Hind leg trouble

Hi all,
I have an 8 ear old rabbit called Dexter, he has middle ear disease which we have been treating for over a year successfully and he goes in for regular dentals (every 2 months) due to a head tilt as he cannot grind his teeth properly. Currently he takes metacam and another gut medicine I forget the name of.
I have woken up this morning and he appears very uncomfortable, he won’t stand for long, he hops a few paces and then lies down again. He’s stretching his back legs out quite a lot before he hops. I don’t want to say he’s dragging his legs but he seems a bit unsteady on them, he’s walking rather than hopping and they sort of just fall to one side when he lies down.
Does anyone know what this might be? I don’t know whether it’s worth mentioning but he’s been drinking LOADS recently. I know the obvious solution is to take him to the vets, and of course I will, but money is pretty tight and the vets he goes to are specialists in rabbit so just the appointment is £80. Any experience with this would be appreciated. I love him more than anything

Welcome to RU Erin.

I'm sorry to hear of Dexters problems. One of my bunnies shares a couple of symptoms - drinking lots (& very clear pee which is a concern) & he also has episodes of hind leg weakness. My little one is in kidney failure, probably through EC. After his first sudden onset of mobility problems I called my vet & we agreed to stabilise him on panacur (already on metacam) for several days before bringing him in to the vets. Of course balance issues affect mobility, some bunnies drink more when they are due a dental, so I hate to say it but I really think he could do with another consult to find out what is causing it & make sure he is on the right treatment . To me it would make sense his ears & teeth are rechecked & he's started on panacur

joey&boo said:

Welcome to RU Erin.

I'm sorry to hear of Dexters problems. One of my bunnies shares a couple of symptoms - drinking lots (& very clear pee which is a concern) & he also has episodes of hind leg weakness. My little one is in kidney failure, probably through EC. After his first sudden onset of mobility problems I called my vet & we agreed to stabilise him on panacur (already on metacam) for several days before bringing him in to the vets. Of course balance issues affect mobility, some bunnies drink more when they are due a dental, so I hate to say it but I really think he could do with another consult to find out what is causing it & make sure he is on the right treatment . To me it would make sense his ears & teeth are rechecked & he's started on panacur

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I agree with this. It would also be a good idea to rule out any spinal injury/arthritis. The symptoms he is presenting with could indicate various issues- Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (EC)

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

Spinal injury/arthritis

Dental problems

Kidney problems

Only appropriate examination and diagnostics by your Vet can really answer your questions. I am sorry that Dexter has developed more problems on top of his chronic middle ear infection.

Thank you so much for your responses. After watching him this evening I think he needs to go to the vets in the morning . I feel so sorry for the poor thing. Last year the vet said he had the most severe case of middle ear they’ve ever seen but despite that he’s always been so happy and loving life. I think I’ll weep if they throw something else into the mix, poor poppet.
Thank you again, I know there’s no easy answer with these things x

Sending lots of vibes for him xx

Erin56 said:

Thank you so much for your responses. After watching him this evening I think he needs to go to the vets in the morning . I feel so sorry for the poor thing. Last year the vet said he had the most severe case of middle ear they’ve ever seen but despite that he’s always been so happy and loving life. I think I’ll weep if they throw something else into the mix, poor poppet.
Thank you again, I know there’s no easy answer with these things x

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Best wishes for the consultation with the Vet today x

Sending loads of vibes. I hope all goes well at the vets today.

I am sending some positive vibes for his vet visit.

Good luck for the vet visit, I had a boy who had all of the issues Dexter has too so I feel for you. I hope it's good news at the vet. My boy sometimes struggled with his mobility and balance because of his head tilt. Have you tried physio? I definitely found it helped but obviously need to get to the bottom of the cause first.

Thank you for your well wishes , I appreciate it a lot. This morning he bounded out of his cage like nothing had happened and ate the kale he had left yesterday! You couldn’t make it up. The vet said it’s most likely his teeth so he’s booked in next week to have them done.
I haven’t heard of bunny physio but I’ll ask the vet next week. He’s sat on his chair now like a grumpy grandad

Erin56 said:

Thank you for your well wishes , I appreciate it a lot. This morning he bounded out of his cage like nothing had happened and ate the kale he had left yesterday! You couldn’t make it up. The vet said it’s most likely his teeth so he’s booked in next week to have them done.
I haven’t heard of bunny physio but I’ll ask the vet next week. He’s sat on his chair now like a grumpy grandad ��

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Awwwwww bless him ! Next he'll be wanting a pipe and some slippers :lol:

I hope all goes well with his Dental next week x