Echinacea

[Bunnybops23]

Hi there I’ve bought my rabbit some alcohol free
Echinacea drops to strengthen her immune system could anyone please let me know on what dosage I should give her and how many times a week please thank you

 

[katbun]

It's not the norm on this forum to give specific dosage advice as this site is not a replacement for vet care. I would suggest you ask your vet, as they know your bunny's issues and medication interactions. Just because something is herbal does not mean it won't have side effects. You can do your own research on dosage and side effects - in humans echinacea can cause stomach upsets so I would be careful introducing this to your rabbit.

If your vet does not advise you on dosage, you could get into contact with a herbal vet (https://herbalvets.org.uk/find-a-herbal-vet/) for some help.

I appreciate you're trying all avenues to help your rabbit get better, that's what we all want here! I give my bunnies some herbal remedies but to be honest personally I don't think echinacea will help with your bunny's abscesses more than antibiotics and other vet care would. Even in humans, echinacea may help shorten a cold if taken at the beginning of symptoms. It sounds like your rabbit already has an infection. If I were you I would ask for a sample of pus to be taken for an antibiogram - this should help find the best antibiotic to target what your rabbit has. I worry that delaying giving more antibiotics may allow this infection to get a worse.

You were sent some good advice on your first post, by people who have helped bunnies through similar problems. If your vet does not want to treat the abscesses further, I would get a second opinion, despite their silver status. The problems your bunny is having sound very serious not to mention painful. Is she on painkillers at the moment?

Sending good vibes for your bunny

 

[SarahP]

It's not the norm on this forum to give specific dosage advice as this site is not a replacement for vet care. I would suggest you ask your vet, as they know your bunny's issues and medication interactions. Just because something is herbal does not mean it won't have side effects. You can do your own research on dosage and side effects - in humans echinacea can cause stomach upsets so I would be careful introducing this to your rabbit.

If your vet does not advise you on dosage, you could get into contact with a herbal vet (https://herbalvets.org.uk/find-a-herbal-vet/) for some help.

I appreciate you're trying all avenues to help your rabbit get better, that's what we all want here! I give my bunnies some herbal remedies but to be honest personally I don't think echinacea will help with your bunny's abscesses more than antibiotics and other vet care would. Even in humans, echinacea may help shorten a cold if taken at the beginning of symptoms. It sounds like your rabbit already has an infection. If I were you I would ask for a sample of puss to be taken for an antibiogram - this should help find the best antibiotic to target what your rabbit has. I worry that delaying giving more antibiotics may allow this infection to get a worse.

You were sent some good advice on your first post, by people who have helped bunnies through similar problems. If your vet does not want to treat the abscesses further, I would get a second opinion, despite their silver status. The problems your bunny is having sound very serious not to mention painful. Is she on painkillers at the moment?

Sending good vibes for your bunny

I agree with this. Most decent vets will normally refer on to an exotics specialist (or consult with one) if they feel they have reached the point where they can't help further. Could you ask for this?

If you do use the echinacea, it will need to be diluted in water.

 

[Bunnybops23]

It's not the norm on this forum to give specific dosage advice as this site is not a replacement for vet care. I would suggest you ask your vet, as they know your bunny's issues and medication interactions. Just because something is herbal does not mean it won't have side effects. You can do your own research on dosage and side effects - in humans echinacea can cause stomach upsets so I would be careful introducing this to your rabbit.

If your vet does not advise you on dosage, you could get into contact with a herbal vet (https://herbalvets.org.uk/find-a-herbal-vet/) for some help.

I appreciate you're trying all avenues to help your rabbit get better, that's what we all want here! I give my bunnies some herbal remedies but to be honest personally I don't think echinacea will help with your bunny's abscesses more than antibiotics and other vet care would. Even in humans, echinacea may help shorten a cold if taken at the beginning of symptoms. It sounds like your rabbit already has an infection. If I were you I would ask for a sample of puss to be taken for an antibiogram - this should help find the best antibiotic to target what your rabbit has. I worry that delaying giving more antibiotics may allow this infection to get a worse.

You were sent some good advice on your first post, by people who have helped bunnies through similar problems. If your vet does not want to treat the abscesses further, I would get a second opinion, despite their silver status. The problems your bunny is having sound very serious not to mention painful. Is she on painkillers at the moment?

Sending good vibes for your bunny

hi there thank you for your reply,
She has always had some issues with sneezing every now and then, her vet said echinacea would be good for her but didn’t mention a dosage maybe I should get in touch and ask? She is currently on Loxicom and has been way before she started suffering with abscesses the puss has also been tested a couple of months ago I can’t remember what it came back as but her vet said it’s quite normal for a rabbit it’s so much information it’s hard to take in sometimes

 

[Bunnybops23]

I agree with this. Most decent vets will normally refer on to an exotics specialist (or consult with one) if they feel they have reached the point where they can't help further. Could you ask for this?

If you do use the echinacea, it will need to be diluted in water.

Hi, thank you for the reply
the vet my rabbit goes to is a exotic vet, thank you for the information about echinacea I shall check with my vet about dosages!

 

[katbun]

I would definitely ask the vet about dosage since they recommended it. It's great you have an exotic vet and that they have tested the puss. They will have the results in their records, you can ask them for this when you contact them about the echinacea dosage. Sometimes you get so much information from a vet, and when you're also worried about your pet it can be hard to remember everything. When this happens to me, I ask for a copy of the results/care instructions to be given to me or sent by email. Vets are usually happy to do this, including after the appointment, because it means you're taking the situation seriously.

Does your vet know that after the course of antibiotics the abscesses are still a problem? When was your bunny last examined?

 

[Bunnybops23]

Her last appointment was nearly 3 weeks ago her vet opened the Abcess and drained as much as possible, he didn’t mention any antibiotics, should she be on them? She’s been on them a few times over the past 4 months is bad to keep being on them?

 

[Bunnybops23]

I would definitely ask the vet about dosage since they recommended it. It's great you have an exotic vet and that they have tested the puss. They will have the results in their records, you can ask them for this when you contact them about the echinacea dosage. Sometimes you get so much information from a vet, and when you're also worried about your pet it can be hard to remember everything. When this happens to me, I ask for a copy of the results/care instructions to be given to me or sent by email. Vets are usually happy to do this, including after the appointment, because it means you're taking the situation seriously.

Does your vet know that after the course of antibiotics the abscesses are still a problem? When was your bunny last examined?

And thank you for all your help it’s really appreciated!

 

[katbun]

Her last appointment was nearly 3 weeks ago her vet opened the Abcess and drained as much as possible, he didn’t mention any antibiotics, should she be on them? She’s been on them a few times over the past 4 months is bad to keep being on them?

I'm not really sure, I mean overuse of antibiotics can be bad in the big picture as bacteria develop to be resistant. On the scale of your rabbit, it's up to your vet to treat any infections, while weighing up against side effects (like maybe gut health?).

Someone who's dealt with recurrent abscesses may be able to advise you on long term antibiotics for this issue.

You've got a few threads on this now - to get advice on abscesses I would either rename this thread or make a new reply on your first thread including all the information you've added here (she's on loxicam, when the vet last saw her, past antibiotics). That will help people understand the situation and avoid repetitive questions.

If you can find out what your vet found in the pus test I think that would be the most important bit of information.

 

[Bunnybops23]

I'm not really sure, I mean overuse of antibiotics can be bad in the big picture as bacteria develop to be resistant. On the scale of your rabbit, it's up to your vet to treat any infections, while weighing up against side effects (like maybe gut health?). Someone who's dealt with recurrent abscesses may be able to advise you on long term antibiotics for this issue.

Could you recommend me anyone that you may know on here who is or has been in the same situation with abscesses if possible?

 

[katbun]

Could you recommend me anyone that you may know on here who is or has been in the same situation with abscesses if possible?

I've not been on this forum long enough to know people well, on your first post you got 2 replies from experienced people, if you reply again to that post it will bring it to the top of the new posts column - I think you will get help. Also you can use the search feature to find other posts about abscesses.

 

[Shimmer]

I'm sure I answered a previous post on this...but if I had a rabbit with an abscess, I would want it surgically removing (the entire capsule) wherever possible, leave the site open so it can be flushed daily and then packed with medical grade manuka honey (it comes in squeezy tubes), and a penicillin-based antibiotic (to inject, probably daily) for the long term. Probably also some pain relief, depending on the surgical site.

The surgical site heals slowly from the inside. Manuka helps it heal and discourages the bacteria from multiplying. The penicillin is needed for at least months - mine were on it and metacam for life. Penicillin must be injected - any ingested orally will cause major gut issues. Your vet or vet nurses will be able to show you how to do it.