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Is worming in a rabbit needed?

neilp83

Young Bun
Hi, I took my 11 week old rabbit for his first trip to the vet yesterday for one of his first jabs.

When I was there the vet said about a worming course, Panacur. I was wondering if this is necessary? I didn't know rabbits could get worms. I thought worms mainly came from meat!

Also she said that Mixi and VHD jabs need to be performed every 6 months where I had read previously that these should be annual or even bi-annual.

I want my rabbit to be healthy and will pay for whatever is required but also don't want to waste money on things which aren't necessary.

Thanks for you help,
Neil
 
Myxi is every 6 months, VHD usually once a year. Panacur is a preventative for EC (neurological condition) There will be more experienced users on soon to advise you of the ins and outs:D
 
I have often wondered about worming, worms are actually injested flea eggs which then hatch in the intestines and cause worms (certainly in cats this is the case) I would like to know more about worms in rabbits as well I am all for preventative measures but I would also like to know of others who do have experience

Also she said that Mixi and VHD jabs need to be performed every 6 months where I had read previously that these should be annual or even bi-annual.


Thanks for you help,
Neil

Myxi is every 6 months (recommended) and VHD is annually these are of course recommendations - some argue they are not needed so frequently

I personally live in an area where my vet has had to put lots of bunnies with MYXI down so I would never chance it - it is personal choice
 
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This link is well worth reading on why worming is SO important in rabbits.
RWAF Information on E. Cuniculi

Rabbits very rarely get conventional parasitic worms but 50% test positive to exposure of the protozoa, encephalitozoon cuniculi, which is spread via urine, feaces and the placenta of a pregnant doe to her kits.

Some rabbits never go on to develop symptoms and meerly act as carriers who transmit the protozoa, but others can develop very nasty complications which can eventually lead to disability and death. These include:
*Torticollis (Head Tilt)
*Cataracts & Blindness
*Urinary Incontinence/Excessive Urination & Water Consumption
*Hind Leg Weakness and Paralysis
*Weightloss
*Fitting, Spasms and Neurological Damage
*Renal Failure
*Death
*Weakened Immune System

This list is not exhausitve. Rabbits may exhibit one or any combination of the above symptoms.


EC is managed by treating with a drug called Fenbendazole which is the active ingrediant in Panacur, a worming paste.
Click here for the Intervet Panacur Rabbit Leaflet
 
Please do worm your rabbit, I was also told to worm mine, but thought nah this is just a gimmicky thing to make more money (although now I know panacur isn't expensive) but I did lose Willow to EC and I would never want another bunny to go through that. Ive just had Harry who is also 12 weeks old wormed and Daisy has been done every six months since I lost Willow, not taking any more chances. :)
 
I haven't ever wormed my buns but now I think I better take action. Is it about every six months and do you have to go through the vets?
 
Two of my girls have actually just been wormed for 'conventional' worms. I thought I saw a worm in their poo and so took it along to the vet who confirmed it was. However, the vet also said that I was welcome to give them a course of Panacur but that it wasn't strictly necessary. In her opinion (and she's a bunny specialist vet), worms cause no problems to our furry friends, unlike cats and dogs, so if I wanted to, I could just do nothing. However, I don't like the thought of any little wriggly things inside my buns so they were wormed! It's also a good preventative measure against EC as well.
 
I haven't ever wormed my buns but now I think I better take action. Is it about every six months and do you have to go through the vets?

Generally unless your rabbits are often exposed to new rabbits it's thought annually & at times of high risk is sufficient. High risk is when mixing with other rabbits so if you get a new bunny in your family, if your rabbits go into boarding or if you bond your rabbit.

9 days is used as a preventative measure, and 6 weeks as a treatment for active cases. Panacur is not a prescription medication so although it can be brought from the vets it can also be purchsed online much cheaper.
 
Is it the panacur for cats and dogs that you use :?

You can use the 10% Panacur oral liquid for dogs & cats at a dose rate of 0.2ml per kg of rabbit or you can buy the Panacur Rabbit paste which will worm two rabbits up to 2.5kg for 9 days.
 
Oh ok will look in the chemist i seen the cat and dog 1 and they do a number of other bits there as well :D
 
Two of my girls have actually just been wormed for 'conventional' worms. I thought I saw a worm in their poo and so took it along to the vet who confirmed it was. However, the vet also said that I was welcome to give them a course of Panacur but that it wasn't strictly necessary. In her opinion (and she's a bunny specialist vet), worms cause no problems to our furry friends, unlike cats and dogs, so if I wanted to, I could just do nothing.

I personally don't think this is true. A heavy worm burden can cause a blockage in the guts and lead to stasis, so people should definitely worm their rabbits if they have worms in their poo.
 
my vet has never suggested worming them despite having a huge poster in the consultation room :?
 
Having just lost Shayla to ec related problems I personally would recommend every bun gets the full 28day course initially and then the regular 9day course. In theory if all buns that are coming into contact with each other are done for the 28days, it will kill of the ec and the 28day course will not need to be done again unless a new bun is introduced.
 
I would love to worm all buns with an initial 6 weeks course but there is talk of it damaging the rabbits personal immunity, meaning they are actually more prone to developing symptoms by no longer being able to control the protozoa effectively as the antibody count may drop.

There is also the risk of the protozoa developing a resistance to fenbendazole via over use.

It's all so very complicated :(
 
I personally don't think this is true. A heavy worm burden can cause a blockage in the guts and lead to stasis, so people should definitely worm their rabbits if they have worms in their poo.

i never wormed any of my rabbits (guess i never really thought about it) until my rex Enya began to have reoccurant bouts of stasis. eventualy the cause was traced to a heavy worm burden (which the vets believe may have scared her intestinal tract) since i began worming her on a regular basis the attacks have reduced fromevery 2 weeks to once every 8 -10 weeks. the last two attacks were far less servere than those she had previously suffered and hopfully will continue to lessen in frequancy.

the attacks began after we moved house (9 of my neighbours cats use my garden as a litter box:evil: ) and since Enya had never had a problem befor we moved it seems that she had picked up the parasites from the cats.
i think worming your rabbit regularly is a good idea especialyif you keep cats or dogs or if your garden is frequented by them.
 
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