Advice needed for Milo EC related PLEASE READ

Hi all,
It has been a while since i have been on here but i really need your opinions please,

So I had a trio Tilly, Milo and Marley, until Tilly started getting ill last year, she was an old bun so i think her symtoms were at first related to old age, but as time went on i suspected EC, she was incontinent and no longer using her litter tray, which slowly got worse and worse, then she slowly lost weight and sadly we eventually lost her.

Milo started to become disorientated a little while after Tilly died, (oct11) he got head tilt and the rapid eye movement, the vet put him on antibiotics just incase it was an ear problem and put him on a 29 day course of panacur (which i also gave my other rabbit).

His head tilt improved alot, but left him with a very slight tilt, he has seemed fine since, eating well, drinking well, the only thing i had noticed is that my once litter trained boy is peeing anywhere.

I have noticed in the last 2 months that he is not using one of the ramps into part of his hutch, he has 2 ramps, and is not using the steeper one, he doesn't look like he has lost weight as he's a ball of fluff but he does feel smaller to me now, and his back legs do look weaker. He has lost alot of fur on his back legs and was wondering if it was because of the urine??????? although he is not wet underneath,his skin is not sore just pink.

I really want to keep this under control, i don't want to lose him, He is due to start his Panacur, but do i do the short dose or the 29 day dose, also how often should this be done???????

and what should i do about the loss of hair ???????

Any advice would be very helpful, I need to know how to keep him healthy,he is due for the vets in the next week for his myxi jab, is this still ok to go ahead with???????
My other bun seems fine
many many thanks to anyone who can advise

He could have a slight urine infection. When Inca has a UTI she pees / dribbles everywhere and it is then that she gets it on her fur and gets urine scald. Antibiotics and cleaning with dilute iodine and applying sudocrem usually clears it up.

Inca also had EC before, she also has arthritis in her back end, she is on daily Metacam. Maybe the EC has caused some hind leg muscle weakness and Milo is struggling a bit to get up the high ramp. Maybe daily Metacam could help with this?

I personally would want to try to sort out the other issues prior to the Myxi jab.

Good luck x

many thanks, He doesn't seem to be in any discomfort so will he need meatcam????
as he had a 29 day treatment of panacur 6 months ago, does he need the same course again or just 9 days??????

can anyone else help me with this please??????

I would give him the 9 days.

The fact that you have said that he does not use the steep ramp and that his back legs look weaker would suggest to me that he might be in some discomfort, therefore I would speak to the vets about trying Metacam.

I have spoken to my vet about Milo and she has looked up some information on EC for me, but says she cannot find anywhere stating that Panacur needs to be re used after the initial 28 day dose.
What are the facts on this does anyone know??????

I don't know any hard facts, but my Kermit & Inca had a 9 days course after the initial treatment (had buns at different times) when they showed symptoms of EC. Apart from that I have never re-panacured my buns.

I notice that most people on here do continue treating with panacur, some give it every other month, some several times per year, i would like to know everyones opinions, but it seems your the only person willing to reply to my thread, i take it it's a bit "clicky" on here these days lol
Thanks for your help Kermit

I think my rabbit who died recently, may well have had EC. Panacur did not save him. I did not treat my other rabbit with Panacur and she is fine.

A rescue I know use to treat all their bunnies with Panacur but found it costly and, as I understand it, on the whole found it to be ineffective as a preventative. In cases of EC they preferrred an alternative, but I cannot remember the name.

How is Milo now?

Thanks Cara,
Milo had his course of Panacur last October, and is now absolutly fine except for a very slight head tilt,weaker back legs, and some incontinence, (no longer a litter trained boy)
I just don't know if i should continue giving him routine panacur or not, I will have to think this one through

I'm in the same situation as you. My little girl Gypsy developed EC last year. It looked really bad, head tilt rolling and loss of litter training. She and her partner, Storm , had a full 28 day course.
Gypsy is OK now, but like your bun, has weaker back legs. I did follow on with a 9 day corse 6 months later but I'm now unsure if I need t do this forever :?

This thread might be of interest: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?339156-EC-treatment-advice-please&highlight=panacur in particular the last 2 posts which explain why metacam is important and about the disinfecting required when giving the 28 day Panacur course (sorry if you already know and have done this).

From what I've read there seems to be really mixed opinions on Panacur and no one can seem to agree on exactly how often to treat and how effective it is as a preventative. Personally I would go with the 9 day course as Kermit suggested. Maybe the 28 days once a year if I had buns with EC, but I'd probably check with my vet first!

Glad Milo seems to be doing okay. Hope you find your answers.

thanks everyone,
i was never told about disenfecting during the 28 day period of giving panacur,
my vet seems to think that Milo is left with these problems, but the ec has been sorted????????
I think I will give a 9 day treatment to the buns every 6 months just as a preventative, to be on the safe side. as i am confused with all the different opinions on it, and there not being any definate solutions.
I discussed Metacam with my vet, but we are in agreement to wait and see how things go before we try it, as Milo does not seem in any distress,I am going to keep a very close eye on his movement and flexibility.
The vet tested his urine and he doesn't have an infection, so that is good news, although his urine was slightly diluted (i have not seen him drinking an excessive amount though)
Thanks again for your replys