Hi Sian,
I’v been caring for my EC bunny too. He has been sick for 11 months now. I have a long thread called “Lancelot’s E-Cuniculi Journal”. Here’s the short version… different vets say different things, so I do my own research and decide what I feel is best for him – and that’s what I ask for. He also has rear limb weakness, and to a lesser degree – front limb weakness. I suspect arthritis – but haven’t been able to get an X-ray for him. He is on daily Metacam – 0.3ml once a day. He is 4lbs. It makes a HUUUUUUge improvement. I use 5 days of fenbendazole AND Toltrazuril, once a month. so Monday-Friday as the month turns over – he gets his 5 days of suppression treatment. I agree that you can’t cure EC – and you can’t reverse the damage. All you can do is be proactive, notice the symptoms, and act quickly. He is also still on Baytril. When I take him off, the ear infections come back. So I’m keeping him on baytril. 4 times a year I give him 2 doses of ivermectin separated by 10 days each.
He has been incontinent for 11 months. By this stage – he falls over regularly, and that is bad because he can’t stand up once he is lying his side. So I removed him from his bonded pal, and keep him in my bedroom where I can give him plenty of care. He is in a diaper 24/7. That has been the best thing for keeping him dry. I also struggled with urine scald with him, but it sounds like your little guy has worse scald. Lancelot used to struggle with scale on the inside of his legs from his poor posture, his feet from sitting in it, his butt/tail and above his tail from sitting in it, and the outside of his legs from lying in it. It took me a while to figure otu a good diaper routine. Changing the diaper frequently is key. I don’t cut a hole for the tail because it allows urine to touch the base of the tail as it soaks through the cut portion of the diaper. Expressing his bladder with each diaper change also helps dramatically – it means less urine in the diaper!
This is his routine:
0530 diaper change and express his bladder. Baytril, breakfast.
0730 diaper change and express his bladder
1200 diaper change (my bf helps me with this during his lunch break. If I’m working an 8-hour day, it “might” be possible to skip this change)
1600-1700 diaper change and express bladder (depending on when I get home from work). Baytril, Metacam, dinner.
2000 diaper change/express bladder
2300 diaper change/express bladder
0200-0300 diaper change/express bladder (yes – I drink a full glass of water before I go to bed so that I’ll wake up at 0300 myself – and change his diaper, that way I dont’ have to set an alarm clock and disturb anyone else in the house).
Occasionally, especially if he falls over, he’ll get pee on his tail, and above his tail. If I’m in a hurry, I powder him with baby powder and wash him later. He gets a spot bath every weekend, and more often if needed. I don’t need to soak him anymore, now that he is in a good diaper routine. I just spot clean him by holding the dirty part under running water, soaping, rinsing, then drying.
To dry… I keep the fur trimmed. Towel dry, then paper towel blot, then hair dryer on low, 18 inches from his skin, waving my hand under it to monitor the temp.
Both urine – AND not drying properly, will cause fur to fall off. So drying is super super important.
I use Sudocrem for any urine rash. Works like a charm. I use Chlorhexadine shampoo to wash him, as it is antoibacterial for pets.
Bedding – he uses fleece veterinary bedding. His current setup is a large mixing tub from lowes/home depot for $7. I put a puppy pee pad in it, then fleece bedding, then I roll up a towel for the edge, and a soft blanket as his “donut”. It keeps him supported. He needs a chin rest. Weak rabbits don’t sleep easily with their heads on the ground, because of the effort it takes to sit up again. He uses the donut as a chin rest, and his stuffy. The stuffy also provides comfort, and gives me a good idea of his level of affection. He grooms both me and the stuffy. I need to know that he is still Affectionate, has Appetite, and Attitude – for his quality of life.
Now that the EC is under control – I’v noticed a DECREASE in water consumption. He used to drink 3 cups a day. Now he drinks 1 cup a day. More realistic for a bunny his size.
Cecotropes – When I change his diaper, I offer him his cecotropes. He eats them readily. They can cause problems in the diaper though – I divide his food evenly so that his cecotropes are divided evenly throughout the day. If he poops them all out overnight, or while I’m at work, the urine in the diaper runs off the cecotropes and onto his skin.
I supplement his food with Critical care, and Sherwood Forest SARX, and SARX Plus. 6 Tbsp powder to 18 Tbsp water. Every day. It’s difficult keeping weight on him. At this point – I feed him whatever and how ever much of anything he is willing to eat. Except for fruits. He never gets fruit. During his sick spells/relapses, he stops eating.drinking, and I flavor his water to try to encourage him. I use apple juice or V-8 veggie juice. But I’v discovered that a twig of cilantro and an inch of celery give it a nice flavor too.
P.S. not all his medication is from a vet. Like I said – they all say different things. I’v found what works, and which vet I prefer. I’m not ready to euthanize him. I don’t think he’s ready either.
Oh – another complication is that his lack of posture hides gas symptoms. The limb weakness means the typical stomach pressed to the ground for gas – is not there. So I listen to his belly to know if he needs simethicone.
Ears – he can’t reach them, and in trying, he falls over. So I clean them twice a week. I use Otis Ear cleanser with drying aid. Works like a charm. Put a few drops in, gently roll the ear, use a good headlamp, aim with the q-tip, go for gold! It is very tickelish, so after a little practice, I can get it done quickly.
Mites – the suppressed immune system could lead to mites. Lancelot has fur mites on his ears. I was advised that with his suppressed immune system. ivermectin is not likely to work on the mites. I rub oil on the inside and outside of his ears every second day. I can see improvement because the hair is growing back.
Teeth – he stopped eating hay 11 months ago, so he gets his teeth filed 3-4 times a year.
He is deaf and blind.
Quality of life – A,A,A. Affection, Appetite, Attitude. Since he is deaf and blind, I use the same physical cues to guide him to his food, and to let him know I’m about to pick him up. What he is left with – is smell and touch. So I put his food in the same spot – close enough for him to smell, and I give him nice soft comfy blankets and bedding. to the point where he doesn’t like carpet anymore and flicks his feet when he’s on carpet. He loves his stuffy, and he loves snuggling with me.
Grooming – I use wet wipes from a wet-wipe-warmer to simulate grooming him all over. I wipe his eyes with warm honey/chamomile tea on a cotton ball. He loves it.
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