Pippin's weird fur pulling - update

So I had been keeping my fingers crossed because after treating Pip with panacur it had been 7 weeks since her last fur pulling/eating incident causing her stasis. So I was getting very excited, 2 weeks longer than ever other episode. She had also been much more relaxed and flopping about more with Archie.

Last night she started pulling her fur again and she is once again bald under her chin! I know she will get stasis in a few days but I can't stop her pulling when we are asleep.

This is exactly 5 weeks since the panacur ended!

So I took her to the vets tonight and saw my favourite vet. He gave her a full checkup and talked everything through for an hr! He is thinking along the same lines as me, that's it's internal parasites except he is leaning towards EC and that the panacur treatment of 10 days helped but wasn't long enough.

We think she pulls her fur because whatever pain the parasite is causing she can't stop so pulls her fur to try to help.

She has no mites, perfect teeth and ears. He also remembers doing her spay and thinks it's extremely unlikely he left anything behind causing hormonal imbalances, and she is not nesting, but eating the fur.

So he has suggested giving her panacur for 28 days and seeing if that helps. I'm relieved that he took me seriously and didn't say it was just behavioural like the other vet I had been seeing.

I think I need to do special cleaning on certain days of the cycle for their cage is this right?

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Your vet sounds great. Its day 21 & 28 I believe. Vibes for your girl - I hope more panacur helps

joey&boo said:

Your vet sounds great. Its day 21 & 28 I believe. Vibes for your girl - I hope more panacur helps

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He is lovely and the reason I chose the vets. They have a rwaf silver award.

Thank you I very much hope this helps. I love her so much.

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Mervinius said:

So I had been keeping my fingers crossed because after treating Pip with panacur it had been 7 weeks since her last fur pulling/eating incident causing her stasis. So I was getting very excited, 2 weeks longer than ever other episode. She had also been much more relaxed and flopping about more with Archie.

Last night she started pulling her fur again and she is once again bald under her chin! I know she will get stasis in a few days but I can't stop her pulling when we are asleep.

This is exactly 5 weeks since the panacur ended!

So I took her to the vets tonight and saw my favourite vet. He gave her a full checkup and talked everything through for an hr! He is thinking along the same lines as me, that's it's internal parasites except he is leaning towards EC and that the panacur treatment of 10 days helped but wasn't long enough.

We think she pulls her fur because whatever pain the parasite is causing she can't stop so pulls her fur to try to help.

She has no mites, perfect teeth and ears. He also remembers doing her spay and thinks it's extremely unlikely he left anything behind causing hormonal imbalances, and she is not nesting, but eating the fur.

So he has suggested giving her panacur for 28 days and seeing if that helps. I'm relieved that he took me seriously and didn't say it was just behavioural like the other vet I had been seeing.

I think I need to do special cleaning on certain days of the cycle for their cage is this right?

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Click to expand...

Oh I remember now - you were thinking of intestinal worms weren't you? E.C. seems to be blamed for so many 'symptoms' these days. I believe we attribute more to it than it deserves. However, if your vet thinks this may solve the problem, then good luck to you

Cleaning - steam or 1% bleach solution - has been advised on days 21 and 28 of your Panacur cycle. However, I've not heard a vet recommend this, so maybe it's an old wives' tale. If you remember to do it, it's always good to be clean anyway

Yes that's right. He said he can't confirm it's that because even if the blood test shows its there in her system in might not be what's causing the issues. So as a process of elimination and the fact the panacur seemed to help this last time. Or that might be a coincidence of course. He said it was worth trying a longer course first before we try other tests etc.

I really don't know anymore but I am glad we are trying something. Let's hope this is it.

MightyMax said:

Oh I remember now - you were thinking of intestinal worms weren't you? E.C. seems to be blamed for so many 'symptoms' these days. I believe we attribute more to it than it deserves. However, if your vet thinks this may solve the problem, then good luck to you

Cleaning - steam or 1% bleach solution - has been advised on days 21 and 28 of your Panacur cycle. However, I've not heard a vet recommend this, so maybe it's an old wives' tale. If you remember to do it, it's always good to be clean anyway

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Mervinius said:

Yes that's right. He said he can't confirm it's that because even if the blood test shows its there in her system in might not be what's causing the issues. So as a process of elimination and the fact the panacur seemed to help this last time. Or that might be a coincidence of course. He said it was worth trying a longer course first before we try other tests etc.

I really don't know anymore but I am glad we are trying something. Let's hope this is it.

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It must be very frustrating for you, and for her too.

Forgive me if you and your vet have already considered this ...
But what about sebaceous adentis?

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Immune/Adenitis.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Sebaceous_adenitis_in_rabbits.htm

And a promising treatment for this most stubborn of conditions ...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19152589

MightyMax said:

It must be very frustrating for you, and for her too.

Forgive me if you and your vet have already considered this ...
But what about sebaceous adentis?

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Immune/Adenitis.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Sebaceous_adenitis_in_rabbits.htm

And a promising treatment for this most stubborn of conditions ...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19152589

Click to expand...

I don't think he mentioned this. But she has no skin flakes or any irritation. I think if it was this by now she'd have a huge patch and onto other bits of her body. Her patch new gets larger and her skin is smooth and healthy.

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Mervinius said:

I don't think he mentioned this. But she has no skin flakes or any irritation. I think if it was this by now she'd have a huge patch and onto other bits of her body. Her patch new gets larger and her skin is smooth and healthy.

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......... back to the drawing board then

MightyMax said:

......... back to the drawing board then

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Yep. Will keep you updated on her progress.

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