Hello Jane,it was Amber that I thought had thickening of the pylorus.She would always lay with her chest resting on one of the other bunnies,its as if this gave her relief.Her gut sounds were always audible.her respiratory rate was always much faster than any of the others,as if she was panting.As time went on she would eat then have to lay down as if in pain.I was convinced she had the same condition as your beautiful bridge bun Dermot.
They both seemed to go down hill after giving the sulphatrim.I stopped after two days because this was when they both stopped eating.I would have to hold food under their noses then rub their tummies to get them to eat and poo.For a while Amber would have to sit up with her front paws standing on her back paws with her head stretched as high as it would go before she would eat.It was at this point that she would eat a few mouthfuls then lie down for a while before eating anymore.This was also the point when Oscar started blowing up like a football.They both got ill at the same time but some of their symptoms were different.I started making up syringe feeds,which they both lapped off the syringe.Once again Amber would want different feeds to Oscar.Id make her feeds mixed with peppermint tea.Oscar didnt like that but would have feeds mixed with slippery elm.I didnt want them to get hepatic lipidosis on top of what ever else was going on.I spend hours going out foraging for them because they didnt want herbs from the supermarket and they had stopped eating dried food.All the forage they wanted pointed to inflammation of the gut and bleeding.They had never wanted brambles before but at that point I couldnt pick enough for them.They also wanted weeping willow,which as well as being used for inflammation is apparently a coccidiostat.Ive been giving them old apple branches daily for the last two years so they can strip the bark ( another herb that soothes the digestive track)They both wanted yarrow,which Oscar only ever shown an interested in once before (internal bleeding).
I took them both back to see my vet after submitting another five day faecal sample which showed strongyles.I was convinced we were dealing with cocci.At this point I asked for cisapride & metoclopramide,they were already on ranitidine & metacam.I aslo started them on panacur but stopped after a few days because I was convinced we were dealing with cocci and didnt want to add any more drugs.It took ages for the cisapride to come into the surgery.I started them on the prokinetics that I had while waiting for the cisapride .For a few days they both started to improve and eat by themselves.Oscar was still blowing up like a balloon and Amber was still having what I though was pain episodes so I was giving infacol as well.
The improvement was short lived.Amber suddenly went down hill on the Thursday morning,she wouldnt eat a thing.I was syringe feeding her.In the afternoon she passed the black sacks which contained grainy poo(body starting to break down).I brought them both inside and Oscar was laying next to Amber to prop her up due to her getting so week.On the Friday morning Amber had a temperature and was incontinent,her urine was full of blood.I rang cotton tails rescue to ask Mairwen if she could suggest a vet because my vet only works two days a week.I then took Amber to another vets,explained all my concerns.She was put on a drip but died shortly afterwards.When the vet phoned I asked for a full Pm and to check her pylorus.
The following week I took Oscar to my vets where he had bloods,ultra sound & was put on a drip.The vet who did the scan had never done a rabbit before & the bloods had been done on a dog parameter ( less said the better) I went to collect Oscar in the evening,they had left the drip in his ear and I was allowed to inject IV fluids every six hours.I did this for three days until the drip had to be taken out.The fluids saved Oscars life and for two weeks his bowels where perfect,no blowing up and he started to eat dried food.Last week he started to go down hill.I took him back to the vets.Bloods were taken which are the ones ive posted on here.My vet rang in the evening to say it was pointing to leukaemia and a specialist who did ulta sound scans would be going to the practice the next day & would I bring Oscar in.Oscar had the scan which showed the thickening on his bile duct.All of his results where then sent to a specialist at High Croft in Bristol.She said she could see some swelling in his stomach & the diagnosis was the same as my vets.She then wanted me to take him to Bristol for a cat scan to confirm this.
I still had the niggle that it could be hepatic cocci & also voiced my concerns about mycotoxins.
Oscars poos now seem to be improving instead of the daily,splats,mice poos,misshapen ones then proper shaped ones(which has gone on since December).He has a few bouts a year of the liquid diarrhoea which Ive always put down to cocci.
Ive also had to feed him his caecs because he cant get them when his belly feels like a brick.I also started him on septrin last Friday which seems to have perked him up.
Now im still at a loss to why he blows up,feels better lying down to eat but carries on eating and why they both got ill at the same time.I know Ambers pm shows she had leukaemia but I dont feel this is what she died from.Ive already mentioned that Oscar has never had a problem with gas before.
I also feel that Oscar is feeling better and improving every day(Famous last words) but am at a loss,even thought ive spent hours researching because nothing quite fits,to what is going on.There is one more thing,since Oscar has got ill he constantly shakes his head.My vet has looked down his ears and so have I,there is just a bit of wax nothing to indicate an ear infection.Maybe this is another clue to whatever is going on.Also Amber battled an ear infection for over six months two years ago and since then has produced copious amounts of wax which id clean out on a weekly basis.I know that dogs who get itchy ears is usually down to an allergy to something they are eating.