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Lapizole vs Panacur

Bobbin had his first does of Lapizole on carrot last night, thankfully he ate it all like a very good boy! :shock: :D

The Lapizole leaflet I have says nothing about subsequent yearly or 6 monthly courses. All it says is to give a rabbit the 28 days course once and then again before meeting or breeding with other rabbits.

I believe it really is only a one off treatment unless they mix with other rabbits at which point all buns in question should complete the 28 day course.

I think I will be writing to the manufacture though just to be sure ;)

The Panacur leaflet says they recommend 2-4 9 day courses a year. I'm unsure how Lapizole only needs one 28 day course and Panacur needs to be repeated if the active ingredient in both is the same :?
 
Purely because no-one can actually agree on whether regular courses of the active ingredient are beneficial - Panacur and Lapizole are the same, honestly.
 
Both product leaflets say that the dosage is 20 mg per kg of bodyweight, and the active ingredient is exactly the same.

When I first mentioned Panacur Rabbit to my vet (a year ago now, before the bunnies were even diagnosed with EC), he said Panacur Rabbit was being marketed as something completely different (ie a wormer) to what it was really for (ie treatment for EC). His view was that it was a case of canny marketing. Lapizole doesn't appear to be being marketed in the same way.
 
Both product leaflets say that the dosage is 20 mg per kg of bodyweight, and the active ingredient is exactly the same.

When I first mentioned Panacur Rabbit to my vet (a year ago now, before the bunnies were even diagnosed with EC), he said Panacur Rabbit was being marketed as something completely different (ie a wormer) to what it was really for (ie treatment for EC). His view was that it was a case of canny marketing. Lapizole doesn't appear to be being marketed in the same way.

Panacur is a wormer as well, its used for treating pinworms (which I've had to do once) so I guess thats why its initially marketed as a wormer, plus I think 'most' people are familiar with worming cats and dogs.
 
Heres a reply one of my customers sent me from a vet here in Sheffield.
Hi Molly
I suspect the owner of the boarding kennel is referring to the risk of a parasite called E.Cuniculi. It is present in approximately 50% of domestic (not wild) rabbits. It is a small protozoan parasite that is typically spread from mum to babies or via urine- such as rabbits mixing on the same area of grass or run- eating grass that could have previously had urine on it from an infected rabbit.
The only way to effectively treat or prevent E.Cuniculi is a 28 day course of an oral aniseed flavoured liquid called Lapizole. It only needs to ever be done once unless your rabbit is due to mix with new rabbits at any stage again in the future- in which case it should be done each time.
A bottle of lapizole is around £19 and has sufficient in it to treat a 3kg rabbit for the full course. Its easy to give- they love the taste.
My recommendation is to do this treatment course when your bunny gets home from the kennels and then you can be certain that even if she did pick it up, she wouldn't develop any disease and would be cleared of the parasite. Of course, she may be the one taking the parasite in to the kennels as she may have already have it in her system from her mum. Symptoms may never appear but they can include head tilt, kidney failure, bladder infections, incontinence, weakness and paralysis. Treatment once they have symptoms often is too late.
Let us know if you would like some further info or to order a bottle of lapizole.
Kind regards
Caroline Munroe

Caroline Munroe
Millhouses Vets4Pets Ltd
964 Abbeydale Road
Sheffield
S7 2QF

0114 236 4070(T)
0114 236 9040(F)

you can buy online cheaper!!! Thats what i do for my rabbits
 
Heres a reply one of my customers sent me from a vet here in Sheffield.
Hi Molly
I suspect the owner of the boarding kennel is referring to the risk of a parasite called E.Cuniculi. It is present in approximately 50% of domestic (not wild) rabbits. It is a small protozoan parasite that is typically spread from mum to babies or via urine- such as rabbits mixing on the same area of grass or run- eating grass that could have previously had urine on it from an infected rabbit.
The only way to effectively treat or prevent E.Cuniculi is a 28 day course of an oral aniseed flavoured liquid called Lapizole. It only needs to ever be done once unless your rabbit is due to mix with new rabbits at any stage again in the future- in which case it should be done each time.
A bottle of lapizole is around £19 and has sufficient in it to treat a 3kg rabbit for the full course. Its easy to give- they love the taste.
My recommendation is to do this treatment course when your bunny gets home from the kennels and then you can be certain that even if she did pick it up, she wouldn't develop any disease and would be cleared of the parasite. Of course, she may be the one taking the parasite in to the kennels as she may have already have it in her system from her mum. Symptoms may never appear but they can include head tilt, kidney failure, bladder infections, incontinence, weakness and paralysis. Treatment once they have symptoms often is too late.
Let us know if you would like some further info or to order a bottle of lapizole.
Kind regards
Caroline Munroe

Caroline Munroe
Millhouses Vets4Pets Ltd
964 Abbeydale Road
Sheffield
S7 2QF

0114 236 4070(T)
0114 236 9040(F)

you can buy online cheaper!!! Thats what i do for my rabbits

that's interesting. i panacurred my little monster for the first time a month ago for 9 days. i like the idea of a one off 28 day treatment. i wonder if i would be able to do it when the next course of panacur is due? so i do 28 days of lapizole instead of 9 of panacur...
 
Im getting quite incensed by this thread actually.

I cannot make this any clearer LAPIZOLE and PANACUR RABBIT are essentially the same thing with the same concentration of active ingrediant. Only the additives are different and they have no effect at all on EC.

28 days is NOT a long enough course for Panacur incase of EC....the manufacturers will confirm this. I see no reason why 28 days would therefor be sufficient in Lapizole.

The two drugs have been marketed differently....Panacur have cornered the market as a traditional wormer and Lapizole as a treatment for EC.

However they both have IDENTICAL properties and therefor should be used in the same way when treating for active EC.....with a minimum 6 week course.
 
Sorry Sooz, and thank you for your patience :)

I completely understand the fact that a minimum of a 6 week course (of either product) is required for cases of active EC. But I feel that the confusion (at least that I feel) is around the preventative use of both against EC - Panacur suggests 2-4 times a year, where as Lapizole only suggests a one off treatment, which as the active ingredient is the same does not add up.

Presumably the 2-4 yearly courses that Panacur suggest are for worming, and not EC and because Lapizole is not marketed as a wormer they do not suggest any 9 day worming courses.
 
The marketing is a bit of a red herring here, in my view. I think the most important thing to remember is that a vet would use both products in exactly the same way. The difference is not between the products, but the way in which people use them (ie some people recommend regular short courses, some don't, some consider the 9 day course effective for worming only not EC prevention, some don't, etc etc).
 
Having spoken to the Managing Director of the company that manufactures Lapizole I can confirm that I was told that Lapizole is being sold as a one off treatment because should a bunny have EC then a one off course for 28 days will kill the parasite and therefore the bunny will be free from it for the rest of his/her life so long as she/he does not come in to contact with any other bunnies, because the 28 day course would have killed it and it won't come back unless it has contact with an untreated bunny.

Panacur will tell you to administer the drug 2,3 4, times a years because it will sell more that way!!

Hope this explains it better
 
Yet research has shown due to the cyclical nature of the protozoa and the way the spores are spread that rabbits are able to reinfect themselves on a 28 day course....

9 days is a supposed to be a preventative EC course and a conventional wormer. A 9 day course should be completed prior to boarding or bonding the rabbit or any contact with another 'new' bunny.

Whether 9 days does anything or not is a totally different arguement but this is how its meant to be used.

4 times a year is not neccesary for EC or worming.

As Jane has mentioned regular worming with a long course would be counterproductive as it could cause the protozoa to develop immunity and also affect the natural immunity of the rabbit.
 
I am sorry if i have upset anyone, i just thought as this vet is a good rabbit vet she should know whats what, if you see what i mean.
I have spoken to another rabbit vet today who tells me that she always recomends LAPRIZOLE, but i can see here everyone is coming from. I too would like to know which is the best just so i can advise correctly when people ask me which is better.
 
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