What causes Ecuniculi?

[Ashsbunnies9]

Hi,
My daughters and I got 3 bunnies gifted to us 5 years ago. Around 3 years ago I noticed that one of my bunnies had head tilt and took him to the vet. She said he had contracted the parasite Ecuniculi and gave us a two week paracur treatment. He is fine now and he has not had any signs of the parasite since. We have now added 2 females to the bunch and one ended up having 4 bunnies. In the last two days I have had to bury 2 of those 4 ,nine week old bunnies. I am heartbroken. Can someone please tell me why they have this parasite and is it possible to get rid of it? Will it come back if I treat it? Also why did my younger bunnies die from it and my older survived?

 

[InspectorMorse]

I am very sorry for your losses

How do you know for certain that the deaths were due to EC? It is possible it could be RHD/RVHD, especially if they were not vaccinated

Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (RVHD)

There are two strands of RVHD and both are lethal to rabbits - Click here now to learn how to protect your rabbits.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

How to deal with an outbreak of RHD — Frances Harcourt-Brown

www.harcourt-brown.co.uk

Full information about EC here

Encephalitozoon cuniculi in pet rabbits: diagnosis and optimal managem | VMRR

Encephalitozoon cuniculi in pet rabbits: diagnosis and optimal management La'Toya V Latney,1 Charles W Bradley,2 Nicole R Wyre1 1Departments of Clinical Studies, 2Departments of Pathobiology, Matthew J Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA Abstract...

www.dovepress.com

https://www.vettimes.co.uk/app/uploads/wp-post-to-pdf-enhanced-cache/1/treatment-of-encephalitozoon-cuniculi-infection-in-rabbits.pdf

Information in a less clinical form here

Rabbits and E. cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi)

Understand the impact of E. cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi) on rabbits. Expert advice and resources to safeguard your bunny's health.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

 

[tonibun]

I doubt the babies died from EC and I am very sorry you lost them. Does the Buck still live in the group and is he neutered? Were the babies still with their Mother? Just trying to find the reason why they died.

 

[Ashsbunnies9]

I am very sorry for your losses

How do you know for certain that the deaths were due to EC? It is possible it could be RHD/RVHD, especially if they were not vaccinated

Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (RVHD)

There are two strands of RVHD and both are lethal to rabbits - Click here now to learn how to protect your rabbits.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

How to deal with an outbreak of RHD — Frances Harcourt-Brown

www.harcourt-brown.co.uk

Full information about EC here

Encephalitozoon cuniculi in pet rabbits: diagnosis and optimal managem | VMRR

Encephalitozoon cuniculi in pet rabbits: diagnosis and optimal management La'Toya V Latney,1 Charles W Bradley,2 Nicole R Wyre1 1Departments of Clinical Studies, 2Departments of Pathobiology, Matthew J Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA Abstract...

www.dovepress.com

https://www.vettimes.co.uk/app/uploads/wp-post-to-pdf-enhanced-cache/1/treatment-of-encephalitozoon-cuniculi-infection-in-rabbits.pdf

Information in a less clinical form here

Rabbits and E. cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi)

Understand the impact of E. cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi) on rabbits. Expert advice and resources to safeguard your bunny's health.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

Yes this is true, none of my bunnies are vaccinated. I wasn't aware that this was necessary

A couple of years ago the buck showed symptoms of EC and we brought him to the vet. I can't remember if they tested him for EC but as soon as we treated him Paracur the symptoms subsided and eventually disappeared altogether.

Thankyou for the links !

 

[Ashsbunnies9]

I doubt the babies died from EC and I am very sorry you lost them. Does the Buck still live in the group and is he neutered? Were the babies still with their Mother? Just trying to find the reason why they died.

We have two bucks and they are both neutered. The babies were and are with their mother still.

The babies had the following symptoms:

Became weak and eventually limp
Then the head tilted and when they would try to walk they could only walk ina circle and then their necks started to pull backwards and their body started to cramp up and shortly after that they died.


I am currently treating the remaining two bunnies with paracur.

 

[Shimmer]

I would treat all your rabbits at the same time - so all babies and adults. EC is spread via spores in the urine, so it's important to maintain strict hygiene to prevent reinfection. The spores can be killed by sufficient contact time with a disinfectant (such as bleach or VirkonS) or via steam cleaning (eg weekly) during the treatment schedule.

EC can be acquired in utero by the babies. It's a very common organism, but symptms usually only show when the rabbit becomes stressed. Treatment is Panacur for 28 days, plus an anti-inflammatory for any rabbits showing symptoms (eg Metacam). Panacur 10% liquid (labelled for cats & dogs) is usualy the cheapest way to treat multiple rabbits, and is more accurate to dose than the syringes of paste.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi in rabbits

Encephalitozoon cuniculi is a small pathogen that is spread in urine and mainly affects the nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and kidneys. The disease is very common in the pet rabbit population and can be carried by other animals including wild rabbits.

www.rvc.ac.uk