Coccidia Survival?

[chloslov]

I know coccidia can be a common issues in buns but I’m getting worried now that after 3 vet visits and 2 months of on/off treatments that maybe they aren’t really being honest with me about her chances of full recovery. I adopted my baby bun Peach at 2 mos. old, within 3 weeks she started showing signs of weight loss and small poops (not mushy though, just small). She tested positively for coccidia and was treated with amprolium I believe (need to double check the name) for 10 days with a week long break after the first 5 days. She began gaining weight again, started to look healthy, and tested negatively for coccidia. 2 months later and she’s lost a bit more weight, has not grown AT ALL while her siblings, I have been informed, are all of much larger healthy size. She is the same size as when she was 2 months old! I’ve had rabbits for 7 years now and have never had this issue before  Her only real symptoms are a bit of belly bloating and low body weight, no diarrea, she eats and drinks plenty. Yesterday I bought her a brand new cage (large dog crate with plastic floor) all new litter boxes, water bottle, etc. I guess all I want to know is if anyone has had reoccuring coccidia issues like this and if they’ve had a bun make a full recovery? The reading I’ve done is terrifying and it seems like most cases result in death and I’d prefer to know the honest truth 

[Azerane]

Have you had another test done to confirm the negative? I think coccidia can replase, but I could be wrong.

It’s quite possible that because she had coccidia that her intestinal tract hasn’t quite recovered, or that it has damaged it a little which has resulted in her not being able to absorb as many nutrients from her food as she otherwise could. This in itself could lead to lack of growth and weight gain. I think coccidia is one of those things that while successfully treated, it can leave permanent damage.

[JackRabbit]

Was bloodwork done? Did the vet say if it tge coccidia was affecting the liver or digestive system? Normally the intestinal coccidia, when present in very high numbers, results in runny/mushy stinky poop that can turn to deadly diarrhea quickly if not treated. Small dry poops are usually a sign of gut slowdown. It is true that damage can be done, during a spay/neuter, which can cause gut issues, “acquired megacolon” for example, which can also affect the ability of the gut to effectively absorb nutrients resulting in weight loss. Because there are a number of things with similar symptoms, it sounds like the vet may need to do further testing. I can’t help but wonder what bloodwork would show, and if there may be a different parasite at work in your bunny that maybe a different med would take care of, or a bacterial issue that a culture and sensitivity test may identify. Also, have you talked with your vet about probiotics?

[chloslov]

Thanks so much for your replies. I blood test was done the first time and came up with a higher than normal white blood cell count but was contributed to the initial coccidia. We didn’t do a blood test on Tuesday, they charge me $100 for the fecal float and almost $150 for the blood test, I know there’s no expense too high for your pet but I’ve already paid spent almost $500 in 3 months with her meds, 3 fecal floats, and treating the coccidia alone  I may insist on doing another blood test though. Its just weird because her ONLY symptoms are growth stupidation and occasional small poos, but no diarrea, she’s eating and drinking plenty, and is energetic the majority of the time. I will contact her vet about treating for possible GI stasis though since she has been on Ponazuril.  

[Bam]

Her intestinal microbiota could perhaps be damaged by the coccidia. Bunnies rely to a great extent on the microorganisms in their gut in order to absorb nutrients. The microorganisms in the cecum render the food digestible – as you know, the food must pass through the bunny gut twice in order for the bun to be able to take advantage all the essential nutrients.
Probiotics with live brewer’s yeast (saccharomyces cerevisiae) have been shown to help young bunnies gain weight. There are also probiotics that contain enterococcus faecium, the most prevalent bacteria in healthy bunnies’ guts.

[Emilykatelyn]

I went through the same thing with a bunny I had a few years ago. She had to be put on benebac and also two other medications otherwise her poops would get very soft and mushy. The vet told me she just had too much bad bacteria in her gut flora. She also never grew and her weight did fluctuate. All our tests came back negative too and they never figured out what was wrong with her. I do believe this was the effects of her coccidia. The benebac really did help her a lot maybe you should ask your vet about it. Also we were instructed to give her critical care multiple times a day for the majority of the time we had her. When we started weening her off of all the medications and what not was when she had her final and most dramatic decline of health. But yeah, if you’re worried about her weight the best thing for that is critical care and benebac is good for gut bacteria which usually is good for balancing out poops.

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