Rearguard for Rabbits 25ml

Product Information

Keep the rabbits’ environment clean so that flies are not attracted. Remove dirty litter and bedding. Another problem is unsanitary living conditions. Soiled bedding and litter must be removed regularly, preferably daily. Left in the rabbit’s home, it too will attract flies, and will itself soil fur. Bathing the animal may result in reduction in efficacy of the product and may require more frequent application.

Further information Bathing the animal may result in reduction in efficacy of the product and may require more frequent application. In cases of existing flystrike, adult maggots should be removed by mechanical means and appropriate supportive treatment given. Rearguard should then be applied to the fur to prevent development of new larvae and re-strike. If you suspect your rabbit has a urinary problem, then take it to the vet for diagnosis and treatment. Okay, I'm not going to use it. My doubts have increased! Being restrained stresses him, and I can see that on top of a depressed appetite giving him stasis. Rearguard is expensive, difficult to apply, needs reapplying after bum baths (otherwise monthly?), and can severely reduce appetite in rabbits (which is not a good thing). If you really need to use something against flystrike, f10 germicidal wound spray with insecticide is cheaper, can be used daily if needed and can be applied to broken skin. You just apply a few squirts from a spray bottle, which is much easier than a bottle of Rearguard via the sponge applicator. It is toxic to cats, though, so make sure they have no access to common areas. I've used it on surgically open wounds after jaw abscess removal.

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Overweight, now how many rabbits out there are overweight? Probably a lot more than we think. An overweight rabbit is likely to have painful joints and be unable to turn to clean its bottom, therefore fly haven! Rearguard does work - it just has a few practical down sides, and it is exposing the rabbit to potentially unnecessary chemicals. If you are already paying for it, you could keep some in just in case you ever need it. Both Rearguard and F10 will kill maggots. Rearguard shouldn't be used on broken skin, and is only for, well, the rear end. F10 wound spray with insecticide can be used on open wounds and on any part of the body. I used it on an outdoor rabbit with major dental issues and a surgically open wound on the jaw. She attracted flies to the wound but was very unhappy / depressed if she was indoors - so the F10 gave her the quality of life she wanted (bouncing round the front garden) with a much reduced risk of flystrike. Rearguard, from Novartis, is for the prevention of flystrike (maggot infestation from the blowfly Lucilia sericata) in domestic rabbits for 10 weeks after dosing. Rearguard is a clear solution containing 6% cyromazine.

I can't help thinking that if Archie was almost certain to get flystrike he would have had it by now, he has struggled with self-cleaning since he was small (I took him on at six weeks, his mother died before he was weaned). Sometimes he is fine and other times not, I don't know why. Rabbits should be treated at 8-10 week intervals under conditions of repeated blowfly challenge. Bathing or washing the rabbit after application may result in a reduction of efficacy. Over 20 years ago before I knew anything about bunnies one of my buns died of fly-strike as I had no idea what the maggots were, 'phoned the vet and was told to take her in that evening. When I got in from work she was dead and I have never forgiven myself and never will, knowing now what a horrendous death she must have had. Rearguard for Rabbits is used for the prevention of blowfly strike in rabbits. The active ingredient is cyromazine. The clear solution is applied to the skin and comes ready to use in a 25ml bottle with applicator. Analgesia in these cases can comprise both non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for example meloxicam, as well as an opiate (buprenorphine) or tramadol. It is thought that maggots may excrete some form of local anaesthetic causing wounds not to be painful whilst they are active inside, however these wounds will start to hurt when the maggots are removed.Depending on how bad the situation is, treatment can be given. Vets will try to remove as many of the maggots as they can. Remove any surrounding hair and treat the wounds. Antibiotics will usually be needed along with powerful pain relief. Bad cases are when the maggots have eaten deeper than just the surface of flesh. This is very painful for the rabbit and sometimes the kindest thing is euthanasia. Prevention is better than cure. So, flystrike is how it sounds, flies are the problem. During the summer or warm periods flies rear their ugly heads and start finding their next victim. Flystrike happens when the fly lays its eggs on or around the rabbit. The fly eggs then hatch into maggots. Once hatched on the rabbit they then dig their way through the hair to find the flesh, they can then begin eating the flesh within 24 hours of hatching. Frightening! Are all rabbits at risk? All our delivery services operate within the current COVID guidelines for your safety. If you have any particular COVID-related requirements, please just let us know. If your rabbit is obese, it needs to lose weight so that there is less strain on joints, it is able to squat properly when toileting and it is able to clean itself properly.

Prevention is always better than cure. Some rabbits can recover from fly strike whilst others may not. It is fatal depending on how bad it is. So how can we prevent this? Wounds, flies love a wound! If your rabbit is outdoors and has a wound be very aware that flies would absolutely love to lay their eggs on that wound. On a routine vet visit today, the nurse we saw - who seemed to know a lot about rabbits - said I should start using Rearguard on both my bunnies.

How to order Rearguard for Rabbits 

We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done. Rearguard comes supplied ready-to-use in a bottle with built-in applicator sponge. Gently depress the sponge to break the valve before applying. Understanding the pathogenesis of flystrike relies on the concept that clean, dry skin will not be affected. If the skin is not clean and dry either there is a disease process that is affecting grooming (eg head tilt secondary to inner ear disease or E.cuniculi infection, osteoarthritis, or spondylosis) or there is a disease process that is directly affecting the skin (urine scalding, cutaneous abscess, bite wounds). Once the fly is attracted to the area of skin, it lays eggs on the surface. Depending on the weather conditions, eggs can hatch as rapidly as within 12 hours, to form 1 st stage maggots. At this stage, the maggots are tiny and not harmful, however within 3 days these moult to 2 nd and then 3 rd stage maggots, which are larger and will cause direct damage to the skin. Maggots will not develop if the environmental temperature is below 9 degrees centigrade, or is the humidity in the local area of the skin is below 90%.

Rabbits should be first treated in early summer before any flies are seen. Rearguard will not kill adult maggots but works by preventing any eggs laid by flies developing. Rabbits should be treated at 8-10 week intervals under conditions of repeated blowfly challenge. Use a suitable treatment such as Rearguard. This is a non-prescription product that is very effective at helping to prevent flystrike if used correctly. You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately. Archie, my mini lop, is nearly 9 years old and has pretty much always had a bit of a messy bottom. Millie, who is nearly 10, generally keeps hers clean. I'm really in two minds about this, particularly with Millie but also Archie gets quite affronted when humans do things to his body or restrain him. Even in a burrito, he's a handful. Gorgeously sweet and friendly in all other situations but prone to frenzies of clothes-biting if he feels he isn't getting his point across about wanting you to let go of him.

Rearguard is indicated for the prevention of blowfly strike (Lucilia sericata) for up to 10 weeks after dosing, in domestic rabbits 10 weeks of age or older. Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given. Dirty hutches, how often is the rabbit cleaned out? As rabbits are confined to hutches it’s so important, we give them daily fresh bedding, not only because it is nice for them but flies love dirty faeces and urine infested environments. Thanks for the info :wave: I was sure I've heard of bad reactions that's why I was asking, I'm sure it's effective at deterring flies though I'm quite fussy when it comes to putting things on my pets or giving things to my pets, I don't feel comfortable risking bad reaction to anything, especially in an older animal Pharmacological Properties Pharmacotherapeutic group: Antiparasitic products, insecticides and repellents.