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E Cuniculi / Hind Limb Paralysis

M

mich8

Alpha Buck
If anyone on here has any experience on this I would be very grateful for your help or opinions.
Jessie was found almost 2 weeks ago abandoned in a box. She is a Flemish Giant who has been through an awful lot.
We have gone through ear infection, Stasis, Head tilt, rolling eyes etc. Jessie has come through so far but the paralysis in her hind limbs is now quite bad. She is trying to get up and cant now. It is very distressing to watch her struggling so much. I have read everything i can find on EC and it says the damage is irreversable.
Would it be kinder to let her go or is there any chance she can pull through enough to have any quality of life.
Please help me of you can as i only want the very best for Jessie.
 
Hi there.

Just bumping this up for you.

Whilst I have some experience with EC bunnies, I haven't dealt with or had direct knowledge with rabbits with total paralysis, only head tilts and incontinence, so can't give you any helpful information.

You might want to PM Marie_kubiak as she works at Great Western Referrals where they specialise in exotics. One of the partners (I think) from that practice gave the EC lecture at the RWA conference last weekend.

I do hope that someone can give you some info soon.

Sending Jessie vibes.
 
Thank you. I think in times like this you could really do with some other opinions etc as I have no experience of this myself.
 
I think that there have been results with steroids + of course a full 28 days of panacur (which you might have to repeat if she goes down hill again). Some people have also developed a sort of trolly for buns to get about on using their front legs but of course that only sorts out the mobility problem & they have to be supervised using it, it doesn't sort out the other problems you are likely to have such as incontinence/urine scald/mucky bum etc all of which are likely to be a magnified problem in a big bunny.

I too have only had experience with urinary incontinence in EC buns so can't really give you full advice but for my bun the incontinence did clear up after a full course of panacur so to me it suggests that there would also be hope with hind leg weakness. I would recomend having a chat to your vet about steroids & at least give it a go for a month to see if there is any improvement.
 
I too haven't experienced complete paralysis I'm afraid :( I have experienced severe headtilt with partial paralysis of the back legs several times in the same rabbit, but each case took 6 to 8 weeks of medication and nursing for my bunny to return to normal. From my own experience, 2 weeks seems to me that she may not have had the time to recover properly from it yet?

Watching headtilt alone was a horrible helpless experience as an owner, I cannot imagine what you are going though with total paralysis as well :cry: one thing I will say is I was worried about the leg muscles wasting away with limited/no movement so I sat and exercised my bunny's legs for her several times a day to try keep the muscle mass up as much as possible. I have no idea if this helped her or not, she could have gotten better without it, but doing it made me feel like I was helping her.

I'm sorry I really hope that any of the above is helpful to try but again I have not dealt with total paralysis before - I sincerely hope that she is able to overcome this and I am sending good vibes your way for both of you x
 
Hi. Sorry to hear about your poor bun.
I have a bun that suddenly became paralysed about 2 weeks after I started to foster her. The first vet I saw advised PTS but didn't have a clue what was wrong. Xrays revealed no injuries etc. I eventually found a rabbit specialist vet who thought it was probably E.C. She was treated with a one -off steroid injection, 28 days of panacur, and 10 days septrin pediatric suspension, She was also put on i.v. fluids and was intensively nursed. She began to recover after 5 days and was back to normal in a week. That said many rabbits do not recover unfortunately because the damage to the brain is permanent. Once it get to the stage where the muscles are wasting recovery is unlikely although massage and physiotherapy may help.
If you have a good rabbit vet I think you have to let them guide you on the best thing to do for your bun
 
That's so sad :( How is she in herself? Does she seem happy and has she accepted the fact that her legs won't work properly?

Sometimes it can be Ec or sometimes it can be other things - ie. infection in the brain, infection in the spinal cord - an injury, and afer all she has gone through you can't rule that out :(

I would advise x-rays and blood tests. Also, if she does accept the fact that she is disabled then I can give you information on how to house and help her:love:

Is she eating well and peeing and pooping well?

Poor love, I am sending lots of vibes to her :love:
 
Thank you for your replies.
Yes as you said Jessies is only 2 weeks into treatment and we still have a way to go with her. Also like has been mentioned she also has the incontinece and trying to keep her dry and clean is hard work.
But the most distressing part is the paralysis. I dont want her to suffer if there is no chance of her recovering a quality of life.
 
Jaypot
Jessie has been eating a lot better this last couple of day. She is struggling to get on her feet. Today she has dragged herself in a corner a doesnt really want to know. Up til today she has seemed quite bright in herself though.
 
The Duchess said:
Hi there.

Just bumping this up for you.

Whilst I have some experience with EC bunnies, I haven't dealt with or had direct knowledge with rabbits with total paralysis, only head tilts and incontinence, so can't give you any helpful information.

You might want to PM Marie_kubiak as she works at Great Western Referrals where they specialise in exotics. One of the partners (I think) from that practice gave the EC lecture at the RWA conference last weekend.

I do hope that someone can give you some info soon.

Sending Jessie vibes.
Click to expand...

Hiya my bam bam has the same she was diagnosed with it over a year ago, she scoots around although dragging her little back legs. She did first go into a depression but I talked to her every day and she turned it around. She is full of attitude and still rules thumper. She has dental probs as well and in sept had an abscess in the jaw each time the vet has given her a couple of months and yet she has truly surpassed the lot. She has a good quality of life although occasionally she does need some tlc and her bum washed. X x
 
My bun Alan suddenly had hind leg paralysis but after a weeks intensive nursing he is slightly improving. He is now moving around and trying to use his back legs. One back leg is better than the other but he is bright in himself. He is having baytril every day, panacur and an injection of colavsone which is an anti-inflamatory. To help keep him dry vetbed is totally doing its job and without it i don't know what i'd do. I bathe his legs in warm water to rinse of any wee and then he is having vaseline, rescue remedy cream or aloe vera gel put on them to prevent urine scald. I wondered if he would improve and he has and although its going to take a long time hopefully he will continue to improve. I don't know how much he will be able to use his back legs but at the moment he is being given every chance.
 
Just to say thank you to you all. I will keep trying for Jessie. I think i was getting a bit stressed out with it all today as it is very distressing to watch her in this condition. I just hope i NEVER have to nurse any of my other rabbits through something like this. I will keep everyone updated on Jessie's progress. Thank you all again.
 
Hello,
Ive had an EC bun, but he never had hind leg paralysis....i do know however how bad it is to see your bun so ill.
My kermit couldnt really move about without rolling for months, he still has a head tilt and rolls from time to time.
If she is showing intrest in eating and drinking then i would keep trying.
Hope she pulls through this.
x
 
I'm just replying as my bunny, Daisy has just developed the same thing - hind leg paralysis, which is quite distressing to see (I have done another thread on this). My vet believes it to be E.Cuni and is treating her with Panacur and Metacam. He is not totally convinced it will work, as she is over 9, but thinks it's worth a try - as do I! I will keep an eye on your thread too as I'm interested in any help aswell.
 
Having had 2 headtilt bunnys I can sympathise with the distress you must be going through and I urge you to try to stay positive as it is a waiting game.
My last bunny survived but took weeks before any improvement was seen, and is now back to good health. Please go to www.onthewonk.com they have a very friendly forum with a wealth of knowledge and will be able to give you all the help and support you need as they did me!
 
Thank you.
I know its a long process to get through all this. I just hate to see Jessie in distress.
I have been on the website.. onthewonk and yes it is very very good.
At the same time all the messages from the forum members are reassuring too.
 
I know what you mean about the forum messages, i honestly know that this forum saved my boys life, if it wasnt for the information, advice & tips that i got on here he would be gone :(

Hope your bun bun gets better....healing vibes to your baby x
 
mich8 said:
Thank you.
I know its a long process to get through all this. I just hate to see Jessie in distress.
I have been on the website.. onthewonk and yes it is very very good.
At the same time all the messages from the forum members are reassuring too.
Click to expand...

The advice from here has saved my boy too. Without the advice and knowledge the paralysis would have been so much to deal with and a vet may have suggested him be put to sleep. My lovely little boy is walking again even though he is wobbly i did not imagine he would recover so much from this. I hope Jessie is doing well.
 
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