coccidia in rabbits

Question
Hi, I have a herd of rabbits that have MAJOR coccidia. I was wondering if there is a vaccine I could give them to help prevent it and treat it. My vet is giving me something to put in the water for 21 days but i dont remember what he called it. So any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Answer
Dear Shaunette,

I am completely against any medication being put in the drinking water.  Not only will you be unable to control the dosage (and some rabbits simply won't drink the water because it will taste strange, and those will continue to have coccidia and spread it), but there are no medications truly effective against coccidia that will stay active if in the water for any length of time.  

Find a more experienced rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

You will have to treat your rabbits individually, as difficult as that might be.  The best remedy I've found is ponazuril, which appears to completely eliminate the coccidia in about 5-7 doses.  It was developed to treat a parasite in horses, and so is available only in the "horse tube".  But with the proper dilution, a single tube will provide you with all the ponazuril you will ever need to treat your rabbits for coccidiosis.  This will be important, since it is nearly impossible to eliminate the oocysts from the environment, and the bunnies may need to be treated on a regular basis.  You can find ponazuril here for the lowest price I've been able to find:

http://www.heartlandvetsupply.com/cart/product_info.php?products_id=750

It's a good investment, despite the price.

A cheaper alternative is to use trimethoprim sulfa or albon.  But these take weeks of treatment, and will not always completely eliminate the parasites.

I hope this helps.

Dana