E. Cuniculi

[ChipOliBay]

Hello, Ollie my 8 year old angora rabbit is currently on medications for E. Cuniculi. I took him to the vet as I noticed that he was slowly getting weaker on his hind legs. He has now been on medication for a week and I still haven't noticed any improvements. Unfortunately now his front legs also seem to be getting weaker which doesn't seem to be a symptom of E. Cuniculi. When I took him to the vet his temperature was also high. It was 40.4 degrees celsius. I am at this point extremely worried. I am planning to call the vet again tomorrow but I was wondering if anyone had a bunny with E. Cuniculi who also had a fever and/or weakness also in the front legs? My bunny does not have a head tilt and is not spinning. He's just very weak, lethargic and is not able to use his hind legs. Thank you!

 

[Shimmer]

I would look at getting advice from an emergency vet tonight. A rabbit that is looking sick is very sick - as prey animals, they hide symptoms.

Did the vet you saw not do anything for the high temperature?
Is he still eating, drinking, weeing and pooing as normal?

Treatment for confirmed or presumed EC can take a while to have an effect - it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride for a while but you need to hang in there and keep up with treatment (panacur and an anti-inflammatory such as metacam daily for 28 days, maybe for more than one cycle), plus any supportive care that is needed (additional feeding, bum baths, etc).

However, weak, lethargic and with a fever is very worrying and ringing alarm bells. Please ring your out-of-hours vet.

 

[Shimmer]

Just wondering if you have had any advice from a vet tonight.

Is Ollie vaccinated? RHD is a possibility as he's running a fever. Vaccines are not 100% effective, so further vet advice is needed, plus any additional supportive care as a matter of urgency.

Does he live with / near any other rabbits - and are they all OK?

Let us know how you get on.

 

[ChipOliBay]

Just wondering if you have had any advice from a vet tonight.

Is Ollie vaccinated? RHD is a possibility as he's running a fever. Vaccines are not 100% effective, so further vet advice is needed, plus any additional supportive care as a matter of urgency.

Does he live with / near any other rabbits - and are they all OK?

Let us know how you get on.

Hello, thank you so much for your reply.

I took Ollie to the vet again. His fever is down to 39.5. I however was advised to euthanise him. I was told that if symptoms worsen after the treatment has started then the prognosis is not good. I am not ready to give up on him. It's been only a week since he started the treatment. I'm hoping so much that he will improve.

 

[joey&boo]

Really hoping Ollie will recover. Lots of well wishes for him

 

[Shimmer]

What meds is he on now?

Were antibiotics suggested at all?
I'm assuming a full physical examination was done and nothing specific found?
Was anything else looked at when EC was diagnosed?

I've had EC rabbits that took months to stabilise, and one that took nearly a year before they had maximum mobility back, but that was a very extreme case. It's not unusual for it to take 2-3 months of treatment (Panacur to reduce the parasitic load, and metacam to reduce the effects that cause the usual symptoms). It is important to prevent reinfection as well. The EC spores are passed in urine, so general hygiene is very important to stop reingestion of the spores. Disinfection (eg Virkon S or 10% bleach) or steam cleaning of anything that has had contact with urine is recommended on days 21 and 28 of the treatment cycle in order to interrupt the parasite's lifecycle.

 

[ChipOliBay]

What meds is he on now?

Were antibiotics suggested at all?
I'm assuming a full physical examination was done and nothing specific found?
Was anything else looked at when EC was diagnosed?

I've had EC rabbits that took months to stabilise, and one that took nearly a year before they had maximum mobility back, but that was a very extreme case. It's not unusual for it to take 2-3 months of treatment (Panacur to reduce the parasitic load, and metacam to reduce the effects that cause the usual symptoms). It is important to prevent reinfection as well. The EC spores are passed in urine, so general hygiene is very important to stop reingestion of the spores. Disinfection (eg Virkon S or 10% bleach) or steam cleaning of anything that has had contact with urine is recommended on days 21 and 28 of the treatment cycle in order to interrupt the parasite's lifecycle.

He is on Panacur twice a day, Novacam which in other countries is called Metacam, also twice a day and he's on an eating stimulant and another one for gastric emptying. He was also on antibiotics for ten days because at first they thought it was a UTI. He was examined three times by two different vets and they didn't find anything to suggest it's something else. He does need to have his teeth trimmed but can't possibly have that done right now. He's too unwell for that. My vet thinks he's also getting a head tilt which I personally can't see.

Were your rabbits that had EC very lethargic? Could they move around at all? Mine basically stays on the same spot all the time but he is taking the medications really well and I feed him two Selective Recovery Plus packets everyday plus he does eat a bit on his own also. I am a bit shocked that she suggested to euthanise him since it's only been a week. Was not expecting that at all.

 

[ChipOliBay]

Really hoping Ollie will recover. Lots of well wishes for him

Thank you!!

 

[Shimmer]

A lethargic rabbit is very concerning.

Mine EC rabbits had various degrees of mobility issues, but I wouldn't describe it as lethargic. They were always bright, alert, willing to eat, etc - even if they needed a lot of assistance for a while. Some had a slight head tilt and stumbled a bit, up to unable to stand at all and were rolling until the infection was under control and the inflammation reduced. The worst case had her head 'fixed' round to her shoulder for weeks and eyes flickering. She had to be totally fed, cleaned, etc as she couldn't do it for herself. About 6-10 months later (can't remember exactly how long), she was back out in the garden with a very slight head tilt and not able to jump quite as high as before - but most people would not have noticed.