hind leg weakness, panacur and metacam questions

Hi there

Im a newbie to the site, having spent the last week trawling the internet for information finally came across these pages. My bunny fudge is approx 6.5 years + and just over a week ago started with some weakness in his bk legs, he falls over to the right and sometimes moves around by dragging his hind legs behind him. he is eating well and seems ok in himself. I took him to the vet and they said it was probably arthritis and gave me some metacam but wouldnt treat for ec. I decided to give him panacur myself just incase as i keep reading things on the internet that seem similar and all mention ec.

I have just finished his 10 days of metacam, if it is ec do i need to get him some more or will panacur alone be ok? also he seemed to be improving yesterday but tonight is all wobbly again, is this to be expected,can they have good and bad days? he is on day 10 of panacur or is it more likely to be just old age and arthritis?

any comments would be really appreciated as I love him to bits and hate to see him like this, if it is ec will it get any better?

thanks

panacur 's fine

Hi, Lots of vets disagree on this, but since its a parasite that causes EC panacur is fine, theres a better wormer thats aniseed tasting and a bottle is the full 28 day dosage - sorry the name eludes me! lapisol i think. Some vets do metacam some dont. as long as you keep up the wormer it will kill it off. Hope your bunny recovers soon

poppy'n'rose said:

Hi, Lots of vets disagree on this, but since its a parasite that causes EC panacur is fine, theres a better wormer thats aniseed tasting and a bottle is the full 28 day dosage - sorry the name eludes me! lapisol i think. Some vets do metacam some dont. as long as you keep up the wormer it will kill it off. Hope your bunny recovers soon

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Lapizole contains the same active ingredient as panacur and will work exact;y the same way - it is pure preference which you use.

Many people fnd panacur easier as it is a smaller doage.

Metacam is important a an anti-inflammatry - personally I would wish to continue it for as long as the bun is on panacur (28 days) but vets do differ in this. As yours is obviously an active EC case and the bun s still having issues I would ask for metacam to be continued.

Yes they do have good and bad days - and it can take several months for improvement.

Best wishes for you and yur rabbit.

Lapizole, thats the one - yes same result but tastes nicer for the bun (aniseed) and is easier to give as those wormer syringes are easy to get the quarter twists wrong. Metacam is an individual thing, there is no temperature with Ec and no inflammation except in the brain (where metacam doesnt reach) and so some vets dont agree with its use. EC is also pain free so no need for metacams painrelief - personally i asked for it as who knows exactly what a rabbit feels but then you also need to add zantac to protect the stomach. Sometimes it just depends on the rabbit and you know yours better than anyone.Sending lots of get well bunny vibes xx

poppy'n'rose said:

Lapizole, thats the one - yes same result but tastes nicer for the bun (aniseed) and is easier to give as those wormer syringes are easy to get the quarter twists wrong. Metacam is an individual thing, there is no temperature with Ec and no inflammation except in the brain (where metacam doesnt reach) and so some vets dont agree with its use. EC is also pain free so no need for metacams painrelief - personally i asked for it as who knows exactly what a rabbit feels but then you also need to add zantac to protect the stomach. Sometimes it just depends on the rabbit and you know yours better than anyone.Sending lots of get well bunny vibes xx

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I'm not sure about the statement that metacam doesn't reach the brain. Our very rabbit savvy vet who undoubtedly saved our girl bun's life when she had EC prescribed metacam to help with the inflammation in the brain. Why would it not 'reach the brain'?

Panacur can be bought at P@H in a bottle, 10% liquid and given by syringe. Much easier to medicate this way and works out more accurate and cheaper. As it is a general wormer it can be bought without a prescription. Metacam however is prescription only and I believe a must for EC treatment. It certainly helped my rabbit and a number of other buns who have had EC. It is my understanding that the metacam helps reduce the swelling / inflammation in the brain and it is this that causes so many of the EC symptoms such as hind leg weakness, headtilt etc.

Along with the panacur you should also remember to bleach out all cages / bedding areas etc. as the parasite spores can live outside the body for up to 28 / 30 days. A one part ordinary bleach to nine parts water left in situ for 30 seconds is enough to kill the EC spores. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water after. Buns can reinfect themselves by wee'ing on their hay (they wee out their spores) and then eating the hay. If you have any other buns they should be treated with panacur too. It is a 28 day dose to correspond to the life cycle of the spores not the usual 9 days as would be used for ordinary worming.

If you do use 10% panacur you will have to ensure you use the correct dose as it will obviously be less than for the 2.5% solution.

Is there anyway you could get a second opinion? A rabbit savvy vet is a must. Perhaps if you gave a general area of where you live, others here could recommend a rabbit savvy vet for you.

Good luck :wave:

Thank you for all the replies , the meta am did seem to be helping so going to call vets today, I'm based in Blackpool , I can't seem to fina any vet near me who is rabbit savvy so if anyone knows Of one it would be great , he means the world to me and just want him better
Jacqui