Poorly bunny wants to be with her husbun

[Sarah3075]

Hey bunny lovers We recently adopted a lovely little girl, Lily, from the RSPCA as a companion for our bunny Len. They bonded really quickly and it was a joy to watch them snuggle up and groom each other.

When we got Lily we were made aware that at some point she had had a break in her leg, which had been left untreated and had fused at an odd angle, but she was still very mobile and able to groom herself.

About a week ago we came home to find her hanging her head. After several trips to the vet and an overnight stay with a bunny specialist 60 miles away for x-rays we're still no closer to finding out what's wrong. There are no visible breaks or fractures so we decided to bring her home and give her a chance to see if she would recover. Over the past few days we've had her on her own in a nice comfy crate (she usually has free range of out dining room), been syringe feeding her and giving her lots of TLC and she's regained a lot of strength. She still has a long way to go, but she's eating well, grooming herself and toileting normally too so we're hopeful she's just pulled a muscle on the sode where she has the weak paw and she'll make a full recovery.

The issue we have is that she's clearly missing Len. Tonight she jumped out of her crate to go and share supper with Len. Although it was great to see her with so much strength back, she's still quite weak on her right side and hanging her head. She clearly doesn't want to be cooped up in the crate anymore but I'm afraid that Len will hump her (as he sometimes does) while she's too weak to run away and will really hurt her. Does anyone have any tips on how we can let them spend time together (which they both clearly want) without risking further injury to her?

Sorry for the long post but it's heartbreaking to keep her caged up when clearly she wants to be out

 

[joey&boo]

I'm sorry to hear of Lilys health troubles but glad she is on the mend. I think I'd try them together but under constant supervision, I think you'll know if she isn't coping & seeming more stressed than comforted. I've found my rabbits have always been "supportive" when their partner is ill but I know this isn't always the case.
I think you may have to play it by ear That's what I would do

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Hey bunny lovers We recently adopted a lovely little girl, Lily, from the RSPCA as a companion for our bunny Len. They bonded really quickly and it was a joy to watch them snuggle up and groom each other.

When we got Lily we were made aware that at some point she had had a break in her leg, which had been left untreated and had fused at an odd angle, but she was still very mobile and able to groom herself.

About a week ago we came home to find her hanging her head. After several trips to the vet and an overnight stay with a bunny specialist 60 miles away for x-rays we're still no closer to finding out what's wrong. There are no visible breaks or fractures so we decided to bring her home and give her a chance to see if she would recover. Over the past few days we've had her on her own in a nice comfy crate (she usually has free range of out dining room), been syringe feeding her and giving her lots of TLC and she's regained a lot of strength. She still has a long way to go, but she's eating well, grooming herself and toileting normally too so we're hopeful she's just pulled a muscle on the sode where she has the weak paw and she'll make a full recovery.

The issue we have is that she's clearly missing Len. Tonight she jumped out of her crate to go and share supper with Len. Although it was great to see her with so much strength back, she's still quite weak on her right side and hanging her head. She clearly doesn't want to be cooped up in the crate anymore but I'm afraid that Len will hump her (as he sometimes does) while she's too weak to run away and will really hurt her. Does anyone have any tips on how we can let them spend time together (which they both clearly want) without risking further injury to her?

Sorry for the long post but it's heartbreaking to keep her caged up when clearly she wants to be out

Hello

When you say that your Rabbit's head is 'hanging' do you mean that she has a head tilt ? Like this

Or do you mean 'Head down syndrome' ?

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Differentials/Head_down.htm

I assume that the Specialist Vet has ruled out any neurological disease - ie Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (EC) or Otitis Media/Interna (middle/inner ear infection) ?

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/head_tilt.htm

http://www.msdvetmanual.com/eye-and...-interna/overview-of-otitis-media-and-interna

http://www.dechra.co.uk/therapy-are...cs-antifungals/disease-information/e-cuniculi

Maybe you could allow Lily to be with Len when there will be someone around to supervise them whilst Lily remains so weak and disabled ?

I do hope that the Vet will be able to ascertain the cause of Lily's problems and that Lily can improve xx

 

[MightyMax]

Hey bunny lovers We recently adopted a lovely little girl, Lily, from the RSPCA as a companion for our bunny Len. They bonded really quickly and it was a joy to watch them snuggle up and groom each other.

When we got Lily we were made aware that at some point she had had a break in her leg, which had been left untreated and had fused at an odd angle, but she was still very mobile and able to groom herself.

About a week ago we came home to find her hanging her head. After several trips to the vet and an overnight stay with a bunny specialist 60 miles away for x-rays we're still no closer to finding out what's wrong. There are no visible breaks or fractures so we decided to bring her home and give her a chance to see if she would recover. Over the past few days we've had her on her own in a nice comfy crate (she usually has free range of out dining room), been syringe feeding her and giving her lots of TLC and she's regained a lot of strength. She still has a long way to go, but she's eating well, grooming herself and toileting normally too so we're hopeful she's just pulled a muscle on the sode where she has the weak paw and she'll make a full recovery.

The issue we have is that she's clearly missing Len. Tonight she jumped out of her crate to go and share supper with Len. Although it was great to see her with so much strength back, she's still quite weak on her right side and hanging her head. She clearly doesn't want to be cooped up in the crate anymore but I'm afraid that Len will hump her (as he sometimes does) while she's too weak to run away and will really hurt her. Does anyone have any tips on how we can let them spend time together (which they both clearly want) without risking further injury to her?

Sorry for the long post but it's heartbreaking to keep her caged up when clearly she wants to be out

Hi there Sarah

I'm sorry to hear about Lily's troubles but pleased she's had a check up and X-rays with a rabbit specialist.

I do agree with J&B about giving her a chance to see Len - a short time with him may help and you can always separate again if it doesn't seem to be doing her any good.

Regarding the head down you refer to, I am wondering whether it could be 'floppy Rabbit Syndrome?'

Here's some info:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...e-of-a-Bun-With-Floppy-Rabbit-Syndrome-Please

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Differentials/Head_down.htm

From a Rabbit Specialist:

"Floppy Rabbit Syndrome" is the colloqiual term for an idiopathic condition that affects pet rabbits causing generalized muscular weakness. The cause is not known, although several possibilities exist. These include, hypokalaemia and plant toxicity, or neurological, metabolic or muscular causes, which could be infectious, metabolic, congenital or nutritional in origin. A feature of this condition is the recovery that can take place. It is important to recognize the good prognosis and not euthanase rabbits in the initial stages. Interestingly, recovery usually takes place within 2-3 days, whatever treatment is perscribed. Supportive care, especially assisted feeding is required."



There could be other causes, such as E.Cuniculi or an Inner Ear Infection, neither of which may be visible on an X-ray. An inner ear infection can be diagnosed via a CT scan.

Thinking of you all xx

 

[Sarah3075]

Thanks so much to everyone for replying I'm going to try them with a but of supervised time together today. It's going to mean cordoning off the dining room so that they can't get under the table where I can't reach then but I don't want to keep them apart any longer than I have to because they have such a strong bond.

Jacks-Jane and MightyMax, we've considered both EC and Head Down syndrome. She was originally prescribed Panacur by the emergency vet but when I took her to my usual vet the day after he said that as her head was straight down and not to the side this was unlikely, although he couldn't explain what actually was the matter as he had never seen anything like it before. I mentioned head down syndrome to him and although he had to Google it he said that it seemed the most likely match for her symptoms. He made a referral to the specialist at that point.

Following the x-rays I received a call from the vet saying that they couldn't see anything but there was a problem with flexion of Lily's neck all the way to the right hand side (the side where she has her weak paw), and there was a lot of inflammation showing up there as well. Her advice was to consider having her euthanised because she wouldn't have much quality of life. I said that I wasn't willing to consider that at that time and that we would take her home to see if she made any recovery and if not, we would have to think about what was best for Lily.

Because she's been eating well, she's still toileting, managing to eat her cecotrophs and doing her best to groom I wanted to give her every chance to recover and she's really come on well since then. I wonder whether, because she doesn't use her right paw as much as she should that if she's pulled a muscle on that side it would be quite painful because she doesn't have the muscle tone? Obviously I'm not a vet but if she's still hanging her head in a week's time I'll take her back.

On a positive note she went into her hide last night and did a very dramatic bunny flop with her legs kicked out at the back!

Again, sorry for the really long post!

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks so much to everyone for replying �� I'm going to try them with a but of supervised time together today. It's going to mean cordoning off the dining room so that they can't get under the table where I can't reach then but I don't want to keep them apart any longer than I have to because they have such a strong bond.

Jacks-Jane and MightyMax, we've considered both EC and Head Down syndrome. She was originally prescribed Panacur by the emergency vet but when I took her to my usual vet the day after he said that as her head was straight down and not to the side this was unlikely, although he couldn't explain what actually was the matter as he had never seen anything like it before. I mentioned head down syndrome to him and although he had to Google it he said that it seemed the most likely match for her symptoms. He made a referral to the specialist at that point.

Following the x-rays I received a call from the vet saying that they couldn't see anything but there was a problem with flexion of Lily's neck all the way to the right hand side (the side where she has her weak paw), and there was a lot of inflammation showing up there as well. Her advice was to consider having her euthanised because she wouldn't have much quality of life. I said that I wasn't willing to consider that at that time and that we would take her home to see if she made any recovery and if not, we would have to think about what was best for Lily.

Because she's been eating well, she's still toileting, managing to eat her cecotrophs and doing her best to groom I wanted to give her every chance to recover and she's really come on well since then. I wonder whether, because she doesn't use her right paw as much as she should that if she's pulled a muscle on that side it would be quite painful because she doesn't have the muscle tone? Obviously I'm not a vet but if she's still hanging her head in a week's time I'll take her back.

On a positive note she went into her hide last night and did a very dramatic bunny flop with her legs kicked out at the back!

Again, sorry for the really long post!

From what you have said it sounds as though she may have a trapped nerve in her C spine region. Has the Vet mentioned this as a possibility ?

Is Lily on any anti-inflammatory medication ?

Has Acupuncture and/or Laser Therapy been suggested ? My Vet offers both and they can be very useful complimentary treatments

https://www.twickenhamvets.com/acupuncture/

https://www.twickenhamvets.com/laser-therapy-amazing/

 

[Sarah3075]

No they didn't mention that Jack's-Jane, although she is taking Meloxaid and that seems to help. I've heard of bunny acupuncture but not sure if there's anyone based up here in the North East that does it. It's been hard enough trying to find someone with even a bit of bunny knowledge! I'll have a word with some of my bunny owning friends and see whether anyone knows of anyone who practices it. I'm trying to work out how to post a photo so I can show what she was like last week at her worst

 

[joey&boo]

No they didn't mention that Jack's-Jane, although she is taking Meloxaid and that seems to help. I've heard of bunny acupuncture but not sure if there's anyone based up here in the North East that does it. It's been hard enough trying to find someone with even a bit of bunny knowledge! I'll have a word with some of my bunny owning friends and see whether anyone knows of anyone who practices it. I'm trying to work out how to post a photo so I can show what she was like last week at her worst

For photos you'll need to upload to a hosting site. I like imgur. I hope playtime goes well x

 

[Sarah3075]

Thanks for the tip! Here's a pic of her when she was first poorly last week

https://i.imgur.com/IpetsOy.jpg

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks for the tip! Here's a pic of her when she was first poorly last week

https://i.imgur.com/IpetsOy.jpg

Oh bless her

Is the 'Specialist' Vet actually an Exotics Specialist or an Orthopedic/Neurology Specialist ?

It's just that the term 'Specialist' can cover all sorts of Veterinary fields. And some rather 'left of field' areas too !!

I am wondering if a CT scan may give more detailed information as to the precise nature of Lily's problems ?

https://www.willows.uk.net/speciali...mation/diagnostic-imaging/what-is-ct-scanning

 

[Sarah3075]

Yeah the vet we saw was an exotics specialist. I think if there's no further improvement then we'll have to consider a CT scan. I'm hoping that it's just muscular because of her weakened right side and that by building her strength back up and letting her exercise she might regain some more of her mobility. She's getting stronger every day which is really heartening to see. I'm just supervising her and Len and so far it's going well ��

 

[Sarah3075]

https://i.imgur.com/jIUhdHr.jpg

Here she is on Thursday, looking a lot more comfortable. We hadn't seen her lie down properly in days

 

[Jack's-Jane]

https://i.imgur.com/jIUhdHr.jpg

Here she is on Thursday, looking a lot more comfortable. We hadn't seen her lie down properly in days

Hopefully the improvement will continue. It may take time, but the fact that she is showing signs of recovery has to be good news. I am sure that spending some time with Len will help to keep her spirits up xx

 

[MightyMax]

Yeah the vet we saw was an exotics specialist. I think if there's no further improvement then we'll have to consider a CT scan. I'm hoping that it's just muscular because of her weakened right side and that by building her strength back up and letting her exercise she might regain some more of her mobility. She's getting stronger every day which is really heartening to see. I'm just supervising her and Len and so far it's going well ��

Hi there Sarah :wave:

I'm glad you're giving your little one some more time. It's your call and I agree with you if that's what your instinct suggests

I am guessing a CT scan will be expensive - as are most diagnostics unless you have a very friendly vet I wonder whether you're anywhere near Hexham, as Honor Etherington at Hadrian Vets is amazing:

http://www.vetpartners.co.uk/honor-heralds-new-era-hadrian-vets/

http://www.hadrianvets.co.uk


My vet does wonderful acupuncture and cold laser therapy, which I can vouch for is very good and worth considering!

https://www.twickenhamvets.com/acupuncture/

https://www.twickenhamvets.com/laser-therapy-amazing/

It may help to alleviate pain and help with mobility.

You can of course do some very gentle massage and physio yourself - I did this on one of my rabbits and got him hopping normally again. I had advice and instruction from a qualified physiotherapist, but if you go gently you should be OK x

 

[Sarah3075]

Thanks MightyMax �� Do you know of any websites for info on DIY bunny massage and physio? We've had a good morning with Lily and Len. He was trying to hump her at first so we had to put a stop to that and put her back in her crate for a while. I opened it up again a bit later and he hopped in with her then did the biggest flop!

https://i.imgur.com/YWakg5Z.jpg

A little while later he even gave her a bit of a groom around her eyes and ears so that's great progress which I'm sure will lift her spirits. She seems much more relaxed and has been stretching right out

https://i.imgur.com/2QlR767.jpg

I think she looks pretty happy but then it's always so difficult to tell with bunnies

 

[MightyMax]

Thanks MightyMax �� Do you know of any websites for info on DIY bunny massage and physio? We've had a good morning with Lily and Len. He was trying to hump her at first so we had to put a stop to that and put her back in her crate for a while. I opened it up again a bit later and he hopped in with her then did the biggest flop!

https://i.imgur.com/YWakg5Z.jpg

A little while later he even gave her a bit of a groom around her eyes and ears so that's great progress which I'm sure will lift her spirits. She seems much more relaxed and has been stretching right out

https://i.imgur.com/2QlR767.jpg

I think she looks pretty happy but then it's always so difficult to tell with bunnies

I certainly do Sarah - I shall PM you