I just lost my disabled bun Leila.. who had suspected E.C but possibly some other bone problem or pathology.. It was likely a mix of several ailments and when her leg broke at the slightest touch I knew it was time.. so please don't let her story worry you, infact hopefully it can give you hope..
Because, if it was just E.C and she had a long term disability I would have definately kept going with her mainly due to the fact I saw amazing improvement over the first month, I actually got her walking again and I think she would have stayed that way but there was just too much going on inside her at once though and she slipped backwards.
These are the things that I believe helped her most to get walking again and kept her going as long as she did.
Avipro - I put two or three scoops in each bottle of 300mls of water depending on how she was doing that day, if she wasnt pooing/eating great I gave her the 3 scoops.. She really picked up after I bought this and her digestion improved so much that she never went into stasis or had bloat again. Because they can't eat their caecals this replaces the good bacteria they're losing..
Towels - I used towels as a bedding (I cut two big ones in half so I had 4) I did have some vet bed too but the piece I bought was too small really once she started moving around and the towels worked fine for us. I changed them every day and once I was down to the last one I washed the others at 90 degrees to kill any E.C spores. I changed all the hay etc and detolled the litter tray every day too then detolled whole cage about once every 5ish days.. Just hoping to minimise the risk of continuing the spores life cycle.. Also chucked any food that accidentally got weed on..
Massage - I massaged and gently stretched out Leilas legs each day to keep the muscle tone the best I could.. vets agreed it was a good idea, can also help ease inflammation
Metacam - Leila was on 0.2 mls daily, sometimes 0.3 nearthe end and it did help I'm sure, she loved it :roll:
Panacur - keep on with the panacur daily, a long course, at least 10% and prob best to treat the other buns.. the vets in the end just said I could use it indefinately if it helped..
Doing things they like - This is where it probably is so important to keep contact with Lavendar going and try a wheelchair.. For Leila, she just wanted to move around and explore our new garden. I took her outside for at least an hour every day at dusk, when it was quiet (birds, planes and voices worried her outside) I would help her wash by holding her underneath.. If I waited patiently enough, holding her up into a normal sitting position she would shake her paws and wash them and her face every time
She got used to it being the routine.. soon got a bit obsessed with washing infact! I would also scratch her ears for her which she loved.. even the inside gently as they'll get itchy form wax accumulation if they cant scratch them.. I never got around to figuring out a wheelchair but I would hold her tummy and help her walk around outside.. she loved it and would eat from her favourite grass patches and various garden 'weeds'.. even the odd apple leaf
If you're bun is very close to you and likes your company then hugs and gently strokes and talking help a lot as well as do little treats,.. I gave a dried cranberry after medicine and most times that I walked by her.. All these things help keep their spirits up..
Food - I would put tons of lovely green right infront of Leila throughout the day.. a load in the morning (usually kale and dandelions but also some pellets and fresh hay) then at lunch I'd pick more dandelions and grass .. in the evening I'd give more of those but also fenugreek, clover and she loved dandelion flower stalks and flowers/buds, platains etc.. Before bed, more pellets, kale, carrot tops, inch of carrot, sometimes celery.. In other words Leila always had something yummy to nibble on to occupy her mind.. Plus the goodness in all those greens is invaluable, dandelions also aid the kidneys, which can be affected by E.C.
Bathing - To avoid urine scold I bathed Leila at least once a day, usually first thing in the morning as she'd be wet from the night. I used johnsons baby shampoo and sometimes my own non chemical/paraben free stuff. I found the best way to dry (cold hairdryer took ages and was loud) was towel first then lots of kitchen roll dabbed and rubbed, the best brand was Plenty, I used tons of the stuff.. Then sudocrem on any bits where thereare sores or fur fallen out.. Every now and then I'd check and sometimes help her wee by lifting her bottom up in the litter tray then dry her.. which saved her wetting all under her a few times a day.. If she had I'd dry her with kitchen roll, unless it was very bad then I'd wash her again..
Moving About - I moved her about to change the view but also to avoid layign in the same wet spot all day and night.. I moved her at around 9 o clock.. there was only two places she liked being though and one she didnt like that much so I only moved her once a day.
If I think of anything else I'll come back to the thread.. you can see our progress videos on my youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/DawnUnicorn