Rearguard

[Moonstone]

On a routine vet visit today, the nurse we saw - who seemed to know a lot about rabbits - said I should start using Rearguard on both my bunnies.

I've never used it before and reading the bottle about how toxic it is makes me nervous. How on earth do you stop them from licking it?

Archie, my mini lop, is nearly 9 years old and has pretty much always had a bit of a messy bottom. Millie, who is nearly 10, generally keeps hers clean. I'm really in two minds about this, particularly with Millie but also Archie gets quite affronted when humans do things to his body or restrain him. Even in a burrito, he's a handful. Gorgeously sweet and friendly in all other situations but prone to frenzies of clothes-biting if he feels he isn't getting his point across about wanting you to let go of him.

They don't really get flies in their shed, I keep it very shaded in summer and it's quite dark in there, I think flies are drawn to light. Neither of them have medical problems (except Archie is deaf), I'm told they are not overweight. When they leave cecotropes, I change their diets until they stop. This is how they're now at the point they only eat 10 pellets of Science Selective rabbit food a day each, divided into two doses. In hot weather I change the litter tray twice a day.

I don't like the thought of putting chemicals on them when they aren't sick. But I can't check on them every two hours every day and it must be a nightmare to lose them that way.

I really need someone to say there's a natural alternative that works just as well!!!!

 

[Bunny Buddy]

I share your feelings on it. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. I can't say if this is a right or wrong response but I too have the real dislike of putting something toxic on them.

 

[Shimmer]

Flies will be attracted to a 'messy bottom', no matter what. Flystrike is an awful condition, and even 2 hours between checks can be too long in Summer as eggs will hatch out in less time.

The best solution is to adjust the diet so that they remain clean and dry (ie more hay / grass) and check that there is no reason why they can't clean themselves, eg arthritis, which can be treated (eg Metacam). Any messy bottoms need to be cleaned and dried as soon as they are spotted.

Rearguard is expensive, difficult to apply, needs reapplying after bum baths (otherwise monthly?), and can severely reduce appetite in rabbits (which is not a good thing). If you really need to use something against flystrike, f10 germicidal wound spray with insecticide is cheaper, can be used daily if needed and can be applied to broken skin. You just apply a few squirts from a spray bottle, which is much easier than a bottle of Rearguard via the sponge applicator. It is toxic to cats, though, so make sure they have no access to common areas. I've used it on surgically open wounds after jaw abscess removal.

https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/f10-ger...zGLLhN0LDIqmED0bKlsn1H7fnk53BHjkaAgV-EALw_wcB

 

[Zoobec]

I share your feelings on it. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. I can't say if this is a right or wrong response but I too have the real dislike of putting something toxic on them.

I agree with this

Flies will be attracted to a 'messy bottom', no matter what. Flystrike is an awful condition, and even 2 hours between checks can be too long in Summer as eggs will hatch out in less time.

The best solution is to adjust the diet so that they remain clean and dry (ie more hay / grass) and check that there is no reason why they can't clean themselves, eg arthritis, which can be treated (eg Metacam). Any messy bottoms need to be cleaned and dried as soon as they are spotted.

Rearguard is expensive, difficult to apply, needs reapplying after bum baths (otherwise monthly?), and can severely reduce appetite in rabbits (which is not a good thing). If you really need to use something against flystrike, f10 germicidal wound spray with insecticide is cheaper, can be used daily if needed and can be applied to broken skin. You just apply a few squirts from a spray bottle, which is much easier than a bottle of Rearguard via the sponge applicator. It is toxic to cats, though, so make sure they have no access to common areas. I've used it on surgically open wounds after jaw abscess removal.

https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/f10-ger...zGLLhN0LDIqmED0bKlsn1H7fnk53BHjkaAgV-EALw_wcB

And this, too !

 

[Moonstone]

Okay, I'm not going to use it. My doubts have increased! Being restrained stresses him, and I can see that on top of a depressed appetite giving him stasis.

Another thought I had is I could put a fly screening material over the shed windows. Has anyone done that? Does it make it harder to properly ventilate and cool down sheds?

I can't help thinking that if Archie was almost certain to get flystrike he would have had it by now, he has struggled with self-cleaning since he was small (I took him on at six weeks, his mother died before he was weaned). Sometimes he is fine and other times not, I don't know why.

Cleaning him is tricky, I tend to have a look with a mirror while he's eating (so preoccupied) and just remove anything sticking with my fingers. I used to cut dirty fur out, last summer I accidentally cut him doing that which has put me off. I haven't tried bum baths so could give that a go, also the f10 germicidal wound spray sounds great if there are flies around in hot weather, or if I need to be away from him for a longer period, thanks for that, Shimmer.

 

[Shimmer]

You could try a wide tooth dog comb to groom around his back legs, or a damp cloth if it's sticky.
Flyscreen is a good idea, but you still need to be vigilant. It only takes one fly. You need to check him thoroughly so you can find eggs early on. They can be difficult to see, especially on pale fur.
The best option is to find out what's causing the messy bum. Often it's a certain type of food. Pellets can be cut right down, or removed entirely. Some pellets are known to cause more issues than others (Burgess, for example) in some rabbits. It's also worth looking at what veg he eats. Carrots, apple, cabbage & similar can cause issues in some rabbits, or if fed in excess. Hay / grass is a safe diet. Leafy forage is usually ok - herbs, bramble, dandelion, willow, apple leaves, etc. There's a useful booklet which helps to identify what's ok:

https://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/foraging-for-rabbits-by-twigs-way/

 

[Moonstone]

It is really hard to see the eggs, they are so small. I once swotted a kitchen fly on our kitchen floor, I went to get something to wipe it up and when I bent down again, I could see little maggots crawling away from its body, they were really tiny. It was disgusting but the rabbits were outdoors by then so yucky rather than scary.

Millie gets a little piece of fruit a few times a week but Archie doesn't, he has never liked it. They've never been given carrots and no longer have cabbage or kale, anything like that. Some leaves lead to abandoned caecotrophs (I can never spell that word), coriander especially, they don't get that anymore. I think I will look at cutting down pellets again in the summer, they have Science Selective ones. I ordered the booklet you suggested, I planted a lot of food for them last year as well so I will experiment a bit. Thanks.