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Help please - sick rabbit, vet cannot resolve

bunny momma said:
If your bunny is taking the recovery feed well, then I would allow him to eat more of it even if he is eating a good amount provided you give it throughout the day. Some bunnies are more efficient than others at converting food to energy and it makes even more sense to give a bunny more feed if some of the energy is being used to keep the bunny warm.

I am sending you and Tom more vibes for a positive result.

I concur with MightyMax that it is always good to have recovery food on hand. I also have fluids and a bit of pain med on hand.
As with any treatment, the vet and you will want to discuss the pros and cons of using steroids.

It is good to hear you were able to modify the hutch so he is warmer.
Click to expand...

Thank you :)

I have found that Burgess Recovery DualCare is cheaper than some other brands:

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-suppl.../burgess-excel-dualcare-recovery-diet-p-20934
 
Tom OK but still weak this morning of course. Just glad he gets through the night OK at the moment.
I have left him upstairs in the hutch but moved Toffee out downstairs whilst we are all at work. Tom should still be able to hear her moving about downstairs so he'll get some comfort from that but I have noticed she is knocking him over sometimes as she pushes her way into the end box or to get to the food bowl and he is finding it difficult getting back up each time as he is so weak. Doesn't help that Toffee has ballooned in weight as she has been having Tom's share of the food most of the time too. She will need to go on a diet. So separating for a period helps with that too - can leave the food out for Tom but keep Toffee just on hay. I think she would have gone bonkers stuck upstairs all day too.
Managed 30ml of Recovery this morning. Not so good on the water. He dribbled lots back out. Good to know there is lots in the Recovery though as you all said.

Anyone know how long it would take for us to see any effect from the Panacur on EC, if that is responsible for some of his symptoms ?
 
Thanks all. Quite worried about him today. He is very sleepy. I popped home at lunchtime to give him some more Recovery and put him out in the garden for 10mins as it was sunny and he used to love basking in the sunshine. He was OK for a while, then fell over on a slight hill and didn't seem to have the energy to get up. He just lay there looking rather scared. Once I picked him up, he could hop away.
I know he is weak from losing so much weight and the illness (whatever it is) but I am very concerned this is him dying. Was hoping the Recovery would have boosted him by now.
 
ToffTom said:
Thanks all. Quite worried about him today. He is very sleepy. I popped home at lunchtime to give him some more Recovery and put him out in the garden for 10mins as it was sunny and he used to love basking in the sunshine. He was OK for a while, then fell over on a slight hill and didn't seem to have the energy to get up. He just lay there looking rather scared. Once I picked him up, he could hop away.
I know he is weak from losing so much weight and the illness (whatever it is) but I am very concerned this is him dying. Was hoping the Recovery would have boosted him by now.
Click to expand...

Does Tom live indoors now ? Sorry I have lost track about this x
 
ToffTom said:
Thanks all. Quite worried about him today. He is very sleepy. I popped home at lunchtime to give him some more Recovery and put him out in the garden for 10mins as it was sunny and he used to love basking in the sunshine. He was OK for a while, then fell over on a slight hill and didn't seem to have the energy to get up. He just lay there looking rather scared. Once I picked him up, he could hop away.
I know he is weak from losing so much weight and the illness (whatever it is) but I am very concerned this is him dying. Was hoping the Recovery would have boosted him by now.
Click to expand...


I think the Recovery food will take a bit of time to boost him up. His immune system also needs t recover and fight whatever is going on for him. Was Toffee outdoors with him?
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Does Tom live indoors now ? Sorry I have lost track about this x
Click to expand...

No he's still outdoors but I modified the hutch so that he could live upstairs in the warmer bit without fear of him falling down the hatch to the ramp - I boarded over it. Toffee is in there with him at night but downstairs (she has to use the elevator!) in the day.
 
MightyMax said:
I think the Recovery food will take a bit of time to boost him up. His immune system also needs t recover and fight whatever is going on for him. Was Toffee outdoors with him?
Click to expand...

No, I only put him out for 10mins just to wake him up a bit. I only had 10mins before needing to get back to work. Thought it might stimulate him a bit.
He's taken more Recovey this evening and was interested in carrot so he's had some of that. The rest of the food I left out for him this morning has hardly been touched. I guess the Recovery could be why though. Not sure he is drinking much either.

I've just been reading on another forum that vaccinated rabbits can still catch Myxi. The symptoms are runny eyes (which were the first symptoms they both had). Other symptoms mentioned are snuffles (Tom was sneezing) and skin problems. Could Tom have Myxi ? Surely the vet would have spotted that ?
 
ToffTom said:
No, I only put him out for 10mins just to wake him up a bit. I only had 10mins before needing to get back to work. Thought it might stimulate him a bit.
He's taken more Recovey this evening and was interested in carrot so he's had some of that. The rest of the food I left out for him this morning has hardly been touched. I guess the Recovery could be why though. Not sure he is drinking much either.

I've just been reading on another forum that vaccinated rabbits can still catch Myxi. The symptoms are runny eyes (which were the first symptoms they both had). Other symptoms mentioned are snuffles (Tom was sneezing) and skin problems. Could Tom have Myxi ? Surely the vet would have spotted that ?
Click to expand...


Yes, I would be totally shocked if your vet hadn't spotted that and thought it.

Did he have any blood taken, I can't remember? It would be so difficult to get his blood from him, but not impossible .....
 
Yes, he had blood taken over a week ago. Know they tested for EC and we are waiting for the Syphallis test back tomorrow or Friday. He is on Panacur. Was quite frustrated when I found out that the treatment prescribed for EC was Panacur. We could have given him that as a matter of course weeks ago - it's available in the local pet supplies store. Why did we wait for a test result for EC. The Panacur box says it is recommended that it be administered once every two years routinely anyway. We live and learn.
 
ToffTom said:
Yes, he had blood taken over a week ago. Know they tested for EC and we are waiting for the Syphallis test back tomorrow or Friday. He is on Panacur. Was quite frustrated when I found out that the treatment prescribed for EC was Panacur. We could have given him that as a matter of course weeks ago - it's available in the local pet supplies store. Why did we wait for a test result for EC. The Panacur box says it is recommended that it be administered once every two years routinely anyway. We live and learn.
Click to expand...


So I am assuming his kidneys were fine? And liver?

I don't usually get my rabbits tested for E.C. before treating them but all vets are different. You can't be expected to know everything, that's what we pay them for - to cover all bases for us.

You seem to be waiting a long time for test results but there again, the test for syphilis can take up to 12 weeks to get the result.

There are some graphic images here, but it's about syphilis - I don't know whether it reflects Tom in any way?

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syphilis.htm
 
MightyMax said:
So I am assuming his kidneys were fine? And liver?

I don't usually get my rabbits tested for E.C. before treating them but all vets are different. You can't be expected to know everything, that's what we pay them for - to cover all bases for us.

You seem to be waiting a long time for test results but there again, the test for syphilis can take up to 12 weeks to get the result.

There are some graphic images here, but it's about syphilis - I don't know whether it reflects Tom in any way?

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syphilis.htm
Click to expand...

Kidneys came back as being slightly down. Vet said that could be another indication of EC as it 'likes' kidneys. Nothing else yet. Toffee and Tom snuggled up together for the night.
 
ToffTom said:
Kidneys came back as being slightly down. Vet said that could be another indication of EC as it 'likes' kidneys. Nothing else yet. Toffee and Tom snuggled up together for the night.
Click to expand...


I hope you get some peace yourself. You are trying so hard :D
 
I am sending you and Tom some more vibes. You are doing all the right things and he has different meds, so it may just take a bit more time to see results.
 
I've not commented on this thread about a possible diagnosis for Tom as I haven't had experience with many of the illnesses suggested.

I do have a vaccinated rabbit , who has had Myx though. And I also have that rabbit's son, who has been diagnosed with Syphilis twice. The second time my vet was unable to confirm Syphilis as a definite diagnosis and at first it was looking more like Myx. I think that both Syphilis and Myx in a vaccinated rabbit can produce atypical symptoms, so it is not always easy.

In all of these three periods of illness though with my rabbits, my vet did not do any tests. She prescribed injectable Penicillin on all three occasions, judging that it would probably help with the suspected diagnosis each time. On the first occasion with Syphilis my rabbit was quite unwell and his brother had also just suddenly died with unconfirmed EC. Therefore during this first occasion, all three of my rabbits were also treated with Panacur.

I'm sharing this, as in my view, if it is likely that you are going to have to wait a long time for test results for Syphilis, I personally would be wanting to try Penicillin injections. All three of my rabbits have had to have them for various illnesses, in addition to the ones mentioned, and I have never had any problems with diarrhoea.
 
Omi said:
I've not commented on this thread about a possible diagnosis for Tom as I haven't had experience with many of the illnesses suggested.

I do have a vaccinated rabbit , who has had Myx though. And I also have that rabbit's son, who has been diagnosed with Syphilis twice. The second time my vet was unable to confirm Syphilis as a definite diagnosis and at first it was looking more like Myx. I think that both Syphilis and Myx in a vaccinated rabbit can produce atypical symptoms, so it is not always easy.

In all of these three periods of illness though with my rabbits, my vet did not do any tests. She prescribed injectable Penicillin on all three occasions, judging that it would probably help with the suspected diagnosis each time. On the first occasion with Syphilis my rabbit was quite unwell and his brother had also just suddenly died with unconfirmed EC. Therefore during this first occasion, all three of my rabbits were also treated with Panacur.

I'm sharing this, as in my view, if it is likely that you are going to have to wait a long time for test results for Syphilis, I personally would be wanting to try Penicillin injections. All three of my rabbits have had to have them for various illnesses, in addition to the ones mentioned, and I have never had any problems with diarrhoea.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that. More results back today on Ringworm and others but all negative. Syphallis still not back. Tom was very sleepy this morning and we didn't manage to get as much Recovery in him as yesterday morning. My wife found him just now on his side unable to get up again. Not sure how long he'd been like that.
How do we decide when enough is enough and actually we are being cruel keeping him going ?
We could try a Penicillin injection tomorrow - he is seeing the specialist again but I think we may have waited too long. Unless the Panacur does something amazing, I'm not sure he is going to pull through. Very sad. He is still eating the odd bit of carrot or a big cabbage leaf but unless you feed it to him, he can't be bothered.
 
If Panacur or Pencillin kill off whatever infection or parasite has caused all of Tom's symptoms, will he get his movement and balance back again or is this permanent spinal chord or brain injury ?
 
ToffTom said:
Thank you for that. More results back today on Ringworm and others but all negative. Syphallis still not back. Tom was very sleepy this morning and we didn't manage to get as much Recovery in him as yesterday morning. My wife found him just now on his side unable to get up again. Not sure how long he'd been like that.
How do we decide when enough is enough and actually we are being cruel keeping him going ?
We could try a Penicillin injection tomorrow - he is seeing the specialist again but I think we may have waited too long. Unless the Panacur does something amazing, I'm not sure he is going to pull through. Very sad. He is still eating the odd bit of carrot or a big cabbage leaf but unless you feed it to him, he can't be bothered.
Click to expand...


Could you ask again about a steroid? I only mention it because although it's controversial, the way Tom is going it may firstly help his appetite, and also make him feel a lot better within himself whatever you decide to do.

Penicillin injections won't work wonders immediately, and you'd have to give it a try perhaps for a few days.
 
MightyMax said:
Could you ask again about a steroid? I only mention it because although it's controversial, the way Tom is going it may firstly help his appetite, and also make him feel a lot better within himself whatever you decide to do.

Penicillin injections won't work wonders immediately, and you'd have to give it a try perhaps for a few days.
Click to expand...

Yes, he should have had Steroid but they had run out at the vets! The Ranitidine injection is the one that has always boosted his appetitie but he's on oral of that already.
What's controversial about the steroid. Vet said it could supress his immune system but he was going to administer it anyhow.
 
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