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coping with a special needs bunny

touie

Wise Old Thumper
I really need some advice on how to cope with Sugarplum, according to the vet she has movement in her legs but no (or limited) feeling, this means that she struggles to co-ordinate them when hopping and often falls over (though she can hop and stamp loudly). It also means that she can't feel when she has poo'd so she will lie in the shed or garden covered in her cetotrophs (sp?) if she then rolls over on them they get all squished into her fur! I am picking poo off of her twice a day and she has had her underside shaved by the vet to try and help but still she is stained and pooey! :( It doesn't help with this wet weather at the moment either as the grass is damp if I let her out!

I can't bring her into the house as I live in a rented house and she is not litter trained any more, but she has a shed that I can kit out accordingly. She also really struggles with the cat flap into the run now :cry:
 
Sounds like she has damage to her sensory tracts in her spinal cord and trouble with proprioception from lack of feedback? Poor bunny :(
I don't know much about caring for special needs buns but I would have thought the first thing to sort out is her diet to prevent her doing squishy poos (excess caecotrophs?) in the first place? Have you tried moving her over to a higher fibre diet....more hay and less pellets? Or cutting out pellets completely? I would be concerned about risks of scald and fly strike? and think you need to address her upset caecum as a priority.
Perhaps some gentle physio/massage on her legs with her lying or sitting on your lap would be helpful and help you feel as if you are doing something constructive? It may not make any difference but it might help to maintain muscle tone and vascular supply if she is less mobile.
I would have thought keeping her shed clean and padded as possible with deep litter or washable bedding would also be a good idea?
Poor bunny :( I hope you see some improvement soon? Did the vet say why she has lost sensory feedback? Has she had Xrays? Does she have an injured spine or a tumour or something?
 
She had xrays which didn't show anything and also had treatment for EC just in case, the tests they did came back invalid :( She hasn't deteriorated at all recently though so I think whatever was the cause the damage is done and she is stable now


I have started using hemcore in the shed which is good and I have also recently changed her diet from A @ P to the new Excel as it comes in smaller bags and is higher fibre than it used to be. I don't think she is making excess caecotrophs they are well formed, there is no problem with runny poo or diarrhea it is just she doesn't seem to know that she has done them so they stay around her bum and if she rolls over get squished in.

I have thought about cutting out pellets but I am struggling to keep weight on her so not sure if it would be a good idea? She has lost around 1 kg so far :cry:
 
She had xrays which didn't show anything and also had treatment for EC just in case, the tests they did came back invalid :( She hasn't deteriorated at all recently though so I think whatever was the cause the damage is done and she is stable now


I have started using hemcore in the shed which is good and I have also recently changed her diet from A @ P to the new Excel as it comes in smaller bags and is higher fibre than it used to be. I don't think she is making excess caecotrophs they are well formed, there is no problem with runny poo or diarrhea it is just she doesn't seem to know that she has done them so they stay around her bum and if she rolls over get squished in.

I have thought about cutting out pellets but I am struggling to keep weight on her so not sure if it would be a good idea? She has lost around 1 kg so far :cry:


Fair enough....that makes sense. In which case I think you are already doing everything you can. :)
Perhaps further investigations or an MRI would be helpful if you could afford it? Although it sounds like she has been through a lot already and as you say seems to be stable. Good luck :)
 
Hi

I don't have a lot of advice as such but my special needs bunny Star has exactly this problem. He was born with a bad spinal deformity and then was neglected by his previous owners. He always ends up looking a little scruffy and I'm afraid that lots of brushing everyday is the only thing I have managed to find to keep him clean. I have foam around his cage which helps him stand up when he has fallen over or sometimes prevents him from doing so. He lives on vet bed and old sheets and towels which have to be changed twice a day and obviously gives me a lot more washing! When he was really weak I did some muscle massage and I suppose a sort of physio as instructed by my vet this helped him to build up strength. Star is a nethie and a small one at that, so only weighs around 0.9 kg. I have found giving him a smaller water bowl and food bowl prevents him from falling in them and not getting back out.

Good luck

Leanne
 
HI :wave:
So sorry to hear Sugarplum is still having some problems. :cry::cry:
No advice but hoping everything can be sorted out for her.

Hope Splodge is o.k
 
Only really some bedding thoughts. I use fleece for my guinea pigs and it is really good as you put towels down underneath to absorb moisture and fleece on top and any moisture seeps through the fleece to towel so keeps the top dry so would at least stop any urine scalding.
The fleece is the pet kind for dog beds etc or bought on line vet profleece i think.
Then you have a few sets and wash them.
can she still eat her own poop, so does she get some of the squishy ones or not at all?
Mine were doing extra and i cut back on the pellets as suggested above and they stopped, but if she cant reach to get any of them might be harder.
Does anyone think she could have porridge oats to keep her weight up if pellets are taken away x
Hope you manage to sort something for her xx
 
Thanks for everyone's comments.

Splodge is fine he is a happy lively bunny but he is also a nibbler I think he would probably shred fleece and towels quite quickly (remembers when he used to be a house bunny and i had to buy new bed covers every fortnight :shock: )

Sugarplum can't reach to eat any of her poo's now which I think is the problem as she does them when she is lying down and when i see her she will just be lying there with a whole pile between her legs :( They are all well formed not runny but they do squish into her, I am picking poo's off of her at least twice a day at the moment! :shock: :( I have also seen her lying in the garden with a pile between her legs and flies buzzing around, it is such a worry! I just pick her up and brush them off! It is ok at the moment because I am off work but in September when I start again I won't be able to do all this :(

I have been using hemcore as bedding as it is fairly absorbant and easy to shovel up and change, it is also citronella scented which I am hoping will help deter flies. No chance of her falling in her food bowl as she is a large frenchy, although not as large as she should be, she has lost some muscle :( She has had steroid injections to try and stop this but the damage is done now :(
 
Oh bless her, have you considered the bunny nappies, at least the flies would be kept away and the mess would be more contained for her. Poor bunny. dont know if she would chew at the nappy things aswell i know that people do use them alot but dont know much about them.x
Yes chewy bunnies are very indiscriminate arent they lol xx
 
Oh bless her, have you considered the bunny nappies, at least the flies would be kept away and the mess would be more contained for her. Poor bunny. dont know if she would chew at the nappy things aswell i know that people do use them alot but dont know much about them.x
Yes chewy bunnies are very indiscriminate arent they lol xx

I've not heard of bunny nappies, where would i find out about them, although I imagine the poo would get more squished in if it was in a nappy? :? She wouldn't chew becayse she doesn't have any front teeth!
 
i think they are called bunny incontnence things i will find a link for you, at least they would be absorbent and you would know it was contained to one area x
 
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