Mystery ailment - spasms and biting/licking UPDATE

Hello!
So I've had Captain Nemo for a year and a half now. I adopted him when he was about two years old. We had a six month battle with facial abscesses stemming from an infected impacted molar, with five abscesses and three teeth removed in total. We tried a whole series of medications from penicillin to manuka honey. He was finally cured by inserting an antibacterial gel commonly used in dogs into his face and leaving it there for two weeks before removing it. He's doing GREAT now in regards to abscesses and his face has been clean for five months.

I tell you all of this back story just in case any of his previous medications have caused his current tic. He gets these random spasms where he arches his back and bites at the rug. At first he would arch his back and then lick his sides (he prefers his left but he'll lick either side) really voraciously for a few minutes. While it hasn't really gotten worse he now bites the rug in front of him instead or licks whatever is closest. It's the most bizarre thing. I've had rabbits for thirteen years and I've never seen anything like it.

He hasn't stopped eating, pooping, drinking or acting normal in any other way. His sides are not pain sensitive, though touching them seems to trigger the behavior more. I've been to my vet once and she guessed either a strange allergy or mites. We started both my rabbits on Revolution in case of mites. I cleaned everything in the vicinity with a bleach solution, all my laundry, rugs, etc. That was a week ago and he's still doing it. I haven't changed anything in his diet in months, nor have I put anything new in their pen. I also haven't used any new kinds of lotions or shampoos, in case he was allergic to something on me. He does not sneeze or have a runny nose.

Any guesses? I haven't been back to the vet to try allergy medicine but I'm concerned that this will progressively get worse and he will accidentally bite my other rabbit. He is in control of himself so far and if my hand is in his way he will lick it instead of biting. I'm also worried that this might be an internal issue and he's somehow feeling pain in his internal organs. Thoughts, anyone?

littlebreadloaf said:

Hello!
So I've had Captain Nemo for a year and a half now. I adopted him when he was about two years old. We had a six month battle with facial abscesses stemming from an infected impacted molar, with five abscesses and three teeth removed in total. We tried a whole series of medications from penicillin to manuka honey. He was finally cured by inserting an antibacterial gel commonly used in dogs into his face and leaving it there for two weeks before removing it. He's doing GREAT now in regards to abscesses and his face has been clean for five months.

I tell you all of this back story just in case any of his previous medications have caused his current tic. He gets these random spasms where he arches his back and bites at the rug. At first he would arch his back and then lick his sides (he prefers his left but he'll lick either side) really voraciously for a few minutes. While it hasn't really gotten worse he now bites the rug in front of him instead or licks whatever is closest. It's the most bizarre thing. I've had rabbits for thirteen years and I've never seen anything like it.

He hasn't stopped eating, pooping, drinking or acting normal in any other way. His sides are not pain sensitive, though touching them seems to trigger the behavior more. I've been to my vet once and she guessed either a strange allergy or mites. We started both my rabbits on Revolution in case of mites. I cleaned everything in the vicinity with a bleach solution, all my laundry, rugs, etc. That was a week ago and he's still doing it. I haven't changed anything in his diet in months, nor have I put anything new in their pen. I also haven't used any new kinds of lotions or shampoos, in case he was allergic to something on me. He does not sneeze or have a runny nose.

Any guesses? I haven't been back to the vet to try allergy medicine but I'm concerned that this will progressively get worse and he will accidentally bite my other rabbit. He is in control of himself so far and if my hand is in his way he will lick it instead of biting. I'm also worried that this might be an internal issue and he's somehow feeling pain in his internal organs. Thoughts, anyone?

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That is my concern too.
Given his history I'd be wanting the Vet to consider internal abscessation as a possibility.
I think your Vet needs to run some diagnostics before coming to the conclusion that its 'an allergy'.

As well as a pain reaction I would also be concerned about it being a neurological issue. I have had bunnies with neurological problems display similar behaviour. I guess the abscesses could have spread to his brain, just something else to consider:?

Really hope I am wrong.

Good luck :wave:

Hello again! Thank you for your suggestions. I'm going to make another appointment this week and I will ask her about the possibility of abscesses having spread. Although the entire time he had abscesses they were strictly recurring in the same exact spot in relation to the same set of teeth. He had a malocclusion on the left side of his jaw which impacted and got infected. When we removed the first abscess and that tooth she told me there was a possibility it had already spread to the second molar, which it did. He also developed a bone cyst. We drained the cyst and removed the other tooth, however the abscesses continued to return in the same exact spot. I finally visited a veterinary dentist specializing in rabbits and he recommended both the canine antibiotic gel as well as located on Captain Nemo's x-rays a small cluster of cells that remained from the first tooth removal. The tooth was trying to regenerate and caused further abscesses. After we inserted the gel in his jaw, twice each time for two weeks, both the cells and the abscesses were gone.

Is it possible for such a localized abscess to spread to his brain and/or internal organs? It was an e. coli infection in his tooth, if that helps also. He was on antibiotics the entire time he had abscesses, sometimes two at once. One was strictly to target e. coli although I cannot recall the name.

Oh man I am going to be so so bummed if my five months of abscess battles are not over!

If there are upper root problems they could be pressing on the brain or eye causing neurological symptoms rather than abcesses spreading. we have experienced this before

Hopefully it is something that be sorted quickly though

Just thought I would update you guys. I wrote to the House Rabbit Society here in the US asking their opinions, and they suggested possible GI slowdown. I bought some simethicone and some papaya tablets. I've been giving him simethicone twice daily and a papaya tablet once daily. The first day/two days I didn't really see much of a difference but it's been almost five days and so far I haven't seen him spasm once. Although it's possible he still does it, as I'm not supervising him 24/7. But so far he's looking good.

Possibly cured? Or on the way to being cured? I hope so!!

I'm glad that you have improved his symptoms.
I really hate damping your enthusiasm.
GI slow down always happens for some underlying reason. Have you any idea what the reason is? changed diet? in balance in caecal bacteria? stress from weather change, psychological stress? or even problems/pain from elsewhere?