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nodular myxi

ah144

Warren Scout
One of my 13 bunnies has developed nodular myxi:(......i'm presuming it's nodular and not full blown as he was vaccinated only 1 and half months ago!! I took him to an emergency vet yesterday who injected him with 2mls of marbocil and told me to come back today for another injection. I know the reasons behind it is to prevent seconary infections etc so today i was a little shocked when the vet on duty refused to give him anything and said that we needed to wait and would be useless to give the injection as he was not suffering any respi problems as yet!!?? needless to say i was a little confused...i know that life sciences are very grey areas with practitioners prefeing different treatment options and methods... but......i don't know if it would be kinder to let him go to the bridge....my o/h is not talking to me as he felt i should of let him go yesterday. I think he is more worried about the fact that we are going on holiday with the the kids on thursday and will obviously not have anyone to care and nurse him. I have been awake all night worrying what to do and my best friend says she can see both sides.....any constructive comments would be most welcomed. xxxxxxx
 
having had a bun who survived nodualr myxi no its not best to send to the bridge. they will need a lot of commitment from you and a rabbit savvy vet to get better tho.
you will need them on baytril an antibiotic, if sore eyes then tiacil eye drops and metacam as it is a horrid disease and is painful. as your rabbit was vaccs more than 2weeks previously they do stand a chance of recovery the bun needs to be indoors or somewhere slighlty warmer than usual as temperature control is a must. if respiritory probs they need to have a steam bath to help breathing. my rabbit had a lot of nodules and was and is 10years old often a younger bun will pull through quicker however this is a slow recovery process... you need someone to look after this bun and sort all vet appts etc while you are away or cancel the holiday.else left untreated your bun will die. sorry that sounds harsh but i know the trauma and stress as mum and i were there only a year back. bun needs you now. and a highly trained savvy vet. good luck xxx
 
nb nodular myxi is best treated if caught early. if bun has nodualr myxi you will find lumps.
make sure all other buns are vaccs too. if you need someone to talk to feel free to email or pm me. and other advice i can offer i will
 
thankyou for your reply, i have metacam and he is indoors. I am aware of the treatment etc and will see normal vet tomorrow. I just felt i needed to sound off about the situation with the holiday etc.... my husband would not cancel and i feel torn.
 
thankyou for your reply, i have metacam and he is indoors. I am aware of the treatment etc and will see normal vet tomorrow. I just felt i needed to sound off about the situation with the holiday etc.... my husband would not cancel and i feel torn.

ok then definatly if was me would let them go hubby and kids so no money wasted and look after yourself or i would ensure a rabbit savvy freidn took on the bun to look after for you however if this happens you will need to provide a blank cheque or 2 for any vet treatment that bun needs(or make arrangements with vet to pay when come back or leave a card for them) and ensure that should bun not pull through and yes sadly some dont that you will not blame yourself for leaving or freind for trying. also buns with nodular myxi have some days bouncing around like normal and others where they lie still very ill they are up and down a lot before are permenantly on the mend and better each day so you are likely to suffer set backs it took chelsea 5months to recover which is a long time. however some buns its only a month depends on age and immune system. main thing is dont give up till you have to.(sadly obviously some buns dont make it )
 
I can see both sides, but I would never consider putting my rabbit to sleep because of a holiday...my 'friend' recently did the very same thing. :?

Are there any local rescues nearby who may be willing to take care of the bunny whilst you are away, and maybe you could pay them for doing so? As far as I am aware nodular mxyi is not a death sentence and most rabbit do go on to recover. I would also keep an eye on your other buns, if they are vaccinated they all have a good chance of making a full recovery should they also have contracted the disease. Good luck!
 
Nodular myxi can vary tremendously in its severity - Harry had it last year and he literally had one nodule on his nose which required no treatment. It took several weeks for the nodule to fall off and he still has a scar there, but he suffered no ill effects at all. I've also seen it where it literally forms lots of skin nodules but doesn't cause any respiratory, eye or genital problems, and again this is often 'recoverable' with minimal intervention. I do also know of a case where the bun survived nodular myxi but went on to develop kidney problems presumed due to the painkiller/antibiotic treatment.

It varies so much in its nature and severity that I think it really is a 'case by case' basis for treatment.
 
thankyou all for your thoughts and comments. Unfortunately i do not have friends that are in a position to look after a rabbit. The local charity would not. I do not feel a house sitter would be prepared to take on the nursing side so maybe the only solution is to take wonni with us. If my vet felt it necessary for antibiotic injections he would dose the syringes for me to administer. I would have to buy a large dog crate and some hot water bottles and nurse while away.
 
How severe is it? Can you describe his symptoms? Where are you going on hols and for how long? If you're travelling via this way to your holiday destination I do have a large dog crate I can lend you if you need.
 
for two days swollen genitals, swollen and disfigured eyelids with slight discharge and lumps on body and head.
 
Ali, thats a kind thought thankyou!! we are going camping to the new forest with our jack russel as well!!
 
Mmmm I hate to say it, but that does sound more like 'proper' myxi rather than nodular :( The vaccine isn't actually made from the myxomatosis virus, it is a similar virus so it relies on the body developing cross immunity. Of course the fact that the bun is vaccinated gives it a better chance, but your description definitely doesn't sound like nodular. I would try and work out a contingency to take him, but in the meantime take each day as it comes and see if it develops further.

I would offer to look after him, but probably in common with most people, I have my own bunnies and I'd be worried about exposing them to the virus.
 
Mmmm I hate to say it, but that does sound more like 'proper' myxi rather than nodular :( The vaccine isn't actually made from the myxomatosis virus, it is a similar virus so it relies on the body developing cross immunity. Of course the fact that the bun is vaccinated gives it a better chance, but your description definitely doesn't sound like nodular. I would try and work out a contingency to take him, but in the meantime take each day as it comes and see if it develops further.

I would offer to look after him, but probably in common with most people, I have my own bunnies and I'd be worried about exposing them to the virus.

actually that sounds exactly like nodular mxyi was in chelsea i couldnt have described it better. nodular myxi has nodules or lumps over the body where as full blown doesnt usually have this as far as im aware. also a vaccs bun is highly unlikely to get full blown myxi and it usually is only nodualr. i too would love to help you and tho i do know that nodualr myxi is passed through insect bites and not through direct contact with other nodualr myxi buns. i sady wont take the risk in case it is somehow full blown and does infect mine. i hope someone else can help you as im not sure being arounda jack russe will aid recovery.
 
i suppose time will tell the actual diagnosis....i have spoke to three vets over the past two days and two have said to isolate him form his group and 1 has said not to as the chances are they would have it anyway!...I am not looking for people to look after him... i would only worry..woz just looking for views and possible solutions to the situation where every one was happy!! and taking him with us subject to my vets advise would seem ideal..and as for the jack she is a jack in disguise she is 11 now and has grown up with buns both inside and out.
 
i suppose time will tell the actual diagnosis....i have spoke to three vets over the past two days and two have said to isolate him form his group and 1 has said not to as the chances are they would have it anyway!...I am not looking for people to look after him... i would only worry..woz just looking for views and possible solutions to the situation where every one was happy!! and taking him with us subject to my vets advise would seem ideal..and as for the jack she is a jack in disguise she is 11 now and has grown up with buns both inside and out.

if the dog is not a problem then by all means take bun jsut be wary of additional stresses on bun who is already ill (ie car rides etc) i understand tho whatever you do will be wieghed up pros and cons and you will do your best xxx
 
I had a bun that got nodular myxi last year,it was caught very early and purely by chance as I was at the vets to have her vhd jab done.

The vet noticed spots on her ears which were the start of the nodules...she didnt get swollen eyes but had a nodule on her genital area but as I say it was caught very early.

The treatment was antibiotics straight away and for many weeks after that to combat secondary infection,she did get breathing problems due to having a nodule in her nostril and had to be rushed to the vets at one stage as a result.....because of her problems breathing she found eating difficult too and lost a lot of weight.

She developed a lot of nodules,not just one or two, they were all over her but all that said she got through it with plenty of care so I really wouldnt consider euthanasia just because of the diagnosis personally.

Please pm me if theres anything about it I can help with.
 
When I rescued Flora, she'd just recovered from nodular myxi. She stayed with her brother throughout as it was considered to be more stressful to remove her from her partner than it was to leave them together. As one vet has already said, if the poorly bun's partner/friends are already with them then they've already been exposed to the virus. Separating them, IMO, will do more harm than good.
 
Just a thought and don't know whether its a rubbish one or not (!), but could they not keep him in at the vets while you are away? That way he will be kept an eye on all the time and can be treated by the vets/nurses. I know it will cost money to do that, but if it will mean you can worry less about going away it could be worth it. If not, how about a pet sitter that comes in daily and could take him for vet trips for injections, I have seen adverts for some that say they do vet trips.
 
Hi. Try not to panic too much at this point. Floss had Nodular Myxi two years running. Fortunately she had been vaccinated so I knew her chances were very good. My vet..a very experienced rabbity vet immediately put her on a course of Flagyl and Baytril as well as Tiacil for her eyes. The first year she had lumps all over her body, particularly on her head and around her nose and mouth (but not her genitals) and last year it was only her head that was affected although one lump was extremely large. She didn't go on to develop any respiratory problems and her appetite remained good throught. My vet advised to keep her with her hutchmate each time as it's important to avoid stress and separating a bonded pair would have done caused stress They both lived indoors until she was on the mend the first time, but last year she stayed outside with Bournville as the weather was fairly warm. Fingers crossed that she'll be fine. We went on a 4 day break during that time but my son and Leanne were on full bunny alert. Leanne is very experienced and I trusted both of them to call a vet(and me!!) if there were any signs that worried them.
 
If you want to borrow an indoor cage I have one you can borrow. There may be other people also who are living in the new forest area who can help you.
 
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