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Unwell Rabbit

D

Daisy-may

Warren Scout
Hi I'm Sarah and new to this forum. I wonder if anybody can offer any advice or their thoughts on my current problem.

My rabbit Daisy-May has been unwell recently. About 3 weeks ago I had to take her to the vets as she was very poorly, I actually thought I would lose her on the way to the vets!

Anyway since that day she was diagnosed with an ear infection and was given antibiotics (baytril) for 10 days which has now finished and she is continuing her wormer (panacur) until it’s been 30 days treatment.

Daisy got a lot better health wise however she was still unbalanced and would topple over when trying to run around.

Since last night Daisy seems to have taken a turn for the worse, she no longer has the head tilt to the right but now seems to have lost a lot of strength on her left side, all she seems to do is try to move and fall over, so she has now stopped moving as much as she used to, and I have had to prop her up with rolled up towels etc.
The problem I have is she appears to still be eating (not lots but I'm not having to force feed her) and she appears to be drinking ok, which is obviously a good sign.

My mum is looking after daisy whilst I'm at work and has said she is just laying there, really not herself understandably.

As you can imagine I’m really upset to see my poor daisy nowhere near to how she was before all of this happened, it breaks my heart when I see her just fall over as she used to run up and down the garden like it was going out of fashion!!

Sorry it's such a long post, I suppose I’m just looking to see what your thoughts are on this matter, and if you can offer any advice.

Thanks in advance

Sarah x
 
Hi Sarah, I am not an expert I'm afraid but I am sure someone will come along shortly with some good advice. I just wanted to say I hope Daisy pulls through this. Sending lots of vibes for a speedy recovery! xx
 
Daisy-may said:
Hi I'm Sarah and new to this forum. I wonder if anybody can offer any advice or their thoughts on my current problem.

My rabbit Daisy-May has been unwell recently. About 3 weeks ago I had to take her to the vets as she was very poorly, I actually thought I would lose her on the way to the vets!

Anyway since that day she was diagnosed with an ear infection and was given antibiotics (baytril) for 10 days which has now finished and she is continuing her wormer (panacur) until it’s been 30 days treatment.

Daisy got a lot better health wise however she was still unbalanced and would topple over when trying to run around.

Since last night Daisy seems to have taken a turn for the worse, she no longer has the head tilt to the right but now seems to have lost a lot of strength on her left side, all she seems to do is try to move and fall over, so she has now stopped moving as much as she used to, and I have had to prop her up with rolled up towels etc.
The problem I have is she appears to still be eating (not lots but I'm not having to force feed her) and she appears to be drinking ok, which is obviously a good sign.

My mum is looking after daisy whilst I'm at work and has said she is just laying there, really not herself understandably.

As you can imagine I’m really upset to see my poor daisy nowhere near to how she was before all of this happened, it breaks my heart when I see her just fall over as she used to run up and down the garden like it was going out of fashion!!

Sorry it's such a long post, I suppose I’m just looking to see what your thoughts are on this matter, and if you can offer any advice.

Thanks in advance

Sarah x
Click to expand...

Hi Sarah,
Is Daisy eating and pooing? How long has she been on the Panacur for so far? And are you observing the cleaning regime that is needed alongside this on days 21 and 27? I'm no expert on this but it does sound as if Daisy has a possible EC infection...in which case thoroughly removing any shed spores is essential...otherwise reinfection is possible - someone else more experienced with EC will help you with this. It's a 10% bleach solution on days 21 and 27 according to the latest advice from the RWAF.

She could also have other things going on, it may not be EC, it could be neurological or vascular in origin....she needs further investigations...if she has gone downhill today I would suggest you seek help from a rabbit savy vet this afternoon, I wouldn't leave it any longer.
Is she on NSAID's such as metacam? These are recommended alongside the treatment for EC to prevent any further neurological damage from the inflammation on the nerves caused by the EC infection - if this is the cause of her illness?
She might need an Xray to assess spinal involvement. Her ear infection could have been secondary to underlying illness if she was run down, or the cause of her head tilt and balance problems. The baytril may not have been effective? How is her ear infection now? I'm concerned that she could potentially be heading for ileus/stasis if she is in pain and not eating...this is why her intake of adequate food and fibre is so important and her droppings/faecal output too?
I would want her checked over by a rabbit savy vet if she is worse today.
 
Last edited:
Update

Thanks for your replies; I took Daisy back to the vet last night, as I was really worried about her.

Basically the vet has said she is a very poorly rabbit, gave her some ear drops, a steroid injection and an antibiotic injection.

The vet (a very nice lady) explained everything, basically Daisy's ear infection appears to have really affected her, and seeing as she hasn't really made much of an improvement since being diagnosed with the ear infection there’s a high possibility that her balance is so bad because she has lesions on her brain which obviously cannot be cured.

The vet said they could keep her in or take her home, I took her to my mums and slept beside her, waking every time she moved. The vet has said that this is possibility her last chance, if she doesn't improve much we may have to consider what is best for my poor little baby. I was given strict advice to give lots of cuddles and feed her favorite foods. She has eaten well, but just kept quite still and still falling over on to her left side.

I'm taking Daisy back to the vet tonight as recommended, and will have to listen to what the vet says, but am trying to prepare myself for the worse case scenario of laying her to rest.

Its really upsetting as I said to my boyfriend it feels like we lost her 3/4 weeks ago when she was first ill and it is heart breaking as she is no where near to the original Daisy she was, and I don't want her to be suffering.:cry:
 
Thinking of you, it is a terrible time (I'm in a similar situation) let us know how you get on. x
 
Daisy-may said:
Thanks for your replies; I took Daisy back to the vet last night, as I was really worried about her.

Basically the vet has said she is a very poorly rabbit, gave her some ear drops, a steroid injection and an antibiotic injection.

The vet (a very nice lady) explained everything, basically Daisy's ear infection appears to have really affected her, and seeing as she hasn't really made much of an improvement since being diagnosed with the ear infection there’s a high possibility that her balance is so bad because she has lesions on her brain which obviously cannot be cured.

The vet said they could keep her in or take her home, I took her to my mums and slept beside her, waking every time she moved. The vet has said that this is possibility her last chance, if she doesn't improve much we may have to consider what is best for my poor little baby. I was given strict advice to give lots of cuddles and feed her favorite foods. She has eaten well, but just kept quite still and still falling over on to her left side.

I'm taking Daisy back to the vet tonight as recommended, and will have to listen to what the vet says, but am trying to prepare myself for the worse case scenario of laying her to rest.

Its really upsetting as I said to my boyfriend it feels like we lost her 3/4 weeks ago when she was first ill and it is heart breaking as she is no where near to the original Daisy she was, and I don't want her to be suffering.:cry:
Click to expand...

Did the vet suggest an EC involvement as well? What about pain relief? Which antibiotic did she give her?....I'd have thought that some NSAID in a high dose course might help with any inflammatory lesions on the CNS....is she still eating unaided and pooping ok?
 
Fingers crossed for you and Bun.When I read the first post I thought E.C
Chin up....all rooting for you.xx
 
Yes the vet said its quite likely it is EC, she appears to be eating a bit and pooing, just not herself in between as mentioned.

It's like she has not got any strength in the left side when laying down and her head really tilts to the left badly.
 
Daisy-may said:
Yes the vet said its quite likely it is EC, she appears to be eating a bit and pooing, just not herself in between as mentioned.

It's like she has not got any strength in the left side when laying down and her head really tilts to the left badly.
Click to expand...

If it is EC or suspected EC then she NEEDS to be given a proper course of Panacur for 28 days or double this....but you also need to observe the cleaning regime on days 21 and 28 to rid her environment of spores shed and also keep her hay and food well away from her latrine - she could just be reinfecting herself you see.
The vet experts who spoke at the RWAF conference earlier this year also recommend a course of NSAID such as metacam to help control the extent of the neurological damage done by the parasite. Therefore, any lesions on the CNS or PNS could potentially be controlled and any inflammation reduced by using these non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.....this is part of the treatment and an essential part.
A steroid injection is quite a drastic treatment....it may have been necessary I don't know but steroids DO suppress immunity in both humans and rabbits - more so in rabbits, and therefore if your bun is already compromised immunosuppressively then a non-steroidal anti inflammatory might have been more appropriate - unless inflammation was so bad that a steroid itself was appropriate. A different type of antibiotic may also be more effective on the ear infection if this is existing alongside the EC? Does she have both? Pain management, whether for the anti-inflammatory properties or just for pure analgesia is very important for bunny's quality of life and to keep her interested in eating food to keep her guts going...esp if the infection is active...she could have associative pain.
 
Thanks for your reply, Daisy is currently on Panacur 15 days into a 28 day treatment.

I keep her cage clean all the time and especially seeing as she seem to urinate alot sometimes, and especially since she has been unwell, any wet sawdust gets removed asap, as she struggles to go in the corner she normally does.

She also has patches of heavy breathing, believe me I don't want to have to even think abvout laying poor little Daisy to rest, but I cannot let her suffer either. She isn't even near to half the rabbit she used to be. She has gone from being a really curious, fast paced rabbit, who used to give us little licks (I call them kisses!) and now she just lays there, really struggles whenever she moves, lays still, slowly drops onto the left side. I even sit at hold her head up for her as she looks so uncomfortable otherwise. She is eating unaided which I would say is a good sign, but not as much as she used to.

I suppose I really will just need to see what the vet says when we go back later today, keeping all fingers crossed in the hope there is some improvement
 
Daisy-may said:
Thanks for your reply, Daisy is currently on Panacur 15 days into a 28 day treatment.

I keep her cage clean all the time and especially seeing as she seem to urinate alot sometimes, and especially since she has been unwell, any wet sawdust gets removed asap, as she struggles to go in the corner she normally does.

She also has patches of heavy breathing, believe me I don't want to have to even think abvout laying poor little Daisy to rest, but I cannot let her suffer either. She isn't even near to half the rabbit she used to be. She has gone from being a really curious, fast paced rabbit, who used to give us little licks (I call them kisses!) and now she just lays there, really struggles whenever she moves, lays still, slowly drops onto the left side. I even sit at hold her head up for her as she looks so uncomfortable otherwise. She is eating unaided which I would say is a good sign, but not as much as she used to.

I suppose I really will just need to see what the vet says when we go back later today, keeping all fingers crossed in the hope there is some improvement
Click to expand...

Okay well she is only half way into her treatment and some buns don't respond til further on....some even need a double treatment of 28 days back to back. You HAVE to bleach clean with a 10% bleach solution on days 21 and 28 - bleach is the only thing apparently that kills the spores shed on these days.....the exotic vets at the RWAF conference were quite specific about this and many experienced rabbit keepers on here have followed this regime with success. The NSAID's are also essential in controlling the illness - you really do need to bring this up with your vet today. I hope she picks up a little and together you can fight this infection. It must be a very worrying time. :(
Good luck today at the vets :)
 
Aww bless her.. I hope the vets can sort her out and she makes a good recovery! Sending lots of get well vibes xx
 
Thanks for all your kind words.

Thanks for your advice and help Pretty Lupin, its gratefully recieved. I am hoping that if Daisy continues to eat that this may perk her up a little and hopefully get her back onto the road of recovery.

The only thing I am worried, is if daisy gets slightly better and then takes another turn for the worse, as its painfull to see your rabbits unwell.
 
Daisy-may said:
Thanks for all your kind words.

Thanks for your advice and help Pretty Lupin, its gratefully recieved. I am hoping that if Daisy continues to eat that this may perk her up a little and hopefully get her back onto the road of recovery.

The only thing I am worried, is if daisy gets slightly better and then takes another turn for the worse, as its painfull to see your rabbits unwell.
Click to expand...

Yes it must be terribly distressing to see your bun so poorly and so 'not like she used to be'....but just hang in there - buns can get through this with the right treatment...not always...but there is definitely hope! Don't give up just yet. :D
 
update

Just thought I would let you know. We tried our last option, my boyfriend was taught how to inject Daisy with the Pencillin on Saturday, and we were given 3 injections, and was told to take her back in a week when the injection had been done. The vet had warned us that this was the last chance and that we may have to consider PTS.

We took Daisy back to my mum and dads on Saturday as thats were we had been staying since Daisy was unwell, Daisy spent most of the day in the garden eating most of my mum and dad's plants!

Unfortunately Sunday morning Daisy was having breathing difficulties and my dad picked her up and she died in my dad's arms.

We are all devastated as you can imagine, I've never seen my boyfriend so upset - ever.

We found a nice company who are going to cremate Daisy, for us to scatter her ashes down in Devon, with my mum and das's dog who passed away earlier on in the year.

Thanks for all your kind words in the last legs of our journey of little Daisy-May.

Rest In Peace Small xxx
 
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