Panacur Question

O.k, so the Trio are now all on panacur due to Blue having possible EC.
They`re on the relatively new panacur rabbit. My vet told me to give them a 9 day course. I did question this with her as i know when kahlo had suspected EC last year he was on a 28 day course BUT she assured me that with `panacur rabbit` you only needed to treat for 9 days?

Now i`ve done some more researching & read other posts I`m getting concerned that 9 days isn`t correct?
My understanding from reading other info & posts on here is that even with `panacur rabbit` , the 9 day course is only for preventative treatment & a 28 day course should still be given when an active infection is suspected :?

Please can someone tell me if i`ve misunderstood or not?

Thanks in advance,
Su.x

cannonwoman said:

O.k, so the Trio are now all on panacur due to Blue having possible EC.
They`re on the relatively new panacur rabbit. My vet told me to give them a 9 day course. I did question this with her as i know when kahlo had suspected EC last year he was on a 28 day course BUT she assured me that with `panacur rabbit` you only needed to treat for 9 days?

Now i`ve done some more researching & read other posts I`m getting concerned that 9 days isn`t correct?
My understanding from reading other info & posts on here is that even with `panacur rabbit` , the 9 day course is only for preventative treatment & a 28 day course should still be given when an active infection is suspected :?

Please can someone tell me if i`ve misunderstood or not?

Thanks in advance,
Su.x

Click to expand...

9 day course is PREVENTATIVE-Panacur Rabbit is 18.75% Fenbendazole

When ACTIVE EC is suspected a minimum of 28 Day course of PANACUR (10% Fenbendazole) is required to address the life cycle of the EC Parasite and spores.

From the RWA Website :

A landmark study published in the Veterinary Record in April 2001(see reference)offered perhaps the first evidence that treatment of E cuniculi with fenbendazole (Panacur) in rabbits really does work - and has led to a more pro-active approach in treating this problem in rabbits. This study considered the use of fenbendazole (at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight daily for 28days) for preventing an experimental infection of E. cuniculi in rabbits. Fenbendazole given prior to exposure to the parasite successfully prevented infection, and this may be a way of controlling infection in colonies/groups of rabbits where some animals have the disease and others aren't yet infected.

The second part of the same paper looked at rabbits with naturally acquired E. cuniculi infection. Following treatment with fenbendazole, E. cuniculi parasites were no longer present (detectable). The authors of the paper went on to suggest that in order to improve the treatment of E. cuniculi in rabbits, the combination of fenbendazole and glucocorticoids (steroids) could be valuable and should be examined in a controlled study.

There's a catch, though. Although the parasite may be killed by drugs such as fenbendazole, the bunny may not actually get any better. This is because the brain inflammation associated with the parasite may have already caused irreversible damage. This is why steroid treatment has been suggested, in an effort to damp down this inflammatory response. Opponents point out that "damping down" the immune system with steroids could allow the underlying parasitic infection to get worse. Hence, it is probably safest to use steroids only in conjunction with fenbendazole and not as sole therapy, until more evidence is available.


Janex

Thankyou Jane,

I will be going armed to the vets with that information!

Su.x