• 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.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Do you give Panacur to your Buns?

Do you give your bunnies Panacur?

  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
Not as a matter of routine - only if I feel there is a need such as at times of stress (for EC) or if they are exhibiting signs of possible pin worms etc.
 
Not as a preventative as it is not recommended by any of my rabbit vets unless the rabbit in question has symptoms of EC
 
Have a read of this thread.

I selected 'only when they need it' and I would Panacur for intestinal parasites like worms, only. I have not see enough evidence that it is effective for EC.
 
I havew voted yes, but in truth the first 28 dose was given when I lost my Thomas to 'possible EC' and the second time when Woody started losing weight. I am unsure whether I will do the standard routine doses or just keep it for emergencies. :?

Having lost Thomas the way I did and then seeing a bun in rescue suddenly develop a terrible head tilt which he is still recovering from months on, I have to fight the urge to feed it them daily (obviously I won't, I just wish I could keep them all safe :cry: )
 
I voted 'only if I need to' but to clarify, I gave Artie 28 day course as vet advised it as he tested positive for EC, the other rabbits had 9 days, as advised by vet. They advise me to give a 9 day course to a new bunny. I wouldn't give it at any other times (unless specifically advised).
 
If you wait for signs of E.C. to show you may already have a disabled bun by the time you start treatment, so yes
 
Stator said:
If you wait for signs of E.C. to show you may already have a disabled bun by the time you start treatment, so yes
Click to expand...

It's now commonly held by some rabbit vets that the original testing (that was done on a very small group of rabbits that had active EC) is not sufficient to suggest it works as a preventative but as a curative.

There is also a commonly held thought that by giving it as a preventative, it can encourage the treatment to become less effective. - RWA conference a couple of years back and much discussed since.

You may be right in that some bunnies if not treated earlier enough may have symptoms from granulomas which cannot be reduced or removed simply by Panacur and that additional treatments may be necessary e.g. steroids.

Some vets I have spoken to have actually said that they now feel that EC is being over diagnosed - and that some different types of testing may be beneficial.

Sadly I doubt the funding will be forthcoming for the amount of research that is necessary for there to be better answers to the question of EC.
 
No, not unless it is prescribed by my Vet. I have real concerns about the overuse of Fenbendazole (the active ingredient in Panacur), it does not come without potential risk of side effects including effecting bone marrow production, thus having a negative impact on the immune system. Overuse will also lead to the development of a resistance to Fenbendazole.
 
I will only use it if I see worms in their poo.
I used the 28 day dose on my buns as 2 of them tested positive for EC. It did not help and things had not changed at the second blood test (and I lost one of them as the EC had done too much damage to her that we lost her under anaesthetic :( ) so I am not convinced it works and neither are both my rabbit savvy vets, they both said they wouldn't bother treating with it for EC but if I wanted to it wasn't going to hurt. They were right. So no I would not use it regularly as a preventative or curative (unless visable worms, then 5 days course of Lapizole, mine find it tastier than Panacur so easier to give and same stuff) as there is no evidence that works either, plus as Jane said Fenbendazole comes with its own set of risks so I wouldn't want to use it regularly.
 
Only if the vet deems it necessary. The practice used to advocate regular worming however now it is only given when needed to avoid resistance.
 
Thanks for all the responses! I am given Panacur for Bramble and Bungee from the vets as part of their 'Health Club' membership. I gave it to them earlier this year, but haven't done so again, as the lady they board with (who has 25 years experience with buns) said we were the only ones that did!! I think I will just keep it as emergency use only, as there seems to be mixed views on this. So tricky to know what to do for the best isn't it?
 
I voted only if I need too, I used to panacur routinely but that didn't stop my bridge bun Reed (still can't believe he has gone :cry:) getting EC (I didn't lose him to EC, he had many other problems :(), so from that I decided to only treat when symptoms are displayed :?
 
This was part of a reply I had from the manufacturers:

"The product Panacur Rabbit claims to be an aid in the control of E Cuniculi infection. Therefore if the rabbit is given regular courses of treatment throughout the calendar year this can act as an aid to control infection. This is because the treatment appears to reduce the establishment of E Cuniculi infection if the rabbit is exposed to the parasite at the time of the treatment"

This was also quite interesting:


http://www.springerlink.com/content/h031wh144476p43j/
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

rosaleen
Panacur needed? Yes or no.
Replies
4
Views
194
rosaleen
rosaleen
H
Panacur. for e.cuniculi
Replies
5
Views
597
hoppetylop
H
A
Need help treating head tilt!
Replies
4
Views
272
bunny momma
bunny momma
Back
Top