad I know about it so it can be treated!

Apparently treatment is the easy part, keeping them from getting them again (since they eat their own poop) is the hard part.  I’m also going to ask about routine worming. 

My parents have 2 cats, but Franklin and Winston have their own room here and never interact with the cats.  I’ll still let the vet know though.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

You’ll have to keep us posted!

Ok was just rereading and remembered this; OT a bit- It’s gross but worth a laugh.

They sell diet pills that are worm eggs-seriously people try giving themselves worms to lose weight!!

…And the funny part…worms have to be inhaled and spend the first two life stages in the lungs, then they are coughed up and swallowed which is how they make it to the intestine…sooooo these people are not only trying to get worms to lose weight but—–it won’t work!! They can’t get worms from swallowing the pills

[bunnytowne]

The things people fall for.   Ewwwww.  I will keep my weight and skip the worms.  Thanks for the tip hehee

[MooBunnay]

Worms as diet pills? eek (and ew!)

I never knew so much about worms before – thanks for all the info. everyone!

A way to keep Franklin and Winston from stepping on poop with worms in it and then licking them would be to create a grate to go over their litterbox, something that their poops could fall through easily but not so big that their feet would go through it. If your parents have one of those wire cooling racks for cookies, you could use that (assuming they are willing to donate it to the bunnies and don’t want it back! )

[dlscanne]

still waiting for the vet to open…

I remember reading a book on horses….Seabiscuit maybe? That mentioned that jockeys sometimes swallow tapeworm eggs to loose weight….gross! People are so weird.

Thanks for the tip Moobunnay! That is a great idea! I’ll have to be creative so that they can’t pick the grate up with their teeth…I seem to have buns with super strength (Franklin has lifted and opened a gate with a 10 pound weight cable-tied to it before…and she’s only about 6 pounds!)

I will say this though…add this to your list of reasons to be a diligent observer of your bunny’s litter box! I’ve found a few worms since, but had to really dig around and look close…The only reason I saw them before was because I was doing a quick scan in passing and thought hmm…that looks different. Mucus in the droppings is another symptom. I haven’t noticed it before medication, but last time Franklin was wormed the medication really cleared that mucus out….ewwww.

I havent found anything that suggests it causes pain, but it does say that after long periods can cause blockages, gas, and in rare/severe cases damage to the intestines. I would imagine it would be uncomfortable no matter what. Can’t wait to get those buggers out!

[dlscanne]

and the verdict is….. PINWORMS

they couldn’t find worms in the samples, but did see some dead adults.  I’m giving them both Pancur, its a powder that the vet said to mix with papaya juice and syringe feed them.  Which is great, but it doesn’t suspend in that at all.  I end up coating  crunchy treats with carrot baby food, adding the powder, and adding another layer of baby food.  Winston loves this, but Frank needs an extra coat of oatmeal flakes on top.  Even with that it takes some convincing.

This morning I found a TON of dead worms in Franklin’s litter box.  Poor girl must have had a really heavy infestation.  Yuck!  The vet said the medication does a pretty good job of killing everything that comes out, but to keep them as clean as possible as a precaution. I’m putting a small layer of litter in their boxes, and scooping them twice a day.  They said there is no way to know how they got them, but they could have come from Winston (he’s a pet store rabbit and we all know about the great care they get) or possibly from veggies…who knows.

Also, this could be another thread, but I took Franklin in for a checkup  because her nose was damp and she  was wheezing a little.  She needs Baytril twice a day…and I can’t find a single way to get her to eat it!  I’ve tried every trick.  I guess I need to crush it up and syringe feed her, but she gets so stressed out, kicks and bucks and gets it all over her face, even when I straight jacket her in a towel!  I think I got more on her than in her mouth yesterday.  She is still mad at me this morning.  When I let her out of the towel she does what I call the “I hate you mommy dance” where she flicks every foot at the same time, like a cat with wet feet.

I’m so sad that I have to do this to her for a total of 20 times!  I’m worried she will hate me forever. 

[Sarita]

No, she doesn’t hate you. I think rabbits get over their displeasure pretty quickly.

In my opinion there is no better way than to syringe to insure you get the proper dosage each time (or as best you can in case they try to spit it out). Are you just doing the baytril tablet and water? Is it a tablet with a purple coating – hopefully it’s not the liver flavored tablet which is brown. You might also ask the vet if they can compound the injectible one for you to give her orally as well.

[dlscanne]

It is the brown one! No wonder! Will that harm her? I’ve been mixing it with the baby food then syringing.

[Sarita]

No but I bet that is why she is fighting you because it is liver flavored and I’m sure mixed with the baby food it is very unpalatable for her. Can you call the vet’s office and explain the situation to see if they can give you another baytril option?

[skunklionshow]

I got liquid Baytril in the past…..someone recommended injecting it into a raisin.  It worked like a charm!  See if you can get the liquid and possibly a syringe from the vet.  Just explain your sneaky plan….

[BinkyBunny]

I’ve only had the liquid version – much easier. I give a raisin right after to help get the icky baytril taste out for her.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Ewwww I volunteered at a dog shelter years ago and remember the gross-ness of deworming pups/dogs when they came in….gross!! At least you know when to expect them Yuck

[dlscanne]

I called the vet, they said the had the liquid, but it was going to cost me more $….hrumph.  After 3 vet visits in the past month I’m going to have to suck it up and stick with the gross flavored pill.  The frustrating thing is that if I had been at my usual vet in New York, she probably would have given the liquid to me in the first place.  There aren’t many vets that do rabbits in Vermont…this one is OK, but pretty mediocre .  I would never go there with anything complicated if I had the choice.  They aren’t very personable with me or the rabbits.   Luckily, this is probably the last time I will ever have to go there.

The good thing is that Frank and I have started to get a system down, and she doesn’t seem quite so stressed now.  She still hates the syringe and does the “I hate you mommy dance,”  but instead of running behind the bed and thumping and hiding for hours, she accepts some papaya tablets and scratches to wash the yucky taste away. 

11231493271871.jpg

[Sarita]

Oh, that’s good that she’s being okay about it. I think the papaya tablets help too.

What a beautiful picture.

[skunklionshow]

What a sweet pea!  There’s nothing like the “i hate mommy dance!”  I get that pretty regularly from Jessica anytime I go near her condo LOL!

Speaking about grossness.  My vet wanted me to put my cats on a diet.  The goal was to get them to eat meals @ specific times and get them onto (prescription) wet food only, w/ just a lil bit of hard food over night.  So after 6 weeks (on Xmas), we got them on the schedule and following their new diet.  The night we came home from xmas events….DIARRHEA EVERYWHERE!!!!!! In the litter box, hallway, just outside the litterbox, on their heinies.  I was literally cleaning up SH** all weekend/ week.  So the vet tweaked the plan and now instead of pure liquid its semi-formed.  UGH!  Sorry but I guess I don’t have much of an audience for my poopy hell.  Now all I smell is poop in my house.

[BinkyBunny]

I’m so glad you are able to successfully work with the tablets -even if she protests afterward. Adorable picture.

[dlscanne]

She only has four more days of the pills! Yay! After I syringe her the stuff I pet her head while she’s still in the towel, then let her just sit in my lap. We have what I call “take it out on the towel time.” She bites and growls at the towel (I’ve NEVER heard her growl before!) for awhile then gets a treat. I’m seriously convinced she thinks it is the towel that is giving her the medicine!

[Moonlight_Wolf]

…And the funny part…worms have to be inhaled and spend the first two life stages in the lungs, then they are coughed up and swallowed which is how they make it to the intestine.

Eww I did not need to know that.

[MiniLop]

I don’t think thats true about inhaling worms. I’m pretty sure there are at least some kinds that you get from ingesting them, tapeworm I think is one. And other kinds you can get just from walking around barefoot.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Good thing the baytrils almost done and she’s forgiving you!!

Julievmk-Your right, Not all worms have to be inhaled-but the ones sold as diet pills did  Tapeworms and round worms  are ingested , hook worms, roundworms etc inhaled …. Gross why do I know this???

[Cathy Battaglia]

Oh boy, finding those creepy little worms in Franklin’s poop was not a pleasant surprise!. Even though Franklin tested negative before, it’s possible for rabbits to get re-infected with worms. It’s great that you’re calling the vet tomorrow to get their expert advice. In the meantime, make sure to clean everything thoroughly to minimize the risk of re-infection. Your vet will guide you on the best treatment options, and soon Franklin will be back to her happy, worm-free self. Hang in there!

[Bam]

This is a very old thread   so Im closing it now. Rabbits are not highly susceptible to worms, but infestations do occur. Some vets will treat with fenbendazole for 1-2 days, other vets say the worms are harmless. The safest thing is to consult with a bunny savvy vet.

[Author]

Messages