Drontal Feline for Rabbits?

[Pipp]

Bruce on the PetBunny list posted that his bunny Sierra had a couple of seizures and now appears to have a slight head tilt.

The vetshe went tosaid he couldn't find anything wrong with her ears but "thinks she might have a parasite." Heprescribed a deworming pill called Drontal Feline,Bruce is supposed togive her half a pilltonight and the other half in a week.

The vet also said he'll be prescribing anantibiotic next week. I asked Bruce to hold off until he thoroughly checked out the Drontal (I suggested he post here), but I'm not sure if he got the message or heeded it.

My first thought was E. Cuniculi, also not sure a visual exam would catch an inner ear issue (or if an inner ear issue alone could cause a seizure).

Feedback?

(Bruce is the author of "When A Man Loves A Rabbit", btw -- www.bookadz.com/whenaman.htm).

sas

 

[ra7751]

Personally, I would like to have more info on what dignostics have been performed.....and is this an indoor or outside rabbit? Inner ear problems can cause seizures and it is difficult to see. Could be a vascular problem. We're back to the fact that EC does not directlycause head tilt....but compromises the immune system to allow a bacterial infection. As you know, I have treated many rabbits with EC and/or tilt. Every tilter except one has been traced back to a bacterial infection in the ear (the other was obvious head trauma). And every EC bunny does not tilt...just as every tilter does not have EC. If this were my rabbit, I would already have it on aggressive antibiotics to go after that ear....and I would have cultured too just to see. I researched the Drontal and it's not something I would use. Fendbendazole has better coverage for parasites and is known to be safe for rabbits. Marquisis alsogaining favor. And a non-scientific and non-professional opinion....I have heard from non-rabbit savvy vets all too often that everything relating to atilter is "a brain worm" or "a brain parasite". Those comments (and the ones that diagnose "snuffles" without proper diagnostics) lose their credibility with me. If I were in this person's position, I would get a second opinion. And I would go after those ears as soon as possible.

Randy

 

[Ivory]

Praziquantel is used for tapeworms in rabbits, it's quite effective for them, actually, and it's safe. But I can find nothing that suggests that it works for EC, or anything but tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, and probably some other ones I've forgotten. Dad uses it to deworm dogs and cats.

It won't hurt anything to give the praziquantel, but I seriously doubt that it's a tapeworm causing a head tilt.

But if Sierra has roundworms, it'll do the trick!

A visual inspection *could* catch something wrong with the ear, but it's not a sure thing. One of the first things one does is check the outer eat visually, though.

If it were me, I'd start the rabbit on a broad spectrum at first, get a culture done, and see if antibiotic will be effective enough or not. Baytril isn't as good for Pastuerella multocida in the outer ear, middle ear, nasal cavities, trachea, etc. Maybe give some corticosteroids after they've done the culture. If it is EC, one of the more effective treatments, in my experience, is a combination of fenbendazole or albendazole and corticosteroids. It's not perfect but it is the best we've got so far for it.

This is, of course, just suggestions. I'd want a culture done. You don't want to mess with the inner ear of rabbits.

 

[Ivory]

You know what guys? I was just sitting in the tub and I remembered something: there technically is a "brain worm" that rabbits can get that will cause head tilt. That Drontal will sort of help. But not really. Panacur won't help it either. But I doubt that's what's causing this, but it does give a little credibility to what a "brain worm".

 

[JadeIcing]

Umm indoor rabbit.

 

[Ivory]

Hey!

Racoons can get indoors!

 

[JadeIcing]

Do they have them in Canada? Hehe this bunny I believe lives in the bathroom.