E.Cuniculi-What is it? And why is it so important that Bunny owners understand its risks?

So your bunny has been poorly, your vet is talking to a nurse in front of you about what bloods to check and they keep mentioning EC bloods, EC LEVEL…lots of EC. And you’re stood there wondering what the hell EC even is. The vet’s explanation is just as technical and confusing so you leave as baffled as when you went in. Well I’m going to take on role for these information blogs as tiny pet coach in a bid to help fellow small pet parents out there to fully understand the important bits about your beloved fury family

member.

So let’s get the technical bit out of the way first ….EC is short for E.cuniculi (a bit of a mouthful I know, took me two years to pronounce it correctly!). To keep it very simple- it’s a parasitic infection that affects the neurological system in rabbits, as well as kidneys and eyes. It is very very rare for any other species to develop EC and since we are focusing on small pets then rabbits really are the main focus for an EC article. EC is not a risk for humans. All rabbits are either positive, negative or a carrier for EC.

However their status can be altered by coming into contact with other bunnies that are positive for EC or through severe stress and illness. The vast majority of the time a bunny who is negative will remain negative in less they come into contact with an infected bunny or infected surfaces and items that were in contact with a infected bunny first.

EC is common in most pet rabbits, however for a vast majority they will remain asymptomatic for their life with the parasite remaining dormant. It’s only when the bunny becomes stressed or ill and their immune system is compromised that EC can then spring up and suddenly they are positive for EC. The difference between being a carrier and being positive is based on the mathematical level of parasites detected in EC blood tests. So basically they are a risk factor to any other bunny that doesn’t have a

carrier or positive status. It’s also possible if you have a carrier EC bun but they’ve been stable for a while but then come into contact with a bunny with a positive EC level that this creates an EC spike, making your bun sick again.

If I had a pound coin for every time I’ve had to explain to bunny clients what EC is then I’d be rich by now. Unfortunately like many things, it’s easy to buy a bunny without any real knowledge into them and be fooled into thinking that they are easy to care for. Most bunny owners will only know about EC if they have been advised by an expert such as an exotic vet or if there bun has been ill and EC has popped up as an issue when going to the vets. I make it a point to always check that every bunny client I have,

understands what EC is. I can’t stress how important it is.

So a question I get asked all the time is…..how do I know if my bunny has EC or not? Well, there is only one way to determine what status your bunny EC level is, which is a specialist blood test which is done just for EC. And to be clear, your normal routine kidney and liver function bloods do not check for EC.

You’ll know if your bun has had these bloods done as they are more expensive then routine bloods. Blood is taken from one of the bunnies legs, it normally heals quickly but sometimes a small bandage is required for half an hour. Some folk get confused into thinking that the yearly vaccine for myxomatosis,

VHD1 and VHD2 protects your bunny against EC, it does not!

So a quick run through of symptoms if your bunny is suffering with an EC spike……early signs can be anything from fatigue to weeing more often, soft stools and weepy eyes. I’ll be honest, in less you know your bunny has an active EC level then unless you’re trained in the area, your unlikely to notice the very subtle changes at this stage, it took me many years to tune into the tiny changes that can act as warning signs. Unfortunately most don’t notice something is wrong until the rabbit experiences the more advanced symptoms which require a vet at once. These include something called head tilt which is very distinct (where the bunnies head suddenly goes on a wonk). Circling, rolling and seizures.

Okay, what if your bunny seems fine but you’d like to know it’s EC status? That’s totally fine, when you next go to your vets, you simply say you would like an EC blood test to be done. Also I would add at this stage that if you don’t have an exotic vet specialist and just a normal vet then you need to find a clinic that does have one. Bunnies are classed as exotic and if you want the best care for your bunny then they need to be seeing an exotic vet not standard. Most clinics have one on the team but some don’t so do

your checks. I am extremely strict on what vets I use and am very thankful that my current bunny who is almost 11 years old has had access to the one of the best exotic vets in the country.

Okay so how do you treat EC and can you get rid of it? No is the short answer. If your bunny is a carrier and has a spike in EC then you can treat in order to make the EC spike drop back into lower levels which will reduce symptoms however it has to be managed. Once a carrier, it’s very rare indeed to get levels back down to zero. Effectively it’s like living with a chronic illness that might be fine for a few months and then flare up badly out of the blue. I know this very well as my bunny has been a EC carrier for many

years, this means very close monitoring so that I can catch a spike before it gets too severe, it also unfortunately means a big expense of regular EC blood tests repeated every 3 to 6 months. The way in which you manage your EC bunny will very much be a personal journey but you do need to be very aware and observe closely so that you can come to know the first symptoms your bunny gets when a flare up is starting. I have often found that symptoms actually aren’t even listed as EC symptoms but unique to my bunny, this is why using a pet service when you’re away who understands EC is so so

important.

What do you use to lower an EC spike? There is a small range of options that your vet would use however the most common treatment is panacur rabbit wormer, oral paste. This has to be given to the rabbit once a day for the length of the course stated by your vet. Most preventative courses are around 9 to 10 days but if your bunny has a spike then the vet will likely recommend a 28 day course or even longer if the spike is very severe. Really important note right now: panacur worming paste is advertised

as something that should be used regularly as a preventative measure. This is not the case, in fact the paste is very much like antibiotic resistance in humans, the more you use it on your bun, the less effective it becomes and there isn’t really any other matching option. Therefore you should not just treat for the sake of it, you should be sure they need the treatment and then use it. By doing this, it will remain useful. Give too often and it will stop being effective against EC.

Can EC kill my bunny? Yes if you left it long enough .... EC can cause kidney problems, weight loss and lots of nasties but I would like to think that if you’re spending the time to read this blog then you’re a good bunny parent who would have time to pick up on symptoms that would occur way before that.

Like I said, as long as it’s managed then its fine but I do recommend blood tests whenever your bun goes for a health checkup, if you wing it and don’t do any blood tests then your bun’s EC may spike without any obvious symptoms for months and then suddenly go downhill. If you do blood tests then you can come to learn the pattern and treat anytime the level increases, keeping one step ahead. I’m not going to lie, having a bun with EC is a real bugger sometimes but sadly there is no vaccine to prevent it so for

now, this is the way to manage it. Study your bun and know your stuff and you’ll be just fine.

Stay posted for part two on EC where I will be talking in detail about EC and hygiene and why it’s so important.

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