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Is Panacur safe for an elderly & frail rabbit?

bunniesgalore

Alpha Buck
Milly's elderly, thin and quite frail and is exhibiting signs of possible E.C. Is Panacur safe for her and should I also treat her husbun Robin? It's been many years since I've 'done' E.C. and am uncertain of the current philosophy regarding treating partners. I'd appreciate some guidance as we've a vet appointment soon. Thank you.
 
Your vet is the person to advise on this. There are other conditions which may show similar symptoms but require different treatment.

I have used Panacur on an older, disabled / frail rabbit with classic signs of EC. He was already on metacam - which is also needed for the treatment of EC as it reduces the damage done by the parasite. Panacur just works on reducing the parasite load - the symptoms are neurological damage caused by the parasite, and an anti-inflammatory (eg Metacam) reduces the symptoms.

If there is a reasonable diagnosis or likelihood of EC, it is sensible to treat all rabbits in contact / share the same space at the same time and for the full 28 days. The spores are shed in urine, so there is always the possibility of continually becoming infected, shedding and reinfecting other rabbits. In order to break the cycle, treat all rabbits at the same time and deep clean their whole environment on days 21 and 28 of the treatment cycle.

If you are treating multiple rabbits, it can work out cheaper to get a bottle of 10% liquid panacur sold for cats & dogs (vs the syringe paste marketed for rabbits). It can be bought without a prescription from various sites online (eg VetUK), and some pet stores. As I understand it, Panacur is a relatively 'safe' medication - but check with your vet for your circumstances. A blood test can check for kidney / liver function (to check that they can tolerate treatment) and for an EC titre to see if there may be an active infection.

Metacam is a prescription-only medication.
 
Your vet is the person to advise on this. There are other conditions which may show similar symptoms but require different treatment.

I have used Panacur on an older, disabled / frail rabbit with classic signs of EC. He was already on metacam - which is also needed for the treatment of EC as it reduces the damage done by the parasite. Panacur just works on reducing the parasite load - the symptoms are neurological damage caused by the parasite, and an anti-inflammatory (eg Metacam) reduces the symptoms.

If there is a reasonable diagnosis or likelihood of EC, it is sensible to treat all rabbits in contact / share the same space at the same time and for the full 28 days. The spores are shed in urine, so there is always the possibility of continually becoming infected, shedding and reinfecting other rabbits. In order to break the cycle, treat all rabbits at the same time and deep clean their whole environment on days 21 and 28 of the treatment cycle.

If you are treating multiple rabbits, it can work out cheaper to get a bottle of 10% liquid panacur sold for cats & dogs (vs the syringe paste marketed for rabbits). It can be bought without a prescription from various sites online (eg VetUK), and some pet stores. As I understand it, Panacur is a relatively 'safe' medication - but check with your vet for your circumstances. A blood test can check for kidney / liver function (to check that they can tolerate treatment) and for an EC titre to see if there may be an active infection.

Metacam is a prescription-only medication.
I think a blood test for an elderly rabbit would be good. 1) to see if panacur would be wise to use and 2) it will give a blood picture pre-treatment, for any future blood test to be compared to. Buns on long courses of panacur should really have blood tests done to check the medication is not causing any adverse effects.
 
Milly's elderly, thin and quite frail and is exhibiting signs of possible E.C. Is Panacur safe for her and should I also treat her husbun Robin? It's been many years since I've 'done' E.C. and am uncertain of the current philosophy regarding treating partners. I'd appreciate some guidance as we've a vet appointment soon. Thank you.

How did you get on at the Vets ?
 
Your vet is the person to advise on this. There are other conditions which may show similar symptoms but require different treatment.

I have used Panacur on an older, disabled / frail rabbit with classic signs of EC. He was already on metacam - which is also needed for the treatment of EC as it reduces the damage done by the parasite. Panacur just works on reducing the parasite load - the symptoms are neurological damage caused by the parasite, and an anti-inflammatory (eg Metacam) reduces the symptoms.

If there is a reasonable diagnosis or likelihood of EC, it is sensible to treat all rabbits in contact / share the same space at the same time and for the full 28 days. The spores are shed in urine, so there is always the possibility of continually becoming infected, shedding and reinfecting other rabbits. In order to break the cycle, treat all rabbits at the same time and deep clean their whole environment on days 21 and 28 of the treatment cycle.

If you are treating multiple rabbits, it can work out cheaper to get a bottle of 10% liquid panacur sold for cats & dogs (vs the syringe paste marketed for rabbits). It can be bought without a prescription from various sites online (eg VetUK), and some pet stores. As I understand it, Panacur is a relatively 'safe' medication - but check with your vet for your circumstances. A blood test can check for kidney / liver function (to check that they can tolerate treatment) and for an EC titre to see if there may be an active infection.

Metacam is a prescription-only medication.


Shimmer has given good advice :D

If you're going to do it, then definitely treat the partner, as otherwise the infected spores are just passed back and forth again. However, Panacur isn't without it's risks and bad reactions in rabbits of any age. I would proceed with caution.

What has your vet advised?
 
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