Treating A Rabbit With E.Cuniculi

Aug 16, 20245 min read

Sadly, one of the illnesses I didn’t want any of my rabbits to get happened to my boy Malibu earlier this year. I knew something was wrong when Malibu was refusing to come and get dinner or eat any fresh hay which are two of his favourite things. I then saw him rolling around and losing his balance. I knew I had to make an appointment to visit the vets. At first I thought it was ear mites that was causing him to lose his balance, but after a consultation from the vet no mites were seen in his ears and he was prescribed antibiotics and Panacur for 28 days.

It was really tough to see my baby boy suffering but I tried to stay strong and showered him with plenty of love and affection. I spoke to a few people who I knew had gone through the same thing and also joined a specialist Facebook group to get tips from other people who had been through the same to get their tips and opinion. It put my mind at ease knowing what I would be facing, the worst thing was worrying about whether he would have kidney failure at the end of this horrible journey.

ENCLOSURE

I removed any hazards from their run including their hidey house so I could utilise the floor space and create buffers and barriers using towels and blankets for him to crash into and so he wouldn’t hurt himself on the wire of the run. He did snag one nail on the wire but I was able to stop that from bleeding and healed it.

I also used snuggle beds in the run for him to lay on and crash into between the rolled up towels. I used towels around the food and water bowls so Malibu wouldn’t roll into them, I did find him wet one morning as he decided to roll into the water bowl and take a bit of a swim - he hates getting wet.

Malibu and Zaya weren’t separated throughout the treatment to keep their bond in tact and for him to have her support if he needed help standing up. It was quite cute seeing them support each other and for her to be there to help him clean and get that love he needed. Zaya did receive a 28 day dose of Panacur as well to clear up anything she may have. We believe she is the carrier and it was passed to Malibu through her urine by hay that he had eaten and she'd urinated on. I have now gone back to using hay bags as their hay was on the bottom of their litter box.

LITTER BOX

The hardest thing to start with was finding out how he would go to the toilet, I knew he couldn’t use their normal litter box so I used a small low entry litter box we had and put hay in the back for him to eat which he kind of used but not properly. I eventually did some research and a lot of people recommended a table top potting tray which is really large but has a low entry point and high sides and back. It worked out perfectly, apart from all the litter being flicked about when he was rolling in the litter box. It took a bit to clean up the litter pellets but at least I knew he was able to use it and go to the toilet. I used the PVC mats I had in front of the litter box to catch most of it and if any urine was done outside of the box. I hung washable hay bags on the back of the run so they could reach it and I found that this helped almost cure his head tilt as it was making him use his neck muscles again.

MEDICATION

I took Malibu inside to give him the medicine so I could feed him and know he was getting the food he needed and not go into stasis. It takes about 10 days for the Panacur to get into your rabbits system, you give 1 graduation a day (depending on body weight). Please speak to your vet before giving a dosage. Once you reach the end of the 28 days of Panacur, if the symptoms haven’t got any better speak to your vet who will no doubt recommend another 28 days and if further medicine needs to be given. He was also on antibiotics to cure any internal infection that may be causing him to lose his balance.

A lot of the people in the Facebook group I was in kept saying about getting anti dizziness meds but my vets would never recommend it. It could cause further damage and not always guarantee the rolling and tumbling to stop.

Now he is better, he is getting a 6 day dose (you can do between 6-10 days) of Panacur every 3 months to keep the parasite at bay.

To give Malibu his medicine, I would ask someone to help me who would hold him whilst I gave him his medicine. I was able to lift his lip up and insert the syringes into his mouth without him wriggling away. It was easier when he was less responsive and if he tried to move away I would gently hold his head so he wouldn't move it.

FOOD

I gave Malibu his usual pellets in a small ramekin and then any strong smelling herbs like rocket, basil and mint and his usual greens to keep him interested in eating. I didn’t have any issues with that thankfully as I was worried about him going into stasis. He would also get a special treat like a strawberry top after his medicine to make him feel good.

In the early days, he was given hay in hay bags or cardboard tubes on the floor to help him eat it and so Zaya wasn’t excluded. And then I used hay bags at the back of the run and litter box as normal when his head was less tilted.

CLEAN UP

If Malibu had any mishaps with using the toilet, I would use Avenoo Unscented and Gentle Baby wipes to clean anything up or I used a wet flannel. I didn’t want to bathe him in the sink whilst he was tumbling in case anything happened or went wrong. He was lucky that he didn’t have that many mishaps. As you can see in the photo below, he had a bit of his own poo smeared on him from rolling in it which I was able to wash off with a warm flannel and the baby wipes.

Malibu is back happily living his best life with his bun wife Zaya with NO head tilt. I am so happy he is back to his normal self and it was clear he was getting better when his usual personality was starting to come through especially when it came to chewing blankets and towels. You can see the huge difference in the picture below of those 3 months - in February when his head was virtually flat on the floor and in June when his head tilt has gone completely.