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E. cuniculi in rabbits

22 10:41:30

Question
Dana
My rabbit has been diagnosed with e.cuniculi and is being treated with panacur. She has lost her balance but is very much fighting, we have adapted her cage so she can sit up without falling over. However she is losing weight rapidly although she is eating normally in fact more than when she was healthy. Please could you advise me if there is anything we can give her that would 'build' her up as I am concerned that we will lose her due to the weight loss. She is currently on excel, hay and odd greens but too many greens give her stomach problems.

Answer
Dear Dawn,

Has she had bloodwork done?  E. cuniculi can damage the kidneys, and one of the signs of renal failure is wasting.  Neurological signs such as falling over can also mean late-stage renal failure, as toxic substances build up and cause general malaise.

I would recommend that you ask the vet about doing bloodwork to check her B.U.N., creatinine, and other values that will indicate how well her kidneys are functioning.  She may be stabilized with subcutaneous fluid therapy, if kidney problems are a contributing factor.

The fact that she gets runny poop from greens suggests that her GI tract may be "on the edge," too.  Greens don't generally cause this problem, but if a rabbit is stressed by another problem, such as illness or (very commonly) pain from dental problems such as molar spurs, the bunny can suffer cecal dysbiosis, as explained here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

I would also ask the vet to have a really good look at the molars, to be sure they're not contributing to the problems.

I would wait to give her high-calorie supplements until her bloodwork comes back.  You don't want to give her extra protein if her kidneys are not good, and if her liver is having problems, then too much fat can make things worse.  A little bit of rolled oats a couple of times a day can help add starch calories while the hulls can help mitigate the GI effects of that extra starch.  Just add a little bit gradually, to make sure it doesn't upset her tummy.

I hope this helps.

Dana