Coccidium Cuniculi (RIP)

[KimberleeWilson]

I have yet to do a formal introduction, but with good reason. Terra, our 7 week old mini lop, has been pretty ill. She had stopped eating yesterday and just wasn't herself. She would get excited by the veggies and grass we offered her, but couldn't bring herself to eat it. You could tell something was "off". After endless hours on the net, I thought maybe she just had gas, so bought baby simethicone and tried the .3 ml twice over the course of the day. She seemed to perk up a little bit for a short period after each dose. I was distressed to learn that Terra should NOT have been weaned as early she was (It's been a loooooong time since we've had rabbits). I called several times from work to check on her, and begged to leave early so I could take her to the vet.

The vet tested her stool, and she has Coccidium Cuniculi. She was also pretty dehydrated. We ended up with 10 days of Albon, Bene-Bac X 2, Critical Care, Sub Q fluids, and a shot of Cimetidine. He wants me to force feed her every 2-3 hours (which she ends up with more ON her than IN her... ) It's a pretty stressful ordeal for the both of us! I asked the vet if the other girls could also have it, and I'll have to take them in to be tested and weighed for treatment. After today's vet bill, I will have to wait until my next paycheck which is a week away (Bad timing!).

Does anyone have any helpful hints for dealing with this? Are we on the right path? Thank you in advance!!

Kimberlee

 

[Pipp]

Aw, poor baby.

The article I like best is this one:

http://www.showbunny.com/gastrointestinal.htm

Excerpts:

Coccidiosis


Coccidiosis is a commonly-seen cause of diarrhea, especially in the young animal. The organism responsible is a protozoan parasite, Eimeria steidae. Other forms of the Eimeria species can also cause disease.

There are two distinct forms of coccidiosis; liver and intestinal. Liver coccidiosis is usually affects the young to yearling animal, and is manifested largely on a non-clinical level, save for possible lack of gain, and perhaps a slight persistent diarrhea.

The intestinal form is more common, especially in those animals on high carbohydrate, low fiber diets. Signs are seen anywhere from three weeks of age through adulthood as populations of Eimeria become high enough to cause problems for GI tract.

Some signs of intestinal coccidiosis are: severe diarrhea with a sudden onset; persistent non-responsive diarrhea which is not alleviated by increasing fiber levels in the diet; or a positive fecal flotation test for coccidiosis.

Eimeria is a small protozoan parasite which colonizes the crypts of the intestinal wall. As higher numbers accumulate, damage may be done to the wall of the gut, and a diarrhea with an extremely distinctive odor is released.

Once smelled, never forgotten; a fecal flotation test should be performed immediately to differentiate coccidiosis from other causes. A positive result means it is time to treat the herd and step up one's disinfection program.

Coccida are parasites, and as such, shed eggs which are infective after 24 hours out of the body, which is why a disinfection program is essential. Daily removal of all fecal material from the cage wires, resting boards, and floors will aid greatly in reducing the occurrence of coccidial enteritis.

Liver coccidiosis is not usually a great cause of diarrhea, but is a significant cause of unthrifty appearance and lack of gain due to liver damage....

Treatment of coccidiosis of either type may be accomplished by a common method. This is the use of a sulfa drug such as sulfadimethoxine, sulfaquinoxaline, or sulfamethazine as directed by the veterinarian.

This drug class is one of the small number approved for rabbits; however, dosage should be determined by the veterinarian....

Once treated, the animals generally recover without major recurrence. Outlook after treatment is promising, and unless the animal experienced severe and prolonged dehydration, recovery is swift and uneventful. Keeping dietary fiber levels high is helpful in encouraging recovery.


Hope this helps.


sas :clover:

 

[ra7751]

Umm....well I have a couple of comments on this line of treatment. I don't agree with using Cimetidine. It is basically an antacid...it reduces the amount of acid produced in the GI. The GI should maintain an acidic pH in order to support the beneficial bacteria in the GI. Sulfa type drugs are also quite rough on the beneficial GI bacteria. Many of the top level vets also know that Albon is not terribly effective against coccidia. I have been using a horse drug, Marquis (Ponazuril) against coccidia. More and more vets are discovering how effective this drug is. More effective and much safer. Just something to discuss with your vet.

Randy

 

[KimberleeWilson]

Thank you for the replies. The info you posted is much more than I've found online. Please keep us in your prayers. I am really scared for her. I'm also pretty mad at the vet for not prescribing a pain reliever. I wish there were something I could get OTC for her.

 

[ra7751]

I don't know that a pain reliever would be proper since most of them do tend to slow the gut. If anything, maybe some simethicone would be nice. And be careful with the Critical Care. It "sits heavy" and itself can be dehydrating....make sure it's properly mixed. It needs to stand fora while. Sometimes it makes it easier to feed Critical Care if you spread it on a leaf of lettuce and roll it up like a burrito....and the lettuce helps with hydration. Hydration is much more important than nutrition at this point. A handful of leafy greens like romaine lettuce or dandelion greens can be very beneficial.

Randy

 

[tonyshuman]

It sounds like Terra has it pretty bad, and all you can do is follow the vet's advice (or contact him to ask about different antiparasitics, as Randy mentioned). Make sure not to force feed her if she's cold or listless. Other things you can do to help her stay healthy and comfy is to put a warm rice sock into her area, so she can sit by it to stay warm if needed. I would keep her away from other bunnies.

Here is some additional info:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Protozoal_diseases/coccidiosis_general.PDF

 

[Pipp]

ra7751 wrote:

Many of the top level vets also know that Albon is not terribly effective against coccidia. I have been using a horse drug, Marquis (Ponazuril) against coccidia. More and more vets are discovering how effective this drug is.

Sorry, meant to include this info!

How is she doing?


sas :clover:

 

[KimberleeWilson]

I'm devastated to report that Terra took a quick turn for the worse and passed away about an hour ago. My daughter was holding her when she seized and passed. It was very traumatic.

She was in our life such a short time, but she touched us all with her beautiful spirit. We love and miss you Terra!! You will live forever in our hearts!

Thank you all for your help. It was very much appreciated. I feel better equipped to help my others should we go through this again. I feel strongly that the reason things happened so quickly and drastically with her is because she was weaned at sold at 4 weeks. I know now not to get a rabbit that was taken away from mommy before 8 weeks. I know I did all that I could, I just wish we could have saved her.

Kimberlee
R.I.P. Terra Cotta

 

[cheryl]

Oh i'm so very sorry for your loss..

 

[KimberleeWilson]

Thank you Cheryl! Work was actually a welcome distraction today. It was hard coming home and her not being here to greet me. She was such a spunky curious funny little thing!! I keep watching the videos I have of her. Makes me wish I had taken more.