EC rabbit owners

I thought it might be nice to have a thread for support and advise on caring for rabbits with EC.

My 2 are being treated for EC (Imogen is underweight and has an enlarged liver, Sebastian is being treated as procaution) but thankfully don't have head tilts or anything like that. I'm finding the idea of having to clean so thoroughly quite daunting, and the fact I need to keep their food and water from from contamination. I'm considering water bottles as then there is no risk of poos/wee ending up in the bowl but I'm not sure how to keep they hay out of the litter tray as they pull it out of the rack and on to the floor :roll::lol:

I don't have any advice but hope your little ones get well soon. xx

You wont really stop them pulling it into their litter tray. I just cleaned the trays more regularly to help minimise the risk of recontamination. Also I believe the spores are only shed on days 21 and 28, that is why extra cleaning with bleach is needed on those days.

Good idea.
Truffle is through it now, but I was dreading the cleaning as they are free-range house rabbits!
I ended up confining them to a smaller space, and then starting cleaning on day 21, and carrying on through to day 28 - it took me an entire week!

Gypsy had it bad, head tilt, rolling, weight loss, incontinence everything

Thankfully she is OK now, it was over a year ago and she is the picture of health now

I do worry about it returning. I know a bun can never be " cured," it will always be part of them. I just hope it stays inactive.

the cleaning was a nightmare! I steamed their carpet I used pet verkon, I threw away the dustpan, brush, old litter trays toys and vet beds. I steamed the carpet within an inch of it's life and still ended up ripping it up and putting vinyl down and new vet beds. I still waste so much hay as I'm worried that it will be weed and pooped on. I don't put it in the litter tray anymore, I try and keep everything as far away from the wee as possible, even though the buns have their own ideas :roll:

My Buttercup had EC and headtilt 2 or 3 years ago - can't remember Once I learnt about the cycle of EC I bleached everything I could one part bleach / nine parts water and I actually still do all their cages / floor area and trays etc with this every three weeks at least and we have 10 of our own indoor buns and an extra 7 here at present though two possibly three or four will be re-homed eventually.

What you need to remember is that if you have panacured (or equivalent) for the 28 days and bleached as required then you *should* have eradicated the EC spores at that time. By keeping up the bleach regime every three weeks at the least, you *should* also limit the cycle from re-occurring. You can't bleach clean everything but remember as the spores are passed through urine and carried on those furry feet etc we should aim to bleach clean as much as we can. One thing that is often overlooked is the dust pan and brush! I also panacur all buns every 6-8 months or so for 28 days too. Some people here disagree with this but this is on the advice of a very rabbit savvy vet. Having experienced the heartache of EC and seeing the devastation it causes to buns I try to do all I can but admit I may be a little paranoid

Just to say, Buttercup has made a full recovery and is a happy healthy bun today although I will never take this for granted and appreciate that EC can re-occur. I'll deal with that as and when!

Good luck all EC buns and their guardians! :wave:

Sally, one of my house rabbits, has head tilt and is very disorientated. As well as the initial steroid, baytril and gut stimulant injections she is on 1 ml baytril and .3 ml panacur (liquid variety) per day. Does this sound right?

tonibun said:

Sally, one of my house rabbits, has head tilt and is very disorientated. As well as the initial steroid, baytril and gut stimulant injections she is on 1 ml baytril and .3 ml panacur (liquid variety) per day. Does this sound right?

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Only other thing we have is metacam for Rory. We're about 3 weeks in from rolling and terrible head tilt, but he is just about finding his feet again now, tilt is still awful but I thing progress is now being made so hang on in there.

Hope everyones bunnies are doing ok. Evil thing EC is :evil:

I don't think you can give metacam if bun has already had a steriod? Think it can damage the kidneys.

my pair are only on 0.25ml panacur solution, nothing else should they be? No rolling or anything here and they don't appear to be in pain or anything.

I bleach clean anyway so not a problem keeping up, I've been spraying diluted bleach and then steam cleaning. Thrown away their toys that couldn't be cleaned poor bunnies!

Imogen has lost weight again, she was maintaining at about 1.23kg but has slipped down to 1.18 (i think)

My bun had suspected EC and made a full recovery. I'd just like to say to just hang in there with the meds, feeding and care and there is a great chance of bun being fine.

glad to hear your bun is well

Definitely would like to add that although EC is horrible it *can* be recovered from. My Fifi was given a matter of weeks to live having lost all co-ordination, 90 degree head tilt and even loss of hind limb mobility - she is now almost completely back to normal. Don't lose hope, don't be afraid to ask questions (here or at the vet). Good luck to all those going through it at present xxx

Good luck to all your bunnies. I hope they make a full recovery.

I agree with the above statemeny it does seem like they may never recover when it first happens,Jazz had head tilt and severe rolling,he is still not completely better 3 months on but he is back on his feet and running round he is still rolling and does still have a tilt but i am hoping with time this will completley dissapear.Fingers crossed for all buns x

Malteser had ec a year ago. He was limp and could only move his head when we found him. I was going to get the vet to pts but OH asked if we could wait another 24hrs. He pulled through. Sleepless nights with 2 hourly feeds and water were tough but woth it.
Eventually got a great rabbit savvy vet , thanks to the guys here. Malteser then got the right meds: panacur, baytril and metacam. He was trying to walk by then but balance was shot so we had a course of acupuncture and before long he was running, jumping, you name it. We still love to just sit and listen to him munching or the noise of him running up and down behind the sofa! He had a mites after, as a result of being run down, then his fur cycle went off and he went bald in places but finally his coat looks great and he is in good health. Has a bit of neurological damage but nothing hehasn't learned to adapt to.
It seems cruel, and harsh at times ; Malteser lived propped up in a fishtank for a while! But you can get through it. I fought because he fought!
Now I give lapizole for 9 days every 3 months. I'm terrified of finding him limp again! The other buns get 6 monthly treatment too, its so simple to prevent and I never want any of them to go through that EVER. I feel for all who are going through this, it is such a scary time and feels never ending with vet trips and constant care. Good luck ~vibes~

Hi guys

My Vet thinks my bunny Charlie has E.C he had blood tests taken this morning that I will get back on Thurs or Friday. He has bad head tilt and can't walk straight and sometimes falls over. He has been given a steroid injection yesterday and an antibiotic injection today. I have been given panacur to give at home and 5ml of baytrill I have to give him 0.4 ml a day. He is eating and drinking though.

He lives with his bonded partner Bella but I haven't been told to treat her for anything is this right?

Also my vet hasn't said anything about the bleach cleaning that you are talking about, so what do I do?

Is day 23 and 28 days of using panacur?

Any advice would be sooo much appreciated. It's so hard to see him like this :-(

Days 21 and 28 for the 10% bleach clean. Personally I've always treated the bonded partner with a course of panacur aswell.

Also he has stopped eating his cecotropes

Some bunnies wont when they are on antibiotics or meds as they smell different. Its sensible to keep any eye on it though and mention it to your vet at your next visit.

Also if he's tilted he may not be able to balance to get them himself. Sounds gross but have you tried offering them to him yourself?