Rabbit Syphillis

[NarniWonk]

Hi
I posted what I'm about to say on somebody else's thread which I later realised was from November and therefore would not get anymore replies.
I have currently got a bunny who was recently diagnosed with rabbit syphillis-I was told by numerous people that it is incurable except by penicillin but that would come with major risks and large costs. Another lady I knew tried the penicillin approach and it ended very badly. With many sad rabbit deaths. The only thing I was advised to do was administer some steroid cream onto her genitals. You said that penicillin can save a rabbit and is not too costly. Please, how likely is it I can save my bunny with penicillin? Can I just go to the vet and quote you, saying that I would like to try it? I live in London, does anyone know if the price would be similar? This would be a real real breakthrough if this works. And I'm sorry to have so many questions but do you mean to say that my bunny, who was sold to me with the illness could potentially breed again, she is still young-about 1 year old mini lop.
Thank you so much!

 

[NarniWonk]

I caught it quickly with the steroid cream and the crusting is gone and she does not look so uncomfortable. Only her bottom was affected, no facial impacts.

 

[lovelops]

I'm glad to hear things are looking up! Please keep us posted!!!

Vanessa

 

[NarniWonk]

Yes, she is looking and feeling better (I hope) since she was diagnosed, but it is still very much there. I really don't want to have to rehome her because she is so lovely but I bought her with the intention of breeding from her but as long as it is still present she obviously cannot breed. I really would love it if some one could tell me how successful penicillin is as a cure.
Thank you everyone.

 

[JBun]

I've gone ahead and deleted your post on the other thread as to keep this from getting too confusing.

Yes, rabbit syphilis is curable if done correctly, and yes you would be able to use her for breeding again. I know of other breeders(US) that have had this problem and treated their rabbits successfully with pen g. It is true that penicillin is the only medication(that I'm aware of) that can cure syphilis. And it has some risks, just like any medicine that you give your rabbit, but it has also been used regularly and safely in rabbits, so I'm not sure why this lady you mentioned, would have had so many problems giving it to her rabbits, unless maybe the bottle of medication she gave had gone bad, or if she gave it orally, or she gave the wrong dosage. Giving penicillin orally can be fatal to rabbits. It HAS to be given by injection.

The steroid cream may have helped some, but it can't cure the disease and will only be masking the symptoms. You have to use injectable penicillin if you want to cure it.

I'm not sure about the large costs. Here in the US, pen g benzathine/procaine(also sometimes called bicillin) is what is used and it is relatively cheap, around $10-20 for a small bottle. Here you can get it through a vet/pharmacy or at a livestock feed store. I don't think bicillin is available in the UK, so you would have to use regular penicillin, which would need to be given more frequently, every day. I'm not familiar with vet costs in the UK, medication costs, or even what your laws are, so I can't really say what the cost would be for you or how to go about having this done, but if you know any other breeders there, they may be able to point you in the right direction to get your rabbit properly treated, or just start calling up rabbit vets and asking what they would charge. If you can do the injections yourself, that should help lower overall cost.

Also, if you have any other rabbits that have had contact with this one, they need to be treated as well.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syph_gen.html

You shouldn't rehome her without treating her. This does need to be treated, or it will get much worse(if syphilis is indeed what your rabbit has).

 

[NarniWonk]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you-I will try to get in contact with a good rabbit savvy vet asap to see what she can do and ask her about it, I have done sub q injections before so like you said that should bring the price down.
Your information really helped and the web link was useful-would you say that penicillin-when used correctly is nearly always effective?
I do believe the steroid cream has made her more comfortable but I am well aware of it still being there, once she is put on a course of penicillin, how long will that course last? The website said:
'''''Most other antibiotics will not cure the infection. Mostly, healing of the skin lesions is observed during the treatment, but relapse will occur as soon as the treatment is stopped as the Treponema cuniculi bacterium is not killed. This is particularly the case of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Clinical signs and skin lesions develop rapidly after the treatment is stopped, often in a more severe form than before.'''''
Is this referring to in the use of penicillin or other antibiotics?
THANK YOU

 

[JBun]

Like with any antibiotic, bacteria can become resistant to medication, but I would say that with the rare exception, if done correctly you should have no problem clearing it up. There is the slight chance that the antibiotic can cause loss of appetite, so it might be a good idea to have recovery food on hand in case you have to end up syringe feeding. You may also want to give Fibreplex along with the antibiotic(but at least 1-2hrs. after the injection so it doesn't counteract the affects of the probiotic).

It's referring to when other types of antibiotics are tried and not penicillin. I'm not quite sure how the treatment will vary with daily pen injections as opposed to long acting pen. Usually with the long acting pen, it is at least for 3-4 weeks, but it may be different for regular pen. If you are seeing a good rabbit vet, they should know all of this. You have some excellent rabbit vets there in the UK. I've heard Mark Rowland at Trinity Vets in Maidstone, is really good.

http://www.trinityvetcentre.co.uk/Trinity_Vet_Centre/Home.html

I think Christobel at Twickenham is supposed to be good as well. Those two sound the best, but if they are too far away, you could try these links to find a closer vet.
http://www.greenwichrabbitrescue.com/rabbitsavyvets.htm
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/?section=veterinary.html

 

[NarniWonk]

THANK YOU very very much you have been very helpful!!

 

[missyscove]

Penicillin is definitely considered curative in rabbits and is safe when injected (but definitely not when used orally). Any good rabbit vet should be able to prescribe and administer penicillin for you.

 

[NarniWonk]

Hello everyone, the latest update on the case is that the vet prescribed a 3 week treatment, coming in once every seven days for a sub q injection of ''depocillin'' - Anyone heard of this??
The vet seemed to think this was a good plan but then, he probably would what does everyone else think?
The cost is very affordable compared to what I'm used to at £64 all together. I'm not sure when I'll start the treatment... I think I need to build up enough courage before taking the plunge-I don't want to lose her-obviously :sad:

 

[lovelops]

if it's affordable and isn't going to cause her any pain or anything, I would say what do you have to lose?
But that is just me thinking off the cuff with what you have posted. I have not investigated the injections or anything yet.

Vanessa

 

[JBun]

That seems to be the normal treatment in the UK, for rabbit syphilis. I have my doubts about whether depocillin is a long acting penicillin though. From what I could find out, it didn't seem to be. You could ask your vet about it. Usually a long acting pen is used so that the injections don't have to be given every day.

What the vet is charging, seems quite reasonable. When you do decide to start treatment, I would suggest going in early and at the beginning of the week(where the office will be open the next day), so that if there by chance are any problems, you will be able to have her seen by the vet right away. Nothing worse then having a problem occur and the vet office is closed.

 

[NarniWonk]

So a long acting penicillin is one that you don't do everyday and you think depocillin isn't one? I'll ask my vet as soon as I can. Some one else I asked if this was a good idea said she would've imagined she'd need the treatment for four weeks not three-Do you think this the case and would you all say it is necessary to ask for a blood test after the treatment or will she certainly be rid of it?
Thank you!