Flystrike

I've always owned rabbits and never had one with fly strike so I only know basics about it.......
Working at a vets and selling rear guard has got me thinking though...:?

I didn't think rabbits really got fly strike (or there was only a minimal chance) if they had a good diet of quality hay and pellets with small amount of greens?? And accommodation is kept clean?

Is this correct?

So is rear guard necessary?

i was always of the opinion (and still am) that if your rabbit is mobile, healthy, a correct weight and eats a correct diet then the risk of flystrike is slim. BUT its still a risk and it only takes one silly bunny to sit in the litter tray and get a smelly bum and he could be a victim. i've never used rear-guard (or any prevention) before but i am this year purely because my buns don't love being handled and it takes a weight of my mind if i don't manage to check them every day.

i think if you can check them twice a day then there's no need for it but i like the added protection!

So many rabbits leave uneaten caecals, I see it stuck to peoples' hutch floors, so in their case it would be beneficial, a better diet would be better though but people don't get that. Aslo a rabbit can get fly-strike in other areas of their body if they have a wound for instance. The Vets have told me they see a lot of cases, so I suppose prevention is better than catching it, but good husbandry is even better. I have never used it and only had one case, which I caught in time, over the last 16 years.

elmoandfern said:

i was always of the opinion (and still am) that if your rabbit is mobile, healthy, a correct weight and eats a correct diet then the risk of flystrike is slim. BUT its still a risk and it only takes one silly bunny to sit in the litter tray and get a smelly bum and he could be a victim. i've never used rear-guard (or any prevention) before but i am this year purely because my buns don't love being handled and it takes a weight of my mind if i don't manage to check them every day.

i think if you can check them twice a day then there's no need for it but i like the added protection!

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This is spot on. I know of a case where a healthy rabbit became a regular victim to flystrike and eventually had to be pts. It was very sad As such I rearguard all my bunnies (indoors an doutdoors). Three of them have bum issues anyway and my belief is that prevention is better than the cure. It is also worth using natural anti fly methods around bunny housing too like fly paper, fly screens herbs such as lavender and lemongrass, citronella oil and so on.

tonibun said:

So many rabbits leave uneaten caecals, I see it stuck to peoples' hutch floors, so in their case it would be beneficial, a better diet would be better though but people don't get that. Aslo a rabbit can get fly-strike in other areas of their body if they have a wound for instance. The Vets have told me they see a lot of cases, so I suppose prevention is better than catching it, but good husbandry is even better. I have never used it and only had one case, which I caught in time, over the last 16 years.

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Yes, in Bailey's previous home, I believe he was housed with another male (both unneutered) and they got into a fight and the other rabbit attacked his genital area and he got flystrike. So whilst I don't think anyone here would encounter exactly the same situation, it's worth noting that wounds are very attractive to flies.

Wounds are a real problem as they also give off a specific smell which attracts the flies.

Over the years we have had 5 flystrike cases -

3 of these we caught at egg stage (one the fly had literally just landed!) - one was caught within a couple of hours and a couple had hatched, and one several had hatched - this latter one was despite us knowing the rabbit was a high risk, and having a sheet covering the indoor cage he was in, and checking every hour or so for flies in the room and picking him up every few hours. The maggots were in a crease between tail and body - which is actually in my experience where they usually are - on lower back area.

3 were on rabbits who had issues relating to urine/kidney failure/

1 was a very very elderly rabbit with an eye infection - who just sat still for too long - I saw the fly land and act strangely - and sure enough that was what it was doing!

1 was a rabbit with wounds - who could not be reargaurded due to wounds on skin.

We are in constant fear with Coltsfoot who dribbles all the time and has bad skin issues and wet skin and also cannot be reargaurded.

I wouldn't rearguard a normal healthy rabbit as a precaution. It's good when there is a reason the rabbit is at higher risk eg sticky bottom/urine issues, wounds, teeth issues that cause dribbling, elderly or disabled in a way that effects cleaning - that sort of thing.

Tamsin said:

I wouldn't rearguard a normal healthy rabbit as a precaution. It's good when there is a reason the rabbit is at higher risk eg sticky bottom/urine issues, wounds, teeth issues that cause dribbling, elderly or disabled in a way that effects cleaning - that sort of thing.

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why not? out of interest

My friend had a rabbit who was fit and healthy, had rearguard, and within three days had died.

I have always been extremely wary for this reason, and have never rear guarded.
It may have been a completely freak, isolated incident, but I am not taking any chances

elmoandfern said:

why not? out of interest

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I just don't think it's necessary The same as precautionary flea treatment isn't standard practice for rabbits.

Tamsin said:

I just don't think it's necessary The same as precautionary flea treatment isn't standard practice for rabbits.

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but fleas wouldn't kill your rabbit in 24hours so i just feel like flystrike prevention is more important...i only plan to treat in the summer months though so 2 treatments a year as i agree it would be a bit overkill all year long

I don't rearguard either. I feel its an unnecessary use of chemicals on healthy bunnies.

There are other more natural ways to protect against flys. (Fly nets, citronella bags, growing fly repellant plants etc)

I think it has its place but I also don't think it is helpful to bunnies with messy bum issues if they need regular washing as you effectively washing the rearguard off anyway.

Amy104 said:

I don't rearguard either. I feel its an unnecessary use of chemicals on healthy bunnies.

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I agree.

Any bunny is susceptible to flystrike but it's much more likely to happen to one that's unwell - if he/she has poor mobility/obesity making it difficult for the rabbit to keep itself clean or health problems resulting in incontinence or a mucky bum for example & so that's the only time I would consider using it (or as part of treatment for flystrike itself). In the latter cases Rearguard's usefulness is probably limited though because, like Amy just said, the bunny would most likely need to be bathed frequently and so the Rearguard would be washed off anyway. :?

I wouldn't use Rearguard as a replacement for twice daily checks, but as an added precaution. It's also important to bear in mind that it's not necessarily the undercarriage that's affected. I believe it quite often occurs on the back, just above the tail, but can also be anywhere on the body.

KarenM said:

I wouldn't use Rearguard as a replacement for twice daily checks, but as an added precaution. It's also important to bear in mind that it's not necessarily the undercarriage that's affected. I believe it quite often occurs on the back, just above the tail, but can also be anywhere on the body.

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our vet applied it on the tail and lower back as well as the rear underside. i certainly wouldn't use it as a replacement for checking them, but in some situations its not always possible - fern hates being handled and checking her is very stressful so this at least gives me peace of mind if i miss a check

I'm in a real dilemma about this - Rolo is known to have a mucky bum, he's otherwise happy, healthy and eating and despite changing his diet several times, I've had no luck in sorting out his issues.

Obviously, I keep a very close eye on him (he lives indoors with us) but I really don't know what to do about using Rearguard - I have a bottle from my vet but I've read the label and it does say that it could stop the rabbit eating for a day or two and if this is going to happen to any bun, then it'll be Rolo!

Has anyone had any nasty side effects using Rearguard? I would feel happier if he was protected as he really objects to me checking his bottom! Any advice would be much appreciated - thanks xx

Rolo's certainly the sort of case when it could be a benefit. I'd minimise your risks - do it first think on a week day morning (not Friday), that way you aren't out of hours in the unlikely event you do need a vet.

Also when you put it on, do it when you can hang out with him for an hour or so to stop him grooming, maybe before meal time to distract him with food. That way it's got time to dry out.

You want to cover his groin/inside leg area underneath, and also above/around his tail at the back.

Thanks guys it's good to hear different options :wave:

I'm still undecided as to what to do......:? Sylvie are Iris are not at all easy to catch (especially Iris) *sighs*:roll: