Help on deciding if it is the dread P word

[OneAcreFarm]

OneAcreFarm wrote:
Penicillin is not effective against P. Multocida, you have to use Baytril (enrofloxacin) and something else I cannot remember off the top of my head. Even then, you won't cure it, just mask the symptoms.

Do you have a source for this? I've looked at several sources and the only one that addresses penicillin is wikipedia, which claims the P. Multicoda is penicillin sensitive. Other sources simply say"antibiotics", though one source says "intravenous antibiotics" and I don't think there are any forms of penicillin that are administered in that manner. I'm very interested in this, as it sounds like this is the bunnies version to canine parvo (yes, I know they're not the same thing) but much hardier. Since I plan to start breeding them (I already eat them, though it's been a while on that as well), I'm very interested in their health. Thanks in advance.

Let me restate, penicillin is not an *effective* treatment for P. Multicida. The most effective seem to be enrofloxacin and Tilmicosin, but again, neither of those will *cure* it. Here are some links with research data and findings...

http://ehs.uc.edu/lams/data/pdfs/9005.pdf

http://www.raising-rabbits.com/pasteure ... ocida.html
*not a scholarly article, but well-written and using Rabbit Production, by Lukefahr, et al. as its reference.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8828132

http://www.scopemed.org/?mno=13287

http://la.rsmjournals.com/content/29/2/192.full.pdf

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index ... 171317.htm

http://www.criver.com/SiteCollectionDoc ... tocida.pdf

 

[Happy]

Most bacterial infections are impossible to cure in the sense that the bug is gone. Bacteria can "swap" genes with each other, even different species of bacteria. This can lead to "hybrid" infections that don't necessarily express themselves, but can become virulent later. This is all stuff I already knew. Still, if it can be cured well enough for the little bugger to grow up big enough to be more than a snack, I'm in (presuming the cost is reasonable).

And thanks for those links.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I like the analogy of flesh eating disease.

Everybody has it, the bacteria is everywhere, no one knows what exactly causes it to rear it's head and it is very opportunistic so when the conditions are just right it hits you! Treatment must be severe to isolate it from others and prevent it from mutating into something stronger. If they survive it they are never the same and permanently scarred.

I like this as well because it underscores the need to vary the specifics of the details, as flesh-eating diseases are often varieties of less-innocuous bacteria that have become resistant to common antibacterials and antibiotics, such as MRSA.

Necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly called "Flesh Eating Bacteria" can be caused by a few different bacteria, but is usually caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or Group A Strep, which naturally lives on the skin and in the mucous membranes. Similarly, menigicoccal meningitis, a killer of children and adolescents, usually lives in the oral and nasal cavity membranes happily without causing illness. Scary, isn't it? I once worked at a Dr.s office where we had a 17yo girl come in with one eye that was red and swollen...that was her only symptom. As it seemed to cause vision issues, the Dr. sent her to an opthalmologist. That was Thursday, and by Sunday she was dead of Meningicoccal Meningitis and I got a call at home from the Health Department saying I needed to come in and start Rifampin treatment since I was exposed. I had an infant at home at the time and it scared me badly. I quit that job the next day and went back to working in Surgery where we can at least TRY to sterilize everything in sight. I have since left the medical field, but I tell you, there are some really nasty bugs out there and building up your immune system is always a good thing! With our rabbits, it is cheaper and easier to cull and or breed for strong immune systems, give their short gestation and lifespan.<br /><br />__________ Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:55 am __________<br /><br />

Most bacterial infections are impossible to cure in the sense that the bug is gone. Bacteria can "swap" genes with each other, even different species of bacteria. This can lead to "hybrid" infections that don't necessarily express themselves, but can become virulent later. This is all stuff I already knew. Still, if it can be cured well enough for the little bugger to grow up big enough to be more than a snack, I'm in (presuming the cost is reasonable).

And thanks for those links.

The thing is...do you want to be consuming an animal that has had LONG TERM antibiotic therapy? One of the main reasons I started raising rabbits was to provide hormone/ABX free meat for my family.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The thing is...do you want to be consuming an animal that has had LONG TERM antibiotic therapy? One of the main reasons I started raising rabbits was to provide hormone/ABX free meat for my family.

:yeahthat:

 

[Justin]

*oneacrefarm*

yep, I said it correctly. Treatment is different than cure.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

*oneacrefarm*

yep, I said it correctly. Treatment is different than cure.

Oh, I know... But there are others that might not realize that...a lot of people equate "treatable" with "cureable", so I was just clarifying for the sake of others that may be reading.

 

[Happy]

You misunderstood me. I wouldn't bother spending money on long term medical care of any kind. they're going to be food. Cute, furry, sometimes really gross to tend to, food.