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Elderly Rabbit Losing Mobility

K

Kelly93

New Kit
Hi everyone.

I don't post on here much but I do browse a lot. I am in need of some advice.

I have a elderly dwarf lop, named Harry. He is 11 and a half years old.

I'll give a brief medical history;
He has glaucoma in his right eye, and due to not being a candidate for removal surgery, we are managing it with medication. He had giadia earlier this year which was treated and cured. He has a chronic inner ear infection that we cant seem to cure, so we have been managing the nystagmus with baytril, flagyl, and pen shots. He has been on metacam, joint guard and cartrophen shots for arthritis.

Now about the current problem that I need advice for. Bare with me it might be a bit long.
On Tuesday(26th Aug) I came home to find Harry laying flat on his side and he was all wet. When I got him up he couldn't stand, so I rubbed his legs until he could stand again. That night he continued to get worse and worse to the point where he couldn't stand up, or walk anymore.
I took him to my vet the next day. She said he has no more muscle in his legs and he wont be able to walk again. But we could try putting him on tramadol three times a day to see if it helps. But he will rely on me for mobility and he will need a lot of care. I woke up every two-three hours during the nights to stand him up, so he could eat. He also had trouble standing as his left leg was so weak it couldn't support him, so I would be his left leg for him.
In the mean time the vet got in contact with a vet that is called "The Rabbit Doctor" who is a rabbit genius from the UK. She suggested to try him on Gabapentin, so on Thursday we started him on that new med. Friday morning, we wake up to find Harry standing up all by himself! I ask my parents if they had helped him stand up, they said no! We were so shocked. What shocked us even more is when I opened his cage, Harry proceded to walk out of his cage and go for a wander, and he walked fantasticly! That day we couldn't keep him in his cage, he loved being out and about and was very active.
Saturday morning he was still doing well, but as the day progressed, he started getting worse and worse and by that night he couldn't stand up or walk again. Rabbit doctor said he may have over done it on Friday, and may improve on rest, or we may need to up his meds. Sunday he was still no good.. Today he was able to stand up again by himself, and walk around a little, but its now his right leg that is weak, and making walking tricky. Tonight he is worse again.

So that's where we are at. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences and what it was like, or if anyone has any input or advice or ideas, or anything at all. I just want to improve Harrys quality of life. He is such a fighter and has such a strong will to live, he's not ready to give up yet and I don't want to give up on him. I want to do everything I can for him. He's my baby.

Thank you for reading.
Kelly.
 
Last edited:
Harry sounds adorable and is a very distinguished Gentleman at 11 years old :love:. The only experience I've had with hind limb weakness is in my 10.5 years old doe who had both arthritis and nerve degeneration to the point where she would fall over but be unable to 'right' herself again. She had some acupuncture which did seem to help but eventually I could see she was miserable being so vulnerable so I helped her to the Bridge :cry:.

However, Harry sounds like he has a great will to live so I would definitely try acupuncture to see if it helps him. Others have had some measure of success with it too on their bunnies.
 
Thanks Mackers, he is a beautiful Lil old man. He is a real people bun and just wants to be with you all the time. In sorry to hear about your little girl. It's so hard when they get old :(


I've just been reading a lot of E.C. I wonder if its possible that its what's causing his symptoms? He has had incontinence for a few years now but since this condition with his legs he has gotten a lot worse. And he has also been drinking a lot more water since this started too. He is regularly treated with Revolution, does that treat E.C? I can't did any info on that. I really think E.C is a possibility. What does everyone else think?
 
Kelly93 said:
Thanks Mackers, he is a beautiful Lil old man. He is a real people bun and just wants to be with you all the time. In sorry to hear about your little girl. It's so hard when they get old :(


I've just been reading a lot of E.C. I wonder if its possible that its what's causing his symptoms? He has had incontinence for a few years now but since this condition with his legs he has gotten a lot worse. And he has also been drinking a lot more water since this started too. He is regularly treated with Revolution, does that treat E.C? I can't did any info on that. I really think E.C is a possibility. What does everyone else think?
Click to expand...

Personally I think severe arthritic degeneration is far more likely than EC. The increased drinking could be due to some renal insufficiency. Not unusual in such an elderly Rabbit, especially given all the medication he is on. Even if it were to be EC related then it would be a case of treating the symptoms. Fenbendazole (Panacur) does not 'cure' EC, it allegedly reduces the amount of EC spores circulating in the bloodstream. By the time clinical symptoms of EC present the actual parasite has long since been excreted from the Rabbit. It is the spores left behind that have the potential to cause problems.

Rabbits with severe arthritic conditions can have problems emptying their bladder. This can then lead to a build up of calcium deposits ('bladder sludge') causing infection/cystitis. Urinary incontinence can also occur. So that is another thing that will need careful monitoring

I think it will be a case of taking things one day at a time for Harry, it is obvious that he means a lot to you and I am sure you will do all you can to keep him as comfortable as possible xx
 
Kelly93 said:
Hi everyone.

I don't post on here much but I do browse a lot. I am in need of some advice.

I have a elderly dwarf lop, named Harry. He is 11 and a half years old.

I'll give a brief medical history;
He has glaucoma in his right eye, and due to not being a candidate for removal surgery, we are managing it with medication. He had giadia earlier this year which was treated and cured. He has a chronic inner ear infection that we cant seem to cure, so we have been managing the nystagmus with baytril, flagyl, and pen shots. He has been on metacam, joint guard and cartrophen shots for arthritis.

Now about the current problem that I need advice for. Bare with me it might be a bit long.
On Tuesday(26th Aug) I came home to find Harry laying flat on his side and he was all wet. When I got him up he couldn't stand, so I rubbed his legs until he could stand again. That night he continued to get worse and worse to the point where he couldn't stand up, or walk anymore.
I took him to my vet the next day. She said he has no more muscle in his legs and he wont be able to walk again. But we could try putting him on tramadol three times a day to see if it helps. But he will rely on me for mobility and he will need a lot of care. I woke up every two-three hours during the nights to stand him up, so he could eat. He also had trouble standing as his left leg was so weak it couldn't support him, so I would be his left leg for him.
In the mean time the vet got in contact with a vet that is called "The Rabbit Doctor" who is a rabbit genius from the UK. She suggested to try him on Gabapentin, so on Thursday we started him on that new med. Friday morning, we wake up to find Harry standing up all by himself! I ask my parents if they had helped him stand up, they said no! We were so shocked. What shocked us even more is when I opened his cage, Harry proceded to walk out of his cage and go for a wander, and he walked fantasticly! That day we couldn't keep him in his cage, he loved being out and about and was very active.
Saturday morning he was still doing well, but as the day progressed, he started getting worse and worse and by that night he couldn't stand up or walk again. Rabbit doctor said he may have over done it on Friday, and may improve on rest, or we may need to up his meds. Sunday he was still no good.. Today he was able to stand up again by himself, and walk around a little, but its now his right leg that is weak, and making walking tricky. Tonight he is worse again.

So that's where we are at. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences and what it was like, or if anyone has any input or advice or ideas, or anything at all. I just want to improve Harrys quality of life. He is such a fighter and has such a strong will to live, he's not ready to give up yet and I don't want to give up on him. I want to do everything I can for him. He's my baby.

Thank you for reading.
Kelly.
Click to expand...

Jack's-Jane said:
Personally I think severe arthritic degeneration is far more likely than EC. The increased drinking could be due to some renal insufficiency. Not unusual in such an elderly Rabbit, especially given all the medication he is on. Even if it were to be EC related then it would be a case of treating the symptoms. Fenbendazole (Panacur) does not 'cure' EC, it allegedly reduces the amount of EC spores circulating in the bloodstream. By the time clinical symptoms of EC present the actual parasite has long since been excreted from the Rabbit. It is the spores left behind that have the potential to cause problems.

Rabbits with severe arthritic conditions can have problems emptying their bladder. This can then lead to a build up of calcium deposits ('bladder sludge') causing infection/cystitis. Urinary incontinence can also occur. So that is another thing that will need careful monitoring

I think it will be a case of taking things one day at a time for Harry, it is obvious that he means a lot to you and I am sure you will do all you can to keep him as comfortable as possible xx
Click to expand...


I realize its very real chance it is all old age since he is VERY old, but I just think you cant always put everything down to old age, as earlier this year Harry was losing weight, everyone including vets said it was due to his old age, as a bunch of tests didn't show anything, but I kept pushing for more tests, and eventually we found out he had giardia and it caused all the weight loss. After he was treated the weight loss stopped.

His blood tests in may showed his kidneys and liver are doing quite well considering his age, Not sure if much can change in 3 months.

Since his left leg was the original one being the bad weak leg, where it could barely support him, then when he got better of Friday, both legs were great, but then when he got bad again on Saturday, his right leg was the one being weak and barely supporting him. If it was a dengerative thing, I would think it would stay in that leg, and not swap? Doesn't make sense to me.
I spoke to the vet today and she agrees its worth treating him for EC. She's putting him on a horse wormer which treated his giardia, its called Strategy T, it contains Benzimidazole and Oxfendazole. Just double checking these treat EC as I thought panacur is meant to be used for it?

Yes Harry means the world to me. I rescued him from a awful home when he was 5 years old. Luckily I work from home so I am able to attend to his every need while he is in this condition and when I cant my mum takes over care duty so Harry has round the clock care at all times.
 
The aims of treatment are to reduce inflammation and prevent the formation of spores. (B601.11.w11)

Benzimidazole anthelmintics
Effective against this parasite in vitro and they have been reported to prevent experimental infection in the rabbit. However, their efficacy in rabbits showing clinical signs of this disease is not known. There are anecdotal reports suggesting a response to treatment but often rabbits with neurological signs may improve with or without treatment. (B609.2.w2)
Long term treatment is recommended, as treatment will only prevent replication rather than killing the parasite. (B609.2.w2)
Eradication of this parasite is possible with prolonged use of a benzimidazole. (B603.4.w4)
Treatments include using one of the following:

Fenbendazole (AKA 'Panacur')
20 mg/kg orally every 24 hours for 28 days. (B601.11.w11, B602.20.w20, B603.4.w4, B609.2.w2)
This is presently the only drug with published data showing it to be effective in vivo. It is not effective against clinical disease but in the elimination of the parasite from rabbits infected naturally. It has also been effective in vivo in preventing infection and serological conversion in animals experimentally inoculated with this parasite. (B602.20.w20, B603.3.w3, B603.5.w5)

Oxibendazole
30 mg/kg orally every 24 hours for 7 to 14 days then reduce to 15 mg/kg every 24 hours for 30 to 60 days. (B602.20.w20, B609.2.w2)
In some cases, the neurological signs have abated during treatment with this drug and then reoccurred after the treatment was stopped. Treatment with oxibendazole should be continued indefinitely in these cases at 15 to 30 mg/kg orally every 24 hours. (B602.20.w20)

Albendazole
20-30 mg/kg every 24 hours for 30 days then 15 mg/kg PO every 24 hours for another 30 days. (B602.20.w20, B609.2.w2)
10-15 mg/kg orally every 24 hours for three months. (B602.20.w20)
This drug is reportedly the most effective agent for the treatment of microsporidiosis in humans. It is thought to have better absorption from oral administration in comparison to the other benzimidazoles. It has also been reported that dexamethasone administration increases the plasma levels of albendazole by 50 %. (B602.20.w20)
Associated with bone marrow toxicity in cats and dogs but the toxicity in rabbits is not known; "however, anecdotal reports of pancytopenia leading to death in rabbits exist".
(B609.2.w2)

Extract taken from here:

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Parasitic/Encephalitozoonosis.htm
 
Thanks very much for that Jane. I think I might try and get some panacur from the vets tomorrow. Do you know the dosage of it?
I've noticed Harry's mouth/chin is alwys wet the last few days. I think that is a sign of EC aswell? I so much want Harry to get better :( he isn't able to get up or walk without me supporting him. he has so much fight and really trys to walk around. Please if anyone reading this has any imput please post as I am extremely worried about Harry and want to do everything possible to get him better :(
 
Poor little Harry, if his chin is wet, could it be teeth related or has his teeth been checked. I had problems with my bunny sweep (10 and now passed on) he was losing weight on and off. They are so vulnerable when they are older. Good luck with the vet tomorrow, I hope it can be sorted for him and you, it is so very stressful for you, I feel for you.

Pandora
 
The wet mouth is unlikely to be EC related. It could be related to dental problems and/or ulceration in his mouth. Dental problems can cause soft tissue ulceration in the mouth, but oral ulceration can also occur in cases of renal failure.

The dose rate for Panacur is 20mg/kg when used as part of the treatment of EC

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Fenbendazole.htm

Is he eating and drinking for himself ? What is his 'output' like ?
 
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