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Hind Leg Paralysis - update

fluffiebunnie

fluffiebunnie

Warren Veteran
What causes this?

My bunny is in the vets to try to get to the bottom of his problems. he is using his back legs less and less. he shuffles around mostly and ends up sitting in his own mess so is getting smelly. he does have feeling in his feet. he did have sore hocks, but we have mostly managed to get them furred over now so they are looking better.

he has had treatment for Ec, had x rays that showed no damage.

it has progressively got worse over the last few months and he wont take any medication.

any ideas would be great.

thanks.
 
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If the hind leg weakness is due to EC then sadly it often does continue to deteriorate. Not only is there the neurological damage caused by EC but then there will also be muscle wastage making the legs even weaker.
 
I can see it probably is due to EC, but how can he live a life shuffling around? he never gets out into the aviary as he cannot work the cat flap or the ramp? I cannot see how he can be happy with this situation. what would people suggest? he wont take meds. he is in the vets now until Sunday to see if they can come up with a plan. but if he wont take meds I don't see how we can move forward. I don't want to think of the worst..
 
fluffiebunnie said:
I can see it probably is due to EC, but how can he live a life shuffling around? he never gets out into the aviary as he cannot work the cat flap or the ramp? I cannot see how he can be happy with this situation. what would people suggest? he wont take meds. he is in the vets now until Sunday to see if they can come up with a plan. but if he wont take meds I don't see how we can move forward. I don't want to think of the worst..
Click to expand...

I am sorry that things are so difficult. Obviously every Rabbit is different and some can cope with lots of hands on care, for others it is all too stressful. Quality of life has to be the most important factor. A Rabbit disabled by hind leg weakness/paralysis cant be treated as a 'normal' Rabbit. They need a lot of additional care- help with grooming/keeping clean, physio, sometimes bladder expression, management of sore hocks etc. They need significant adaptations to their environment, as the generally need a lot of supervision they usually need to be House Rabbits.

I hope the Vet can help you find a way forward xx
 
Thanks for your input Jane. I know Mark at Trinity will do his best, but I have problems handling him as he gets stressed. I have problems with being allergic to rabbits and hay so cannot spend lots of time in close proximity. definitely cannot be inside the house as I have three cats and three people in the house are severely allergic to rabbits.. I best wait to see what Mark says... but am quite worried about how this has all happened over the last few months.
 
I have brought Sparkle home today. he has spent some time with Mark at Trinity Vets. he says there is nothing that can be done for him and that I just have to manage the situation until it is no longer manageable. I have been given a high dose of metacam, and tramadol and something else to give him to keep him comfortable. I have tried to make the aviary better for him as there is a ramp down to it, but he doesn't seem to be able to get through the cat flap. I also caught him trapped half in the litter tray as he couldn't pull himself in - I have changed that to a lower one.

I am not sure how long I can see him suffer like this. mark said it wasn't worth giving him his combi vaccination :cry:
 
fluffiebunnie said:
I have brought Sparkle home today. he has spent some time with Mark at Trinity Vets. he says there is nothing that can be done for him and that I just have to manage the situation until it is no longer manageable. I have been given a high dose of metacam, and tramadol and something else to give him to keep him comfortable. I have tried to make the aviary better for him as there is a ramp down to it, but he doesn't seem to be able to get through the cat flap. I also caught him trapped half in the litter tray as he couldn't pull himself in - I have changed that to a lower one.

I am not sure how long I can see him suffer like this. mark said it wasn't worth giving him his combi vaccination :cry:
Click to expand...

:cry:

If you definitely cant bring him inside and you are unable to handle him much or spend time with him then maybe it may be time to consider letting him go :cry: Obviously only you and Mark are in a position to make that decision though.
 
I have just been outside with the bunnies. Sparkle ate lots of veggies with enthusiasm. he does love his food. I have meds for five days to see how we get on. I have made a shelf in the playhouse with vetbed on to sit Sparkle on so I can try and give him his meds. It is at waist height so I hope that will make things easier for me to help him. I will see how we get on tomorrow with the first lot.

I will liaise with Mark as to what to do. he seems to move better when he goes a bit faster (he was on the grass for about an hour this afternoon, but got tired), but still hasn't gone through the cat flap into the run. my other half is wondering if a bigger cat flap would help him, as we don't want to leave a big hole in the playhouse as that will make the playhouse cold when the weather turns.
 
Sorry to read about your bunny. I wondered as Sparkle loves his veg, have you tried putting his meds onto that?
 
tonibun said:
Sorry to read about your bunny. I wondered as Sparkle loves his veg, have you tried putting his meds onto that?
Click to expand...

I have tried this, but as soon as he tastes something "strange" he stops eating it. also his partner always gets in the way and tries to eat it!! I will try and persevere and try lifting him into the shelf and syringing it. first lot will be tomorrow morning.
 
I hope that you can medicate sparkle and find what you need to be able to make him comfortable for the moment. Good luck with the syringe feeding. X
 
weedug said:
How did you get on giving him the medicines?
Click to expand...

Well the good news is he got most of the meds. Reason being he can't work the cat flap even though it is wedged open so I caught him quickly. I want him to have access to outside but not sure how to make it better so he can get through. Any ideas anyone?
 
fluffiebunnie said:
Well the good news is he got most of the meds. Reason being he can't work the cat flap even though it is wedged open so I caught him quickly. I want him to have access to outside but not sure how to make it better so he can get through. Any ideas anyone?
Click to expand...

Well done with the meds :thumb:. Can he not step over to get out of the cat flap?

If that's what is stopping him, could you put in a couple of gentle ramps. Or take the cat flap away for now, and cut a big enough gap for him?
 
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