Nethie Buck... not looking very good

[DaytonHillRabbits]

Hi all.. need some advice or opinions on one of my Netherland bucks.. he is about 6 months old, and he lives at my boyfriend's house in an outside hutch with shelter. He gets free choice feed, and hay.

Now, about a month ago I brought this rabbit to my place to breed a few does. He stayed here about a week or two just hanging out with my girls. I sent him back to my boyfriends, and all was good. I just went to pick him up from my boyfriend's house to breed a few more girls, and.. he is SKINNY... like.. frighteningly skinny... spine fully protruding, all body.. what the heck?!

Boyfriend said he's his normal bouncy self, but he seems more lethargic to me. He's lost a lot of weight in the month.. maybe a little less since I've seen and put hands on him. I picked up a higher protein and fat feed and threw in some alfalfa cubes for him to eat. Added oats and BOSS to his feed, but... how can this happen? His teeth look fine to me, no runny nose, nothing outwardly obvious that is wrong with him... he's not terribly lethargic just a bit less exuberant to his normal self...

Could the change of season have affected him this badly? Anything more I should be doing to help him gain weight and feel betteR? I also added some ACV to his bottle to give him a boost... he can stay here with me inside until he feels better.

 

[Homer]

if it were my rabbit I'd start him on Safe-Guard Dewormer for Goats Suspension 10%. Deworm him.

Most pet and farm supply place have it.

 

[DaytonHillRabbits]

Is there a safe dewormer paste for horses I could use on him? Ivermectin or anything?

 

[Homer]

Is there a safe dewormer paste for horses I could use on him? Ivermectin or anything?

You can use about a pea size of the past but...Fenbendazole, the active ingredient in Safe-Guard) works better, kills more types of parasites. I.M.H.O.

 

[DaytonHillRabbits]

OK, what dose would I give him of the safe-guard?

 

[Homer]

I use .08cc per pound of rabbit for 7 days. Then 10 days off and repeat treatment one more time. They usually take it pretty good. Must not taste to bad.

 

[DaytonHillRabbits]

I'm assuming rabbits should be dewormed regularly just like the horses are? How often should they be done?

 

[Homer]

I know some that will do it every 6-8 months. (Preventive they only dose for 3 days.) I only do it if I see signs of an issue. Little white worms in their poop or major unexplained weight loss.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Is he pooping and peeing OK? Did your boyfriend notice any decrease in his food consumption? I know my rabbits have been losing all kinds of fur with the weather change - could have a blockage...

 

[DaytonHillRabbits]

Seems to be pooping and peeing fine, he's been here overnight.. boyfriend said that he's still eating, maybe a little less than he was but not much if so. He is shedding terribly but not sure if it's because he's in such poor condition or not. I told boyfriend he needs to stuff the shelters with hay so they don't need to use all their energy keeping warm at night.. temps are not terribly cold but this will be his first winter, and he is outside (with shelter). I will keep him in my house until he's gained significant weight and deworm them all just as a precaution, I'm going to switch to a better quality feed as well, just tracking down availability and cost etc... Hoping he makes it through as this is my boyfriend's kids' bunny... sigh.

 

[Homer]

I think deworming is the right choice. When you have one with fur block everything tends to stop. Eating, pooping and drinking stops and they become very lethargic in behavior. At that point your in trouble if you don't act fast.

 

[LittleFluffyBunnies]

I agree, probably worms.
I have heard that pumpkin seeds, raw and unsalted, work as a natural dewormer. However you have to also do LOTS of cage cleaning when using these as they only paralyze the worms.

 

[SixGun]

This is a follow up question on my side. If this rabbit does indeed have a heavy infestation of worms, which I assume it would have to be to create such a change in weight, are there any concerns when worming?

 

[Homer]

This is a follow up question on my side. If this rabbit does indeed have a heavy infestation of worms, which I assume it would have to be to create such a change in weight, are there any concerns when worming?

Not really SixGun. Generally speaking Fenbendazole is considered a safe med for use on rabbits. It is also used in the treatment of E.C.(E. cuniculi) but given for 4 times as long.

From Meddirabbit: "In rare cases, long-term intake of fenbendazole has been associated with the onset of bone marrow failure, digestive problems and anorexia, though this was not clinically investigated. After discussion with vets who treated hundreds of rabbits with fenbendazole, none observed the onset of bone marrow failure in the treated rabbits, given the correct doses during 28 days. " http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/cuniculi/pyrimethamine.htm

Bottom line is worms don't stand a chance. :mrgreen:

 

[akane]

Most don't actually deworm regularly. Most only deworm when possible symptoms present. Being on wire eating mostly commercial processed food rabbits ingest very little of their feces or from other animals. Nearly all parasites multiply by the eggs passing out of the body and the animal eating more of the parasite from external sources. The population doesn't build in the body otherwise. Horses graze back over the same ground or ground that has had other animals. Most rabbit setups don't. Now of course new rules apply when we use bedding in solid bottom cages, feed lots of fresh foods that could be contaminated from wildlife, or especially keep them in colonies but 1 rabbit on bedding, not getting a lot of potentially contaminated food should only need dewormed until clear. Not a whole lot is known about routine mass deworming for rabbits because it's not done that much. There have been mysterious cases of a large number of deaths when someone decides to deworm all their rabbits and not enough info to confidently say why. That's another reason some avoid it unless symptoms appear. The best would be to take in fecal samples to your vet to count parasite eggs and type so you know exactly what to deworm with and how often. Many large animal/farm vets will do this without seeing the animal for only a small fee but that style of practice is kind of dying out. I couldn't even get cost effective rabies shot only visits for 2 of my dogs while we were a little short on money. Gotta have that exam fee, heartworm test, etc... Luckily we happened to catch a vaccination clinic for our area.

 

[Dood]

Fenbendazole causes the worms to disolve so you dont need to worry about blockages from a large infestation of worms passing in the stool like ivermectin can produce