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Advice ? Ear mites, pasteurella and E Cuniculi

sarahbl

New Kit
Hi everybody, I have never posted on here before but the time has now come

On Saturday I rescued two of the most friendly buns I have ever met from a lady who was keeping them in awful conditions. She assured me that they were healthy and had no previous medical problems (lies!). Alarm bells should have been ringing when I saw that they were being kept inside overnight in a completely bare 2 tier cage that was full of faeces and urine. During the day they were being put outside in a pen with no shelter (they have very thin inside coats). They had mouldy vegetables and no sign of hay anywhere. I just wanted to get them out of that situation :(

When I took them home their health problems became pretty obvious. They both have ear mites. They both sneeze, the boy has a runny nose and I have noticed him losing his balance when cleaning himself a few times. I must say that despite these, they are generally very well. Lots of energy and a very big appetite

I took them to the vets to get fully checked out. The vet has confirmed ear mites and suspects clinical pasteurella in them both- either that or ECuniculi … poor chaps :(

I have started them on 28 days of Panacur, will be treating them for the ear mites with either the injections or the vet recommended

The vet has said that with the Panacur, treating the mites, an improvement in diet and lots of love and attention we might see an improvement in their other symptoms. In terms of the pasteurella he has suggested waiting for the other things to be treated and we will probably see an improvement in their other symptoms. Unfortunately I am not in a great financial situation with all of these other treatments…

Just wondering if any of you have any advice? I have (luckily) never encountered any of these illnesses before. Need to nurse them back to health and get their little immune systems bouncing back!

Thanks
 
Hi Sarah:wave: Welcome to RU.

How lovely that you rescued these buns - it certainly seems like they were in dire need. And bless them for being so friendly despite such a horrible start in life.

I'm inclined to agree with your vet that with the treatment they have received / are receiving they are likely to improve. Not to mention escaping those horrible conditions. EC & mites normally occur when rabbits are physically or psychologically low (they can be sensitive souls).

Maybe you could try propping their immune systems up with a little echinacea. Will they be indoor or outdoor bunnies?
 
an afterthought - did their teeth look ok when the vet checked them?. I'd advise being vigilant about how much hay they eat as if they are reluctant it could signify dental issues from their previous bad diet. Hopefully not but you never know
 
Hi! Its so nice to see you rescued those little bunnies.

I just rescued a bunny who has some issues from the rspca. Luckily vet bills on rabbits are much cheaper than larger animals but he's ever so happy.

Mine has mites all over his body, can't remember the name of them but they are reasonably inexpensive to treat. I can't offer much advice on the mites yours have or some of the other things you mentioned.

In terms of the sneezing, my boy sneezes loads and it because he has blocked and damaged tear ducts. The vet said his nose is really dry and probably irritating him. Look out for any runny eyes as this is linked to tooth and nose dryness.
Other reasons for sneezing could be dusty hay.

I would definitely get their teeth checked. My rabbit has had his out because the issues went untreated for some time and now it's given him a whole load of other problems. I doubt the previous owner would have taken them to the vet to check these things so it's worth doing.

Sorry can't offer much advice but nice to see that you took them on. :)

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
Hi everybody, I have never posted on here before but the time has now come

On Saturday I rescued two of the most friendly buns I have ever met from a lady who was keeping them in awful conditions. She assured me that they were healthy and had no previous medical problems (lies!). Alarm bells should have been ringing when I saw that they were being kept inside overnight in a completely bare 2 tier cage that was full of faeces and urine. During the day they were being put outside in a pen with no shelter (they have very thin inside coats). They had mouldy vegetables and no sign of hay anywhere. I just wanted to get them out of that situation :(

When I took them home their health problems became pretty obvious. They both have ear mites. They both sneeze, the boy has a runny nose and I have noticed him losing his balance when cleaning himself a few times. I must say that despite these, they are generally very well. Lots of energy and a very big appetite

I took them to the vets to get fully checked out. The vet has confirmed ear mites and suspects clinical pasteurella in them both- either that or ECuniculi … poor chaps :(

I have started them on 28 days of Panacur, will be treating them for the ear mites with either the injections or the vet recommended

The vet has said that with the Panacur, treating the mites, an improvement in diet and lots of love and attention we might see an improvement in their other symptoms. In terms of the pasteurella he has suggested waiting for the other things to be treated and we will probably see an improvement in their other symptoms. Unfortunately I am not in a great financial situation with all of these other treatments…

Just wondering if any of you have any advice? I have (luckily) never encountered any of these illnesses before. Need to nurse them back to health and get their little immune systems bouncing back!

Thanks

Welcome to the Forum :wave:

Are both the rabbits neutered/spayed? Any vaccinations at all? Not that at the moment they are well enough to undergo either of these, but I was thinking that if your finances won't stretch to these essentials, can you think of approaching the P.D.S.A.? I have a friend who uses them a lot and finds them excellent with her rabbits.

So your vet has decided to hold off giving antibiotics for the time being? I can see the logic there, and hopefully their overall health can improve in order for them to make a difference. But if the pasturella (or whatever it turns out to be) doesn't clear up within a few weeks you will certainly have to get treatment for it. I'm sorry, but keeping rabbits is a very expensive business!

Did the vet comment on the fact that your little boy loses his balance? If the vet suspects E.C. then normally Metacam is given concurrently. This is an anti inflammatory to deal with any possible swellings or inflammation caused by the E.C. parasite. E.C. as you know can cause neurological damage (which may relate to your boy's balance issues?). Metacam attempts to alleviate that damage.

The other thing with giving Panacur, please remember to disinfect on days 21 and 28 of treatment. You can bleach and rinse out litter trays, and steam clean other areas that can't be disinfected. This is to make sure you kill the life cycle of the parasite.

I wish you good luck with your two lovely rabbits, and bless you for taking them on and giving them a life worth living :)
 
Thank you everybody!

Come to think of it, the vet didn't check their teeth. I think we both forgot with everything else he was checking and the tonne of information he was giving. They certainly don't object to eating hay or anything else for that matter, but I will make sure this gets checked at vets round two

I have been giving them some vitamin drops in the water, but i will definitely get some echinacea as well- thanks!

Yes, they have both been neutered and vaccinated.

The vet said it was difficult to say about the balance issue if he is otherwise well. Its just a matter of keeping an eye on it. I've them both for just under a week now and I have only noticed it a few times. I am keeping them inside so i can keep a good eye on the both of them.

Thanks for all your help everybody
 
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