problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Gillian Mostyn — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:53:29 GMT

[quote user="ameliakp"]i was under the impression that the blood test for EC only confirms whether they have come into contact with EC, so a rabbit who lived with an EC sufferer would come back positive even if it had no symptoms of EC.[/quote]

Depends on which test was carried out - an antibody titre does only indicate exposure, but a PCR will tell you whether bunny has it now.....

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Tracey Louise — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:44:54 GMT

I would imagine a rabbit living with an e.cuniculi sufferer would more than likely have it themselves too, it is very contagious, passed out in the urine.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

ameliakp — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:16:26 GMT

thanks for the metacam apple idea, i was just sitting here wondering what fruit i could sneak it into.

i was under the impression that the blood test for EC only confirms whether they have come into contact with EC, so a rabbit who lived with an EC sufferer would come back positive even if it had no symptoms of EC.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Tracey Louise — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 21:13:45 GMT

Yep they can have e.cuniculi without signs, you will be surprised how many rabbits have it without symptoms (statistically).

And the tx doesnt prevent them from catching it again. My rabbit went really quiet and off her food one day but was drinking a whole big bottle of water twice a day. Teeth were fine, kidneys were fine, so we sent off an e.cuniculi sample to the lab and it came back positive. She recovered after a few days but still always pupd after that.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Nicola Smith — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 16:13:15 GMT

Hi they can have e cuniculi without obvious signs - depends on where in the body affected I think eg kidneys, eyes, spinal cord, brain.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Anna Rayne — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:56:53 GMT

I guess you may have tried this already but my rabbit was on metacam for about 2 years. He had his daily dose - 3-4 drops of dog metacam on a slice of apple which he would eat willing. Apple was good as it absorbed the metacam into it. So any absorbant fruit/veg might do ? cucumber. He didn't get the rest of his veg until he had eaten that bit though.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

ameliakp — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:24:21 GMT

Mmm my last post didn't actually post... Got results back. Her urea is 8.9 which idexx said is only a tad high. Next step is urinalysis and vet said if the urine is not very concentrated we will do a water deprivation test. Thanks for responses. She has her teeth checked regularly as I'm a bit paranoid! So her teeth are fine. She had stayed a steady 3.2 until february when all of a sudden she dropped down to 2.7kg. Since then she has stayed the same. She has been treated for EC since another rabbit suffered from it last summer. Could she had suffered from it without showing any symptoms? As for boredom...they are damned spoilt and have lots of stimulation, my cats are quite jealous and are always jumping in the run to play with the rabbit toys! Though just to make sure I'll sort out some new bits for them.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Tracey Louise — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:22:47 GMT

My rabbit pupd when she had e.cuniculi. Even after successful tx for the e.cuniculi (lapizole, metacam etc) there was no improvement with the pupd. Kidney function was tested and spot on. She was 8 when she died just after xmas but had been drinking more for the past 3 years.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Nicola Smith — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:52:31 GMT

That was going to be my question too - again not sure why but dental rabbits do seem to drink loads. Also, think I have heard someone mention may be done to relieve boredom - does she have plenty of toys and stimulation? Is her weight stable ?

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Fiona Leathers — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:40:34 GMT

This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway!! Have you checked her teeth lately?? I've seen a lot of rabbits that have excessive drinking because of dental problems. The only rational thinking that I've got, is that the water cools inflamed tongue/cheeks and possibly reduces pain in the mouth. Just a thought!!

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

ameliakp — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:28:05 GMT

ok, so been thinking alot about this pain response. she was on metacam for the arthritis, but her pasturella made it impossible to daily dose. she would get stressed and struggle to breath.

vet tried her on dex which seemed to make her more comfortable. she had 2 doses before i stopped it to see whether the dex was the reason for her drinking more. if it is a response to pain, that means the dex wasnt helping at all and she' been in pain for a while.

is there anything else i could use to relieve her pain?

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

ameliakp — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:42:48 GMT

not checked a urine sample yet, that was going to be my next test. thanks for the link. interesting that it says they can drink more due to pain, as her arthritis has only recently been diagnosed-though she is still jumping on top of the hutch and tunnels and toys etc,

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Phrin Vernon RVN — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:33:34 GMT

Have they checked a urine sample?

Just had a google, and found this

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rJiv3EWJTPcC&pg=PA326&lpg=PA326&dq=polydipsia+rabbit&source=bl&ots=j9IgMmiLtv&sig=Bygv13-H5l6IHiPY78-jlzOaUhQ&hl=en&ei=j9p_TeT8EMy6hAeT4qGvBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=polydipsia%20rabbit&f=false

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

ameliakp — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:33:25 GMT

i thought they might...i dont want to annoy anyone! i'll see if the vet will still chat to them then.

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Steph Worsley — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:29:59 GMT

[quote user="ameliakp"]

one of our part-time vets did mention her ringing him dependant on the results. i was going to talk to her when she is in on friday, see if she still will.

you reckin they would get annoyed if i just ring out of the blue?

[/quote]

unless you are on good personal terms with a specialist they tend to only deal with advice calls from vets just a matter of courtesy to other vets more than anything

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

ameliakp — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:21:56 GMT

one of our part-time vets did mention her ringing him dependant on the results. i was going to talk to her when she is in on friday, see if she still will.

you reckin they would get annoyed if i just ring out of the blue?

Re: problem with a rabbit, any advice would be great

Vicky RVN — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:05:52 GMT

Could you maybe speak to a specialist for advice over the phone? I hate it when people aren't interested in small furries, they are just as important as cats and dogs grrr!!!