10 year old bunny health problems

Our 10 year Dutch rabbit started being poorly last Friday. She didn’t eat, hardly moved, was wobbly when she did, her head was pulling to one side and her eyes were scanning. We took her to the vets Saturday and came away with Baytril, Zantac and panacur and she had a steroid injection.

She’s improved considerably and is now eating, her head and eyes are back to normal. She is still a little wobbly and I’m not convinced she can see like she could.

Has anyone got any idea what could have happened? The vet says it’s definitely neurological but couldn’t say exactly what.

We’ve decided to keep her inside, in a small pen, so that she is warm. Any suggestions on set up for her?

aerofine said:

Our 10 year Dutch rabbit started being poorly last Friday. She didn’t eat, hardly moved, was wobbly when she did, her head was pulling to one side and her eyes were scanning. We took her to the vets Saturday and came away with Baytril, Zantac and panacur and she had a steroid injection.

She’s improved considerably and is now eating, her head and eyes are back to normal. She is still a little wobbly and I’m not convinced she can see like she could.

Has anyone got any idea what could have happened? The vet says it’s definitely neurological but couldn’t say exactly what.

We’ve decided to keep her inside, in a small pen, so that she is warm. Any suggestions on set up for her?

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I am sorry to hear about your poorly Bunny. The symptoms you describe could be caused be a few things- Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (EC), Otitis Media/Interna ( middle/inner ear infection) or possibly a CVA (Cerebrovascular Accident/Stroke). The treatment she is on will need to be continued for at least 4 weeks. Has your Rabbit got an appointment booked with the Vet to review how she is doing ? The steroid injection will be why her symptoms have rapidly improved, corticosteroids are a very effective anti-inflammatory and it is inflammation that causes the clinical symptoms of head tilt etc. BUT Rabbits are extremely sensitive to the possible adverse effects of corticosteroids, especially suppression of the immune system.

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Corticost/Cortico.htm

So corticosteroids should only be used in extreme circumstances/as a last resort. Generally it is preferable to use a non steroidal anti inflammatory such as Meloxicam (AKA Metacam/Loxicom)

There is some detailed information on the following links

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

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HeadTiltVestibularRabbit.htm

https://www.veterinarywebinars.com/...-are-caused-by-central-or-peripheral-disease/

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

http://www.greendale.co.uk/cuniculi_disease.html

https://www.veterinarywebinars.com/...oads/2016/03/Study_Notes_Ear_Nose_Rabbits.pdf

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/ear-di...-interna/overview-of-otitis-media-and-interna

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/BacterialOtitisMediaInterna.htm

http://www.tokyovets.com/2017rabbitear3.pdf

This website may be useful to take a look at too

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/head-tilt.html

I hope that your Rabbit will make as much of a recovery as possible

Yes she’s going back to the vets on Friday

I don’t have any experience of this but I’m sending lots of vibes xx

I thought possibly a stroke from how you describe it. Sending lots of recovery vibes for your bunny. Are you going to keep her indoors now? A Puppy Pen makes a decent enclosure.

tonibun said:

I thought possibly a stroke from how you describe it. Sending lots of recovery vibes for your bunny. Are you going to keep her indoors now? A Puppy Pen makes a decent enclosure.

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Yes she’s upstairs in one of the bedrooms

Just an update on Kerplunk; she’s doing well in herself, eating as normal, no head tilt or eye scanning, she’s hopping around and seems happy. She’s definitely lost some vision though, she seems to be drinking more and she seems to be losing weight.

We took her back to the vet last Friday, she’s on panacur until the end of the month, we put it on her food.

Vet said that it could be kidney issues, brain trauma, EC or tumour. She said to take her back in a couple of weeks for a further check up.

My concern is the weight loss even though she’s eating everything. I don’t want to put her through any tests though.

Has anyone had a rabbit lose weight but still eat?

Good to hear she's doing so well - what a little trooper

Bunnies with kidney problems (I have one) will struggle to maintain weight & I've read that if a bunny has active EC s/he will also struggle to maintain weight.

I've no experience of this, so no advice, but sending loads of vibes for your bunny.

aerofine said:

Our 10 year Dutch rabbit started being poorly last Friday. She didn’t eat, hardly moved, was wobbly when she did, her head was pulling to one side and her eyes were scanning. We took her to the vets Saturday and came away with Baytril, Zantac and panacur and she had a steroid injection.

She’s improved considerably and is now eating, her head and eyes are back to normal. She is still a little wobbly and I’m not convinced she can see like she could.

Has anyone got any idea what could have happened? The vet says it’s definitely neurological but couldn’t say exactly what.

We’ve decided to keep her inside, in a small pen, so that she is warm. Any suggestions on set up for her?

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dear aerofine,-wow,lots of info here.--the baytril-[antibiotic]- may not be the answer-but it does sound like ec/-ear infection.-definitely with any antibiotic one must give probiotics,as the gi tract-flora will need to be reinforced,otherwise the immune system will suffer greatly.lots of grasses,water,quality pellets,some treats-as usual.-watch her poops,cecos,and peeing-general activities.- and view http://www.medirabbit.com sincerely james waller from the other kent,wa-usa

aerofine said:

Just an update on Kerplunk; she’s doing well in herself, eating as normal, no head tilt or eye scanning, she’s hopping around and seems happy. She’s definitely lost some vision though, she seems to be drinking more and she seems to be losing weight.

We took her back to the vet last Friday, she’s on panacur until the end of the month, we put it on her food.

Vet said that it could be kidney issues, brain trauma, EC or tumour. She said to take her back in a couple of weeks for a further check up.

My concern is the weight loss even though she’s eating everything. I don’t want to put her through any tests though.

Has anyone had a rabbit lose weight but still eat?

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dear aerofine,-i-just read this post.--please see these web-links http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html abd http://medirabbit.com professor/dr esther vanpragg will answer you email.-note panacur is for worms in gitract,have you seen worms in the poops,i sure hope the vet knows about rabbits,--sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa:wave:

aerofine said:

Just an update on Kerplunk; she’s doing well in herself, eating as normal, no head tilt or eye scanning, she’s hopping around and seems happy. She’s definitely lost some vision though, she seems to be drinking more and she seems to be losing weight.

We took her back to the vet last Friday, she’s on panacur until the end of the month, we put it on her food.

Vet said that it could be kidney issues, brain trauma, EC or tumour. She said to take her back in a couple of weeks for a further check up.

My concern is the weight loss even though she’s eating everything. I don’t want to put her through any tests though.

Has anyone had a rabbit lose weight but still eat?

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Yes and as J+B mentioned renal failure is often the cause. But Rabbits fighting any chronic disease may struggle to maintain their weight. If it is a renal problem then sometimes giving an anabolic steroid such as Nandrolone can help reduce muscle catabolism (muscle wastage) which occurs in cases of renal failure.

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/ChronicRenalLagomorph.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Nandralone.htm

Maybe this is something you could ask the Vet about this.

Prebiotics might help with the metabolism of ingested nutrients. I use this which also contains probiotics https://www.vetark.co.uk/pages/ProC-Professional.aspx

She’s not been on any meds apart from panacur for over a week now. She’s eating brilliantly, poops and wees are fine, she is drinking more though

jewaller said:

dear aerofine,-i-just read this post.--please see these web-links http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html abd http://medirabbit.com professor/dr esther vanpragg will answer you email.-note panacur is for worms in gitract,have you seen worms in the poops,i sure hope the vet knows about rabbits,--sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa:wave:

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She’s on panacur in case of EC which is what the vet thinks it could be.

It'd be a good idea to monitor her weight to see if its ongoing or lost during (what looks to be) an EC episode. i'd say its fine to top her up with a few extra nuggets or fibre first sticks until you are happy with her body condition & continue to encourage her to drink lots . She has made really good progress from when you first posted