• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Need advice...rabbit just diagnose with E cunicula.

Fudgeley

Young Bun
This is my first post. yesterday one of our 5 year old rabbits was diagnosed with E cunicula. She has had an anti inflammatory jab and has anti-biotic meds and the E.Cunicula meds. I have moved her inside on advice from the vet and she has a temporary new home in our utility room.I am bathing her rear end to keep her clean as she has no movement in her back legs. in the hutch which she shares with her sister she was moving around but just dragging along.

She is eating and drinking fine and also pooing and urinating still.

I suppose i would like to hear from anyone who has been in this situation and what the outcome might possibly be for Toffee.

My other worry is that if they are separated for too long they will not go back in together, they have never been separated, they were litter mates.

can anyone give me any more useful tips to help nurse her?

basically anything you can think of to help us get through this....
 
Last edited:
Can you move her sister inside too? Or is the space too small?
I had a bun with EC, but he never had hind leg paralysis, he had head tilt.

Alot of buns come through this, and get back to normal. If your bun is eating and drinking then its a good sign. Just keep with the panacur.

It can be really slow progress with EC, my boy took months to get back to any resemblence of himself, and he was still left with head tilt.

Sometimes you will wonder if you are doing the right thing, but as long as your bun is fighting then id give her the chance.
 
Thanks for the reply. Good to know she does have a chance. The space is too small to bring her sister in. At present the poorly bunny is in a plastic box which we have adapted but am trying to scrounge an indoor cage from somwhere to make things better for her.The vet thought separating them would be better for the other bunny? We can't have free range bunnies inside as we have an over friendly dog.
 
You will need to treat your other bun with panacur too, even if she is showing no symptoms like her sister.
 
If the vet has confirmed Encephalitozoon cuniculi then she should be treated with a 28 day course of either Panacur or Lapizol as well as having steroid injections. The antibiotics wont harm but only Panacur & lapizol which actually kill EC & possibly steroids to help her body to mend.

Bunnies will often make good recoveries from EC. Importantly you will need to be very careful with your cleaning as you are coming to the end of treatement (usually the last week) & I would bleech & preferably steam clean or replace any items that she will be using once you have stopped treatment. Keep them off any grass that they have been on for the last few months. You will need to treat all rabbits that may have been in contact. You may have to treat her again with panacur if symptoms come back.

There is no reason to keep the buns apart, just treat them both. Be careful though when they go outside again. You will have to give them time to acclimatise to the cold weather and it may be that you have to keep them indoors for this winter, to be let out again in march.
 
Last edited:
She should be having a non steroidal anti-inflammatory (eg Metacam) aswell as antibiotics and Fenbendazole

It is the inflammatory response to EC spores that cause clinical symptoms and longterm cellular damage. So minimising the inflammatory response is essential.

Corticoteroids are best avoided if at all possible. They are immunosupressant and Rabbits can react very badly to them with regards to their immune system
Corticosteroids also carry a high risk of causing GI ulceration
 
Last edited:
I think the vet gave her an anti-immflammatory jab last night (it was all a bit of ablur) and it is Lapizol she is on for the next 30 days. He has not tested for the EC just made a diagnosis on most likely cause. He did not say anything about treating the other bunny though.I assume if I do not treat her the disease will just keep cycling round between the two?
 
You definitely need to panacur both - some vets advise for 4 weeks, some advise 6 weeks. You need to do a full disinfect of their area on days 21 & 28

Bun needs to avoid stress - personally I wouldn't separate for EC - a lot of buns live alongside EC positive buns & never show symptoms.

Good luck:D
 
I'm sorry to hear about your bunny.
I have a bun who was paralysed with suspected E.c., and she has made a full recovery but we were lucky- not all will recover completely, unfortunately.
There are other possible causes of hindlimb paresis though so xrays to rule out things such as spinal injury would be a good idea.
If possible keep her with her sister as separation may cause additional stress and slow her recovery- you will need to be careful the bond isn't already damaged though xx
 
We are on day five of treatment. Toffee has made no improvement in the use of her rear legs. She moves by dragging herself with her front paws.She is showing no interest in her dried food but is eating carrot tops and her hay. She is drinking from her bottle but not enough. We are supplementing her fluid with water via a syringe.She is not able to reach her rear end so we are washing that and keeping it clean for her. I am worrried that she is not eating her droppings though. I have tried putting some in her dish just where she can reach them but they have not been touched.Her food and drink intake is certainly not that of a happy bunny.

Should I be persevering here or should her quality of life be being considered?
 
I too have had a bunny with head tilt suspected ec. Sounds like you are doing an excellent job. It did take quite a while for him to recover. He did loose his appetite when he had baytril and I was advised by the vet to syringe feed. When Wesley wasn't eating I bought him strong tasting food i.e. basil and picked dandelions. Perhaps it would be an idea to speak to your vet about his eating.
 
I am going to take her back to the vet on Monday. I think my worry is that as it is a locomotion problem it is really affecting her life as a bunny, I am prepared to carry on as long as I am feel I am doing it for the right reasons. I will be discussing her diet with the vet. We are giving her strong tasting food such as carrot tops and dandelions etc, but she still only takes a little. Her crate is still wet though when we clean it so I am hoping this means we are getting enough water into her?
 
As of this morning Toffee has made a turn in the wrong direction. Even the tasty fresh leaves such as carrot tops have been refused and she has only drunk what we have given her via the syringe.

I will be taking her to the vets tomorrow......please keep us in your thoughts?
 
We will be thinking of you and Toffee tomorrow, My rabbit has ec as well so I know what you are going through, sending loads of vibes.
 
My bun Flynn had hind leg paralysis from EC.
I was giving him panacur (though lapizole is also commonly used), baytril, metacam. I got him puppy pads to try and keep him dry, but he chewed them, so i changed to vet bed which did the trick. I also did physio with his back legs twice a day. I was certain i was losing him, i had made my decision that day, but when i got home, he was up and walking. He is fine now a few months on from the ordeal. He still wobbles a little from time to time, but he can hop and binky.

I hope your wee bun can fight this, sending vibes.
 
I can barely type this as I have tears running down my face. Toffee hopped peacefully to the bridge this morning. I made the decision that it was the kindest thing to do, she had stopped eating and drinking and had made no improvement at all. she had no movement form the mid-point of spine down.

I just want to thank you for your support, it has been a great help. Now we have to cope with a single bunny......
 
Back
Top