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Bunny Worms

PomandRi

Alpha Buck
A bit of background ...

Just over a year ago we discovered that Rio had worms. The vet prescribed a nine day course of Panacur and towards the end of this course the worms seemed to have disappeared. About a fortnight after the course had ended, they had returned.

The vet then prescribed a twenty-eight day course of Panacur and the same happened. So the vet was then at a bit of a loss and decided to consult with colleagues, etc. Whilst this was going on, Rio passed a tapeworm. :shock:

After consultation with other vets and Bayer UK the vet decided to give Rio an injection of Droncit and I had to sign a special disclaimer as I gather than Droncit is licensed for rabbits in the US but not in the UK.

Rio has never since had problems with tapeworms. However, the other worms did not immediately clear up although it was much better and the vet decided that it might be something in our soil that he was picking up. We agreed that I would bring him back if things deteriorated. This was about February but then the problem seemed to go away and for about nine months there have been no worms in his faeces. In addition, we have moved and he does not come into contact with any soil that can possibly be contaminated with any animal faeces that would contain eggs, etc.

Anyway, this week I have noticed that his faeces are containing worms again and this is a triple whammy. First of all, I am gutted that he has worms again; secondly, I think he has probably had worms all that time and they just haven't been so bad that he has been passing them; and thirdly, my vet had come to a dead end with trying to treat them.

Does anyone have any ideas? We are with a new vet now, having moved, and I am ringing them this afternoon to see if they have any suggestions but I am not hopeful as my previous vet was not only very rabbit savvy, but I know she rang round quite widely when the problem happened before.

I have started him on Panacur.

I would add that Rio came from a rescue and I know that he and his siblings had quite severe statis as kits (only a couple of the litter survived). I wondered whether this might have resulted in a weakened digestive system which makes him susceptible to parasites. In every other respect he is a large, happy rabbit in beautiful condition. He does have a good appetite but, in my experience, most rabbits seem to unless they have health issues.

Any advice / suggestions very gratefully received.
 
Do you not routinely Panacur your rabbits anyway? It's recommended that rabbits that are confined to hutches and runs are wormed 4 times a year and those that are mostly free range can be done as little as twice a year. :wave:
 
PomandRi you could try feeding the buns some thyme as I believe this naturally expels worms.
 
Re. the tapeworms...do you have a cat or dog who isn't regularly wormed? Or is your garden frequented by cats or foxes who could be infected?
 
Yes, I do Panacur both of my rabbits twice a year as a matter of course - one graduation for five days - but the Panacur just doesn't seem to be getting rid of the worms. Knowing that rabbit worms are relatively rare and the fact that he doesn't go on soil which other animals have access to (other than his bun-wife Pom and my Yorkie who is regularly wormed) makes me think that he has had it all along - he hasn't caught it twice.

Abbeymarysmokey - yes, we do have a dog, but she is regularly wormed and I have never seen worms of any kind in her faeces. I have also never seen worms in Pom's faeces (Rio's bun-wife). They poo in different places so it is quite easy to check.

Still, keep those comments coming. I am absolutely desperate to sort this problem out once and for all. I feel really bad that my gorgeous bun has probably had worms all this time.

Thank you for the hint about thyme - I am always happier to use 'natural' remedies so I will get some from the supermarket. I did have some growing in the garden, but the buns ate it to nothing and it died. :roll:
 
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this is going to sound awful now butcould you be the souce of the worms as humans can get them and in turn be passing them back to him? also wonder if it could be a wild animal passing through, hmm wonder if a cours eof the us medicine is possible? apart from making the bun extra hungry what are the complications of worms to a rabbit( i know about ec)
 
I have to admit that it did occur to me that it could be a circle with humans involved, especially as I have children and they have been visited by the worm fairy in the past. :shock: But I am convinced that this is not the case, none of us have any symptoms.

I also don't think it is a wild animal as they can't access our garden. I am so worried about cats and foxes that it is quite a fortress.

As for the long-term effects, I remember the reason our vet was OK about leaving it when he was only passing a few worms was that she didn't think that would be causing him any damage. But I am still worried that as an ongoing condition it could be causing some problems and at the very least it must be uncomfortable for him.
 
Knowing that rabbit worms are relatively rare

IMO pinworms are more common than vets think they are. It's just that vets don't see rabbits with the issue unless it becomes a very heavy infestation (same goes for rabbit lice)

I'm sure I read that rabbits only get an intermediate stage of tapeworm...so acts as a carrier between other species of animals
 
IMO pinworms are more common than vets think they are. It's just that vets don't see rabbits with the issue unless it becomes a very heavy infestation (same goes for rabbit lice)

So do you think it is just as likely that he has managed to get worms twice as it is that he has been carrying them all this time? I would feel more positive if you think that is a possibility as I had assumed that the Panacur hadn't worked.
 
Just a thought - have you ensured that you have been giving the right dose of panacur for buns weight?

Also remember worm eggs can be transfered by humans from say the park where you walk your dogs.
 
So do you think it is just as likely that he has managed to get worms twice as it is that he has been carrying them all this time? I would feel more positive if you think that is a possibility as I had assumed that the Panacur hadn't worked.

I'm pretty sure that Panacur is 100% effective against pinworm if used correctly. I presume that Rio's wifebun has wormed at the same time as him, otherwise he will be catching them from her.

There may be worm eggs in your soil...Did you stop him going on the lawn for a while during and after treatment?

Not sure about the tapeworms though :?
 
Everyone - thank you so much for your comments. I will keep going with the Panacur and will check that I am giving him enough for his weight - he is a bit of a porker - and that I am giving it to him for the right length of time.

I will let you know .......
 
We have had a worm problem over the years (for us pinworms and tapeworms-we also did Droncit). It seems to be some rabbits are more susceptable to them, so that may be one problem. Also, I agree that they are often far more common and it is only vigilant owners who pick them up.

Are you also thoroughly cleaning out the areas and such? Scrubbing the litter trays daily, etc, to try and minimise the risk of it going on for longer as they go through treatment?

Are you sure of what type of worm they are because Panacur only works on some types of worm.

The eggs can hang around and are virtually airborne because they are so small (the worms rabbits get are not transmitable to people, by the way-or at least the pinworms and tape worms are not, I don't know about hook or round worms or any other type of worm), so I wonder if hay could be a source possibly, or something else like that.

Do you treat all your rabbits from the first day you find the worms?
 
Thanks Sky-O, it's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who's experienced the problem. Most rabbit owners seem really surprised when I mention rabbit worms and then I get to feel that I am a bad bun mum.

I changed all their bedding etc. on the day I found the worms and scrubbed everything really thoroughly. They are both now on a course of Panacur which I will continue for nine days.

As for the type of worm - I guess that I assumed it was roundworm but now you come to mention it I don't really know. I don't think it was pinworm as it was very different from the worms that the kids have had in the past which were pinworms. At the risk of being too gross, they were about the size of a maggot (but definitely not a maggot) and a sort of off-white colour when fresh (sort of colour and look of cooked pasta). They dry to an opaqueness (if that is a word). I have only ever found them on poos, never on Rio himself.

Apologies to anyone who hasn't eaten before reading this!
 
I think children get thread worms. However, those definitely don't sound like pinworms, they do sound like something else. It might be the Panacur is not working because they are bigger. Also, treatments take a few days to work, so that's an important point to remember too.
 
im going to watch this thread. as i have a bun i have to worm quite reguarly, and suffers snuffles due to dust allergies too and generaly has his out pleh days.

yours has a big problem with worms if they are that big :shock: i had to pick thin ones off docs bom while he was being wormed
 
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