Been to see Brigitte Lord (Reusch) - U/D He's Gone

Further to Benji's gut problems and weight loss ( THREAD HERE ), we took him (with Paddy for moral support!) to the Royal D1ck Vet School in Edinburgh yesterday and he saw Brigitte Reusch.

He has had lots of tests today under sedation - bloods, x-rays, ultrasound, etc, and will have more tomorrow.

So far, she thinks that his gut problems are secondary to other problems - he seems to have a very small liver, which she said is quite concerning. All the veins from his organs and digestive tract to the liver are too big :? and his heart is slightly enlarged, but not worryingly so. He is to have a heart scan tomorrow. She also said the blood supply around the liver was not normal-looking, although the liver tissue shape was normal (?).

Apparently his stomach has moved further up into his ribcage and the caecum is further forward than it should be. There is abnormal movement of the gut, and the gut is overfull.

His skull was x-rayed, and his teeth are fine, except for one of the cheek teeth being slightly longer than it should be, but no treatment necessary just now. An odd thing about his teeth are that they are quite discoloured (yellowy brown) and Brigitte said she had never seen teeth like them before. :shock: They seem fine in other respects and she thinks they may be permanently discoloured from having an antibiotic when he was very young. Paddy's teeth are the same.

X-rays of his hips, legs and feet showed no problem. There are more faecal tests in progress, and he will get his blood pressure checked tomorrow.

Blood tests showed that he is very slightly anaemic and his immune system is a bit run down - probably consequences of being under the weather for the last few months. His liver and kidneys showed as 'normal' in blood tests, but Brigitte said that they only show as 'abnormal' if they are over 70% damaged.

Sorry for the essay, just wanted to update to those who were interested. Will add more over the next few days as we get more results.

They both seem to have settled OK, but it's horrible having them away from home. Any spare vibes would be welcome.

Everything is crossed for Benji, for something easy to treat & for a speedy recovery.

I feel for you too. I even miss Thumps when he has a dental for 4 hours. The house feels so empty.

Poor Benji
I hope he will soon be home xx

It must be incredibly worrying for you. It must be a reassurance for him to be in such good hands though. I really hope you get some news soon. x

Wow sounds like Benji is in very competant and thorough hands

The wait and being apart from them must be auwful though

Sending loads of vibes for Benji xxxxxxx

Thank you everyone, I will update later when I have spoken to Brigitte again.

I have just spoken to Brigitte.

Benji's heart scan showed no abnormalities, which is good news. She said he was such a good boy that they didn't even need to sedate him.

However, the abnormalities in the blood supply to his liver and the very small size of the liver means that he is going to have to have keyhole surgery so that they can take a liver biopsy. His liver is so small and they can see so little of it with imaging techniques that there is no more they can do from 'outside'. She said they may find twists in the blood vessels which could be corrected.

She is sure that Benji's gut problems are related to this. He is on a hay-only diet at the hospital, with Oxbow recovery food which he seems to be scoffing from a bowl. :shock: He seems to be quite comfortable, although he is on gut motility drugs and Metacam. She did say there are a few rabbits who cannot tolerate commercial pellets, and it may be that this is the case with him.

So ... we will hopefully be bringing them home tomorrow for the weekend and they will have to go back to Edinburgh on Tuesday for the biopsy.

She did say they were both bright and lively. Apparently they have the rabbit ward to themselves at the moment and are out chasing each other around the room! :shock:

Thanks for your thoughts and vibes.

I just logged in to see if there was any news. Great news on the heart. Here's hoping the liver isn't too concerning...

As you know, my two buns ended up thriving on a hay only diet, and I wished I'd tried it sooner (especially with Clover - I introduced it really late with her, whereas Dusty was on it for over 6 months).

Hope you have the little cutie back soon. Well, both of them!! :lol: x

Thanks Sarah.

Am looking forward to getting them home for the weekend. Bit nervous about the prospect of a liver biopsy, but at least he's in very experienced hands. Won't really know any more until next Tuesday now.

The rabbit ward at the Royal --------- sounds exactly like the rabbit ward at the GWR & great fun for the bunnies to hop around.
Not much longer until they're home with you for the w/e.

ETA Why is the Edinburgh vet school called what it is? I never gave it a second thought until I got on here for not being rude!:shock:

Thank you Judy. I would love to see the rabbit ward! :lol: I don't think bunny mummies and daddies are allowed in there though - boo! :lol:

I just looked up the Vet School on Wiki, and apparently it was established by a William D1ck around 1823. It's mildly annoying having to doctor the name every time it's typed! :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_(****)_School_of_Veterinary_Studies

EDIT - Argh, the link has the D1ck bit asterisked out too, so it doesn't actually link to it! :roll: :lol:

Did Brigitte discuss the risks of doing a Liver biopsy ?

Goodness poor little Bunster

Rosie Rabbit said:

Thank you Judy. I would love to see the rabbit ward! :lol: I don't think bunny mummies and daddies are allowed in there though - boo! :lol:

I just looked up the Vet School on Wiki, and apparently it was established by a William D1ck around 1823. It's mildly annoying having to doctor the name every time it's typed! :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_(****)_School_of_Veterinary_Studies

EDIT - Argh, the link has the D1ck bit asterisked out too, so it doesn't actually link to it! :roll: :lol:

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Thank you so much Rosie Rabbit, it's been driving me nuts for a year now. I'm new to the internet, I reckon I'll find it in Wiki. Why didn't i think of that.

Been following this and having everything crossed all goes well with Benji and his liver biopsy. He is clearly in excellent hands

Hope you get the fluffies back asap!

Ahh,bless him.He's with the best vet though.Is Edinburgh far from you?I would hate to think of mine being miles away.Our vet wanted to send B to Harrogate when her cystitis was bad,luckily it didn't come to that,they just spoke over the phone instead.Hope you are feeling better soon Benji.

Thanks so much everyone. :wave: We are off to collect them this afternoon for the weekend, and they will be going back on Tuesday morning for Benji's liver biopsy.

Willowholly - The journey to the vet hospital in Edinburgh takes about 1hr 15mins, although there are often delays on the motorway, so it's not exactly 'local', but not too bad. The buns tend to be quite good in the car, but I'm glad it isn't any further away.

Jack's-Jane said:

Did Brigitte discuss the risks of doing a Liver biopsy ?

Goodness poor little Bunster

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Umm, not specifically Jane - is it really risky? I'm stressing now! I mean, I know there are risks with every procedure, especially with a GA, but she didn't mention specific risks. Can you tell me what you know?

Jack's-Jane said:

Did Brigitte discuss the risks of doing a Liver biopsy ?

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I had a look online - is it the risks mentioned on this link that is the kind of thing you mean?

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformatio...ndiv_TechniquesRabbit/Liver_biopsy_Rabbit.htm

I'm hoping that if he has to get a biopsy done, then Brigitte will be one of the best people to do it! She feels that because the liver is so small, there is something not right with it, and it has to be investigated, or we risk Benji's health problems just getting worse.

Rosie Rabbit said:

Thanks so much everyone. :wave: We are off to collect them this afternoon for the weekend, and they will be going back on Tuesday morning for Benji's liver biopsy.

Willowholly - The journey to the vet hospital in Edinburgh takes about 1hr 15mins, although there are often delays on the motorway, so it's not exactly 'local', but not too bad. The buns tend to be quite good in the car, but I'm glad it isn't any further away.


Umm, not specifically Jane - is it really risky? I'm stressing now! I mean, I know there are risks with every procedure, especially with a GA, but she didn't mention specific risks. Can you tell me what you know?

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Well I am assuming the risks are the same as in humans. They are mainly the risk of an excessive bleed from the Liver. In humans they have to remain still and lying on their side for several hours after the procedure. A Liver Biopsy was suggested for one of my Rabbits. But I felt that the risks were too great given that there was unlikely to be much gained re further treatment options.

I am sorry, I did not mean to add to your stress. But before consenting to such a procedure I would want the Vet to fully inform me of the exact risks and also if taking said risks was likely to offer more treatment options.

This is just my unqualified opinion and should in no way influence your decision. Brigitte is a billion times more knowledgeable than me. I just felt I needed to flag up the risks as* sometimes* the wanting to get a diagnosis takes over.

Jack's-Jane said:

Well I am assuming the risks are the same as in humans. They are mainly the risk of an excessive bleed from the Liver. In humans they have to remain still and lying on their side for several hours after the procedure. A Liver Biops was suggested for one of my Rabbits. But I felt that the risks were too great given that there was unlikely to be much gained re further treatment options.

I am sorry, I did not mean to add to your stress. But before consenting to such a procedure I would want the Vet to fully inform me of the exact riss and also if taking said risks was likely to offer more treatment options.

This is just my unqualified opinion and should in no way influence your decision. Brigitte is a billion times more knowledgeable than me. I just felt I needed to flag up the risks as* sometimes* the wanting to get a diagnosis takes over.

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Okay, I see - thanks for that, no need to apologise. I would rather know the full picture.

We have an appointment with another exotic vet this afternoon to pick up the buns, as Brigitte will be at a conference. I will ask her about the risks and likely treatment options.