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Q. about buns contracting EC

A

abbymarysmokey

Wise Old Thumper
I've often wondered why people presume that their bun has contracted EC from another rabbit, rather than from a separate species of animal. Is there medical reason for thinking this is more likely? If so, does anyone have any useful links or facts and figures, etc?

Also, does anybody have any facts and figures regarding the chances of house rabbits contracting it compared to outdoor rabbits?
 
I think its one of those things. Many people forget that humans are a carrier of the disease.

i don't have any facts, but i think its a general assumption that people feel if they are in close proximity to a rabbit which has had the disease, it must have been them.
 
Indiechic said:
I think its one of those things. Many people forget that humans are a carrier of the disease.

i don't have any facts, but i think its a general assumption that people feel if they are in close proximity to a rabbit which has had the disease, it must have been them.
Click to expand...

I was thinking more along the lines of rodents, such as wild mice or rats. I would imagine that EC is pretty common in these animals, and they tend to leave a trail of urine wherever they go.
 
abbymarysmokey said:
I was thinking more along the lines of rodents, such as wild mice or rats. I would imagine that EC is pretty common in these animals, and they tend to leave a trail of urine wherever they go.
Click to expand...

i don't know if they are carriers or not tbh. i don't think so.
 
Indiechic said:
my vet told me that it is very possible as humans are carriers, for them to pass it to the rabbit.

could be wrong but i don't know.
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This is the exact problem surrounding EC, so many theories and opinions are stated as a fact that people are often misled into thinking they must be true.

Take for example the vet who told a member her children had a high chance of contracting EC from a rabbit :roll:
 
Sooz said:
This is the exact problem surrounding EC, so many theories and opinions are stated as a fact that people are often misled into thinking they must be true.

Take for example the vet who told a member her children had a high chance of contracting EC from a rabbit :roll:
Click to expand...

I have to trust my vet, Im not medically trained so i cannot challenge without proof.

i agree that the vet who said EC could be contracted rabbit to human, is scare ongering.
 
Indiechic said:
I have to trust my vet, Im not medically trained so i cannot challenge without proof.

i agree that the vet who said EC could be contracted rabbit to human, is scare ongering.
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Im not saying it's not possible, I'm saying it's not proven and therefore should not be stated as such.

Are you sure your vet didn't mean it in the context that we can carry spores on our clothing, foot wear, hands etc rather than actually act as an internal host?
 
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In some cases its just darn obvious. I dont see why it matters. If ones had it you quarantine the others. If the human is the carrier, theres not much you can do about that, is there

As for mice and rats ive never heard that before. But we dont have them in the yard, and a lot of ours died before we got our pet mice so i highly doubt its them
 
I was reading the article by Emma Keeble and where it says "It is also important to rabbit owners since it is potentially zoonotic (can spread to humans) and has been associated with infections in immunocompromised people." I understood it to mean it could spread from rabbits to humans.
 
If you buy a sack of food from a pet shop, stables, garden center and mr or mrs mouse had a crawl over that sack and pee'd on it. you bring that sack of food home open it. the ec has gone from mouse ,sack of food, shop, back of car, your shed your hands then of course we stroke bunny bunnie licks fur .

also if you have mice in your garden or your neighbours garden can be caught by cat brought to your garden. Foxes treading it around on their feet. We let bunnie on grass they tread in it and then groom.

I was under the impression (so my vet told me ) that we are carries in as such as it is carried on us not in us and is only harmful if you are immuno compromised.

I am in a highly populated area for rodents, we live on the edge of marsh land. I believe that the only way it is spread to other buns is by urine

All of the above was explained to me by my vet after the huge outbreak that i had two years ago
 
chloaster said:
I was reading the article by Emma Keeble and where it says "It is also important to rabbit owners since it is potentially zoonotic (can spread to humans) and has been associated with infections in immunocompromised people." I understood it to mean it could spread from rabbits to humans.
Click to expand...

Yes if the humans are severely immunocompromised. There is no evidence as yet to show it can be spread the other way with people acting as an internal host.
 
To be totally honest though i just dont see how it matters where it came from. As you explained it can come in so easily, even just on feed. So you bring them indoors, but ours were indoors anyway. Then it could come from you, the human, or from another bun. After Sun died we scrubbed and disinfected and destroyed things for hours on end, but this has happened.

So frankly i dont care where its come from and i dont see how it could help people knowing theyre the carriers or whatever, because you cant stop it spreading. Unless obviously your buns are in a field full of mice so you bring then in and then never go near them again and pray their feed isnt contaminated too

What we know for sure is that it can spread from bun to bun, so all we can sensibly do is quarantine
 
MaxiandScottandbuns said:
What we know for sure is that it can spread from bun to bun, so all we can sensibly do is quarantine
Click to expand...

Knowing where it comes from can help improve quarantine plans. In cases of coccidia people use foot baths between rabbits and wear gloves for handling as well as disinfecting all equiptment after use.

Some of these idea's would transfer to EC, for example not many people would bleach or steam clean a second hand hutch but may use a vinegar solution or virkon/trigene on it. Both of these are ineffective against EC but if people don't know it can be spread via urine would they bother?
 
Sooz said:
Knowing where it comes from can help improve quarantine plans. In cases of coccidia people use foot baths between rabbits and wear gloves for handling as well as disinfecting all equiptment after use.

Some of these idea's would transfer to EC, for example not many people would bleach or steam clean a second hand hutch but may use a vinegar solution or virkon/trigene on it. Both of these are ineffective against EC but if people don't know it can be spread via urine would they bother?
Click to expand...

Well we always clean up and change clothes already, for us thats just part of quarantine, we did it when they had snuffles too. We know its spread via urine as you say so i think all thats just common sense. But actually knowing the intricate details about whether or not we can pass it anyway etc, i dont see how that would help, we cant just stay away from our bunnies. We already do all we can, and thos ein the know about EC do too, and anymore would be bordering on silly
 
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