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Mature girl - may be ill

Lucy

Warren Veteran
We have a pair of rabbits in at the moment and we think one could be ill, they are 4 years old. She saw the vet yesterday and he commented that she was thin but didn't seem to think too much of it. Her fosterer has said she is drinking a lot and the vet said she has a cataract in one eye and poor vision in the other. My fosterer also commented on how the nipples seemed more noticable but she wasn't sure whether her mum meant a lump or some thing else so is going to check.

I had two trains of thought on this one, either onset of uterine cancer or something like diabetes. I have said to the fosterer that we need to get her spayed, but I am concerned about her low weight. She hasn't gained any weight in a month, so I doubt leaving it longer will help on that issue. I have asked her to ask the vet to do a blood test before we spay to see if there is anything going on with her, as if there is the anaestetic may tip her system over the edge and we could lose her.

Does this ring a bell with anyone, or can anyone offer advice on anything else we could do for her?
 
We have a pair of rabbits in at the moment and we think one could be ill, they are 4 years old. She saw the vet yesterday and he commented that she was thin but didn't seem to think too much of it. Her fosterer has said she is drinking a lot and the vet said she has a cataract in one eye and poor vision in the other. My fosterer also commented on how the nipples seemed more noticable but she wasn't sure whether her mum meant a lump or some thing else so is going to check.

I had two trains of thought on this one, either onset of uterine cancer or something like diabetes. I have said to the fosterer that we need to get her spayed, but I am concerned about her low weight. She hasn't gained any weight in a month, so I doubt leaving it longer will help on that issue. I have asked her to ask the vet to do a blood test before we spay to see if there is anything going on with her, as if there is the anaestetic may tip her system over the edge and we could lose her.

Does this ring a bell with anyone, or can anyone offer advice on anything else we could do for her?

EC would be my first thought ( weight loss/ excessive drinking/ cataracts all being symptoms of an active EC )

Obviously Uterine adenocarcinoma is a strong possibility too.

Janex
 
I would have thought EC too. When sooty got it his drinking trippled (at one point I was filling a 1.5 litre bowl, three times a day for two bunnys) & he did loose a little weight. Although he never had it I believe you can get a cataract/spot in the eye with EC too.

A urinaryinfection might cause excessive drinking but not normally weight loss unless she was in pain and so off her food and she would feel tender and would probably have difficulty in peeing because of the pain, possibly showing urine scald.


Other than that I would have though some other form of renal failure plus cateract as an independent problem.
 
E-c usually attacks either the kidneys or the brain, and often both, so I'd test for kidney function and treat for e-c too
 
Hmm, hadn't thought of ec as balance and movement seem normal.


The symptoms displayed depend on the area affected by the EC spores. This is not always the Central Nevous System, but sometimes just the Kidneys or maybe the lens of the eye ( cataracts) I have an EC Bun whose only symptoms are cataracts and consequent uveitis. He has never had any neurological symptoms at all. So far his kidneys appear unaffected too.

I would think a 6 week course of Fenbendazole would be a good place to start

Janex :)

ETA I would not bother with a blood test. To get a confirmed diagnosis of active infection at least 3 tests would be needed. Three tests are usually necessary to get the full picture and 6 weeks of Fenbendazole would still be the treatment needed.
 
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The vet has tested glucose and it's not diabetes, he's pretty certain it's not ec. He asked for her to be seprated for 2 days from the other girl so we can measure the amount of water she's drinking. He is thinking it could be Cushings disease.
 
I don't think rabbits get Cushings Disease...I've certainly never heard of a case in rabbits :?

I think you're probably right that it could be something like cancer or EC. It's worth giving her a course of panacur just in case.

I personally wouldn't spey her, because the stress on her body might be too much.
 
Well we will have to wait and see how much water she gets through and what he thinks when we go back I guess.

As Cushings disease is a disease of the adrenal gland, I would expect any animal can get it.
 
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