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Adopting a bun when an existing bun has EC

Rhianna

Wise Old Thumper
For a long time I have intended to adopt a fourth bun to have a quad again but was waiting until I had cleared my huge (£2500) vet bill with Anton vets and I had drawn some of my pension so I have money put aside for emergencies, like vet bills. I can't have a credit card (poor credit rating) so I needed to know I had the money available if I had any huge bills again.

Now that I know Fran has EC I am wondering if this means all rescues will refuse to allow me adopt. I am treating all three with Panacur but I guess the other two may have EC as well.

I probably need to contact all rescues individually to ask (don't want to find a bun I fall in love with and then be disappointed when I am told I can't rehome him or her). My current three are all BARC buns but I rely heavily on a bunny run so this may not be an option this time anyway.

I'd like to adopt a young(er) bun so that I can insure him or her, if possible, but would consider an older one if s/he seemed a suitable personality for my trio.

Has anyone adopted another bun to live with a bun diagnosed with EC?

I also need to consider the impact of the stress of bonding on Fran, but she is pretty laid back so I am hoping all will be well. If the bond didn't work, I do have the space to have a trio and a pair. I used to have eleven buns but have no intention of ever having that many again given my age and arthritis.
 
EC is fairly common. I would think that as you are aware of it and are actively treating for it, that it shouldn't go against you - it ought to be a plus, really, compared with those who don't know they have it and never treat it.

Have a look at FHB's paper:
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/Me...nfectious-diseases-ec-myxomatosis-rhd-and.pdf

Thank you. I have had a look but must confess I don't understand a lot of it :oops:. Will have another look later when I have more time to try to digest it - and can look up some of the words I don't know:)
 
It wouldn't put us off adopting to you providing all rabbits were treated with panacur. Sadly we've found that our rabbits become unadopatable if they're known to have EC due to the stigma attached
 
Basically, FHB says EC is often found in the environment (especially if there is a known infected rabbit), it is difficult to test or diagnose definitively for EC, symptoms vary, and it's cheaper and easier to treat for it just in case - and that the incidence of EC seems to be reducing with the use of the treatments available. So go for it! (but treat any new bun as well). As tabithakat64 says - rescues may find it easier to rehome some rabbits in your situation as you are aware of the condition and you are actively managing it.

Taken from FHB's paper quoted previously:
'In practice, it often easier, and definitely cheaper, for owners to treat rabbits with fenbendazole without knowing their rabbit's antibody status, in a similar way they worm their dog without knowing whether it is infected or not. In the author's anecdotal and subjective opinion, the incidence of clinical encephalitozoonosis has declined with the advent of Panacur Rabbit and Lapizole...'
 
For a long time I have intended to adopt a fourth bun to have a quad again but was waiting until I had cleared my huge (£2500) vet bill with Anton vets and I had drawn some of my pension so I have money put aside for emergencies, like vet bills. I can't have a credit card (poor credit rating) so I needed to know I had the money available if I had any huge bills again.

Now that I know Fran has EC I am wondering if this means all rescues will refuse to allow me adopt. I am treating all three with Panacur but I guess the other two may have EC as well.

I probably need to contact all rescues individually to ask (don't want to find a bun I fall in love with and then be disappointed when I am told I can't rehome him or her). My current three are all BARC buns but I rely heavily on a bunny run so this may not be an option this time anyway.

I'd like to adopt a young(er) bun so that I can insure him or her, if possible, but would consider an older one if s/he seemed a suitable personality for my trio.

Has anyone adopted another bun to live with a bun diagnosed with EC?

I also need to consider the impact of the stress of bonding on Fran, but she is pretty laid back so I am hoping all will be well. If the bond didn't work, I do have the space to have a trio and a pair. I used to have eleven buns but have no intention of ever having that many again given my age and arthritis.


I think you're doing the very responsible thing Rhianna, as most of us haven't any proof that our buns have E.C. anyway. I am sure that Rescues will look on your favourably, given that you are taking the trouble to deal with what you've discovered.

Some info here:

https://www.dechra.co.uk/therapy-ar...cs-antifungals/disease-information/e-cuniculi

All rabbits recently acquired, regardless of background, should receive a single course of Lapizole for 4 weeks by mouth. This treatment is based on the theory that if the rabbit is carrying E. cuniculi, Lapizole will kill the parasite before it causes further damage. This in turn may prevent clinical signs from developing.

It should be noted that treating a rabbit with Lapizole that does not have E. cuniculi should not cause any adverse effects.

There is no lasting effect of Lapizole, therefore if a rabbit comes into contact with the protozoan after receiving the treatment course, it is still at risk of developing the disease.

Any new rabbits entering a home with other rabbits should undergo a quarantine and treatment period.

If putting a rabbit in a pre-existing hutch or run, then hygiene is crucial. Spores are relatively resistant to environmental change. At average temperatures, and in dry conditions, the average spore survival time is four weeks. The parasite is, however, easily killed with contact with bleach 1-10% for a minimum of 30 seconds.



Good luck :D
 
My Mouse was in the hard to rehome section just because she had EC.

If you talk through your management of it now & future plans (FHB recommended putting all buns on panacur during stressful times like bonding) I can't see it being an issue.
 
Well that is encouraging. Thank you everyone.

Fortunately, the buns will be living in a different hutch and run when they go back outside. Nessar kindly gave me one a long time ago and I haven't built it yet but will be doing so. They have eaten much of their current home (a double six foot hutch) so it needs breaking up and taking to the tip.

Once the buns have finished their 28 day course of Panacur and Fran has been checked by the vet, I will approach rescues and ask what their pre-requisites are for adopting a bun when one of the others has EC.
 
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