Archie is ill again. E.C.?

[Moonstone]

Archie, has suspected E.C. again. He is a mini-lop and about to be nine years old. He first appeared to have it six months ago and he tested negative that time but false negatives are apparently more likely if they caught it from their mothers during or after birth (his Mum died of an "infection" when he was four weeks old).

He is on Panacur but getting worse. Spoke to vet today who said there were no more meds to try which I'm not sure is true. He is fairly new to being a vet.

Symptoms:

• Not so much a head tilt, as he turns his head to the right slowly then jerks it back to the front again, over and over again.
• Circling, again to the right
• Flickering eyes, from side to side
• A slightly weepy eye yesterday

He has a good appetite and when he's not doing the above seems like his healthy self.

Is there a vet who knows more about this I can consult? I live in Wiltshire.

Does anyone know a herbalist who works with rabbits?

I am panicing which isn't helping him!

 

[Zoobec]

I don’t have any experience of this so I can’t advise. Sending lots of vibes. The rwaf has a list of recommended vets https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/recommended-rabbit-friendly-vets/ hopefully someone can give advice and personal recommendations

 

[Shimmer]

He needs to be on an anti-inflammatory as well as Panacur (eg Metacam). That will reduce the neurological symptoms caused by the parasite. Panacur will reduce the overall parasite loading, but that won't reduce the symptoms on its own. You can also get routine treatments for the flickering eyes (nystagmus). With EC, often there are worsening symptoms before things get better, and it may need more than one 28 day cycle of Panacur. It can be a rollercoaster ride for a while so look at changes week by week, rather than day to day. If he's mobile, eating and toileting OK by himself or with a bit of support, I would just keep going with the treatment. Some rabbits start rolling and need to be confined until they are back on their feet again. Some may need additional feeding or regular bum baths for a while.

The parasite is passed in the urine, so its also important to maintain good hygiene to prevent reinfection. It is usually recommended to do a full clean and disinfect on days 21 and 28 of the treatment cycle. Bleach, steam or disinfectants such as Virkon S are all effective against EC. Anything that may be contaminated with urine (eg surfaces that are walked on or areas that may be sprayed with urine), bedding, litter trays, bowls, etc all need disinfecting.

 

[InspectorMorse]

Has the diagnosis been confirmed by PCR Blood testing ?

Has a middle ear infection been ruled out ?

Both conditions can cause the symptoms you describe.

If the Vet is working on a presumed diagnosis rather than one confirmed by diagnostics (PCR Blood Test, Skull X-ray/CT scan) then treatment needs to cover all bases

Ie Fenbendazole for a minimum of 28 days, antibiotics (preferably Depocillin by injection or Azithromycin) and a non steroidal anti-inflammatory (Meloxicam). Prochlorperazine or Meclizine can help if rolling due to dizziness becomes a big problem.

Treatment might need to be ongoing for several weeks. Symptoms can get worse initially with rolling and seizures. So Bunny needs to be kept in a contained, well padded safe environment when unsupervised. In general Bunny won’t want to move much anyway as doing so can cause extreme dizziness.

As for Rabbit Savvy Vets in Wiltshire

https://www.gwexotics.com/

 

[bunny momma]

Sending vibes. I had a bunny with similar symptoms and it was a middle ear infection, one possibility IM mentioned above.

 

[Moonstone]

Thank you so much for your comments, really helpful advice there. The good news is that he seems to have turned a corner, this afternoon he's not been circling or complusive head moving so much, and this evening I just sat with him for half-an-hour and didn't see it happen once, though apparently he did it again when I'd left the room.

I think what's helped is how Shinner made me think about urine again. I'd set up a new hay rack away from the litter tray but they were still eating hay in the litter tray. Yesterday I put straw in the litter tray instead and it gets the odd nibble but it's not being eaten. I will do a deep clean on day 21 and 28.

Inspector Morse, so far there have been no blood tests. He's had a through physical examination, including his ears, but that's it. It's a challenge getting blood out of him and I suspect it's one that the vet was hoping wouldn't be necessary. Because he's small and old I think I'll avoid a CT scan and sedation unless this really drags on or he starts going off his food

Frustratingly, he isn't, yet, on any other meds, the vet and emergancy vet have been so busy (there are a lot of dogs eating Easter eggs out there). I spoke to the usual vet on the phone yesterday but by the time I could reach him it was too late to take Archie in, though he said he was okay with prescribing ABs and metacam if he saw him again first. Took him to the out-of-hours service, a hospital in Bath, this morning and we had to wait for three hours in a triage system as chocolatey dogs kept having to go in ahead of us. The bunnies got very upset being stuck in the carrier so long with barking around and the vet we eventually saw said she wanted to give him four more days before doing blood tests or anymore prescribing unless he got worse in the meantime (ie went off his food). So I'm sort of regretting going though it was useful to get a second opinion on what might be causing the symptoms.

At the hospital they are normally good, but now they've outsourced out-of-hours care and I didn't recognise anyone. I'm going to remember the Swindon place Inspector Morse recommended, thank you. It's a long drive from here (big county) so I did want to try Bath first.

I have another appointment for him at the usual vet tomorrow at 9am so I think I'll go, even though the out-of-hours vet said I didn't need to and he does seem a bit better. I'm thinking I'd rather him be on ABs he doesn't need than to be looking back wishing I'd started him on them sooner. Also his head really does go off the right, turning not tilting.

 

[bunny momma]

I am glad to read he is improving. Sending vibes Archie continues to improve with addition of abx and medicam.