White rice-like worms on Californian Doe poo...

[wrg123]

Hello; This is my 1st post and am glad I found this site. I'm in dire need of a break from my internet search for help. We recently became a rabbit owners due to my son's joining the local 4H club. It's a great club but we are not without problems as new breeders. We began with 2 Californians that had Bot fly infestation so now we are expert Bot Larvae removers however this is not my newest alarm. I just noticed small white worms on the one females poo about the size of rice. After much searching on Google it seems to be possible tapeworm. It has been about a week since we 1st found them and I have been trying to research if Valbazen (that we have) could cure it, given the proper dose. That would be my first question---if anybody has knowledge of it's use on rabbits? Dose size and frequency?

Another choice would be Panacur. The Panacur for horses is readily available on Ebay but not the rabbit formula. I like to buy stronger meds anyway and adjust dosage as a way to cut costs but we need to talk with someone that has gone this route before we purchase anything so we are safely treating them. We are also wanting to bread them soon to make this summers 4H show (meat pen entry) but we are getting close to running out of time since both med warnings mention 3 weeks before breeding. We don't have access to a vet close by so going that route would be too costly for us right now.

Has anybody used either of these meds for this type of problem?

Our set-up at present is 4 large wire cages on top of each other with dropping pans and 4 Californian rabbits in a barn type building. The one with the problem is 2nd from the bottom. We have been feeding them manapro pellets and a 2nd cut mix of Timothy hay from the local farmer. The only way this could have happened, that we can figure, is from mice droppings in food or hay. Any other info I missed I can add if requested. Hope someone here can offer some suggestions that could help us solve our problem.

Thanks and God bless, Bill, Arlene, Ethan & Ellah

 

[Southern by choice]

Sorry, I know nothing about rabbits but yes it is tapeworm. Tapes are usually treated for 3 days in a row. Yes, the wormer must say it treats tape. As far as dose... I have no idea. Fleas are the biggest cause for tapes. However lizards, skinks, frogs when eaten are also a cause. Mice and rats can also infect rabbits.

 

[wrg123]

Thank you; The only animals that can get into the building is mice or red squirrels, beside that I put my cat in there to try to catch the mouse but that was after the mouse got into the pellets and hay. Hopfully someone else chimes in too...God Bless, Bill & Arlene

 

[Shelly May]

Since you are in a hurry and no one has chimed in to help, my advise would be to call a good breeder of the
calafornia rabbits, or any breed you would like, tell them you are sorry if you are bothering them but have this
problem and would like to know if they can give you advise. A good breeder, should not mind helping you out.

Good Luck, and I know your stress with internet

 

[Citylife]

I personally have not had any worms in poo. I keep my food as far away from a mice as I can. I would think they would need to be on the ground to contact tape worm, or eat a piece of hay that had a few on it. Ivermectin can be used in rabbits, but not pregnant or nursing ones. I will try to find some dose ifo for you.
Are you sure it wasnt a maggot?

 

[brentr]

I've used horse wormer paste on my rabbits - apple flavored, not sure of brand name but pretty sure Ivermectin is the active agent. Pea-sized dose for adult rabbits. The apple flavoring helps entice the rabbit to eat it. Worked for me.

 

[wrg123]

Thank you to the last 3 posts;

In response to those posts:

---I tried asking and showing samples to members at the 4H club meeting but nobody could help other then suggest DE on their pellets. Other then that, we are new to this and don't know any other breeders. I wish we did.
---It is winter here and there are no flies around ( that was my first thought) so that lead me to mice poo. Our food is now in a sealed 5 gal. bucket but don't know how to keep them out of the hay. So far my research indicates Panacur is better at killing more then Ivermectin.
---I can get Panacur paste for horses but I read that the active ingredient may not be throughly mixed (like a suspension would be), therefore a paste may have hot spots in it and just a small pea size serving may have too much or not enough Fenbendazole to be sure.

My research on the internet has lead me to Panacur. I just got home from TS with Safe-Guard for Goats and it has Fenbendazole in it which is the active ingredient in Panacur. It is a 10% suspension at 100 mg/ml. From what I read so far the dosage varies so I could still use some help there:/.

One poster on RabbitsOnline in 2009 suggested 20mg/kilo PO. (I think the PO is pounds of weight) which I figure to be about 1/5th ml/kilo weight; however this site http://www.msd-animal-health.co.uk/Products_Public/Panacur_10__Liquid/090_Product_Datasheet.aspx suggests the dose for "Puppies and kittens under six months of age" to be .5ml/kg of weight per day for 3 days.

My rabbit weighs in at 7 lbs. or about 3.2 kilos which at the above rates would be anywhere from .6ml to 1.5ml for 3 days.

On the back of the bottle for Sheep it says .6ml for a 25lb. sheep. Sounds to me like sheep are more sensitive to medicine then rabbits---go figure.

It is very stressful wanting to dose quickly so we can breed for the show; but not wanting to give a wrong size dose that could adversely affect our rabbits. Any help with a correct dose size of Safe-Guard Suspension Dewormer for Goats would be greatly appreciated at this point. Thank you all for responding so far. I understand this is not an easy fix and I'm not much help but at least you are all aware of where I am at this stage of my quest.

Thanks and God bless, Bill, Arlene, Ethan & Ellah

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Call a rabbit rescue they will know. Just don't tell them that you breed or eat the bunnies. Just say they are pets. You can find them by Googling it. Hope this helps!

 

[animalmom]

You could also try emailing the folks at American Rabbit Breeders Association, arba.net They do not have a toll free number that I know of, so that is why I suggested emailing. If you are not a member of the ARBA, I'd strongly suggest becoming a member. It is a good organization that does much to promote rabbit raising throughout the world.

If you want to send me an email listing your state I could send you the director's name and contact info back to you. Most of these folks have been doing rabbits for a long, long time.

I raise meat rabbits and have not seen anything like what you are posting... yikes! I hope you get a good resolution to this problem.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

PO is "per os" meaning by mouth.

Ivomec comes in several different forms. We use the 1% injectable solution. We give it to our bunnies orally at the rate of .03 cc per pound. It is effective against biting parasites including mites and fleas. Ivomec can also be used as a wormer.

Panacur or Fenbendazole
Fenbendazole, most often sold under the brand name Panacur, can be given orally. Of the deworming medications safe for rabbits, Panacur treats the most species of roundworm and pinworm. It will also eliminate some species of tapeworm. In rabbits, Panacur is most often prescribed to treat Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a common protozoal brain parasite that causes paralysis and seizures in rabbits. A "cousin" of fenbendazole, namely thiabendazole, is also sometimes used to treat nematode worms in rabbits.

(20 mg/kg fenbendazole) daily for 9 consecutive days.

Selamectin and Ivermectin
In the past, ivermectin was the chosen medication for controlling a variety of worms and mites in rabbits. More recently, a "cousin" called selamectin has usurped ivermectin. Selamectin is sold under the brand name Revolution, which is often available over the counter. Ivermectin is most effective when injected, while selamectin can be given topically with equal results. In addition, selamectin treats a broader range of worms and mites than ivermectin. Either medication will treat many species of roundworm and pinworm with little risk of side effects, and can be used as a preventative medication for outdoor rabbits; however, the 'mectins will not rid your rabbit of tapeworms.

Piperazine
Two forms of piperazine are generally used in veterinary medicine: piperazine adipate or piperazine citrate. "Adipate" and "citrate" simply refer to the salt in the compound. Piperazine kills some roundworms, but is singularly effective against the most common pinworm found in rabbits, Passalurus abiguus.

Wazine is sold as a poultry dewormer and that is what our 4h advisor had suggested for deworming our rabbits. Sorry I don't have a dose for you but you might find one online under piperazine doses.