Problem with multi rabbit situation

(not mine).

If you have three rabbits (out of 15ish), who have never shared an area, never been near each other, live in different areas, the only common factor is their food source but all showing the same symptoms (looking like renal failure now, after treatment for cystitis failed), what would you think?

I suspect someone is going to say EC, but other than EC, what would you think?

Accidental access to something like antifreeze?

Hmm, no idea how that's possible unless they have cleaned with something unrabbitsafe.

It's about the only other scenario other than something infectious, that I can think of!

It was definitely a good thought and one I'll look into for sure, thanks

The thing that came to my mind was Mycotoxin poisoning because they have had some horrific hay recently.

Coccidiosis? It's been very windy recently, easy for spores to blow around between pens? I'd probably have expected more of them to have come down with it but it does have quite a long incubation and many of them may already have had it and therefore be symptomless carriers, so I wouldn't rule it out completely.

Santa said:

Coccidiosis? It's been very windy recently, easy for spores to blow around between pens? I'd probably have expected more of them to have come down with it but it does have quite a long incubation and many of them may already have had it and therefore be symptomless carriers, so I wouldn't rule it out completely.

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Funny you say that. We did have a girl who tested positive for Cocci a couple of months ago (we spoke about it via PM).

We're not seeing any signs of any gut problems though. So would you be thinking hepatic?

They have been treated with Septrin for a good ten days and they still weren't doing brilliantly. Would the Septrin have sorted it?

Oh yes I remember our chat about that before :wave: Well in my experience the hepatic one is very nasty indeed, although I've also seen articles which suggest that it can be quite mild :? So I don't know really, I don't know if intestinal cocci always presents with obvious faecal issues or if it's possible for it to not display in that way...if the dose of spores has been low then perhaps their bodies have been able to fight it off a bit without some of the obvious external symptoms? Certainly the hepatic ones I've seen have not had any diarrhoea, they've pretty much just been random unexplained weight loss.

If it is cocci then yes, septrin would have helped, although none of the cocci drugs cure it, they just lower the numbers of active spores enough that the body can hopefully overcome the infection and then become immune.

Like I say, with only 3 out of 15 affected it wouldn't be top of my list of suspects, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out and would take standard cocci precautions (mainly cleaning litter thoroughly daily to prevent the spores becoming infective) just in case, and I would definitely start to panic if any more started to inexplicably lose weight.

Hope all is ok xx

Thank you

All litter trays are changed once a day and at the opposite end of the day they spot clean as well, so hopefully Cocci isn't the issue.

Some have been on the Septrin for 3 weeks plus and they were still deteriorating whilst on it.

I think you're right about expecting others to get it. The ones that have it had healthy rabbits in enclosures between them (they have all been moved right near each other to try and stop any spread if this is contagious) which would be unlikely.

One to bear in mind For sure, so thank you.

I'm clutching at straws here, but perhaps they've eaten a toxic plant in the garden?

Are these singles? It's just that if they all live with an unaffected partner, it's unlikely to be something contagious

abbymarysmokey said:

I'm clutching at straws here, but perhaps they've eaten a toxic plant in the garden?

Are these singles? It's just that if they all live with an unaffected partner, it's unlikely to be something contagious

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Now this is VERY possible. Thank you.

They are currently all singles, but two have shared an enclosure divided into two with two currently healthy bunnies.

I'm compiling all this info to send to those who need to know so that they can look into the different options.

Are the ones who have it, ones you would class as having a lowered immunity. Do any other show any other kinds of symptoms, like respiratory issues?

halfpenny said:

Are the ones who have it, ones you would class as having a lowered immunity. Do any other show any other kinds of symptoms, like respiratory issues?

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One, definitely is very vulnerable. He is the sickest.

Another comes from a 'faulty' litter so is very likely to have some sort of issues that make him vulnerable.

The third has only ever showed to be healthy- but we don't know if there was anything underlying. He seems second worst and pretty rough. He's lost all his sparkle.

We do have another exceptionally vulnerable rabbit there that is showing no signs or symptoms of anything. He is emaciated (arrived that way but otherwise healthy- as far as we know) and on a weight gain diet.

Can't think of any other health issues in any of the other rabbits in that area though. The one who was bonded with the girl who had Cocci is as healthy as an Ox and looks tremendous.

Also, just so we all know where we stand, this is the rescue I volunteer with, and this is a disaster.

The last time I had 4 sick rabbits at the same time, I'm 99% sure that local children had been in my garden feeding them weeds. The symptoms weren't the same the ones you described though.

Sky-O said:

One, definitely is very vulnerable. He is the sickest.

Another comes from a 'faulty' litter so is very likely to have some sort of issues that make him vulnerable.

The third has only ever showed to be healthy- but we don't know if there was anything underlying. He seems second worst and pretty rough. He's lost all his sparkle.

We do have another exceptionally vulnerable rabbit there that is showing no signs or symptoms of anything. He is emaciated (arrived that way but otherwise healthy- as far as we know) and on a weight gain diet.

Can't think of any other health issues in any of the other rabbits in that area though. The one who was bonded with the girl who had Cocci is as healthy as an Ox and looks tremendous.

Also, just so we all know where we stand, this is the rescue I volunteer with, and this is a disaster.

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I was just wondering about something like aspergillus- can cause various symptoms, but respiratory issues are the most common. My hens were hit by a similar fungal infection- I lost all but one cockerel and it was all the old birds who died. The most common symptom was respiratory issues though.
Swabs can be taken to test for it, we treated our hens with 'sporanex' a human med and no antibiotics should be given at the time- the bacteria competes with the fungus and if you knock them out it gives the fungus free rein.

Thank you. That might account for why when the antibiotics were given they started losing weight.

I'll have a google and a research of that. Thank you!


ETA- actually, the sickest one (who is also the youngest) came in with respiratory issues that cleared up with antibiotics- if that's relevant.

abbymarysmokey said:

The last time I had 4 sick rabbits at the same time, I'm 99% sure that local children had been in my garden feeding them weeds. The symptoms weren't the same the ones you described though.

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They do ask volunteers (particularly work experience volunteers) to get grass and feed to the bunnies so it would only take someone to accidently pick something wrong, and there would have been kids on workexperience when the first two got ill.

Sky-O said:

Thank you. That might account for why when the antibiotics were given they started losing weight.

I'll have a google and a research of that. Thank you!


ETA- actually, the sickest one (who is also the youngest) came in with respiratory issues that cleared up with antibiotics- if that's relevant.

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I guess it could be suggested that either its immunity was low and it was more susceptible or the antibiotics allowed the fungal infection take over.
Fungal infections are nasty and hard to treat.

Presumably all the bunnies have the same feed source ie the healthy ones aswell as the sick ones - the food source itself is not contaminated?

Thank you halfpenny.

Amy104 said:

Presumably all the bunnies have the same feed source ie the healthy ones aswell as the sick ones - the food source itself is not contaminated?

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We were working on the basis of low immunity too, for feed source, and also, potentially, for something like hay, the more they eat the worse the problem can be.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'm going to pass them on. Any other suggestions are very welcome