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Rear end nightmare :-(

S

Swissgreys

New Kit
Today we finally got our rescue rabbits.
It is a complex situation, and has always been a bit tenuous as to whether it would go through or not.
They came from a private home - not an official rescue.

Anyway the 3 year old female arrived in a total state.
She is limping badly on her left hind leg, and her back end is a complete mess.
She stinks, her fur is matted, and she is covered in poo and soaked with urine.
She is skin and bones.
The whole thing is simply awful, and I immediately called the out of hours vet.
He came over, but sadly does mostly farm animal work (we live in a rural area) so didn't quite know what to say.
The poor rabbit was frantic when he tried to examine her, and sprayed urine everywhere.

He gave her pain relief, and we will make an appointment with a specialist first thing tomorrow as a matter of urgency.
The strangest part is that she is eating and drinking almost continuously, and still seems quite friendly, happily taking food from our hands.
She has never had access to much hay, so huge piles of the stuff all over her cage have been very well received. This is probably the only good thing to come out of today for this poor rabbit.

I am wracked with guilt about leaving her in this state, even overnight, but the vet feels she may need some form of sedation for a full clip and clean, so we can work out what caused her to get in this state.
Tonight she is warm and safe and has unlimited hay, food, and water, as well as her devoted companion (who seems fine, but will also be seeing he vet tomorrow).

It hasn't exactly been the start we were hoping for, but fingers crossed it gets better from here on in.
I dread to know what we will find once she is cleaned up a bit, but I look forward to seeing her happy and well again.

And I would welcome any advice from anyone who has helped a rabbit recover from a severely messy back end problem.
Thanks.
 
the rear end problem is usually sorted out by diet changes ie less pellets and less veg but has to be done gradually. I hope the Vet's appointment goes well and they get her cleaned up and examine her leg. Please let us know how you get on.
 
Swissgreys said:
Today we finally got our rescue rabbits.
It is a complex situation, and has always been a bit tenuous as to whether it would go through or not.
They came from a private home - not an official rescue.

Anyway the 3 year old female arrived in a total state.
She is limping badly on her left hind leg, and her back end is a complete mess.
She stinks, her fur is matted, and she is covered in poo and soaked with urine.
She is skin and bones.
The whole thing is simply awful, and I immediately called the out of hours vet.
He came over, but sadly does mostly farm animal work (we live in a rural area) so didn't quite know what to say.
The poor rabbit was frantic when he tried to examine her, and sprayed urine everywhere.

He gave her pain relief, and we will make an appointment with a specialist first thing tomorrow as a matter of urgency.
The strangest part is that she is eating and drinking almost continuously, and still seems quite friendly, happily taking food from our hands.
She has never had access to much hay, so huge piles of the stuff all over her cage have been very well received. This is probably the only good thing to come out of today for this poor rabbit.

I am wracked with guilt about leaving her in this state, even overnight, but the vet feels she may need some form of sedation for a full clip and clean, so we can work out what caused her to get in this state.
Tonight she is warm and safe and has unlimited hay, food, and water, as well as her devoted companion (who seems fine, but will also be seeing he vet tomorrow).

It hasn't exactly been the start we were hoping for, but fingers crossed it gets better from here on in.
I dread to know what we will find once she is cleaned up a bit, but I look forward to seeing her happy and well again.

And I would welcome any advice from anyone who has helped a rabbit recover from a severely messy back end problem.
Thanks.
Click to expand...


Hi there :wave:

I have had to do this sort of thing very often with rescue rabbits that have come in. I am glad she is eating and drinking lots, and tomorrow the vet should be able to sedate her and cut away all the matter fur and clean her up. He should also be able to X-ray the leg and see what's going on there. Sometimes the fur mats are so severe that they make it impossible for the rabbit to walk/hop properly.

From what you've said about her, it seems she has landed at the door of an angel
Thank you for taking her in and caring so much for her :love:
 
wonderful that you came to her rescue- she certainly needs it. I hope the vets goes well tomorrow
 
Thanks everyone - I will update after the vet and let you know how she gets on.
It is also reassuring to know I am not alone.
I an excited to be able to give her this chance - just hope we can get her comfortable asap.
 
While it is very alarming to you, she was likely in that state for some time before you came to her rescue. Stressing her would likely be worse for her than staying another day in her messy state until she can be professionally evaluated.
It is a plus that she is enjoying your companionship.

Sending you and see some good vibes. She and her friend are lucky to have found you.
 
bunny momma said:
While it is very alarming to you, she was likely in that state for some time before you came to her rescue. Stressing her would likely be worse for her than staying another day in her messy state until she can be professionally evaluated.
It is a plus that she is enjoying your companionship.

Sending you and see some good vibes. She and her friend are lucky to have found you.
Click to expand...

I agree, I hope all will go well at the Vets today. Thank goodness you were able to take on the two Bunnies xx
 
So glad you rescued these bunnies and I'm sure the Vet will be able to sort her out :) xxx
 
Thank you for all of the good wishes.
We are back from the vet and it is actually quite good news.
She is definitely moving better this morning, and it appears that nothing is broken.
She is extremely underweight (by about 30- 40 % the vet said) so is on Critical Care to try and get some weight back on her.
She has had the worst of the fur matts trimmed, and we have cream for her urine scald.
She is clearly very stressed and the vet didn't want to traumatize her further, so we will do the basics to keep her clean and comfortable for a few days, and go back on Thursday to monitor her progress.
The vet has taken photos and made notes as apparently her condition counts as 'neglect' so she needs to keep a record of it.
 
Bless her. I'm sure she will soon thrive under your care :)

When she's feeling a bit better a photo would be lovely :) xx
 
Swissgreys said:
Thank you for all of the good wishes.
We are back from the vet and it is actually quite good news.
She is definitely moving better this morning, and it appears that nothing is broken.
She is extremely underweight (by about 30- 40 % the vet said) so is on Critical Care to try and get some weight back on her.
She has had the worst of the fur matts trimmed, and we have cream for her urine scald.
She is clearly very stressed and the vet didn't want to traumatize her further, so we will do the basics to keep her clean and comfortable for a few days, and go back on Thursday to monitor her progress.
The vet has taken photos and made notes as apparently her condition counts as 'neglect' so she needs to keep a record of it.
Click to expand...

I am glad that there are no fractures and hopefully Bunny will soon regain condition. The Vet is obviously being proactive in making sure everything is documented regarding the neglect by the previous owner x
 
It sounds like you rescued her before she suffered any permanent damage. With your loving care, I suspect she will make a fast turnaround and she will not even look like the same bunny soon.
 
So it has been 15 days since she and her brother arrived with us, and once again I really need some advice.

We saw the vet last Thursday (8 days ago) and she had gained 150 g in 4 days :D

But she was still moving quite badly - sometimes her back leg would drag, and sometimes it would be ok.
So we took a full set of x-rays, which our vet said looked ok, but were then sent (along with video of her moving well and moving badly) for a second opinion to a specialist rabbit vet.
The rabbit vet said her spine, hips and both back legs look fine.

But to me it was clear she was still in pain.
So since last Thursday she has been on Metacam (1.1mls daily).

She eats like a rabbit who has never seen food before and has;
unlimited hay
a small portion of fresh twice a day
a large handful of fresh grass once a day
unlimited pellets (2 types)
1/4 cup of the muesli mix she was on before. She only picks out certain parts of the muesli (mostly seed, oats and corn pieces!!) but is very slowly starting to eat one of the complete pellets (but not many).
1 tablespoon of critical care mixed with water

She is slowly gaining weight.
I think her mobility might have improved slightly, but she still falls on her side and struggles to get up.
Her right side is worse than her left which makes me think it can't be EC?
She appears incontinent, and will pee wherever she is sitting/laying.
She still can't really clean her back end, although with daily cleaning her urine scald is almost gone.
She likes sitting outside in the afternoon sun.

The vet feels we should stop the Metacam after 1 week and see what happens.
She said we can also stop the critical care since the rabbit is eating well on her own (but also said it is fine to continue if we want to).

I am torn - I feel like she isn't really improving, but maybe I am expecting too much too soon?
The specialist said if it is a soft tissue injury (ligament or tendon) then it might take weeks to heal.
Part of the problem is that the previous owner is still acting like the situation is a huge shock, and claims she had no idea the rabbit was even unwell when she gave her to us :shock:
Because a rabbit can develop urine scald and loose 40% of their body weight overnight...

So I don't even know what I am really asking here, but advice and your thoughts would be most appreciated.
She is a great rabbit, and her brother is simply devoted to her.
I have tried not to get attached, but it is so very hard.
I just want to do what is best for her, but I don't want her to suffer unnecessarily.
 
Swissgreys said:
So it has been 15 days since she and her brother arrived with us, and once again I really need some advice.

We saw the vet last Thursday (8 days ago) and she had gained 150 g in 4 days :D

But she was still moving quite badly - sometimes her back leg would drag, and sometimes it would be ok.
So we took a full set of x-rays, which our vet said looked ok, but were then sent (along with video of her moving well and moving badly) for a second opinion to a specialist rabbit vet.
The rabbit vet said her spine, hips and both back legs look fine.

But to me it was clear she was still in pain.
So since last Thursday she has been on Metacam (1.1mls daily).

She eats like a rabbit who has never seen food before and has;
unlimited hay
a small portion of fresh twice a day
a large handful of fresh grass once a day
unlimited pellets (2 types)
1/4 cup of the muesli mix she was on before. She only picks out certain parts of the muesli (mostly seed, oats and corn pieces!!) but is very slowly starting to eat one of the complete pellets (but not many).
1 tablespoon of critical care mixed with water

She is slowly gaining weight.
I think her mobility might have improved slightly, but she still falls on her side and struggles to get up.
Her right side is worse than her left which makes me think it can't be EC?
She appears incontinent, and will pee wherever she is sitting/laying.
She still can't really clean her back end, although with daily cleaning her urine scald is almost gone.
She likes sitting outside in the afternoon sun.

The vet feels we should stop the Metacam after 1 week and see what happens.
She said we can also stop the critical care since the rabbit is eating well on her own (but also said it is fine to continue if we want to).

I am torn - I feel like she isn't really improving, but maybe I am expecting too much too soon?
The specialist said if it is a soft tissue injury (ligament or tendon) then it might take weeks to heal.
Part of the problem is that the previous owner is still acting like the situation is a huge shock, and claims she had no idea the rabbit was even unwell when she gave her to us :shock:
Because a rabbit can develop urine scald and loose 40% of their body weight overnight...

So I don't even know what I am really asking here, but advice and your thoughts would be most appreciated.
She is a great rabbit, and her brother is simply devoted to her.
I have tried not to get attached, but it is so very hard.
I just want to do what is best for her, but I don't want her to suffer unnecessarily.
Click to expand...

If she does have soft tissue injury then that can certainly take as long as several months to resolve. In particular nerve damage can take a very long time to repair.

Has the Vet checked her reflex responses in her hind legs ? It may be that she is not actually in pain but that she just has numbness and personally I would want the Vet to run a full blood profile to check Kidney/Liver function, especially if the Bun is to remain on Metacam for a protracted amount of time. Also a full blood profile would show if Bun is fighting any sort of bacterial infection. This could play a part in the Bun's poor weight.

Physiotherapy may be beneficial to try to help build up some muscle tone/strength. I expect there is already some muscle wastage which will contribute to the hind leg weakness.

If the Bun has been immobile for some time then a low grade urinary tract infection could be an issue, bladder sludge can also effect Rabbits who have a reduced mobility/hind leg weakness.

Another thing, did the Vet check in Bun's ears ? A Rabbit with hind leg problems often has problems keeping their ears clean and this can lead to a build up of gunk in the ear canals/ear infections. Both can cause Bun to be 'wobbly'

Whilst EC may not be involved I wonder if it would be a good idea to put both Buns onto a 28 day course of Fenbendazole 'just incase' ?

The above are just my unqualified musings about would more you could ask your Vet. I hope that your Doe will manage to improve over time, at least now she is with you she has a chance of doing so.
 
Wow - thanks so much for all of your suggestions.
I have made a list of them and will discuss them with the vet when we are there again on Monday.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.

Hopefully soon I can post gorgeous pictures of 2 very happy bunnies.
 
Swissgreys said:
Wow - thanks so much for all of your suggestions.
I have made a list of them and will discuss them with the vet when we are there again on Monday.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.

Hopefully soon I can post gorgeous pictures of 2 very happy bunnies.
Click to expand...

I am glad to help if I can, but as I said my suggestions are not based on me having any qualifications in Veterinary Medicine. I am on a continuous learning curve with all things 'Rabbity' !! Good luck at the Vets and I am looking forward to seeing some photos of you two Bunny friends xx
 
Swissgreys said:
So it has been 15 days since she and her brother arrived with us, and once again I really need some advice.

We saw the vet last Thursday (8 days ago) and she had gained 150 g in 4 days :D

But she was still moving quite badly - sometimes her back leg would drag, and sometimes it would be ok.
So we took a full set of x-rays, which our vet said looked ok, but were then sent (along with video of her moving well and moving badly) for a second opinion to a specialist rabbit vet.
The rabbit vet said her spine, hips and both back legs look fine.

But to me it was clear she was still in pain.
So since last Thursday she has been on Metacam (1.1mls daily).

She eats like a rabbit who has never seen food before and has;
unlimited hay
a small portion of fresh twice a day
a large handful of fresh grass once a day
unlimited pellets (2 types)
1/4 cup of the muesli mix she was on before. She only picks out certain parts of the muesli (mostly seed, oats and corn pieces!!) but is very slowly starting to eat one of the complete pellets (but not many).
1 tablespoon of critical care mixed with water

She is slowly gaining weight.
I think her mobility might have improved slightly, but she still falls on her side and struggles to get up.
Her right side is worse than her left which makes me think it can't be EC?
She appears incontinent, and will pee wherever she is sitting/laying.
She still can't really clean her back end, although with daily cleaning her urine scald is almost gone.
She likes sitting outside in the afternoon sun.

The vet feels we should stop the Metacam after 1 week and see what happens.
She said we can also stop the critical care since the rabbit is eating well on her own (but also said it is fine to continue if we want to).

I am torn - I feel like she isn't really improving, but maybe I am expecting too much too soon?
The specialist said if it is a soft tissue injury (ligament or tendon) then it might take weeks to heal.
Part of the problem is that the previous owner is still acting like the situation is a huge shock, and claims she had no idea the rabbit was even unwell when she gave her to us :shock:
Because a rabbit can develop urine scald and loose 40% of their body weight overnight...

So I don't even know what I am really asking here, but advice and your thoughts would be most appreciated.
She is a great rabbit, and her brother is simply devoted to her.
I have tried not to get attached, but it is so very hard.
I just want to do what is best for her, but I don't want her to suffer unnecessarily.
Click to expand...


Given your situation, I would put your rabbit on a 28 day course of Panacur, falling other suggestions from the vet. It's quite possible that it could be EC even though one side is weaker than the other.

See the link here from a well respected source:


http://rabbit.org/hind-limb-weakness-in-the-rabbit/

With regards to E.C. the above article states:

If the brain or spinal cord is infected, the signs may vary depending on what area is damaged. A rabbit may experience any one or combination of the following: unilateral or bilateral facial paralysis, weakness in only one limb, complete hind limb weakness or paralysis, all four limb weakness or paralysis, head tilt, loss of appetite, behavior changes, depression, seizures (mild to severe) and sudden death.



If you do decide to use Panacur, then best practice is to deep clean/bleach/steam clean the litter trays and living accommodation on days 21 and 28 of treatment

Good luck :)
 
It was good to read your update that her urine scald is healing, she is eating well, and she has gained some weight. I can only offer you more positive vibes for continued improvement and to say once again that she is lucky you came into her life.
At this point, I would not waste time on discussions with the prior owner.
 
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