Please help, could this be adverse reaction to Panacur ??

Hi,

I posted a thread yesterday as we had found pinworms in Jacobs droppings. The vet prescribed Panacur yesterday - treatment for 9 days and we started it last night. He was fine last night and today but he had his second dose earlier this evening and I've just seen him kind of stagger across the floor as if he was going to lose his balance a bit, he's definitely acting rather abnormal and I'm rather worried about him again. He was not acting this way before the treatment - this has come on since I've started it! My other rabbit who we've been treating also as she's his bonded companion hasn't shown any bad affects.

Advice please or if anyone knows of adverse affects from this treatment that have been similar??

Many thanks,

Sue

Any side effects to Panacur that come on rapidly are usually gastrointestinal, not vestibular ('staggering' etc) Pinworm overload can occur when a Rabbit is unwell in some other way, so maybe a secondary symptom as opposed to the primary problem. The 'staggering' may indicate that his primary problem is related to his central nervous system , ie possibly EC related, or to a middle ear infection -Otitis Media

Is Jacob the Bunny with the adrenal tumour ? Sorry, things are not at all good for me atm and I struggle to keep up with what has been going on for RU Bunnies. If it is Jacob with the AT then very rarely some can be of a type that metastasises, as happened with one of my Rabbits (Brian) and he developed neurological symptoms when his brain became effected.

It may not be that at all with Jacob, it could be a far less serious issue, but it is important to get him back to the Vet today for re-assessment. Sorry if this post sounds a bit jumbled up and I hope that Jacob feels better soon xx

I know with horses, the die-off from some internal parasites can sometimes result in toxins and adverse reactions, especially with a really heavy worm load. I don't know if this would be the case with pinworms in rabbits though.

Panacur is in effect a type of poison, and though considered relatively safe for rabbits, there is always the chance of it causing a negative reaction.

Have you double checked to ensure correct dosing?

I agree with Jane that it could also be unrelated and may be symptoms of another illness, and that getting him back to the vet right away is absolutely necessary.

Sue&Smokes said:

Hi,

I posted a thread yesterday as we had found pinworms in Jacobs droppings. The vet prescribed Panacur yesterday - treatment for 9 days and we started it last night. He was fine last night and today but he had his second dose earlier this evening and I've just seen him kind of stagger across the floor as if he was going to lose his balance a bit, he's definitely acting rather abnormal and I'm rather worried about him again. He was not acting this way before the treatment - this has come on since I've started it! My other rabbit who we've been treating also as she's his bonded companion hasn't shown any bad affects.

Advice please or if anyone knows of adverse affects from this treatment that have been similar??

Many thanks,

Sue

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I have known rabbits to react this way to Panacur. It's part of the process where the infestation is being 'killed off' but the body cannot process the toxins. If that's what it is, then the side effects shouldn't last too much longer. Keep him comfortable and speak with your vet. However, I have found that vets have been at a loss to know what to do .......

Thank you very much for your replies!!

Hi Jane, Yes, it's Jacob who has the adrenal gland tumour, but he was actually doing well since being diagnosed with that and all hormonal symptoms are now under control, we think his tumour was benign and hadn't thought he might be having any related problems from that, although I'm aware his immune system might be more challenged...

Have obtained veterinary advice this morning to continue with the Panacur but to report back if I see any further similar reactions and we may need to do tests for E-Cuniculi also or possibly like you mentioned Jane, an Ear infection too. The vet said same that Panacur reactions would most likely be Liver, Bone Marrow related.

I have wondered also about the infestation being killed off and whether it was toxins affecting him though too! The reactions last night came on within 1 - 2 hours of being given the Panacur treatment. He is on the 18.75% Oral Paste and has 1 x graduation per day. He weighs around 2 kg.

Thanks for letting me know that other rabbits have had these reactions, I am obviously keep a very close eye on him and making him as comfortable as I can,

Sue x

How is his fluid intake? Could he require more fluids to help him to flush any toxins or by-products from medication from his body, especially if he has other medical issues/medications?

bunny momma said:

How is his fluid intake? Could he require more fluids to help him to flush any toxins or by-products from medication from his body, especially if he has other medical issues/medications?

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Hi,

His fluid intake had been okay, I'm not sure how much he drank over the weekend by himself when he started the Panacur treatment, but I did supplement a little bit and he's had some Fibreplex too. It's a good point though and maybe additional fluids should be advised when rabbits are receiving this treatment!!

I'm pleased to say I haven't seen any more reactions since and Jacob was much better last night after his third dose. I am therefore thinking on the evidence so far, that it seems most likely that it is a reaction to the infestation being 'killed off' as 'MightyMax' mentioned in the earlier post. I did make sure he had eaten a pile of veggies before I gave him his Panacur last night too, so maybe lining his stomach with food too might have helped a little. I didn't get any instructions from the vet to make sure it was given with food though.

A little warning from vets that a reaction like this could happen at the time of administering this medication though would also be nice as it is very alarming to see this behaviour and not understand what it is!! Very grateful therefore to have the help of this forum in addition to the vets!!!

Sue x

Sue&Smokes said:

Hi,

His fluid intake had been okay, I'm not sure how much he drank over the weekend by himself when he started the Panacur treatment, but I did supplement a little bit and he's had some Fibreplex too. It's a good point though and maybe additional fluids should be advised when rabbits are receiving this treatment!!

I'm pleased to say I haven't seen any more reactions since and Jacob was much better last night after his third dose. I am therefore thinking on the evidence so far, that it seems most likely that it is a reaction to the infestation being 'killed off' as 'MightyMax' mentioned in the earlier post. I did make sure he had eaten a pile of veggies before I gave him his Panacur last night too, so maybe lining his stomach with food too might have helped a little. I didn't get any instructions from the vet to make sure it was given with food though.

A little warning from vets that a reaction like this could happen at the time of administering this medication though would also be nice as it is very alarming to see this behaviour and not understand what it is!! Very grateful therefore to have the help of this forum in addition to the vets!!!

Sue x

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The thing is that what we as rabbit owners observe is 'merely' anecdotal and not scientifically studied. Vets denied there was ever any reaction to the VHD vaccine until so many owners reported the same issue with it.

I think your idea of lining the stomach with food sounds like a good idea.

sending lots of vibes for your boy, when you mentioned the staggering I thought maybe a chance of EC like jane said or any of the other, keep us updated

mini lop1 said:

sending lots of vibes for your boy, when you mentioned the staggering I thought maybe a chance of EC like jane said or any of the other, keep us updated

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Thank you so much, I am very aware of EC and the symptoms so of course, am keeping very close watch on my boy, I will definitely keep you updated but good news in that he is doing well at the moment and haven't seen anymore of the worrying behaviour!!

I did also remember seeing him trying to almost chase his tail, just prior to him having the bad reaction after the Panacur dosing and have since read that pinworms can cause lots of itching symptoms in that area, apparently in humans too. A couple of days before I realised he was suffering from pinworms, he had also over groomed a small area on his side near to his rear end! That was just before he got ill over-night with gas pain and liquidy type droppings, so I think that explains he was starting to feel really irritated by them!!

Yes, guess that is true with vets, makes forums like this very invaluable though!! I am continuing to make sure he has eaten well before I give him the Panacur!!

Many thanks again for all the replies!! x

I am glad he is doing much better. MightyMax is right about our observations not always being the same as studies. I think it is because we know our bunnies so well that we can pick up on changes in them that would not be noticed by a person who did not know their personality. I do not think they use the 'kiss test' that I could use with my late Black Velvet. When she was starting to get ill, she would stop kissing me. That is probably not a behavior they track in the drug studies.