Coccidiosis, trying to help a friend

I'm trying to help a friend save there rabbits after many have died from coccidiosis.

I could only get my hands on Ivermectin and coccidiosis medicine for pigeons. I figure this is better than nothing and as rabbits are dying a painful death anything is worth trying to save them.
I have read that Ivermectin might actually help but the I have more faith in the Pigeon coccidiosis medicine. This is all I can get at this time.

There are 3 rabbits that might be beyond saving at this point because they wont eat or drink and even with medicine its unlikely those ones will pull through. The others I have a much better chance of saving before they reach the critical stage of GI Stasis and death.

I really need help my friend can't afford vets they are too expensive

Any help or advice with treating rabbits for Coccidiosis would be valuable right now?

coccidia is generally species specific IF I RECALL Correctly. What is the med used in the pigeon type? You'll need to figure out proper ratios... but I know it's mixed for bunnies to the chicken ratio.... I don't know how pigeons compare with chickens re medication.

I found the rabbit doses online but as you say coccidia is species specific it might not work as its for pigeons. All Ican do is try I guess, nothing to lose at this point.

I have ordered some coccidia for rabbits but it could take a while before it arrives and 3 of the rabbits have already gone into GI so those ones are pretty much done for but I have a chance of of saving the other 5 which are still eating and drinking, once they reach the stage when they stop eating and drinking there finished not much I can do after that.

I am not a vet, I have very limited knowledge so I wish somebody who knew a bit more than me could help me for the rabbits sake?

I won't be able to say if the pigeon medicine has or has not worked until a weeks time.

AlbinoGiant said:

I am not a vet, I have very limited knowledge so I wish somebody who knew a bit more than me could help me for the rabbits sake?

I won't be able to say if the pigeon medicine has or has not worked until a weeks time.

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The best remedy I've found for coccidiosis is Corid, the brand name for amprolium. Corid is effective at treating coccidiosis across all different taxa, including chickens, goats, rabbits and cattle. While the particular strains of coccidia can be species-specific, they're all coccidia and should all respond to amprolium. Your pigeon medicine may very well be amprolium (which is a thiamine antagonist), but I think they sometimes use folic acid antagonist or even arsenic for pigeons, so it would be well to read the ingredients on the medicine bottle.

Another med used for coccidiosis in multiple species is toltrazuril. I've used 5% oral suspension for rabbits; I'm not sure what the dosage is for poultry but I know they use it for avian coccidia as well. Corid is pretty safe and not too easy to overdose; I've used toltrazuril much less so I'm not as sure about dose-dependent toxicity.

If you look at the pigeon bottle and find out what it is I might be able to help you with dosage etc.

In the meantime, if you can syringe-feed water, and syringe-feed ground-up hay mash, find some Oxbow Critical Care or other herbivore emergency diet, or tempt them to eat and drink anything at all it might buy you some time. Sometimes if you can get some water in them they'll be willing to nibble on a little hay. But even if they want to eat apple (which I avoid giving my rabbits because of the sugar content), I let them, just to get something in them and encourage things to keep moving.

Also, for the ones still eating, I'd suggest taking away the pellets and keeping them well-supplied with clean - change it out often! - clean hay. Make sure to max out their access to clean water, since if rabbits don't drink, they won't eat. And make sure their cages or hutches are kept very clean. Coccidosis tends to be a hygiene-related disease.

It says on the bottle it contains 3.84% w/v Amprolium Hydrochloride. There isn't any other ingredients written on the bottle. Its a blue liquid.

Thanks for the info. I think what I have is Corid but under a different name brand. I'll look for Tolrazuril. Somebody also recommended I try Trimethoprim sulfa but nowhere has any. Anything I order takes a minimal of 4 days to arrive and time isn't on my side right now. there are now four rabbits today out of eight not eating or drinking and they wont take any fluids via a syringe, it just comes back out again.

AlbinoGiant said:

It says on the bottle it contains 3.84% w/v Amprolium Hydrochloride. There isn't any other ingredients written on the bottle. Its a blue liquid.

Thanks for the info. I think what I have is Corid but under a different name brand. I'll look for Tolrazuril. Somebody also recommended I try Trimethoprim sulfa but nowhere has any. Anything I order takes a minimal of 4 days to arrive and time isn't on my side right now. there are now four rabbits today out of eight not eating or drinking and they wont take any fluids via a syringe, it just comes back out again.

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That's it, it's amprolium.

The problem with Coccidiosis is if you don't catch it early enough then it really takes a hold of those rabbits and when they stop eating and drinking they need fluid therapy with the medicine via an IV line which is a bit beyond my knowledge. I don't know how IV lines work in terms of getting fluids into a rabbit.

The dose is 1ml to a liter of water but I may increase the dose by 1ml because I'm not seeing any progress and more are getting to the stage where they wont eat or drink so it might be that its too late I will keep trying but its not looking good.I might have to look into IV lines. I don't have heart to end there suffering even if that is the best thing for them I don't know anybody who could do that. I will ask a vet but they will probably charge a lot for euthanasia per rabbit and that if there isn't an appointment required. Coccidiosis is a nasty thing and rabbits will be in a lot of pain. I have tried so many things like contacting rescue centers, animal chairties etc etc but nobody can help or will help.

Many health issues I have dealt with create or add gut issues. Often antibiotics can cause it.... let me say fresh green grass is very very helpful in this case. Almost miraculous. Almost... do try it
I've had (horrible, depressing events) with a viral enteritis that went across the US years ago. I did learn a few things that MIGHT help. Of course green grass, again super helopful. Baby Gas drops which are mostly silicone in water..... it makes the gas bubbles smaller.
frequently put into the rabbit help.

Please read all of this because I add warnings that are very important:
Baby gas drops, which are silicone. Makes the gas bubbles smaller,
can be found in a store or pharmacy... watch for sweeteners. Some use a diabetic sweetener that caused diarrhea in humans. It was notorious for doing so. What the he-double-hocky pucks! giving a infant diarrhea? for Gas? This is likely to kill the kid for gawds sake!!
Anny hoo... watch ingredient lists for; sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, isomalt, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, these are sugar alcohols that usually diarrhea.

Back to the sick buns; giving the bun gas drops can get them to eat.... getting them to eat can kick start their gut and Viola they are ok and hungry again. Fresh Parsley is an amazing helpful herb that will also aid their gut to working again. Often they are not interested so I introduce parsley along with carrot greens Before they get ill. Once they get used to it they love it and eat it up. Parsley is known to aid digestion.

So my approach is to get all my rabbits used to parsley in advance of trouble... Then

If any gut issues show up I use parsley first but also pull out the gas drops and add them right away. Pull pellet foods and feed only hay.
I have also observed any gut issue is almost miraculously cured by fresh grass. Seriously just cut fresh grass is an amazing help if a rabbit has gut issues.
If I am desperate I will even use a piece of grass or parsley forced into their mouth through the sides with no teeth and have seen even that little bit get them to eat a tiny bit... a bit more and then really eating.
Nothing is perfect, but this has worked for me at least a dozen or more times.

Bunnys are hard... horses are suicidal bunnies are talented.

Thanks for the info. Getting there gut moving is important because as the days go by more stop eating and drinking. Some have diarrhea whereas others are blocked up. I'm going out to pick as much grass as I can find.

So my friend and I managed to find somebody to take the very poorly rabbits away as they are in desperate need of help. That leaves me with the rabbits that are still eating and drinking that stand a bit more of a chance.

I've collected lots of grass and some nice green willow tree branches, I've heard these are a good pain medicine but also good for rabbits in general. I'm washing all the grass before giving it to the rabbits.

Another one has stopped eating and drinking... I may as well just give up at this point. Force feeding grass doesn't work and I can;t get it to drink fluids. Another one looks like its going the same way too. I think I'll throw in the towel with the lot by tomorrow. I've done what I can.

Alaska Satin said:

The best remedy I've found for coccidiosis is Corid, the brand name for amprolium. Corid is effective at treating coccidiosis across all different taxa, including chickens, goats, rabbits and cattle. While the particular strains of coccidia can be species-specific, they're all coccidia and should all respond to amprolium. Your pigeon medicine may very well be amprolium (which is a thiamine antagonist), but I think they sometimes use folic acid antagonist or even arsenic for pigeons, so it would be well to read the ingredients on the medicine bottle.

Another med used for coccidiosis in multiple species is toltrazuril. I've used 5% oral suspension for rabbits; I'm not sure what the dosage is for poultry but I know they use it for avian coccidia as well. Corid is pretty safe and not too easy to overdose; I've used toltrazuril much less so I'm not as sure about dose-dependent toxicity.

If you look at the pigeon bottle and find out what it is I might be able to help you with dosage etc.

In the meantime, if you can syringe-feed water, and syringe-feed ground-up hay mash, find some Oxbow Critical Care or other herbivore emergency diet, or tempt them to eat and drink anything at all it might buy you some time. Sometimes if you can get some water in them they'll be willing to nibble on a little hay. But even if they want to eat apple (which I avoid giving my rabbits because of the sugar content), I let them, just to get something in them and encourage things to keep moving.

Also, for the ones still eating, I'd suggest taking away the pellets and keeping them well-supplied with clean - change it out often! - clean hay. Make sure to max out their access to clean water, since if rabbits don't drink, they won't eat. And make sure their cages or hutches are kept very clean. Coccidosis tends to be a hygiene-related disease.

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good advice

AlbinoGiant said:

I'm trying to help a friend save there rabbits after many have died from coccidiosis.

I could only get my hands on Ivermectin and coccidiosis medicine for pigeons. I figure this is better than nothing and as rabbits are dying a painful death anything is worth trying to save them.
I have read that Ivermectin might actually help but the I have more faith in the Pigeon coccidiosis medicine. This is all I can get at this time.

There are 3 rabbits that might be beyond saving at this point because they wont eat or drink and even with medicine its unlikely those ones will pull through. The others I have a much better chance of saving before they reach the critical stage of GI Stasis and death.

I really need help my friend can't afford vets they are too expensive

Any help or advice with treating rabbits for Coccidiosis would be valuable right now?

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How awful. You are a nice friend to help them. Not sure how many rabbits they have but I would definitely move them out of where they are and sterililze the crap out of the living area, bowls etc. Check their feed and hay and then most likely start over. Farm and Fleet carries liquid ivermectin.

My friend has been cleaning the pens twice a day with hot water, each day two more rabbits get to the critical stage with runny diarrhea and stop eating and drinking.

In pen 1, He had 6 young rabbits, 3 had died and one other was taken away as it was too poorly. That leaves two which are being treated.

In pen 2 there were 8 young rabbits plus the mother. Three of them became critically ill and had to be removed, now 2 more have become critical. The mother seems to be ok.

The adult rabbits are doing ok its just the young rabbits that are dropping like flies, he is losing two a day. The critically ill rabbits were taken away where they could get medical help. That leaves just two plus the mother. I've never seen anything like this before. I'm expecting for other rabbits to get critical tomorrow which will pretty much be the last lot.

AlbinoGiant said:

My friend has been cleaning the pens twice a day with hot water, each day two more rabbits get to the critical stage with runny diarrhea and stop eating and drinking.

In pen 1, He had 6 young rabbits, 3 had died and one other was taken away as it was too poorly. That leaves two which are being treated.

In pen 2 there were 8 young rabbits plus the mother. Three of them became critically ill and had to be removed, now 2 more have become critical. The mother seems to be ok.

The adult rabbits are doing ok its just the young rabbits that are dropping like flies, he is losing two a day. The critically ill rabbits were taken away where they could get medical help. That leaves just two plus the mother. I've never seen anything like this before. I'm expecting for other rabbits to get critical tomorrow which will pretty much be the last lot.

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Bummer. Seems adults have antibodies to it. I would be autopsying the dead ones, at least one.

Scooter1A said:

Bummer. Seems adults have antibodies to it. I would be autopsying the dead ones, at least one.

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An autopsy would tell us what we already know, it would also show organ failure. Coccidiosis damages the liver and kidneys, its treatable at early stages but once the gut stops moving and organ failure starts to happen there ain't much that can be done after that. its just a slow painful death from there unfortunatly.

Coccidiosis is very hard to detect until its too late in young rabbits. Adult rabbits have a bit more of a resilience to it.

3 more young rabbits have become critical this afternoon.

The rest of the young rabbits will follow the very last lot now.

The 3 rabbits that have become critical I managed to get one eating, I've also made a discovery that this may not be Coccidiosis... My friend had bought some packaged hay from a discount store which looked a bit dark in color, there is a small possibility that its contaminated and has poisoned the rabbits.

All hay has since been removed and discarded and replaced with fresh hay bought from a pet store yesterday and there has been some progress... the 3 critical rabbits might not be able to be saved, I'm hoping the one that is drinking tiny amounts of water might pull through. The other two may not make it.

The remaining young rabbits that are left haven't fallen ill.

I'm not ruling out Coccidiosis but I think poisoning from contaminated hay could be what has happened. I have ordered some activated charcoal to give to the poorly rabbits.

I thought Corrid was the med for coccidia?

Captaincatholic said:

I thought Corrid was the med for coccidia?

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I have that which they are being treated for Coccidiosis. I was refereeing to possible poisoning from contaminated hay which is what the activated charcoal would be used for.

Corrid for Coccidiosis

Activated charcoal...... encase it was poisoning