Help! Just discovered my rabbit has coccidia

[Emilykatelyn]

So over the weekend one of my bunnies was suddenly bloated. I had taken both of them to the vet on Tuesday. My one bunny, jacklyn was extremely small. I had just got jacklyn two weeks ago from the same pet store I got my first bunny Lucy who is a very strong healthy girl! The vet told me to bring in some stool samples for jacklyn when I brought Lucy for her spaying on august 29th but I ended up bringing them in Friday instead just go get it done sooner. Saturday night I had noticed the bloating in jacklyn, did some research and saw it could be GI STASIS. I brought her to the emergency vet immediately. They took an X-ray but could not find any blockage that would cause the gi stasis. The vet sent me home with medication and told me to follow up with my vet Monday. I woke up Sunday morning to jacklyn in complete cardiac arrest. she was laying on her side, flailing her arms and legs around trying to breathe. It was the most horrible thing I have ever had to witness in my life. I cried all day sunday. Monday I called my vet first thing in the morning and told them
Jacklyn had passed and I would need my stool sample from the lab asap because I have another bunny she was housed with. I got a call back from them about an hour later, confirming jacklyn had coccidia but then they told me it was unrelated to her death because she died from GI stasis but they still want to treat my other bunny Lucy for it. I then began to do research on coccidia, and discovered there are multiple kinds. One of the strands causes your bunnies abdomen to swell, I do believe that is what kind jacklyn had because she was eating and playing until her death where if she had GI stasis or other more common stands of coccidia she would not have been eating or playing and would have had diarrhea which she also never had. Now I am extremely worried for my bunny Lucy. She just started her medication yesterday, but I am wondering how to really sanitize the room so she doesn’t get reinfected. I am also wondering what the survival rate is for this disease. I went to the pet store and informed the manager they had sold me a rabbit with a highly contagious disease whom i only got to love and care for for two weeks before it had passed. I got a full refund, he is contacting anyone who bought a bunny within the last three weeks and he is going to give me a new bunny from the next litter they get for free. I absolutely do want a new bunny, but will it get infected with coccidia too even after Lucy is done with her treatments? Also, Lucy is signed up for a spay next Friday. Why is the doctor allowing her to be spayed without even getting a new stool sample? I think I am going to cancel it, at least until we get another stool result back. My bunnys health is most important to me right now. I am very frustrated with how little all the doctors I’ve seen have known about bunnies!

[Sarita]

I’m sorry about Jacklyn that is so sad. I don’t think you can know the real reason though for her death without a necropsy – GI Stasis is a condition not an actual disease and it may or may not have been related to the coccidia.

For Lucy, it probably is a good idea to wait for her spay – maybe the vet just doesn’t realize she is scheduled for her spay. What type of treatment did they give you for the coccidia?

It is a good idea to sanitize her area while she is going through her treatment.

[JackRabbit]

Two of mine had coccidia when we got them and all three were treated. To sanitize as best possible, I shampooed my carpets and bought a hardwood steamer with a carpet attachment and steamed the carpets. I used ammonia to clean their cages. Tossed all wood chews and wood toys – didn’t replace those until treatment was completed. Anything plastic can be cleaned with ammonia, but I was afraid of residue so I tossed plastic toys too. Litterbox, used ammonia, rinsed, rinsed, rinsed, white vinegar, rinsed, etc. Because mine were actually infected, I did all of this a few times during treatment. Kieko was treated as a precaution as well. I freaked about the coccidia so probably went a little overboard!

Coccidia can live for up to a year or more in an untreated environment, and steam and ammonia are the most effective at killing it. It has something like a 10 day to 2 week cycle. However, a healthy bunny with an uncompromised immune system can fight off a coccidia infection, in fact some form of coccidia can naturally be found in a bunny’s digestive system. Baby bunnies are most suseptible and generally get it from infected mothers. Coccidia can also be found in other animals’ poop and dirt (why my bunnies do not go outside).

When you get your new bunny, I would keep it “quarantined” until you have a vet check and clean coccidia test on it. Don’t share toys, litterboxes, or play areas with your current bunny and the new baby until your sure the baby doesn’t have coccidia. Poop float tests will show if high numbers of coccidia are present and bloodwork will show if liver coccidia have done any organ damage. We did not do bloodwork at the time, but did do it recently for other reasons.

With mine, treatment was pretty easy and effective. It’s been 10 months, and all of mine are healthy and happy.

[Emilykatelyn]

Sarita I actually did call my vet and I asked them if it would be okay and they said it would. But I am still going to cancel it at least until I get negative coccidia test results back.

[Emilykatelyn]

Jackrabbit, did you disinfect the cages litterboxes ect ect every day? And steam clean the carpet every day? I’m wondering if I should be disinfecting every day I till Lucy is off of her treatment? Also I am using green works disinfectant. It is pet friendly! Should I switch to ammonia? I am glad your bunnies survived it! That makes me feel so much better. I started my bunnies treatment last night and I already started to see a change in her attitude! I hadn’t noticed she wasn’t as playful before. I will defintely house my new bunny seperately until it is checked out. I learned my lesson now to not house bunnies until after all tests are done.

[Sarita]

Did the vet give you Albon?

[JackRabbit]

I’m guessing that your current rabbit is being treated as a precaution and not necessarily as infected?

I didn’t do all of that every day. I did all at diagnosis, and then the cage/litterbox every few days. I think we repeated the carpet at the end as well? I read online about the steam and ammonia — apparently regular cleaners aren’t effective on coccidia. Just make sure that your bunny is nowhere near the ammonia odors! I think we also followed with a vinegar and water wipe down after the ammonia cleaned area was dry. Again, I tend to go for overkill to be on the safe side when repeating cleanings . . .

[Emilykatelyn]

Yes sarita the doctor gave me albon! It’s a 10 day liquid with .9 ml a day orally

[Emilykatelyn]

And yes jackrabbit my bunny is only being treated as a precaution. I am really crazy with cleaning too I was ready to sanitize every day! I will take your instructions and definitely go over everything with vinegar after too. I also read online vinegar is good to use after and it can also be used as a deodorizer. I am just freaking out since I already lost one bunny. I want to make sure I do everything I can correctly so that Lucy is okay

[JackRabbit]

With your bunny being healthy and being treated as a precaution, and old enough to be spayed, she should be fine. I would do the quarantine thing with a new baby bunny though because it is apparently not uncommon to find coccidia in baby bunnies. Our vet has said that any time you get a new bunny (baby or adult) from a rescue, shelter, breeder, etc. that it’s kindof like a child who has been in daycare and exposed to lots of germs except the bunny will hide illnesses so its best to keep the new bunny separate to see if anything surfaces (so only one bunny needs treatment). Makes sense to me! Oh, and nothing against daycare — my son was in daycare when he was little!

[Emilykatelyn]

Thank you, jackrabbit! You have made me feel so much better. It’s nice to know someone else has gone through the same thing and now I feel better with everything I’ve been doing for Lucy.

[JackRabbit]

[jerseygirl]

If Lucy has good litter habits, you could use a drop-through style litter tray
for duration of treatment. So the poop falls through a grid and she won’t come in contact.
Putting the hay up in a rack would be an idea also.

I’m sorry for your loss of Jacklyn. 2 weeks is plenty time for a bunny to get well and truly into your heart.
Binky free little Jacklyn.

[Author]

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