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Is there such a thing as a Floppy Rabbit?

MightyMax

Banned
Retired Veterinary Specialist Frances Harcourt Brown posted this on her Facebook Page recently:

Together with Angie Rupp, a veterinary pathologist from Glasgow, we have started a study into Floppy Rabbit Syndrome and are appealing for information, blood samples and post-mortem material from affected rabbits. There is some paperwork involved for the vets and owners but, hopefully,in the end we will find out more about what causes this disease. There is more information on my website.

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/vets/floppy-rabbit-syndrome-1

I've had cause to advise a couple of people recently on this subject, so am very interested myself in the outcome of the research.

Whilst searching, I found this informative article :D

http://anyflip.com/kotr/gguf
 
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Interesting, thanks for posting


Thanks for replying! :D

I've thought about it a lot, since having a couple of bunnies who *probably* had the condition.

I had a conversation with my vet a few days ago, and she's of the opinion that it doesn't really exist as a condition - hence the title :)
 
Years ago my first lovely lionhead came back from the vets after an op with this horrible condition. He couldn't hop or barely move and literally kept flopping back down; there was something very wrong with his legs (even though his op had been to remove an abscess in his jaw). He wasn't eating or drinking.

The vet said it was 'floppy rabbit syndrome' but didn't offer any cure. People online seem to recommend tomatoes but my poor bun was too far gone and he had to be put to sleep.
 
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Years ago my first lovely lionhead came back from the vets after an op with this horrible condition. He couldn't hop or barely move and literally kept flopping back down; there was something very wrong with his legs (even though his op had been to remove an abscess in his jaw). He wasn't eating or drinking.

The vet said it was 'floppy rabbit syndrome' but didn't offer any cure. People online seem to recommend tomatoes but my poor bun was too far gone and he had to be put to sleep.


Oh Zarla, I am so sorry! That must have been terribly heartbreaking for you.

I think if a vet was going to say it was a particular thing, the least they could do would be to offer some suggestions. Even if they had to go away and research it first themselves x
 
I think they call it Floppy Rabbit Syndrome because they've no idea on the cause. Often just a course of antibiotcs and anti inflammatorys along with intense nursing gets them back.
While vet nursing we never had a bun come in with floppy rabbit syndrome. We always find the cause and 8/10 it was ec presenting without head tilt.

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I think they call it Floppy Rabbit Syndrome because they've no idea on the cause. Often just a course of antibiotcs and anti inflammatorys along with intense nursing gets them back.
While vet nursing we never had a bun come in with floppy rabbit syndrome. We always find the cause and 8/10 it was ec presenting without head tilt.

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That's really interesting dp. I was hoping you would see this and comment, with your veterinary experience :)

It seems to be a set of symptoms then that can be attributable to several causes, and not to a condition itself, which is what my vet was talking about when we discussed it.

I wonder if it will ever morph into a 'rabbit condition' of it's own, with a treatment plan?
 
I think that is Francis' plan. To eventually have Floppy Rabbit Syndrome as a diagnosable condition that has its own effective treatment plan.

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I think that is Francis' plan. To eventually have Floppy Rabbit Syndrome as a diagnosable condition that has its own effective treatment plan.

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Yes, it's an uphill struggle I would think, to get a nebulous condition like that recognised.

A deficiency of vitamin E and selenium have been thought to be implicated, but very difficult to scientifically prove that. A deficiency of either nutrient apparently results in destruction of muscle tissue but there's no evidence of how long it would take to happen.
 
Yes, it's an uphill struggle I would think, to get a nebulous condition like that recognised.

A deficiency of vitamin E and selenium have been thought to be implicated, but very difficult to scientifically prove that. A deficiency of either nutrient apparently results in destruction of muscle tissue but there's no evidence of how long it would take to happen.
Its interesting to see where it goes.
The only species I have personal experiece of having a vitamin deficiency(vit A) is ferrets, but that is caused by canine distemper.

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Its interesting to see where it goes.
The only species I have personal experiece of having a vitamin deficiency(vit A) is ferrets, but that is caused by canine distemper.

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I suppose different species have different requirements. Such as guinea pigs being sensitive to vitamin C deficiency.

I know that rabbit breeders were very concerned about this, and it's been reported in Fur and Feather.

Maybe it's something in the diet (or not) that causes these symptoms? Some breeders may not give fresh vegetables as often as those owning just one or several rabbits. Perhaps the range of nutrients plays a part .... I don't know whether Frances is taking into account the diet that rabbits with 'supposed' Floppy Syndrome are eating?
 
I suppose different species have different requirements. Such as guinea pigs being sensitive to vitamin C deficiency.

I know that rabbit breeders were very concerned about this, and it's been reported in Fur and Feather.

Maybe it's something in the diet (or not) that causes these symptoms? Some breeders may not give fresh vegetables as often as those owning just one or several rabbits. Perhaps the range of nutrients plays a part .... I don't know whether Frances is taking into account the diet that rabbits with 'supposed' Floppy Syndrome are eating?
Thats interesting - never thought of the diatry approach like that.
Its possible, but if it were the case I'd expect it to be seen a bit more commonly.

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I suppose different species have different requirements. Such as guinea pigs being sensitive to vitamin C deficiency.

I know that rabbit breeders were very concerned about this, and it's been reported in Fur and Feather.

Maybe it's something in the diet (or not) that causes these symptoms? Some breeders may not give fresh vegetables as often as those owning just one or several rabbits. Perhaps the range of nutrients plays a part .... I don't know whether Frances is taking into account the diet that rabbits with 'supposed' Floppy Syndrome are eating?

She is looking at all factors. As stated on her FB page she also wondered about random links like access to cannabis at one time. One of the rabbits she has treated twice for Floppy Rabbit Syndrome belongs to a friend of mine who used to run a rescue and very clued up on diet, husbandry etc. So Frances has had access to lifestyle, background etc in a lot of the caseload she has dealt with. The rabbit in question was very ill the year before with an abscess that tracked round his body and needed very extensive surgery. She is also studying medical histories in such cases to see if there are any links etc. It definitely exists, it's the cause that's the mystery.
 
Thats interesting - never thought of the diatry approach like that.
Its possible, but if it were the case I'd expect it to be seen a bit more commonly.

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The dietary approach is the most well documented regarding Floppy Rabbit Syndrome, to the best of my knowledge.

The 'syndrome' was discovered in America in the 1990’s, and further research at that time found that vitamin E played a very important part in the absorption of Selenium. The two nutrients are closely related, and rabbits depend completely upon vitamin E to prevent tissue destruction - a deficiency of either will lead to muscle tissue breakdown and a number of other problems.

Pelleted rabbit feed is supplemented with vitamins, and especially Vitamin E. It begs the question - how can you ensure adequate Vitamin E without pellets in the diet? Selenium protects against inflammation and is usually present in hay and grass.

Frances’ questionnaire doesn’t ask owners about the diet the rabbit is on. But, could it be that those owners who regularly include food such as tomatoes in their rabbits’ diets might be unlikely to have a rabbit suffer from Flopsy due to the Selenium content?

Who knows!
 
Looks almost like a toxic immobility. (Sorry I didn't reply earlier- I forgot :oops: )

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