Rabbit has Ecoli - Messy bum

a few weeks ago charlie kept gettin urine stuck on his fur around his bum and i took him to the vets who said it could of been one of many things, she said he seems active enough he hasnt been wobbly or anythin still runs about, and had a blood test for a few things and came back positive that he has the ecoli parasite, if thats what it is, she said its a parasite, and its ecoli so im guessin ecoli is a parasite(im not good at science ok!).

he was given panacur for 2 weeks and so were the others and i gotta go back wednesday to have him checked up and hopefully pick up some more panacur.

But he is still gettin a very messy bum, no Poos stuck to him but just wee, i try and give him a bath, he tolorates it aslong as he has a treat in a bowl while hes in the bath and lets me dry him but he doesnt enjoy it, and i dont want to keep bathing him as im sure it isnt good to be done all the time, but hes startin to smell :\ his litter tray is cleaned out daily his cage is done every 2-4 days usualy 2-3. he lives with Lola and she doesnt get a dirty bum, or feet like charlie and so im puttin this down to the ecoli but is there anything i can do?

the fur on his bum is becoming a bit knotted too and its discoloured now too as its stained its not nice for him makes me feel terrible.


Sorry for the massive Novel, once i get typing its hard to stop, but any suggestions on what i could do to stop this. makes me feel like a terrible pet owner!

Escherichia coli (commonly abbreviated E. coli) is a Gram negative bacterium and not a parasite.

Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (commonly abbreviated to E cuniculi) is a protozoan parasite.

From what you are saying above I would assume that your rabbit has E Cuniculi. As you have more than one rabbit they will all need to be treated for at least 4 weeks at the same time. All areas where the rabbits have access to must be cleaned out with particular attention being paid at days 21 and 28 of treatment to prevent recontamination.

With EC it is essentital to remember that infected spores survive in the enviroment if the envivonment is untreated at 22C for 4 weeks, although the survival rate at lower temperatures such as the outdoor temperature in the UK will mean that rabbits need to be kept off previously used areas for longer periods of time unless they can be cleaned by heating, boiling or by using any discinfectant which will destroy the spores.

Hi it sounds as if your bun has E cuniculi which we are going through with our bun too at the moment. I too am having the same problem keeping my buns rear end clean. I am having to wash her daily too. I would be grateful for any advice on what to use as water is not really cleaning her off properly.Her fur though clean is also discoloured and matted.

oki thanks for the correction, ive been giving it to charlie for about 3 weeks now, i wasnt told about the importance of days 21 and 28, and the others have only had about 9-10 days of it as i was told elsewhere than for the others its only 9 days they need it. argh i ****** this up..so the others havnt had any panacur for a week and a half maybe,

You have not messed anything up, the fact is that you have been given wrong information. The information I am working at was from the RWF conference held in February 2009 which came from Neil Forbes who is the vet based in Swindon. He has done a lot of research into EC. Unfortunately some vets are not up to date with their knowledge.

The thorough cleaning out and discinfecting of accomodation is one of the most important things required to prevent recontamination.

Neil Forbes also recommends any one taking on a new rabbit that they should treat the new rabbit and all pre existing rabbits with a 4 week course to prevent cross infection.

The RWF conference which is held yearly is definately worth going to, next years conference is being held just outside of Manchester in May. For those unable to attend lecture notes are available from the RWF. This is the link to last years conference notes http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=844

ok, thanks for all the information i really do apreciate it.

im taking Charlie into the vets wendesday as he ahs a checkup for this anyways, im guessing once ive explained everything ill be given four weeks course for all of them? if not should i ask for that? and by course im guessing we'r still talking about panacur which is what theyve been having

nver even knew rabbits could get EColi, just goes to show what I know I guess. I hope wee Charlie gets on OK at the vets on Wednesday, poor wee scone. I'd ask for treatment for all your rabbits. One time I had a toad that had worms and I was given treatment for all the othr toadies that lived with her no problem at all.

Dommy said:

ok, thanks for all the information i really do apreciate it.

im taking Charlie into the vets wendesday as he ahs a checkup for this anyways, im guessing once ive explained everything ill be given four weeks course for all of them? if not should i ask for that? and by course im guessing we'r still talking about panacur which is what theyve been having

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My bunnies are going through this too. This is the 3rd time i am treating them, one of them keeps picking it back up. so its really important to disinfectant the environment which i will be doing this weekend as it is almost 3 weeks into their treatment.

I find it easier to keep her bottom clean is to ask your vet to trim the fur short around her rear end. it will be alot quicker to wash and dry. wash it will rabbit shampoo that you can buy from pet shops.

You should ask the vet to give you a full course of 28 days panacur for all your bunnies. i didnt know this when my bunny has it so now found my self re-treating them again. Hope all goes well.