E.C. -- Diagnosing and Treatment Experiences

[krsbunny]

Hi All,

I'm picking the group's "collective brain" on this subject as it is near and dear to the hearts of many in the bunny world (including many of my closest bunny friends).

Randy, I know you're the resident expert here and a couple of my questions are specifically for you:

• You mentioned in one of the head tilt threads that you have always (or almost always) been able to trace head tilt back to an ear infection. I'm curious what diagnostics you have available as I know of several head tilt bunnies where no signs of infection were visible on physical exam or skull radiographs. We always treat with antibiotics as if there is an (undetected infection), but would be interested in knowing what else is available diagnostically.
• You also mentioned that most vets have not seen "full blown" cases of e.c. Would you mind sharing how you define "full blown e.c." ... and how you confirm that a specific problem is caused by e.c.?
• I understand you are currently using ponazuril on some e.c. cases. Would the vet(s) you are working with on this be willing to consult with other vets about this? An independent rescue group in my area has several rabbits that are thought to have symptomatic e.c. and (as mentioned in the first paragraph) humans near and dear to me would love to have a viable option to try. We would be happy to collect whatever data you need (on both successes and failures), as I know vets in many parts of the country will not try something that is not backed by data (many react that way to oxibendazole which is the drug of choice used byvets in MO and TX who have had no succes with fenbedazole).

I would very much appreciate responses from anyone on the forum who believes they havedealt with e.c. I am interested in what symptoms you saw (also their severity and rate of onset), how you concluded that e.c. was the culprit, what treatment(s) you tried(including those that did not work!), and anything else that might be of interest. I am personally open to any and all information -- scientific or anecdotal, traditional or "alternative." I believe that "brainstorming" together as a group is the best hope we have of finding options that can be tried.

Kathy Smith

 

[pla725]

My Simon had all the symptoms of EC. Simon was in rough shape when I got him.He seem to recover and did wellover aperiod of months. Around July he startedlosing his bladder control. His titers were high. His kidney values were off the scale. He lost weight and the use of his hind quarters. He developed kidney stones. My regular vet and the vet at the University of Penn each did radiographs to confirm the stones. Within a week of the visit to Penn Simon lost his ability to stand and his breathing changed. By the end of the week Simon just wasted away to the point I had him euthanized. I couldn't see him suffer any more. I did have a necropsy done to confirm the EC.

I hope this helps.

 

[krsbunny]

I'm so sorry about Simon. I know how heartbreaking that is. Just curious, did you treat with anything when he improved?

Kathy

 

[pla725]

He did have a case of fur mites that need long term treatment with Ivermectin. It also helped that he was fed a consistant diet. He wasn't treated well by his previous person.

Simon didn't get Panacur until his symptoms got worse.