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E Cuniculi advice required

Marreline

Warren Scout
I have had some excellent advice over the weekend regarding my rabbits reoccuring gut stasis. (THANK YOU SARAH AND SANTA!!!! :wave: Sarah - hope you don't mind but I have PMed you) I have been advised to get my rabbits checked for E Cuniculi - great advice, I am awaiting a call from the vet to discuss this.

I would really appreciate it if you could share your experiences of EC with me as I am very worried. I appreciate many of you may prefer to forget.

Can I ask what symptoms you have observed in rabbits who have later gone on to be diagnosed with EC? The symptom lists I found online make no reference to gut stasis at all, but I know that some of you on here have found it to be a definate indicator. Very strange that many sites do not mention it. I am particularly interested in cases where gut stasis and EC were linked.

Can I also enquire as to the treatment offered by your vet for bunnies infected with EC? Panacur sounds to be the thing to use (thank you Sarah, who also advised me of this). Have you been advised to do a 28 day course before? And did the symptoms clear up over time?

Did your rabbits actually have the test for EC or did the vet suspect EC and prescribe the course of panacur as a precautionary measure? My vet has not given any indication that she suspects EC but panacur has been used on the odd occasion - it always has swift results with the bunnies perking up with in an hour or so. What's interesting is that Dumpling has just got back from a two night stay at the hospital and panacur has not been mentioned on the treatment breakdown - could this be the reason that she took so long to recover this time? Her two previous incidents where spotted quickly and she was right as rain within and hour or so.

Finally - did you have to change the diet or routines to accomodate rabbits with EC? Did they make good recoveries? - sorry, not aways a nice question.

Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks xx :cry: (can't bring myself to out a smiley - too stressed and worried!)

(Sorry for all the questions. I am in the middle of a worrying time with my two who just keep on getting gut stasis; the vet has just ruled out bad teeth after a dental under GA)
 
Hi, sorry you are having problems with your bunnies.

Just wanted to say I know it is know recommended to Panacur all rabbits once in their lives, (when you get them) for 28 days paying particular attention to meticulous cleaning with bleach on particular days (is it 7 and 21 ?) and then again if you introduce new rabbits or your buns are exposed to others for example by going boarding and sharing runs etc. or of course if they show symptoms of E.C.

Have you panacured yours at all?
 
Can I ask what symptoms you have observed in rabbits who have later gone on to be diagnosed with EC? The symptom lists I found online make no reference to gut stasis at all, but I know that some of you on here have found it to be a definate indicator. Very strange that many sites do not mention it. I am particularly interested in cases where gut stasis and EC were linked.

My bunny recently had very bad EC - there were no signs of gut stasis before she got ill, but once she was ill her guts were terrible, fluctuating between loose movements and pinprick size poos. I put this down to her medication + lack of exercise + lack of appetite & usual fibre intake

Can I also enquire as to the treatment offered by your vet for bunnies infected with EC? Panacur sounds to be the thing to use (thank you Sarah, who also advised me of this). Have you been advised to do a 28 day course before? And did the symptoms clear up over time?

Vet gave 28 day course of panacur. the vets actually gave me the cat version of panacur which i found easier to administer than the rabbit one. (It's the same stuff but the rabbit version comes in a fancy syringe and is only a 9 day course). We also used metacam for the pain. Martha was so bad that she also needed 3 steroid injections


Did your rabbits actually have the test for EC or did the vet suspect EC and prescribe the course of panacur as a precautionary measure?

Not always much point in having an EC test as many rabbits carry it but are unaffected. Martha didn't have a test but her symptoms were so in line with EC symptoms it was a pretty safe bet. We did have x-rays to rule out spinal damage as she was initially paralysed & her front legs were crossing over. She also had baytril incase it was an ear infection.

Finally - did you have to change the diet or routines to accomodate rabbits with EC? Did they make good recoveries? - sorry, not aways a nice question.

We had to syringe feed her at first with Science Recovery. She then only wanted to eat grass & dandelions - so we were going round our neighbourhood with a bag & pair of scissors trimming peoples lawns for them as we had no long grass left in our garden :shock:

Unbelievably Martha has made a pretty full recovery. I spent a week crying as I thought we were losing her! She still has balance issues and I haven't seen her jump up on to anything high yet, but she can jump in and out of her cage and move around our lounge happily - she also has the biggest appetite ever, and the biggest, healthiest poos she has ever done!

I hope this gives you some hope for your little one, are they having balance problems? head tilt?
 
Thanks so much for your reply. It certainly does give me hope.

My two have no symptoms of head tilt, paralysis, problems with the hind quarters etc. - which I have read are the usual signs. Their problem is the frequency at which they are affected by stasis - twice each in four months or so, and Dumpling had to be hospitalised for two nights this time.

Just desperate to find a cause for the reoccurence of stasis. Teeth problems were ruled out this weekend. EC has been suggested by another forum member who had problems parallel to mine. Spoken to the emergency vet who has been seeing to Dumpling over the weekend - she seems to think it is unlikely in this case but advised me to speak to my vet about a course of panacur so I'll do that.

x
 
she seems to think it is unlikely in this case but advised me to speak to my vet about a course of panacur so I'll do that.

x

I know some people do a course of panacur regularly just to be on the safe side - so it won't do any harm. I think it would be worth a go.

good luck
 
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