question about syphillis

(and i know ive prob spelt syphillis wrong! i always do!)

my question is about boo, the rabbit most of you know im getting. she had syphillis, was treated and recovered and has since been fine. i dont know a lot first hand about the disease except what little research ive found online. (i'll mention a vet at work had been treating another staff members rabbit for what seemed like yonks, i took one look, said thats syphillis, this is how you treat it. he said 'can you give me some sort of information on why you think this?' i gave him loads of bumph and then he had to come back to me rather embarrished and admit i was prob right! thats the only time ive seen it in person and the only time the vet has seen in in 15 years of being qualified!)
anyway, back to the topic...
i know the disease is spread through sexual contact/mating/breeding and born into litters from mother carriers. i know buns who've had it, it can reoccur during times of srtess. i have intentions to bond boo, obviously with bonding comes lots of humping! will this kind of contact with my male make him open to getting the disease? i had intentions to spey asap when she arrives, should i wait to see if the stress of the long travel sets it off in her again? i obviously want to bond boo but im not too keen on knowingly infecting my male, if this is the case? i am greatly looking forward to boo's imeneant arrival and this doesnt put me off giving her the best home i can provide for her, i just want to do whats best all round for all the buns!
could you guys offer a bit of suggestion?

as far as I am aware, once it has been active in a person (so I assume bunny too) it never completly goes away, so I think any humping might put other bun at risk potentially...........let me just add that at work even if a mother has been treated we always give the baby antibiotics, which is where my experience is..obviously anyone who knows about bunny syphillis may know more about it....not sure how well the info tranlates :?

Ive never been totaly convinced it can be cured completely. But when i had one of my own rabbits with it my vet contacted another top vet in london that was doing studys on it and he stated thats it can be cured and the affected rabbit could go back into a breeding program. I never did use her for breedind again though. [ it was one of my show rabbits by the way]. If the buck you have has been done for a while then he shouldnt run the risk anyway because although they try to mate he carnt. so he wouldnt enter her to become infected. I must say the doe i was talking about never showed any more signs of it. val

I had a Buck with Treponematosis (rabbit syphillis). His symptoms resolved with a course of 2x a week injections of a long acting penicillin BUT he had two more flare-ups in his lifetime. But he was a weak bun with congenital heart disease so I guess more prone to 'flare-ups' :? :? He lived with his brother who has NEVER shown any symptoms .....although he is now fading away with the same congenital heart disease
I am not sure but is it only contagious if 'active'...ie lesions are visible on the buns 'bits' nose/mouth...... :? :? Janex

Might be worth you giving Tracy at the rugby rescue a shout as I know she has had rabbits in with this disease and she has had the vet treated

Yes - Tracy is the lady to talk to. My Harmony was one of these buns treated for syphillis whilst still with Tracy. She was treated with penicillin and has had no flare ups since I have had her. She is successfully bonded with Honey and Azlan without problem.

I just realised that I have written that Tracy has had her vet treated for syphillis rofl :lol: :lol: my mistake, she had the buns treated :lol: :lol:

I had to laugh, between Julie and I we sound like Tracy runs a VD clinic :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Denny said:

I just realised that I have written that Tracy has had her vet treated for syphillis rofl :lol: :lol: my mistake, she had the buns treated :lol: :lol:

I had to laugh, between Julie and I we sound like Tracy runs a VD clinic :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Click to expand...

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Jane x

My rabbit had syphillis when we got her, though we were told by the pet shop that the lesion on her mouth was a skin tag :shock:

She had the lesions removed and sent for analising at the lab and she was treated with a course of penicillin. Unfortunately, the lesions seem to reoccur every couple of months and she has to have another course of penicillin.

In my rabbits case, it seems that the penicillin acts upon the actual lesions and clears these up, but the underlying disease seems to remain.

I'm worried that it could be passed on to my other bunny so keep them alone. Wouldn't like to take the risk myself.

Kate

hi vicki!

i dont know if the treatment choice makes any difference to the likelyhood of it recurring (my vet said it wont, but then much as i love them my vets are not bunny specialists) the treatment was .3ml (i think, i can ask the vets if you want) of long acting penicillin per week for 3 weeks. the 1st inj was intramuscular the other 2 were sub cut as the vets allowed me to do it myself and prepared the doses in syringes for me.
her last inj was before christmas and so far no signs at all of it coming back.
i thought perhaps this extra info may help others who know more about it, i have been told elsewhere that 1 inj of the long acting pen is enough to clear it, but i dont agree and am glad i gave the whole course.

ooh i meant to add, if there is anything else i should give her to prevent a recurrence let me know and i will get it done before she leaves for her trip!