Dawn&Leila
Warren Scout
Leila has been a bit poorly lately... I have no idea whether these two incidents are related or not and the vet didn't really give a definative answer as to that. But it started when sitting in the garden supervising Leila as she nibbled grass. I suddenly noticed then that she didn't seem to want to put any weight on her front right paw. She was holding it up. I thought perhaps it might be a thorn so I checked, but nothing. She was moving perfectly back then, and completely fine just holding the front paw up high acting as if it wasnt even there. She would still use it when washing her face and ears and didn't seem to flinch if I touched it. After a couple of days, though, I took her to the vets. The vet could feel no break, or see any cuts or penetrating objects, no swelling to my knowledge either. She said it's probably a sprain and gave me some metacam and told me to give her 0.7ml a day for a week and to come back if it didnt help. (She's a dwarf and quite old/thin now hence low dose)
Anyway she was a joy to treat, lapped up the Metacam and got very excited about it bless her. After 5 days or so she was putting full weight on the paw but I finished the course anyway. I was so happy! She wasn't perhaps as cheeky and exuberant as she has been in the past, but at least had all four paws on the ground, was eating, drinking, pooping, peeing etc etc.. and getting excited about craisins!
Now I look back though, for a month or so previous and up until present I have heard her now and then in the night wriggling or like a digging sound (we share a bedroom at the moment) when I went to investigate I found her slipping and struggling to get up from laying position but then managing it and going on as normal. I put it down to the hay moving from under her and her slipping on the smooth plastic floor.. She's also fallen a couple of times when getting excited and standing on her hind legs in her bed as I prepare food etc. I put this down to again, the slippery sides and her getting a bit over extactic about banana chip bag rustling or whatever the treat of the day was!
Now I'm starting to wonder whether it all ties in...
Then, about a week ago, I started to notice slight weakness in her right (i think) hind foot/leg. She was hopping around still but I noticed she wasn't putting the right one down fully. Instead of sitting in the 'ball' position with hind feet all tucked in that she seems to regularly adopt she was sprawling out all the time. Which is unlike her. She usually only does it when she's extremely relaxed... or.. in pain.. I could tell it was probably the latter. I gave a her Metacam on a couple of days last week but didn't notice much difference.
Then today when I got home from work I walked in my room to find my mum hand feeding her a carrot. Apparently she hadn't moved all day except to drag herself from litter tray to bed.
I was terrified.. as I tried to take over she decided she'd had enough of carrot and nuzzled my hand with her head and began to try and stand. I put her on the floor to assess the situation. She was putting weight on the left hind but not the right and as a result was VERY off balance, barely able to walk for long. Straight lines seemed to be slightly easier than corners but she kept falling and being unable to get up until I lifted her back into position. It's so distressing to watch such a cheeky, acrobatic, wirey rabbit go from that to looking practically disabled in a relatively short space of time
I took her straight to the vets today, saw a different one this time as it was the last appointment of the day. A young male vet, he felt her muscles and did say the right one had signs of atrophy, weaker mucles, like she's always favoured the left. Which is kind of true, she always sat in a bit of a weird unbalanced way, a bit too much on her hocks but it's never caused walking problems.The left foot also shows more signs of wear, as if it carries most her weight most the time. He thought it was probably arthritis, and suggested upping the metacam to 1ml or even 2ml if that didn't help at all, for a week and then to come back. I've given her tonights dosage, no improvement yet but I doubt it would show that fast.
I placed her outside her cage and she moved a bit from under the table to under the bed.. but not without falling and sort of swerving to one side. Sometimes she hits her stride and figures out hopping with one hind and goes ok for a short distance. I had to place her back in her cage myself though as I doubt she'd be able to jump in. She's been eating all night, fruit and veg whilst out and then hay once back in her cage, but she hasn't really moved from the one spot.. Though she did manage to wash a bit, both her front paws, face and sides which I was impressed with. As I type now I can see her nibbling on hay happily..
But needless to say I am heartbroken I have been reading up here and through other good web resources on spondylosis, e cuniculi and various other ailments that could cause hind leg weakness. I'm wondering why my vet didn't mention these specifically. Are the front and hind paw problems unrelated or is it a clue about what she could be suffering with?
I'm willing to to what I can to figure this out and treat her for the right problem in a holistic (as in multiple approached) way..
I have noticed no other symptoms other than the holding up of front paw a few weeks ago and now weakness/lameness of hind foot/leg.. any other symtoms are just related to the fact she is unable to move properly.
It's strange how she went from hopping around, albeit not putting too much weight on one hind to now, today, almost looking semi paralyzed from behind at times. Toppling onto on side then just unable to get up and so just l;aying there. Then I'll right her and she'll hop well for a while and so on... Seems a bit change in the space of 24 hours..
I'm heart broken but I'm going to do all I can to figure out what is causing this..
Any help or advice is very much appreciated.. thanks guys x
Anyway she was a joy to treat, lapped up the Metacam and got very excited about it bless her. After 5 days or so she was putting full weight on the paw but I finished the course anyway. I was so happy! She wasn't perhaps as cheeky and exuberant as she has been in the past, but at least had all four paws on the ground, was eating, drinking, pooping, peeing etc etc.. and getting excited about craisins!
Now I look back though, for a month or so previous and up until present I have heard her now and then in the night wriggling or like a digging sound (we share a bedroom at the moment) when I went to investigate I found her slipping and struggling to get up from laying position but then managing it and going on as normal. I put it down to the hay moving from under her and her slipping on the smooth plastic floor.. She's also fallen a couple of times when getting excited and standing on her hind legs in her bed as I prepare food etc. I put this down to again, the slippery sides and her getting a bit over extactic about banana chip bag rustling or whatever the treat of the day was!
Now I'm starting to wonder whether it all ties in...
Then, about a week ago, I started to notice slight weakness in her right (i think) hind foot/leg. She was hopping around still but I noticed she wasn't putting the right one down fully. Instead of sitting in the 'ball' position with hind feet all tucked in that she seems to regularly adopt she was sprawling out all the time. Which is unlike her. She usually only does it when she's extremely relaxed... or.. in pain.. I could tell it was probably the latter. I gave a her Metacam on a couple of days last week but didn't notice much difference.
Then today when I got home from work I walked in my room to find my mum hand feeding her a carrot. Apparently she hadn't moved all day except to drag herself from litter tray to bed.
I was terrified.. as I tried to take over she decided she'd had enough of carrot and nuzzled my hand with her head and began to try and stand. I put her on the floor to assess the situation. She was putting weight on the left hind but not the right and as a result was VERY off balance, barely able to walk for long. Straight lines seemed to be slightly easier than corners but she kept falling and being unable to get up until I lifted her back into position. It's so distressing to watch such a cheeky, acrobatic, wirey rabbit go from that to looking practically disabled in a relatively short space of time I took her straight to the vets today, saw a different one this time as it was the last appointment of the day. A young male vet, he felt her muscles and did say the right one had signs of atrophy, weaker mucles, like she's always favoured the left. Which is kind of true, she always sat in a bit of a weird unbalanced way, a bit too much on her hocks but it's never caused walking problems.The left foot also shows more signs of wear, as if it carries most her weight most the time. He thought it was probably arthritis, and suggested upping the metacam to 1ml or even 2ml if that didn't help at all, for a week and then to come back. I've given her tonights dosage, no improvement yet but I doubt it would show that fast.
I placed her outside her cage and she moved a bit from under the table to under the bed.. but not without falling and sort of swerving to one side. Sometimes she hits her stride and figures out hopping with one hind and goes ok for a short distance. I had to place her back in her cage myself though as I doubt she'd be able to jump in. She's been eating all night, fruit and veg whilst out and then hay once back in her cage, but she hasn't really moved from the one spot.. Though she did manage to wash a bit, both her front paws, face and sides which I was impressed with. As I type now I can see her nibbling on hay happily..
But needless to say I am heartbroken
I have been reading up here and through other good web resources on spondylosis, e cuniculi and various other ailments that could cause hind leg weakness. I'm wondering why my vet didn't mention these specifically. Are the front and hind paw problems unrelated or is it a clue about what she could be suffering with? I'm willing to to what I can to figure this out and treat her for the right problem in a holistic (as in multiple approached) way..
I have noticed no other symptoms other than the holding up of front paw a few weeks ago and now weakness/lameness of hind foot/leg.. any other symtoms are just related to the fact she is unable to move properly.
It's strange how she went from hopping around, albeit not putting too much weight on one hind to now, today, almost looking semi paralyzed from behind at times. Toppling onto on side then just unable to get up and so just l;aying there. Then I'll right her and she'll hop well for a while and so on... Seems a bit change in the space of 24 hours..
I'm heart broken but I'm going to do all I can to figure out what is causing this..
Any help or advice is very much appreciated.. thanks guys x
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