But remember, RearGuard is the only way to stop maggots from forming if a fly gets through other defences! 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. 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 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. If your rabbit is producing unusually wet faeces, take it to the vet for diagnosis and treatment, and be prepared to change the diet accordingly.

If your rabbit has any of these signs and you see wounds with active maggots it is very important you seek veterinary help straight away. Untreated flystrike is rapidly fatal. Maggots will keep eating flesh and eating deeper and deeper into the rabbit. Can treatment be given?

Instructions for Rearguard for Rabbits

Paterson, S, Varga M (2017) Skin Diseases of Rabbits- In: Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents- Clinical Medicine and Surgery 4 th Edition WB Saunders, Philadelphia.

Mesh is a good idea, I will have to see if I can put some up somehow in their bedroom, I'm not really allowed to fix anything to the walls but I will definitely look into it They don't really get flies in their shed, I keep it very shaded in summer and it's quite dark in there, I think flies are drawn to light. Neither of them have medical problems (except Archie is deaf), I'm told they are not overweight. When they leave cecotropes, I change their diets until they stop. This is how they're now at the point they only eat 10 pellets of Science Selective rabbit food a day each, divided into two doses. In hot weather I change the litter tray twice a day. Rearguard 6% w/v Cutaneous Solution effectively prevents blowfly strike (Lucilia sericata) in domestic rabbits by preventing eggs laid by flies developing into adult maggots. 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? 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.

Most rabbits do not appear to experience pain from the wounds caused by maggots, however they often seem off colour and may well be lethargic and inappetant. Once an owner looks more closely at their animal, wounds and often the maggots are generally visible. Diagnosis 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. 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. Rearguard comes supplied ready-to-use in a bottle with built-in applicator sponge. Gently depress the sponge to break the valve before applying. 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.

As a regulated veterinary medicine, RearGuard can only be prescribed and supplied by a suitably qualified person (SQP) or a licenced veterinarian. She is generally eating her soft poos with no problems hun :wave: it's just maybe once or twice a month I would say, she seems to get diarreah (no idea how to spell it!), I'm almost certain it's because I'm feeding her a lot of treats and things like puréed fruit etc. She was loving the recovery food up until a few months ago, which is when this started really, and I think that's what was really maintaining her weight. But she has now completely gone off it and won't eat it, so I'm finding I am trying to make up for that with other foods, and she seems to occasionally be getting a bit of a dodgy tummy I'm trying to be so careful, but it's so hard to get the balance right. She is already underweight and can't really afford to lose any more If you suspect your rabbit has a urinary problem, then take it to the vet for diagnosis and treatment.

What is Rearguard for Rabbits?

A poor diet is a key factor: when the rabbit isn’t eating a good diet, it affects the faeces, muesli diets should be avoided as it allows selective eating. I can't really change her diet as she is already underweight, and I don't want her to lose more weight but it's becoming a regular issue now. Rearguard was mentioned to me this morning so I said I would consider it. I've always stayed away from things like this so don't know any awful lot about how safe it is 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.