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Disabled Bunny Advice

MandyLouise

MandyLouise

Young Bun
Coco, my baby, has recently lost most of the use of her back legs, she drags them along and they stick out to the side when shes siting or laying.

She sadly got flystrike because she wasn't able to wee properly, she was taken to the vets and thankfully we caught it quickly, so she's fine now but is disabled as the vet thinks her nerves have gone in her back. I was given rear guard, which im currently deciding if i should use it now or wait until next summer/autumn?

I check her twice daily, clean her cage once a week and her toilet daily, I was wondering if anyone has any advice of what products to use to keep her bottem clean and should i bath her? I use baby wipes and try to keep her tidy everyday but she still seems to get dirty! And advice would be fantastic, thanks!
 
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MandyLouise said:
Coco, my baby, has recently lost the use of her back legs and sadly got flystrike because she wasn't able to wee properly, she was taken to the vets and thankfully we caught it quickly, so shes fine now but is disabled as the vet thinks its a nerve thing in her back. I was given rear guard, which im currently deciding if i should use it now or wait until next summer/autumn?

I check her twice daily, clean her cage once a week and her toilet daily, I was wondering if anyone has any advice of what products to use to keep her bottem clean and should i bath her?

I use baby wipes and just keep her tidy everyday but she still seems to get dirty at her rear end and i would hate for her to get flystrike again! And advice would be fantastci! :)
Click to expand...

I think you're doing the right things for her bottom - baby wipes and bottom washes if it is really bad. You can try to minimise the number of excess caecals she produces through dietary control (less starch, more fibre) but chances are if she is unable to consume them then this won't make a lot of difference. Does she eat any? Is she maintaining her weight? How does the vet know for sure it is neuro damage from the spine? Has she had an Xray or MRI to confirm this? Has she been tested for EC - which can often mimick hind limb paralysis due to nerve damage?

ETA I would just use plain water to clean her rear end, or sensitive baby wipes.
 
Poor bunny. i would still use the fly strike now as there are still flies around. Especially if she is living outside.

I would bath her affected area if it is soiled, especially if it is wee soaked. this will developed into bad urine burn.
Could be quite discomfort for the bunny. make sure you keep her as dry as possible.
 
If you are bathing her regularly there is no point in using the rearguard, as soon as you bath them it becomes ineffective :(
 
I think you're doing the right things for her bottom - baby wipes and bottom washes if it is really bad. You can try to minimise the number of excess caecals she produces through dietary control (less starch, more fibre) but chances are if she is unable to consume them then this won't make a lot of difference. Does she eat any? Is she maintaining her weight? How does the vet know for sure it is neuro damage from the spine? Has she had an Xray or MRI to confirm this? Has she been tested for EC - which can often mimick hind limb paralysis due to nerve damage?

ETA I would just use plain water to clean her rear end, or sensitive baby wipes.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I just give her a bottom wash everyday and check her twice daily. She's eating fine and mostly has hay and grass, a handful of pellets and veg a day, but its mostly hay she enjoys and eats. She was weighed at the vets a couple of weeks ago and they said it was fine and she seems to be maintaining her weight, they couldn't find any broken bones and we were given antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, but she hasn't been given a Xray or tested for EC yet.
 
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Poor bunny. i would still use the fly strike now as there are still flies around. Especially if she is living outside.

I would bath her affected area if it is soiled, especially if it is wee soaked. this will developed into bad urine burn.
Could be quite discomfort for the bunny. make sure you keep her as dry as possible.
Click to expand...

She lives inside but is outside in her run daily, its mostly wee she gets covered in so i clean her daily and then keep her dry as much as I can.
 
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I found this on youtube a while ago and your post reminded me of it.
Read the description more than anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R9SVZ3FrI0
Click to expand...

aww that made me feel a lot better, Coco was the same, she started with a limp in one leg and them a couple of days later was dragging her back legs along. She's eaten and drinking fine, loves her cuddles, she just needs some extra help cleaning her bottem. Her legs stick out a bit & she still drags them but she can run fast... found this out trying to pick her up to put her too bed tonight.. shes still her cheeky little self. ;) :love: Really hope it gets better!
 
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Any update on your baby?
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Thanks for asking! :) Her legs still stick out to the side when shes sitting and she drags them a little but shes a lot better and still her cheeky self! Her bottem is a lot cleaner these days, shes cleaning it herself more with a little help from me. :D I just hope it continues to get better, shes my baby!
 
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I was just wondering, would she show anymore symptoms if it was EC aswell as the hind limb paralysis? And she has trouble scratching her head with her back legs because of it, should i just give her a helping hand?
 
I'm presuming she's unable to clean her ears as well? If so you'll have to give her a helping hand with that too.....some one like Jack's Jane will be able to give more advice on that, Stripes was always able to do her own :love:

Some bunnies will let you scratch them....depends on your bunny though...you could give it a try and see how she responds :)

MandyLouise said:
I was just wondering, would she show anymore symptoms if it was EC aswell as the hind limb paralysis??
Click to expand...

It very much depends on the rabbit, I know a few people on here have had head tilt but no paralysis whereas, Stripes, Lucky and Hazel just had the paralysis. Lucky recovered almost completely but passed away suddenly a few months later.

Stripes lost her battle after slipping into a coma and Hazel is still fighting with a degree of paralysis
 
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I'm presuming she's unable to clean her ears as well? If so you'll have to give her a helping hand with that too.....some one like Jack's Jane will be able to give more advice on that, Stripes was always able to do her own

Some bunnies will let you scratch them....depends on your bunny though...you could give it a try and see how she responds
Click to expand...

No she still cleans her ears herself, although i do still check them, a mother never stops worrying hehe. :love: I tried the scratching and she seems fine with me helping, so that should be okay. :)

It very much depends on the rabbit, I know a few people on here have had head tilt but no paralysis whereas, Stripes, Lucky and Hazel just had the paralysis. Lucky recovered almost completely but passed away suddenly a few months later.

Stripes lost her battle after slipping into a coma and Hazel is still fighting with a degree of paralysis
Click to expand...

Coco has just had the paralysis and seems fine but i think i will still take a trip to the vets, just to be sure! :)
 
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How is Coco doing?
Click to expand...
Thanks for asking! :wave: She is totally back to normal! Her legs are working properly and I don't have to clean her bottem anymore, she does it herself, lol she is back to her mad old self, binking like crazy, so i'm just keeping an eye on her! :) I still don't know why it happened but shes going for a general check up at the vets soon, so i'm going to ask if they know what could of happened.
 
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