Pinworms keep reoccurring!

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LoneMaple

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Tokki keeps getting pinworms every few months, despite my thorough attempts of getting rid of them.
Tokki (1.5 Y.O.) lives indoors. He is always fed the same store-bought hay/pellets and isn't much of a vegetable lover, nibbling on a broccoli or a carrot every so often. All fruits and veggies he gets are thoroughly washed under warm water. Tokki doesn't share a room with any other rabbits (still trying to bond my boys, the other one lives in another room. He has only gotten pinworms ONCE and never again).
I use Panacur to get rid of the pinworms, following the instructions on the box - and it works! I even give him an extra dose two weeks after the worms have cleared up to make sure they're all flushed... just to find that he has pinworms again a month later.
Do pinworms just never die? Or does my bunny keep reinfecting himself through food/water/something else? How is this happening and will I ever be able to prevent it? Or should I stock up on Panacur for the upcoming years? 😆
 
If he is never outdoors on the ground, or is never given forage from outside, there should be no reason for him to get reinfected. Only reasons I can think is that it's somehow occurring from a different vector like his hay, though I don't think that's likely to happen unless it was recently exposed to pests carrying the pinworms. Or it could be that the infestation isn't actually being completely cleared up and that you are only not seeing them in the poop after treatment, but they are still in the digestive tract.

From what I've read, pinworms can be very difficult to clear up by just giving the one dose. I've read of doing 5 consecutive days as being more effective and is what I would try, though I would probably just go ahead and do the 9-10 day dosing recommendation for e. cuniculi prevention, just to cover that base as well. Provided the rabbit being treated didn't have any liver problems, as this med can affect the liver.
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/rabbits/parasitic-diseases-of-rabbitshttp://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Parasitic_diseases/Pass/Pass_en.htm (pinworms in rabbits)

Though at this point it is possible the worms could now be resistant to that antiparasitic after repeated treatments and the parasite not clearing up completely. So you may need to use a different one, though you would need to consult with your vet on this. When in doubt, always consult your experienced rabbit vet.
 

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