advice needed following vet visit

Question
Hi Dana

I saw the vet.  The bunny weighed 4 pounds.  His temp was normal.  She did feel that the bunny had stiffness in his hind legs particularly the one that showed weakness.  She felt that it  might be arthritis.    She put the bunny on 1/2 cc Metacam once a day for seven days.    I am not sure she felt we were dealing with EC but she did give me 5 days worth of Panacure.  She said, if the Panacure was going to help, the bunny should show improvement in 5 days time.    The dose is 4/10ths of one cc but I don't know the strength.   She said that if there is no improvement than chances are he is not going to respond favorably to the panacure.  I did mention the Ponzuril to her she is going to look into it.   She did not seem concerned about the other bunnies that share Sterling's area.  

My concern is, from what I am reading about EC the recommendation is 28 days.    If she is unwilling to provide that how do I figure out the amount of panacure that is safe for rabbits.

Terri

Answer
Dear Terri,

Yes, fenbendazole is typically given for 28-30 days for E. cuniculi (because the researchers who did the study arbitrarily chose that time frame).  And no, you will not necessarily see improvement in five days; it can take longer.

I think I would check the vet listings here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find another rabbit-savvy vet for a second opinion, if you're not sure this vet is completely current with treatments or veterinary thinking on E. cuniculi.

I hope this helps.

Dana