Very suddenly slow to react, moving weirdly, bunched up and avoiding food!

I'd really appreciate some advice - this morning both of my rabbits seemed perfectly normal. I visited them a few hours later to find one of them called Albert suddenly acting particularly lethargic, not promptly running from me as I come close as he normally would. Also as he climbs the stairs in the hutch or just climbs into the hutch, his body seems to be disorientated, one time his head kind of jolted upwards a few times, other times he would seem to tip to one side. It does seem to me he is in discomfort at the least as he isn't hopping along with ease like normal and just lays still unless I put food or water right by him. He almost seems like he's staring off into space until I say his name or move something close to him which isn't normal behaviour for him at all! The moment I first noticed this was when he went to go down the stairs of the hutch and sort of jolted and then flopped onto his back. I was actually away the last 2 days and he was in my parents care but they've let me know he seemed totally normal just as he did to me when I first saw him this morning. I'm wondering if he got a fright and has hurt his head or spine with it being such a sudden change. I've put out plenty of his favorite vegetables but hes only nibbling lettuce every now and then. Normally he'd jump at the chance to eat those foods. I can't get access to a vet until 9am tomorrow (I found him like this at about 3pm today) and I'm very worried about how to handle the situation until then as I'm relatively new to caring for rabbits and this is the first issue I've had besides a runny eye which was easily fixed. If anyone has any insight they could offer I'd be so grateful!

jodievaughan said:

I'd really appreciate some advice - this morning both of my rabbits seemed perfectly normal. I visited them a few hours later to find one of them called Albert suddenly acting particularly lethargic, not promptly running from me as I come close as he normally would.Also as he climbs the stairs in the hutch or just climbs into the hutch, his body seems to be disorientated, one time his head kind of jolted upwards a few times, other times he would seem to tip to one side. He almost seems like he's staring off into space until I say his name or move something close to him which isn't normal behaviour for him at all! The moment I first noticed this was when he went to go down the stairs of the hutch and sort of jolted and then flopped onto his back. I was actually away the last 2 days and he was in my parents care but they've let me know he seemed totally normal just as he did to me when I first saw him this morning. I'm wondering if he got a fright and has hurt his head or spine with it being such a sudden change. I've put out plenty of his favorite vegetables but hes only nibbling lettuce every now and then. Normally he'd jump at the chance to eat those foods. I can't get access to a vet until 9am tomorrow (I found him like this at about 3pm today) and I'm very worried about how to handle the situation until then as I'm relatively new to caring for rabbits and this is the first issue I've had besides a runny eye which was easily fixed. If anyone has any insight they could offer I'd be so grateful!

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I am afraid you need to obtain help from a Vet within the next few hours. Your Rabbit may have a neurological condition (Encephalitozoon Cuniculi- AKA 'EC') or possibly a middle ear infection.

https://www.dechra.co.uk/therapy-ar...cs-antifungals/disease-information/e-cuniculi

A Rabbit who is not eating/ eating very little is an indication of a potentially serious problem and the sooner a Vet is consulted the better the prognosis. If a Rabbit eats very little/stops eating it can lead to Gastrointestinal Stasis

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv

So my advice would be to do all you can to access Veterinary care for your Rabit within the next fee hours. Good luck x

As Jane said - you need to see a vet ASAP. You can always ring an out of hours vet for advice first, although they are likely to want to see the patient in this case.

Thank you very much to Jack's-Jane and Shimmer I really appreciate it! I thought I should update - I just got him to eat a significant amount of lettuce willingly plus a large drink of water. This is making me feel a bit more optimistic about the chance of it being GI but it's making me suspect there's a physical injury going on possibly from when he flopped from the hutch ramp, I am taking your advice and trying to find an out of hours vet near me that I can call (I'm still a teen so can't drive myself to a vet unfortunately), I'll keep updating!

The others have given you good advice. Until you can locate an out of hours vet, you may want to try to use a dropper or oral syringe (or even a straw you could fill with water and close off one end) to get more water into your bunny so he, especially his gut contents, stay hydrated. You also should make sure your bunny is warm enough because ill bunnies sometimes have difficulty staying warm by themselves. If he is an outside bunny, you may want to bring him inside if possible.
Sending you and your bunny some positive vibes.

Sorry I missed this yesterday. I hope you got a vet appointment and your rabbit is feeling better.

Hi everyone, just wanted to first say thank you again for the advice and also give an update- i saw a vet on Monday and he suspected it could either be that he consumed pesticides/moldy food, or E Cuniculi. I assured them he hadn't eaten anything bad and so was given panacur.

Once I was home I found out my mum had fed him some not-so-good lettuce and my dad had fed him some of the goats hay which isn't moldy but isn't it's best either. I obviously worried once I heard this and took him back to the vet, but they said that's very unlikely to be the cause and was advised to continue with panacur.

Within 3 days the speed of the head tilting has decreased, as with the speed of his eye rolling back which I find amazing! He still seems just as out of balance, but seems to be learning how to move around in spite of that issue. He is now eager to eat again, just as much as before, and seems to be drinking as much as usual so I'm feeling very lucky and grateful.

I'll continue to post updates, thanks again everyone for the help! Out of curiosity, doea anyone have any insight into what to expect throughout the panacur treatment?

EC treatment is normally a 28 day course of Panacur (which sorts out the parasite) and metacam (to deal with the neurological damage done by the parasite). Other companion rabbits should be treated with Panacur at the same time.

The parasite is shed in urine, so it is important to do a thorough clean out and disinfect anything that may have come into contact with urine - do this on days 21 and 28 of the treatment so that it breaks the cycle of reinfection. Fabrics can go through a hot wash, hard objects (bowls, trays, etc) can be soaked in a bleach solution. Steam also works (eg carpets) and Virkon S is an alternative disinfectant (from eg Amazon).

One cycle of treatment may be enough, but often it needs repeating until it appears to have cleared. Make sure the rabbit is managing to maintain its weight, as sometimes they may not be able to eat and drink as well as usual and may need some adaptations to help them. Sometimes it is a bit of a roller coaster ride with some weeks getting worse rather than better, especially if the symptoms are initially severe (eg rolling and unable to stand), but, even in extreme cases, the treatment can resolve it. One of mine took nearly a year, but she really was an extreme case. She ended up with a very slight head tilt after being unable to stand at all and having her head almost fixed right round to her shoulder and was syringe fed and bum bathed for quite a long time until she could do it for herself.

I hope he continues to improve after your prompt treatment.

Thank you for your help! I saw a new vet for this stuff and hes without doubt the best I've seen for any of my animals, he spent a solid 5 or so minutes figuring out what the cause was. However he didnt mention metacam. Should I go back to check if he needs this too? So far he's continued to improve, he just looks like he's not feeling very will and is still sitting more than usual, however it's hot out so it could be partly that.

phew! i was very worried reading this thread but sounds like he is in good hands and quite possibly recovering. so glad you got him to a vet asap.
best wishes for a speedy recovery.

jodievaughan said:

Thank you for your help! I saw a new vet for this stuff and hes without doubt the best I've seen for any of my animals, he spent a solid 5 or so minutes figuring out what the cause was. However he didnt mention metacam. Should I go back to check if he needs this too? So far he's continued to improve, he just looks like he's not feeling very will and is still sitting more than usual, however it's hot out so it could be partly that.

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Since the vet already examined your bunny, I would not stress your bunny by taking him back to the vet. You should be able to call the vet and ask about adding some Medicam to make him more comfortable and reduce inflammation.
Shimmer has given you a lot of good information.
While your bunny may be hot too, bunnies with head tilt/balance issues do not like to move around because it makes them feel worse. Bunnies with head tilt/balance issues feel better if they are not handled more often than necessary for medical and other care. My bunny enjoyed getting lots of pets and support from rolled towels.
I hope your bunny makes a full recovery.

jodievaughan said:

Thank you for your help! I saw a new vet for this stuff and hes without doubt the best I've seen for any of my animals, he spent a solid 5 or so minutes figuring out what the cause was. However he didnt mention metacam. Should I go back to check if he needs this too? So far he's continued to improve, he just looks like he's not feeling very will and is still sitting more than usual, however it's hot out so it could be partly that.

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I would ring up and ask to talk to your vet about it, unless you are going back for a checkup anyway. It may save bunny a trip, even if you still have to pick it up.

https://www.vets-now.com/pet-care-advice/e-cuniculi-in-rabbits/

Hope your bunny continues to improve.