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Fly Eggs in Fur

Fifibutton

Fifibutton

Wise Old Thumper
Found them today, exactly like the classic description, little grains of rice :(

Nori is an old fat rabbit with a leaky gut and has been this way for years. He can't clean his bottom and likes to lie in poo so he is washed daily, he was dosed with rearguard three weeks ago and anti fly precautions such as netting and fly paper have always been in use. We have had rabbits 12 years and flystrike or eggs have never yet been a problem. So I don't know what to do. Naturally I have cleaned him and removed all the eggs, clipped some fur away and applied vinegar. The eggs were in a cluster in his tail, somewhat buried in the fur. There are no wounds and were no eggs around his anus or scent glands. I have also checked the other rabbits and they seem fine.

I assume that the next step would be the vet, if so what can the vet do to prevent it from happening again? Can he remove all the fur for example? Also should he see the vet tonight or is it safe to wait until tomorrow?
 
fly eggs hatch within 24 hours though if you have applied rearguard they shouldnt not hatch... its a judgement call really..... risk it or pay the emergency fee i would shave his area and try and get some weight off him :thumb:
 
Neve said:
fly eggs hatch within 24 hours though if you have applied rearguard they shouldnt not hatch... its a judgement call really..... risk it or pay the emergency fee i would shave his area and try and get some weight off him :thumb:
Click to expand...

He is 9 years old so I am not sure he is capable of losing weight now. He has always been a tubster and his food has been reduced massively. But he grazes in the garden and everything is in bloom just now. Thank you for the advice though, I did not know they could hatch in 24 hours. The emergency vet is rubbish tbh compared tot he day time one. I am not sure what to do though. I have removed all the fly eggs I found but its entirely feasible I missed one or two. He stresses easily as well during handling. I want to do what is best for him though. i will call the vet just now and ask for some advice first see what they say.
 
If you have put rearguard on but that area has not been washed then it would be OK. If it has been washed then it would not work now.

Eggs can hatch a lot quicker than 24 hours in the right conditions. I would say that if you have a spare rearguard (I always keep one in my first aid) then do him with that in areas that have been washed and keep checking him every hour. Maybe best to check with the vet you are OK to do that though if he has had some on him not so long ago.

When I took mine to the vet once (thought I had seen an egg I think), they just looked and said no, can't see anything take him home and keep checking.:roll: Never even offered rearguard!

ETA - can you get hold of a flea/nit comb from anywhere and go over his fur.

ETA - normally blue bottle or blow flies.
 
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If I were you I would check him again tonight in a couple of hours to see if any more have appeared. If not I don't think you need the vet tonight, I don't think there is anything they could do anyway :? I would probably take him tomorrow to get his fur shaved around his back end though :wave: they would more than likely be horrible blue-bottle type flies :(
Hope Nori is ok xxx
 
Thank you everyone, this is fab advice. I also called the vet and they said to wait as its not classed as an emergency.

I cleaned Nori today as I clean him very day so yes the rearguard will have been washed off but I will reapply it now. I do have a good comb which I used on him to find the rest of the eggs so will keep using that when I check him again. I think I will check him every couple of hours or so. I feel really paranoid now. I did some more googling and found the fly is called a green bottle, they are ugly big sods and all the flystrike pictures are making me sick :( I will do anything to prevent that from happening to Nori. I think shaving will definitely help but they will need to sedate him first, he wriggles a lot when held and he breathes so heavily because he panics and because he is overweight. If he remains stable tonight I will see the regular vet tomorrow.
 
Hopefully the comb will help get any eggs that may be hidden but they can be hard to see (also depending on bunny colour). Good luck.
 
An injection of Ivermectin is normally administered asap to kill off any burrowing maggots, but if the skin is intact you have probably managed to stop them hatching with the rear guard.

Damp fur, not just dirty fur, is very high risk, so around eyes and dribbly chins are a danger.

Make sure you've checked very very thoroughly to ensure now have hatched and broken the skin....the little ******* get in every nook and cranny!
 
Fifibutton said:
He is 9 years old so I am not sure he is capable of losing weight now. He has always been a tubster and his food has been reduced massively. But he grazes in the garden and everything is in bloom just now. Thank you for the advice though, I did not know they could hatch in 24 hours. The emergency vet is rubbish tbh compared tot he day time one. I am not sure what to do though. I have removed all the fly eggs I found but its entirely feasible I missed one or two. He stresses easily as well during handling. I want to do what is best for him though. i will call the vet just now and ask for some advice first see what they say.
Click to expand...

sadly i have the same problem with phoebe she is nine and tubby and has the same difficulties as yours and she had fly strike last year! and they hatched:shock::shock::shock:!!! luckily only one or two hatch and i managed to get her down to the vets in time! since then reduced pellets and lots of hay/grass and exercise has kept her messy bum at bay! hope your bunny is ok :thumb:
 
If he has trouble with his weight, I would maybe try cutting out his pellets and any kind of fruit or veg. Losing the weight and sorting out his tum is the only way to really prevent this from happening again. Obviously it all needs doing very gradually, so I'd ask your vet about putting him on a diet, they will be able to help. :thumb:
 
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