Still confused about how EC is contagious and contracted?

How is this contagious? How is it contracted please?

I need to get a good book on these things. Can anyone recommend me one please.

How can a rabbit go from not having EC to having EC when there has been no change to the environment of the rabbit and no other rabbits have been in contact.

Can EC just flare up as such, like snuffles can?

Thanks.

If my rabbit adonia was infected at birth, wouldn't she have had problems before 4 years, or is snuffles a symptom of EC also? She didn't go anywhere that she could have contract it really.

She was kept very seperate from other buns because of her snuffles. She also had limited amount of space because when she ran she would start panting and struggling to breathe. Why would EC suddenly onset.

Sorry to ask so many questions, I'm just not seeing how adonia died of EC at the moment. If it's as contagious as it is, how long would it be before my other buns started to show symptoms if they had this also?

Thanks.

Ambience said:

How is this contagious? How is it contracted please?

I need to get a good book on these things. Can anyone recommend me one please.

How can a rabbit go from not having EC to having EC when there has been no change to the environment of the rabbit and no other rabbits have been in contact.

Can EC just flare up as such, like snuffles can?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Yes



Some Rabbits can be exposed to EC, at birth for example, then excrete the parasite and NEVER have any clinical symptoms in their lifetime. Any EC spores remaining within the Rabbit remain dormant. A blood test of such a Rabbit would show EXPOSURE TO EC even if there were NO clinical symptoms. However, sometimes the spores can become 'active', the Rabbit's immune system is not able to contain things and clinical symptoms present. So a Rabbit such as Adonia who's immune system has been under extreme stress for a long time due to her Pasteurellosis may no longer be able to cope with things any more and the EC that was previously 'dormant' becomes 'active'.

IMO if any of your Rabbits have NEVER had a 28 day course of Fenbendazole (Panacur/Lapizole) then I would treat them now as a 'one off'.

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/00dis/Parasitic/Encephalitozoonosis.htm

Jack's-Jane said:

Yes



Some Rabbits can be exposed to EC, at birth for example, then excrete the parasite and NEVER have any clinical symptoms in their lifetime. Any EC spores remaining within the Rabbit remain dormant. A blood test of such a Rabbit would show EXPOSURE TO EC even if there were NO clinical symptoms. However, sometimes the spores can become 'active', the Rabbit's immune system is not able to contain things and clinical symptoms present. So a Rabbit such as Adonia who's immune system has been under extreme stress for a long time due to her Pasteurellosis may no longer be able to cope with things any more and the EC that was previously 'dormant' becomes 'active'.

IMO if any of your Rabbits have NEVER had a 28 day course of Fenbendazole (Panacur/Lapizole) then I would treat them now as a 'one off'.

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/00dis/Parasitic/Encephalitozoonosis.htm

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Thanks this is what I'm doing to make sure.

I was just concerned that perhaps the problems with her hind limb weakness, putting her head to the floor rather than holding it up and eyes bulging and breathing difficulty along with lethargy was more to do with the respiratory side of things as you mentioned rather than EC.

It does sound like the EC was activated as you say. The only thing that has been different here since moving here a month or so ago is that the temperature in the house has been really cold and as it's a big house, i feel like the temperatures have been too low for her without her having a winter coat as such because she has always been indoors.

Perhaps also the move and everything changing was just too much for her in the end. She was always very sensitive to environment. She would go downhill before just by being in the wrong room of the house. As the house is so big and she was in the living room, i wasn't right next to her most of the time, which i used to be at my other place in the kitchen.

She was on the floor in this living room, but it is a wood floor. How would i go about treating it.

I also have 3 other rabbits in the living room. They haven't been near her and they are not showing any signs of EC. Are the spores airborne or just urine based.

If they are airborne i could have a problem. If urine based the other buns haven't been in contact with the areas that she was on.

If EC is transmitted by contact. I have handled her and been in contact with the other buns since doing so. I don't know to what degree i could have picked anything up and transfered it to the other buns?

How soon would a rabbit that has been infected with EC come down with symptoms after being exposed to it please?

Thanks.

Hi Ambience, so sorry again about Adonia
As Jane said alot of buns that have been exposed to EC (which is something like 75% :shock dont show any physical symptoms atall for their whole lives. It really is completely individual to the bun. If your others have been exposed theres no way of knowing whether they'll become poorly or not unfortunately.
You are doing all you can in treating them with 28days of panacur. If they have come into contact with it hopefully that will stop the parasite in its tracks
I know you must be so worried after losing Adonia to it but please try not to worry too much about the others. Even if they have been exposed to it, either from Adonia or from their mothers or siblings at birth they may never become ill from it :wave: Keep treating them with panacur throughout their lives xxxx

Gemmapookie said:

Hi Ambience, so sorry again about Adonia
As Jane said alot of buns that have been exposed to EC (which is something like 75% :shock dont show any physical symptoms atall for their whole lives. It really is completely individual to the bun. If your others have been exposed theres no way of knowing whether they'll become poorly or not unfortunately.
You are doing all you can in treating them with 28days of panacur. If they have come into contact with it hopefully that will stop the parasite in its tracks
I know you must be so worried after losing Adonia to it but please try not to worry too much about the others. Even if they have been exposed to it, either from Adonia or from their mothers or siblings at birth they may never become ill from it :wave: Keep treating them with panacur throughout their lives xxxx

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Thankyou Gemma,

I really am worried about all the buns. I think I'm going to get them all in for a health check make sure nothing I've not missed anything.

I'm putting rescuing on hold until i make sure that there is no risk to any other buns that come into the household. I don't want other bunnies contracting it either because they come here.

There used to be dogs in the house - the previous owners bred them. Could EC have been present in the environment because of them?

Ava is going in for her leg taken off on Wednesday, so I'm concerned she has more of a risk of catching EC. I wonder if they should be doing the operation before I've treated her with the full course of panacur?

If i just do it routinely, should it keep EC at bay or can buns get it anyway even if being treated. I don't like to do too much handling as it increases stress with the buns picking them up. So i prefer to give meds less rather than more.

Is it similar to pasturella?- in that most rabbits carry, but not all will develop pasturellosis like adonia had.

I really need to get some good veterinary medical books about rabbits- there is one by frances harcourt brown. I'm not sure if anyone has this or if it's any good.

It sounds like it is a tough parasite to combat with it surviving so long. I'm pretty sure it would be almost impossible to eradicate completely if it is airbourne. Is it just urine that it's transmitted through?

Thanks again for your thoughts about adonia. I wanted to turn back time and get her ashes back yesterday, but she has gone to the pet crematorium now, because my boyfriend thought it would really upset me having her ashes around and i can't possibly do this with all the buns i have which will inevitably pass away in the future. and especially now that I'm rescuing too.

She was my bun i was most bonded with of all my bunnies. I think I'm going to get her picture framed in memory of her and keep it beside my bed like i used to with my first cat jasper whom i was also massively bonded with also.

I think because adonia was a solo bunny it makes it harder as i was her best friend, whereas other buns i have bond with each other more and i am more the carer rather than best friend. I already regret not getting her ashes back though.

Thankyou for all the information about EC. xx

Hi again,
Im no expert on this whatsoever, we need Jacks Jane for that
From what I know though EC is only contractable through direct contact with urine spores of an infected bun. I suppose the dogs 'may' have brought it in with them if theyd come into contact with infected urine somewhere along the line and brought it into the house. Its pure speculation though, and a very long shot. More likely Adonia has had it for her whole life and it only reared its ugly head recently
With regards to panacuring them, it doesnt cure them of EC or reverse any existing physical effects. It does however interrupt the breeding cycle and stop the progress of the parasite.
Id speak to your vet about your bun thats having surgery. I suspect it will be ok as long as shes not showing any symptoms of EC.

So sorry youre now regretting not getting Adonias ashes back, as you say though with so many buns it would be impossible to do with all of them. Theyre just ashes anyway hun, her soul lives on in you and always will