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35 leeds buns; possible EC warning.

elis-mum

Mama Doe
as some of you may know i took in as a foster 2 of the 35 leeds bunnies Angus and Rosie. we sadly lost Rosie a few weeks ago which led me to the decision to keep Angus and once all vaccinated etc i am hoping to bond him in with my 3.

i had him to the vet for his jabs last friday and Natalie my vet mentioned a strange cloudiness in one of his eyes which you can only see in certain lights. i had seen it before just to glimpse but thought it was just the way the light caught him but she says it could be the start of EC. :(

i have started him on a 28 day course of lapizole as she says it isn't definate and without blood tests she can't be 100% sure.
meanwhile she says to put off any bonding plans and see if he improves with the wormer. if there is no improvement i will get him tested and hope we can sort him quickly.

this poor guy has been through so much, bad start, lost his mate who he adored and now this.

so anyone out there who still has any of the leeds buns please be aware of the possibility as my vet says it is highly contagious... is all this info sounding right to people out there in the know?
 
as some of you may know i took in as a foster 2 of the 35 leeds bunnies Angus and Rosie. we sadly lost Rosie a few weeks ago which led me to the decision to keep Angus and once all vaccinated etc i am hoping to bond him in with my 3.

i had him to the vet for his jabs last friday and Natalie my vet mentioned a strange cloudiness in one of his eyes which you can only see in certain lights. i had seen it before just to glimpse but thought it was just the way the light caught him but she says it could be the start of EC. :(

i have started him on a 28 day course of lapizole as she says it isn't definate and without blood tests she can't be 100% sure.
meanwhile she says to put off any bonding plans and see if he improves with the wormer. if there is no improvement i will get him tested and hope we can sort him quickly.

this poor guy has been through so much, bad start, lost his mate who he adored and now this.

so anyone out there who still has any of the leeds buns please be aware of the possibility as my vet says it is highly contagious... is all this info sounding right to people out there in the know
?

It's estimated that 50% of domestic rabbits have been exposed to spores of EC (which are shed in urine) and therefore I would estimate 50% to be carriers. Just over a year ago re EC I commented to my vet that because I had eight rabbits from different sources the chances of them all being clear of EC was pretty much negligable, to which she nodded. A couple of months later Artie developed kidney stones and was tested for EC - he had one of the highest readings they've ever seen.That could have been because the infection was active at that time.

I'm sure somebody will be able to add some very informative links but really just wanted to say that I would nearly expect rabbits from the Leeds 35 situation to be carriers of EC - not that that would put me off either fostering or adopting them because I'd have a fairly high expectation of any rabbit to have been exposed to it.

Also, I'd also consider it a bit of a lottery as to how much damage it does. It might stay inactive and not be known about to the owner but if the rabbit becomes ill with something else then EC could well take hold if it's there in the background.
 
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thankyou Bunny Buddy. :D

i would keep Angus now no matter what was thrown at us with him, he is such a friendly little man and i want to try give him the home he deserves. i hate him being alone though as he is so sociable and was a great husbun.
i know it is all for the greater good and i need to be patient but i want him bonded with my lot NOW! :lol:

i will just continue with his treatment and do what needs to be done if it arises.

my vet also blamed his poor background on the possibilities of him having EC but i wasn't aware so many carry it.
i hope Artie recovered, thankyou.
 
so sad..I did actually put on the original appeal thread that the buns looked scraggy and I advised to quarantine and panacur them for 28 days.in the original pics one looks to have a white patch in his eye as well as the general "thin" look :cry:
 
i never saw that or i would have looked into it further.

will the lapizole do the trick if it is EC does anyone know?
luckily he has been quarentined since i got him. i always see to my 3 guys before Angus and wash my hands after handling him. i'd hate for him to go through anything else now. :(
 
It depends what you are meaning by do the trick.

If a rabbit has EC you can't completely get rid of it. Using Lapizole/Panacur will reduce the number of spores so that a rabbit is less likely to get ill/suffer the effects of EC but you will not completely get rid of EC - it's just there in the background waiting for a chance to become active in the future. (Or at least this is my understanding of it).

I doubt you'll be able to improve his eye but hopefully you will be able to stop it getting worse.

It sounds like you've had good quarantine procedures anyway. EC is carried in spores in urine so that's the most important area for good hygiene, especially making sure that food doesn't come into contact with urine, which can be difficult if they insist on eating hay from the litter tray!

Edit to add: The treating with Lapizole/Panacur and delaying bonding sounds like a good idea because EC often becomes active when the rabbit is under stress, so the stress of bonding could potentially cause him to be ill if he does have underlying EC.
 
mmm... e does eat from his litter tray!:roll:

so if he has EC and it never really goes will he ever be able to be bonded? i hate the thought of him living alone. :(
 
i never saw that or i would have looked into it further.

:(

I think it was stated on the thread that people taking these on would be advised to panacur:? shame that info wasn't passed on

you will be able to bond him but the risk of EC will stay..when he is bonded it would be advisable to treat him and his neew partner for the 28 days again..you must also keep his area very clean as often EC is spread through urine
As so many rabbits carry or have been exposed to EC..bonding him, after treatment, is no more of a risk than bonding a lot of other rabbits who may be carrying it but not showing signs
 
I think it was stated on the thread that people taking these on would be advised to panacur:? shame that info wasn't passed on

you will be able to bond him but the risk of EC will stay..when he is bonded it would be advisable to treat him and his neew partner for the 28 days again..you must also keep his area very clean as often EC is spread through urine
As so many rabbits carry or have been exposed to EC..bonding him, after treatment, is no more of a risk than bonding a lot of other rabbits who may be carrying it but not showing signs

thankyou for your help and replies, RU is such a fantstic help.

i hope to bond him into my trio so i will do all 4 as soon as they are hopefully together. i'm just pleased he can still be eventually bonded.
i change the litter trays twice daily and they all use the trays so that should help.

thankyou again, it has put my mind at rest on a few things, i spent ages awake last night worrying about the wee lad. :love:
 
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