:(

[lunar]

On Saturday morning, I had to have one of my rabbits put to sleep. She had either had a stroke or the CNS-signs were due to an awful protozoa called E.cuniculi. Thats the second rabbit I've lost in a year to it, and she was only 1 1/2 yrs old . I just wanted anybody with rabbits to be aware of this and keep a look out for it in their own, as it rears its ugly head when your rabbit undergoes a stressful event and the mortality rate is high.

Most mine live in pairs, and i had great plans to intro Lily and three of my others into a group of four and set them up in a wendy-house with free access to a plot in my garden all day every day. Now I am considering getting all my rabbits blood-tested in case any more of them are carrying it. Hopefully they wont as the two rabbits i have lost lived together for a while but both have also been in with one of my bucks, and the protozoa oocysts (eggs) are shed in the urine.





Mod note:  This post will be locked now, but will be reopened at any time upon the request of the original poster.

[roxyandboys]

I am so so sorry.  I can relate to how you feel, i too lost 2 rabbits within the space of about 4 months i think it was, both suspected to be the same thing.  I got my remaining rabbits all tested and they came back clear, thankfully.  If you get your other rabbits tested you can at least then try prevent stress in any that test positive and give supplements to help boost their immune systems, there is no drug treatment that i'm aware of with e.cuniculi, but boosting the immune system will help the rabbits body fight it.

[lunar]

Yeah i just posted on your post! If you dont mind me asking, how much is each test?? I have eight rabbits so it could end up pretty pricey! You can treat the symptoms if they are not CNS related with an anthelmintic such as Panacur Rabbit, an antibiotic (e.g. baytril) for secondary infections, fluid therapy, probiotics, and general care such as warmth etc, but the drug therapy lasts every day for a month and doesnt often work - my first one went through all the treatment, seemed to improve, and then two months later I lost her overnight. The vet never even mentioned treating the other rabbits preventatively, and its probably because theres no effective 'cure' out there.

[roxyandboys]

Yeah, i treated my remaining rabbits with a course of baytril just in case as well, always worth trying.  Cannot remember the price of it now, i had 3 rabbits tested and i dont remember it being horrific, although i do get 10% discount at my vets.  Worth checking with your vet to see.  Even if you limit the tests to only the rabbits who may have come into contact with those rabbits who have died, it'll be a start.

[Amalthea]

I am so sorry... :there there: Definitely getting the rest of your rabbits tested will give you a bit of peace of mind.