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Another poorly bun - Harley has head tilt

suzibunbun

Mama Doe
We lost sweet Izzy on Thursday night to possible EC she was fine the day before - now Harley is poorly today - they do not live together but in the hutch and run next door - they don't mix - Harley appears to have a slight head tilt, he is wobbly on his legs and toppled over earlier - i have put him in a hutch in my conservatory on his own to keep an eye on him - he is eating and drinking when I feed him - should i give him panacur?
 
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Yep I would straight away an get him to a vet ASAP , when my bunny had EC last march I had to give all my bunnys panacur straight away I hope he's ok :love:
 
I'm so sorry to hear about dear Izzy.:cry::cry:

You need to get Harley to a vet asap. Time is of the essence. Best of luck.

Vibes for Harley. xxxxxx
 
I would get him to a Vet today. He no doubt needs more than just Panacur, especially an anti-inflammatory as it is vital that inflammation within the central nervous system is controlled. This is true for both EC and middle ear disease. Antibiotic cover is also usually advised.

Sending vibes for Harley.
 
If you do have some Panacur, you can give him some as it wont hurt. Make sure you clean the end first. If it isn't EC then Panacur won't do him any harm. This is what my vet advised me to do as Amber developed a slight headtilt on a Sunday evening (but she was already on metacam) .

He does need to see a vet asap though obviously
 
I will be truthful and say I haven't taken Harley to the vets as yet - he has been pottering round in the living room - he is a little slower but definitely getting about - he has not fallen over again - he is eating and drinking - has weed on my carpet - has passed only caecotrophes this afternoon. I have just taken him back out to see his 2 pals - Bramble is giving him a massive head groom and Harley has been up and down the hutch stairs without falling. I would be happier for him to see a vet who I know and trust rather than just anyone (it's not about the cost of emergency vets but that doesn't help) they open at 8.30am. Of course it goes without saying that if he takes a turn for the worse I will be contacting the emergency vets. I've sought the advice of several other bunny pals and RU members who have given me support and advice. Harley has been given Panacur.
 
Another check on Harley - he is in the middle of a massive pile of hay chomping away with his 2 pals - he seems quite happy and perky right now
 
It is a fast acting horrible disease, we caught lovely malteser just in time. In just a few hours he was paralised. It was a lot of round the clock care to get him well and trips to leigh to get the accupuncture to help him walk again. You've seen his brain damage.
The other buns are at risk, they all live so close and the urine spores willbeasily get around all of them. Animed is a good stockist for panacur, cheapest I found. Malt has treatment every 3 months, mr snowdrop every 6 as they lived together when malt got sick, poppy will be having 6 monthly doses too.
If you can get to a vet do it adap. The parasite is fast acting and the sooner you can stop the brain swelling the better chance for survival and recovery. Vibes for Harley xx
 
Oh gosh! I have been reading up on this all afternoon and never found anything that mentioned urine spores! I have been wondering about this though! Where did you hear or read this as I'd like to find out more. Just going to see Harley now :(:(
 
I don't recall. I read so much about it. It may have been the vet? Both got panacur as soon as we took malt. Its the only mrans of tranmission as far as I recall, mitvis why cleaning out hutches and toilet trays is vital. When buns are to meet new buns they should have a course too. He may need a heat pad, malt was as cold as ice when we found him and had tonput the carrier on a hot water bottle for the first few days as he couldn't keep his temperature xx
 
Oh gosh! I have been reading up on this all afternoon and never found anything that mentioned urine spores! I have been wondering about this though! Where did you hear or read this as I'd like to find out more. Just going to see Harley now :(:(

It's in one of the links I posted earlier

Transmission

Ingestion: the spores are shed in urine and are infective by ingestion of contaminated water or food. (B600.16.w16, B601.11.w11, B602.20.w20, B603.4.w4, B604.5.w5, B614.10.w10, J29.5.w1)
Inhalation: spores may also be inhaled. (B600.16.w16, B601.11.w11, B602.20.w20, B603.4.w4)
Young rabbits may be infected by their dam within the first few days of life. (B600.16.w16)
Maternal transfer of immunity appears to occur in newborn rabbits. (B600.16.w16)
Maternal antibodies subside when the young rabbit is around four weeks old. (B604.5.w5)
The major exchange between the doe and her young occurs between the fourth and sixth weeks of life. Sero-conversion of the young rabbits occurs during the seventh and ninth weeks of life. (B604.5.w5)
Transplacental transmission also occurs. (B601.11.w11)
Transplacental transmission, with the organism entering the lens during development of the eye in utero is thought to be responsible for cases of ocular encephalitozoonosis. (B600.11.w11, B601.12.w12)
Most rabbits are exposed to this disease in utero or at birth. (B609.2.w2)
Endo- or ectoparasites may act as transport/vector hosts. (B603.4.w4, B614.10.w10)
Rabbits that are showing clinical signs of this disease are no longer shedding spores as the spores are only shed for three weeks after infection. (B609.2.w2)
 
Infection occurs when a rabbit ingests spores in food or water that have been contaminated with infected urine. (B600.16.w16, B602.20.w20, B609.2.w2, J15.28.w1)
Spores may also be inhaled. (B600.16.w16, B601.11.w11, B602.20.w20, B603.4.w4)

Thanks Jane - I did read the articles but got overwhelmed with the technical stuff and missed this :oops::oops:

Harley is fine at present - still munching hay with Bramble - vets first thing!
 
Encephalitozoon Cuniculi Facts Review

E. cuniculi are shed only in the urine.
Infectious period lasts only a few days to a few weeks.
The infected animal is not contagious after the E. cuniculi leave the kidneys.
E. cuniculi are carried in the blood to other parts of the body, particularly neural tissue.
Spores from infected urine can remain in the environment for a month.

Something to note here, if you have an infected rabbit who lives with other rabbits, is that most certainly by the time you see the outward signs of clinical disease, it is well past any contagious stage. The parasites are no longer in the kidneys. However, the spores that have been shed in the urine can remain in the environment for another month. Other rabbits can pick up spores from the environment for several weeks after the infected rabbit has stopped shedding. And since many other animal species can carry and shed these parasites, a rabbit who runs on the ground outdoors is more likely to pick them up.
 
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