E. cuniculi and Earmites

[Deer Heart]

I've got the medication to treat for both on a few buns I recently got for free (don't worry they are on quarantine). I'm just not sure how much and how often to use the medicines. There is a fairly huge difference between what I've seen posted around for either.

For their ears I have mixed mineral oil and tea tree oil into a spritzer bottle and give the smaller buns one squirt in each ear and for the larger buns 2 in each ear. How often does this need done to ensure the earmites are killed off? I have read to do it on day 1, 14, and finally 28. I have read of a lot more intensive than that... I have also heard that day 1 and again on day 28 to be enough... and some folks even said that the one treatment should do it :/ I don't want to do it more often than needed (it makes me feel itchy all over and paranoid that they escaped to me) but I also want to do right by these guys without stressing them more than they already are.

Now, the bun with the most severe ear mites' eyes suddenly clouded over and I suspect E. cuniculi (his head has also begun to tilt but that may be the ear mites too)and the symptoms likely were brought on by stress of being moved here.

For the E. cuniculi, I got SafeGuard liquid goat wormer and intend to treat everyone for it too. Is 1/10 of 1 ml per pound accurate? Am I doing this for 3 days (as suggested in a post here) or 28 days (as suggested by HRS's website)

 

[Miss M]

You cannot do the oil too often. Some mite infestations are light enough that one shot will take care of it. Or maybe two. Generally, about once every ten days for three (or four, if you think it's needed) treatments. This is to get the hatching eggs, since the eggs aren't affected by the oil. The third treatment is to get any hatching eggs from any survivors of the second treatment.

It shouldn't be stressful for any more time than it takes for you to spray the ears. It's a big relief to the rabbits to not have itchy ears any more.

As for the Safeguard, my feed store told me that it would be difficult to measure such a small amount of the liquid, and encouraged me to get the feed instead. I gave approximately 1/3 ounce by weight of the feed daily for 45 days for E. cuniculi. I gave it along with ivermectin 1.87% every 7 days. This was according to the directions at https://barbibrownsbunnies.com/wryneck/ . Her directions have changed some since then, as her research has continued. Currently, these are her recommendations:

MY METHOD OF TREATMENT

I am convinced, based on my own experience, that Ivomec (a cattle wormer) is the key to stopping the migration of the parasite. Ivomec 1% injectable solution for cattle (given orally) paralyzes the parasite and stops the migration to the brain.

Ivomec 1% injectable solution for cattle given orally at the rate of 1/10cc per pound of body weight. Dosage repeated in 7 days. Then followed at 3 month intervals as a preventative. It is critical that the dose be repeated in 7 days at that appears to be the life cycle of the spore. We generally see improvement in the condition after the second dose of Ivomec.

Piperazine (pin worm medication) at the rate of 4 drops per pound given orally at the same time as the Ivomec. Repeat in 3 month intervals. This is to remove additional parasites that might compromise the immune system but does not effect the EC spores.

Steroid injection (Depo-Medrol, Cortisone or similar) at the outset in a single dose of 1/4cc per 5 pounds of body weight. This is only in cases of rabbits who are rolling. Repeated doses may compromise the immune system.

Antibiotic therapy to treat an obvious infectious condition that is suspected of being the original stressor. My drug of choice is Penicillin with Benzathene or Biomycin administered sub-cutaneously at the rate of 1/10 cc. per pound of body weight. This dosage is given every 48 hours for 3 days ONLY.

Probiotics are given if antibiotics are used.

THIS IS ONLY WHAT WORKS FOR ME AND IS OFFERED AS A GUIDELINE FOR YOU TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR VET AND USE UNDER THEIR SUPERVISION.

To have a chance at nailing the E. cuniculi, you've got to pounce fast. One of our house bunnies is a wry neck case. He never lost the head tilt, but he did pull through the illness itself. He always looks at you sideways, but he's spoiled and demands to be picked up and held so he can take a nap on you.

We did recently have a second wry neck case, that rabbit's father. Much older than his son was at infection, his condition quickly deteriorated and we had to put him down.

 

[Deer Heart]

I dunno, the liquid was extremely easy for me to measure out? (Pellets strikes me as much harder to accurately dose something with but that may just be me) Based on what I read after the initial drench, the liquid can just be put in the water and works fine that way(which for me is still easier). I already dosed him once on it, but I'm assuming a dose again in 7 days then 3 months after that is what you're saying?

He isn't rolling yet so no on the steroids... I am basically using fenbendazole as my wormer instead of Ivomec? Dosage sounds almost the same...

 

[Dood]

To cure an already active case of E.cuni you should administer 20mg/kg of body weight of fenbendazole every day for 28 days - http://www.msd-animal-health.co.uk/bina ... -72082.pdf (For prevention of E.cuni and/or intestinal worms its for 3 days then repeat 10-14 days later)

When treating ear mites with oil I apply as needed to keep the ears lubricated to drown the mites so usually every 2-3 days.

 

[Miss M]

I dunno, the liquid was extremely easy for me to measure out? (Pellets strikes me as much harder to accurately dose something with but that may just be me)

I'll remember that it's easy if I ever have to deal with this again. I wasn't sure at the time what sort of dosage I would need to measure, so I took their word for it.

The pellets are easy to measure with a scale that weighs under an ounce, but getting them down the rabbit is another thing altogether. It was about a nice mound in the palm. I had to moisten them and mix them with all sorts of enticing things (but not much, because he wasn't eating much) in order to get him to eat them.

I already dosed him once on it, but I'm assuming a dose again in 7 days then 3 months after that is what you're saying?

Fenbendazole should be given daily for 28 days, as Dood said, at the dosage she stated. You can give it longer, if the rabbit is still improving but hasn't recovered yet.

Barbi Brown has removed fenbendazole from her treatment suggestions, in favor of piperazine. Medirabbit still encourages it, though: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/ ... hamine.htm

He isn't rolling yet so no on the steroids... I am basically using fenbendazole as my wormer instead of Ivomec? Dosage sounds almost the same...

Medirabbit doesn't mention using ivermectin, but Barbi Brown uses it as her main treatment. I used it every 7 days along with fenbendazole daily.

Like I said, Pinto still has his head tilt, but he's otherwise healthy and thoroughly spoiled. He rolls now only to get attention, or when he tries too fast to reach a treat. Just last night, he flipped over when I put Cheerios in his dish, and remained with all fours in the air trying to turn over for a moment. As he finally made it back upright, he flipped his dish, launching all his precious Cheerios into the air -- which then landed on his wire floor and most of them went through into his litter. So then he stuffed his muzzle into his bowl and looked at me accusingly, since there were no Cheerios in it. I gave him more. :roll:

When we found him with wry neck, his head was already tilted and his up eye was darting, and his down eye was closed, and he was rolling. When we started treating Thumper, he simply seemed a little unsteady and had a slight quizzical tilt to his head. I thought we should be able to lick it, since we'd caught it really early. He's the one we ended up having to put down, as his hindquarters became more and more paralyzed.

It is the ivermectin that Barbi gives again after 7 days and then every three months after that. I have not continued treatment past the 45 days I gave fenbendazole and ivermectin.

Treatment for E. cuniculi is still very much in a research stage, especially for home treatment. Barbi's website still evolves as she treats rabbits and finds what works best and most consistently. There are several options given on her site, Medirabbit, and the site Dood linked to. You pretty much just have to settle on one and go with it.

 

[Deer Heart]

To cure an already active case of E.cuni you should administer 20mg/kg of body weight of fenbendazole every day for 28 days - http://www.msd-animal-health.co.uk/bina ... -72082.pdf (For prevention of E.cuni and/or intestinal worms its for 3 days then repeat 10-14 days later)

When treating ear mites with oil I apply as needed to keep the ears lubricated to drown the mites so usually every 2-3 days.

Aha, that explains it So every day for 28 days for Mr. Buck but the other method for the rest? No one else has symptoms of anything. I just want to make sure anyone who might doesn't.