Rifampicin as a medication

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Hi

Thank you for asking! i did post briefly enquiring about Convenia and outlining the problem and got some very helpful PMs and answers (including a long and very helpful one from Randy which I passed to my vet who was very interested) - but the story has developed a bit.

Basically Parsley has had a long running inner ear infection which ha resulte din a burst ear drum, pus, and a half paralysed face.

The abscess has proved resistant to all the usual bunny abx (including injected Penicillins, baytril, metranidozol etc etc)

I then posted to ask about Convenia but before we even got started the Convenia we had a CT Scan done (thankfully insured!!) and the inner ear abscess which he is suffering from is not only huge but has eroded a large extent of bone and the bulla area. Basically there is only a small wall of semi porous bone between his brain and an abscess that is about the same size as the brain and lots of bone erosion on the outward side

We are very lucky in that the abscess has been heading outwards by the look of it rather than inwards but from the size and resistance of it Parsley is very much living on borrowed time.

After much research our vet has suggested that we try the combination of Rifampicin and Zithromax as it has apparently ben successful in rabbits used as experimental rabbits for human disease (huge apologies to bring up such an insensitive subject) with none of the rabbits getting severe side effects during medication (28 days).

Knowing that this site has international readers I thought i would post again here.

Today is our 2nd day if trying the meds and, apart from smaller poos and a slightly decreased appetite, Parsley seems to be tolerating it. Though it is only the 2nd day.

thank you

PS should add that despite this horrendous abscess Parsley is an incredibly lively rabbit that shows zero signs of any pain or discomfort - he bounces around the house and garden in leaps and bounds enthusiastically.
 
I am glad you have done your homework on this drug to make sure it is safe. I can't add anything but that it is good to try new things when a bunny like Parsley (active and happy) is very ill and you have exhausted current veterinary standard protocols.
 
I could only find rifampicin as a drug tested on rabbits but not actually used to treat pets. I understand why you are going this route .

Iam wondering, however, why chlorampenical was not a consideration...

Also did your run the rifampicicinbyRandy?

possibly you did and I did not see it ....

let us know how this goes>>>
 
chlorampenical - I am not sure we have it here? I have never heard of it.

Parsley reacted very very badly to his combined drugs - we have intensive nursed him round and we are waiting a few days drug free then trying again with much reduced doses to see if he tolerates these. We are caught between a rock and a hard place as they say.
 
Chloramphenicol is a very old antibiotic that is rarely used because it causes bone marrow suppression and anemia in people sometimes. It is very good, however, at treating many serious bacterial infections because few have gained resistance to it and it has strong activity. It is not commonly used outside the developing world, although it is used a lot in 3rd world countries because it is cheap and effective, especially against some of the more aggressive bacterial diseases found in sub-tropical areas.

I hope she tolerates the medicine better at the lower dose.
 

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