E. Cuniculi, also called EC for short, is a disease caused by a unicellular parasite and mostly affects the nervous system. This also triggers the typical head slant, which is often observed. But not always the head is held crooked, EC has many faces.
Syptoms
Some possible symptoms that can occur individually or together:
– Tilting of the head – Balance disorders – Coordination disorders – Rolling around its own axis – Paralysis of limbs (z. B. of the hind legs) – Nystagmus (restless back and forth movement of the eyes) – Uveitis (unilateral or bilateral pupil clouding) – Scanning (oscillating head movements) – Loss of appetite and refusal of food – Kidney dysfunctions – Apathy
In the above mentioned case z. B. the rabbit has "only" a clouding of the eye lens. Otherwise there are no symptoms. In this case, the lens of the eye is colonized by the EC pathogen. This leads to a lens capsule rupture (tie rupture), which destroys the escaping lens protein. The protein is considered foreign to the body. Triggers an inflammation (uveitis). The general condition of the animals is usually unremarkable, unless glaucoma is present (excessive intraocular prere). The eye should be examined by a specialized veterinarian! This form of EC usually indicates an early infection in the womb. Treatment of uveitis is possible, but the rejected protein remains visible on the shelf. This means that the opacity of the lens persists. The vision is permanently impaired. EC is a zoonosis. Is transmitted from animal to animal. This means that it is a contagious disease that is transmissible across species. Our rabbits can develop z. B. infecting mice, rats or other rabbits. The pathogen multiplies via spores that are excreted in the urine and feces and are thus ingested by other animals. Theoretically, the pathogen can also spread to cats, dogs and other domestic animals, as well as to humans. However, this happens very rarely, I do not know of any case and I could not find any evidence on the net. Caution is only advised for people with a weakened immune system (z. B. after organ transplants, AIDS, cancer, etc.)
Once the pathogen is in the body, it remains there for life. It is amed that 40% – 80% of all rabbits carry the pathogen, but it never breaks out. Possible cause of an outbreak is in most cases a weakened immune system, z. B. by stress. This can be caused, for example, by a VG, a change in the weather, a move, etc. be triggered.
Since the infestation of our domestic rabbits is quite high and one can ame that several animals carry the pathogen, if an animal has an EC outbreak, it is pointless to separate them after an outbreak. It would even be harmful for the recovery of the sick rabbit! So the partner animal should always stay with it, resp. the sick animal to remain in the familiar group. Separation or moving to another enclosure would be stressful and extremely in the way of recovery. The situation is different, of course, if the rabbit in question is attacked by others.
good friends are important for recovery!
Housing during the disease
If the sick rabbit has balance and/or coordination problems, the existing enclosure should be changed if necessary. BACK UP. The patient should not be able to fall down anywhere! Even small steps can become tripping hazards. Our rabbit has z. B. during the illness no longer dared to leave the barn, because he was at the step of ca. 18cm rolled over and this meant an insurmountable obstacle for him.
After the first time of treatment I built a ramp for him, with a railing on the side, so that he can safely run out of the stable.
self-built ramp from existing wood scraps😉
Diagnosis
Diagnosis should always be made by a knowledgeable veterinarian! Due to the different faces of EC disease, it is not always easy to make an exact diagnosis. Particularly in the case of the head slant, there can be confusion with otitis (inflammation of the middle ear). Also a blood test for the EC-titer does not always bring certainty, because many animals carry the pathogen in themselves anyway. It is important that the veterinarian is competent. The rabbit closely examined.
Therapy/Treatment
The key is to treat the disease quickly! If left untreated for a long time, the damage to the nervous system may be too advanced and make a full recovery impossible.
medication at E. Cuniculi
I have treated my rabbit, which is suffering from EC, with the medicines shown above. He was recovered after 3.5 weeks and was jumping around in the garden again! This is a great success, but not necessarily the norm. Treatment and recovery from EC can take weeks and months under certain circumstances. So do not give up. Have patience!
I have used the following medications:
Fenbendrops / Panacur (Fenbendazol) – 1 x daily 20mg / per kg body weight for 28 days (available at the vet) – fenbendazole acts actively against the pathogen and is the most important drug in the therapy Vitamin B – 1 x daily 1ml for 28 days or longer (it can not be overdosed) -Vitamin B has a positive effect on the nervous system and helps it to regenerate, the second pillar of the therapy (z. B. RodiCare VitaminB ) Enrobactin (same active ingredient as Baytril only in a different dosage) Antibiotic – 2 x daily as prescribed for 7 days – the antibiotic acts against possible secondary diseases of the organs, which can be triggered by EC. Often animals die from these secondary diseases, so AB is advisable in the first week (available only from the vet) Vertigoheel drops – 2 x daily approx. 3 drops as long as necessary Vertigoheel is a homeopathic medicine that works against vertigo (z. B. Vertigoheel drops ) CBD Drops 5% strength – 2 x daily ca. 2 drops as long as necessary CBD drops are derived from hemp oil and contain the calming and health-promoting CBD oil, but only a very small amount of THC (z. B. Neohemp Oil for dogs and other pets) Meadow hogweed – 2x daily a good handful as long as necessary meadow hogweed naturally supports the defenses against EC (in summer you can pick it in the countryside, in winter to order z. B. at rabbit store.en) Colloidal silver water – Daily as drinking water for 14 days (not longer!) colloidal silver water is largely comparable to a natural antibiotic, it kills many viruses and bacteria in a few minutes. On the other hand, it does not attack healthy parts of the body. Is not harmful to the intestinal flora. CAUTION: It should not be given longer than 2 weeks, because the silver particles can accumulate in the organs and damage them irreparably. (z. B. Lifetec colloidal silver water ) – more info about collodial silver water can be found here: Carrots-are-orange A personal note: I came only after the first week treatment on the idea to use silver water and have noticed that the recovery under the administration of silver water has made a rapid leap forward (may be coincidence, but does not have to). Rabbits suffering from EC usually drink a lot anyway, because the pathogen is excreted through the kidneys. Pappelbrei – If the rabbit is no longer able to eat on its own, it must be fed several times a day. fed, preferably according to the package instructions (z. B. HerbiCare Plus ) – in the meantime there is a ready herbal solution with the most helpful ingredients, like colloidal silver water, DMSO, meadow hogweed, grapefruit seed extract etc. ready to buy: Cuni solution from the Potthexe !
Feeding mash
dried meadow hogweed
Course
I would like to describe here in a few sentences the chronology and the symptoms that my Marshmallow had:
The first two days I only noticed that he did not come to feed as usual. He was tired. Disinterested. On 3. and 4. On the second day, he started to slant his head, staggered and swayed like a drunk. He refused food completely. We started the treatment with the o. g. We started to feed him because he did not want to eat any more. His eyes were tired and he just wanted to sleep, he had no will to live at that point. After the first 3-4 days of treatment with the medication he slowly started to eat again. At the beginning he only ate carrot greens, dill and a little hay. After ca. 7 days he slowly started to nibble cabbage, lettuce and seeds with oatmeal again. Ca. 14 days after starting the treatment he made his first cautious and awkward trips into the enclosure and left the stall for short moments. 25 days after the first dose of medication he was back to his old self, jumping and hopping around in the enclosure. It was no longer noticeable that we had almost lost him to the Grim Reaper 3.5 weeks earlier.
Marshmallow is back in the middle
Until we ourselves the EC has met I knew the disease only from descriptions, photos and videos of other owners. I found the symptoms so frightening. I felt very sorry for the rabbits! So I said to myself: "If it should ever happen to us, I would not let the rabbit suffer, but I would redeem it." And then the day came and Marshmallow got sick🙁 Of course I couldn't let him go. I wanted him to live! I started the treatment and I have to admit that especially the first days were very difficult for me. He had no more will to live and at every feeding he looked at me with this look that said: "Why don't you let me go?? I just want to sleep" It was really hard to endure. Keeping him alive (felt) against his will. But I still remember the happiness when he started to eat on his own again and showed me his will to live. This has encouraged me to persevere. To continue the treatment. And the unbelievable feeling when he, after less than 4 weeks of treatment, jumped for joy in the garden and was just happy to be healthy again – that was indescribable! The most beautiful Christmas present I could have wished for! It was on 26.12. I am very glad that the little man finally fought with me. The disease in a record time has defeated!
Why do I tell you this story?
Because I want to encourage you to persevere! Even if it is hard and you doubt: As long as there is still hope and your rabbit still shows a touch of will to live: Hang in there!
Marshmallow's EC story summarized in pictures:
In the meantime I have developed a combination solution based on DMSO for the support of EC, which combines the properties of meadow hogweed, colloidal silver water, hemp oil and cocculus. More about this under: DMSO& Co.