The Journey with Callaway

I thought I would try this out! We got Cally just about a year ago. He was bought from a breeder in Maryland. He was the cutest little thing when we went to see him, but oh my was he fuzzy. He was coming out of a molt. When we took him home, my fiance hadnt built his home yet so he lived in the alcove for a week. He was quite jumpy and skittish. He would thump at us and speed away to hide. I took this as his previous owner did not handle him much and he wasnt used to it. So I introduced him to petting very slowly and sat with him during his feedings and hand fed him. This helped him warm up a little bit to me..Josh (fiance) was left out into the dust. I guess it didnt help that he tried to force Cally to enjoy being held by nabbing him unexpectedly. I never tried to pick him up just because he squirmed like a mad man when Josh tried and failed. I didnt want to drop him. So after about four months, Josh exclaimed that Callaway hated him. Callaway had afterall taken to following me around the apartment and coming up to me to nuzzle and have me pet his cheeks. I simply explained to him that he needed to stop picking him up. He hated it. So, Josh cut back on trying to pick him up. And this helped Callaway trust him more and allowed him to pet him but never to the level he lets me.

So, a few months go by and I realized its nail trimming time! I was afraid to do it myself for fear I would take it back too far so I scheduled a vet visit. I called around to different vets to see if they had handled rabbits before. One said they did (which I found out was a lie). So we took him in and I cringed at the way they were handling him. Broke my heart to see him terrified like that. They finally got him in a "correct" hold and clipped his nails and put him back in his crate. Josh wanted to discuss neutering because we had heard it makes them more docile and less teenagery. After we found the cost and the cons to doing it, I convinced him to just remain intact. When we got home from the vet and left him out of his crate, oh my goodness was he angry! Thumping his feet and circling the couch. Only lasted a little while though, or at least till food time!

Then January came. Callaway at this point was comfortable with us. He would stretch out with us and watch TV. Even come up randomly and "kiss" my feet or leg. Then one day, Josh and I were watching a movie and all of a sudden Callaway pops up and drops to his side convulsing and paddling. I, never have been experiencing this, ran away crying and yelling "I don't want to see him die" (a little dramatic I know but I was scared). Josh got on the floor with him and helped keep him from going into the wall or hitting anything. It lasted a good minute. After it ceased, I came back into the living room and laid down with him while he groomed. I told Josh that it was a seizure. He said no it wasn't, it couldn't have been. His explanation: Cally went to do a dead bunny flop, landed weird on his neck, and pinched a nerve.... probably. I wasn't fond of this explanation. I researched and youtubed rabbit seizures and found it was extremely rare and all of the youtube videos didnt look like what Callaway experienced. So I sided with Josh. Till a month later. Josh wasnt home. I was working on paperwork, and I see him do it again. This time instead of screaming like a baby, I consoled him and helped keep him safe. It only lasted about 30 seconds to which he jumped around and began to groom. Now, if youve read any of my posts in the Infirmary and Health and Behavior, you know this part. I use groom loosely when it comes to post seizure. He "grooms" his chest. Now, why do I use it loosely? Because if I place my hand under his chin, he continued to groom as if it wasnt there, licking my hand.

So I called the vet again *cringe*. I took him in again and the vet examined him, cleaned out his ears, took his temp, checked pupils, etc. I got the run down on household cleaners, electrical cords, etc. There had been nothing new in the house nor accessible to him. Not to mention the fact he was always in the same room as us or in his cage. I did recall though that we had just bought a new bag of Timothy hay from Walmart. I read somewhere that animals can defecate on the hay prior to reaping and parasites that are commonly found in raccoon feces can lay eggs which lay dormant. Till ingested that is. So, the vet told us we had three options. 1. Put Cally under anesthesia and get blood work done. 2. Used Baytril for 6 weeks to see if issue corrected. 3. Not do anything and just try to make him comfortable. So, we decided the less harmful option of using Baytril. They gave it to us in a cherry suspension. To which was sticky as can be and Cally wouldnt take it via the syringe. So we coated his food with it. The first week we didnt see anymore seizures. The next two weeks he would be with grammy and pappy till we made the comfortable journey to TN on a relocation and got set up. He followed the end of the second week. They had not reported any symptoms while he was with them. He was alot more friendly though. Very very snuggly, actually let Josh pick him up. Even resting head on my legs to get attention. BUT he is more sexually needy. Emiting his stink and honking. Even trying to hump our elbows and knees. He is binkying more also. Its pretty neat to watch. He goes a week in TN, no symptoms still on the meds. End of the fifth week on Baytril, he begins to seize again. Now, its multiple times per day almost every other day. We finish the Baytril and it just seems worse.

I begin my search for a TN rabbit Savvy vet. I wasnt going into the black abyss with someone who knew nothing. So, I found one! An hours drive. We made it yesterday. I fought with Cally to get him into his travel crate. Josh had left him out all night long so he thought he was just king of the castle. After I got him in it and in the car, I realized I forgot to put a towel in the bottom of it so I felt bad, pulled over, and let him on my seat till we got there. He ended up peeing on my seat. I actually think he felt bad though because he wouldnt move afterward and I had to pick him up and put him in the crate to go inside.

We go in, they weigh him. He's lost a few ounces which I am thinking comes from the decrease in pellets we've done. He fights with the nurse.. Do you call vet assistants nurses? but ends up freezing in terror since they arn't going to give in and let him be. Doc checks everything, compliments his face and teeth. Asks me questions. He tells me that seizures are very rare in rabbits and he doesnt think any rabbits been correctly diagnosed as epileptic. He had a similar case with another rabbit a few years back. Same behavior, symptoms, etc. That rabbit owner went with an experimental epilepsy medicine and it worked. He hasnt had a seizure while on it. I did explain that I wasnt sure what I wanted to do because I know long term use of epilepsy med can damage the liver. He pretty much told me its a catch 22. Towards the end, Doc suggested we do another run at the Baytril. He said since the seizures are more frequent and worse, there may have been a parasite (he used the fancy term) in the brain that the initial use of Baytril drew out but didnt kill. So, lets try it again.

So, here we are! Day one of the second run of Baytril. Its a concentrated dose. Straight Baytril. Smells like diesel fuel. Doc suggested mixing it with a little bit of apple juice, apple sauce, or organic plain yogurt to make it appealing to Callaway. So, I mixed the .2mL with a teaspoon of apple sauce. I enjoyed watching him lick it out of the bowl, but I realize a tsp mightve been too much. He didnt finish it. So, I think I might give him a few pellets and mix the applesauce with it. I dont know! We will see!

Sorry for the longwindedness... Thought this should start off with a get to know me and my problems!

Till next time!
Callaway and M

Thanks for sharing Callaway's story! That is so scary! Hope his new vet & the Baytril takes care of his seizures & he will be a happy healthy bunny again!

Poor little guy I'm glad you shared his story, and hopefully he starts feeling better.

The baytril may work if his seizures are due to a bacterial problem. But I'm not quite sure why the vet would think an antibiotic would affect a parasite. If the parsite he was thinking may be affecting the brain, is e. cuniculi, then that is treated with four weeks of fenbendazole(Panacur). It is possible for the EC parasite to cause seizure problems, but it would need to be treated with the appropriate meds.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html

There are other things that can be the cause as well, such as a bacterial infection. If the first round of baytril seemed to help reduce the seizure frequency at the beginning, but didn't towards the end of the course, if these seizures are from a bacteria problem, it could be that the first course of baytril wasn't strong enough and the bacteria became resistant towards the end of the course. In that case, it might have been better for the vet to prescribe a different antibiotic, than just prescribing baytril again. One thing to consider though, is that sometimes high doses of some antibiotics like baytril, can also cause seizures. So with the frequency of the seizures increasing towards the end of the first course of baytril, it is possible that the baytril could have been the cause of that increase. This may be something that you will want to talk over with your vet.

If you can and haven't yet, it might be a good idea to have a radiograph of the head done, as well as a blood test. The tests may at least help to rule out some possible causes of the seizures.

This lists some of the different causes of seizures in rabbits. Just be WARNED: the picture may be somewhat disturbing.

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

I'm so sorry your bun is having these problems. I'm sure it must be difficult to deal with. I know when I've had sick rabbits, it is very stressful trying to figure out how to help them best.

He did say something about it possibly being the E. coniculi. I will keep this in mind. Thank you so much! He had been consulting with a head at the University of Tennessee with both the previous bunny case. I just want him to get better! But I will do a little bit more research and consult with the vet. He doesnt have a head tilt**

JBun said:

Poor little guy I'm glad you shared his story, and hopefully he starts feeling better.

The baytril may work if his seizures are due to a bacterial problem. But I'm not quite sure why the vet would think an antibiotic would affect a parasite. If the parsite he was thinking may be affecting the brain, is e. cuniculi, then that is treated with four weeks of fenbendazole(Panacur). It is possible for the EC parasite to cause seizure problems, but it would need to be treated with the appropriate meds.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html

There are other things that can be the cause as well, such as a bacterial infection. If the first round of baytril seemed to help reduce the seizure frequency at the beginning, but didn't towards the end of the course, if these seizures are from a bacteria problem, it could be that the first course of baytril wasn't strong enough and the bacteria became resistant towards the end of the course. In that case, it might have been better for the vet to prescribe a different antibiotic, than just prescribing baytril again. One thing to consider though, is that sometimes high doses of some antibiotics like baytril, can also cause seizures. So with the frequency of the seizures increasing towards the end of the first course of baytril, it is possible that the baytril could have been the cause of that increase. This may be something that you will want to talk over with your vet.

If you can and haven't yet, it might be a good idea to have a radiograph of the head done, as well as a blood test. The tests may at least help to rule out some possible causes of the seizures.

This lists some of the different causes of seizures in rabbits. Just be WARNED: the picture may be somewhat disturbing.

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

I'm so sorry your bun is having these problems. I'm sure it must be difficult to deal with. I know when I've had sick rabbits, it is very stressful trying to figure out how to help them best.

Click to expand...

Hope you get to the bottom of this, he´s such a cute little fellow. It´s always scary when they´re not well, keep us posted.

Seizure free today so far! A little lazy but Ill take lazy over scary. I started doing only a half tsp of applesauce mixed with his meds since the tsp was too much for him. I gave him a nice cardboard box to play in. Has a hole cut in it as an archway to get inside! He likes to lay in it. The box is turned over, top cut off, still has flaps. So the flaps are open where the archway is and every now and again, I look behind the couch and he is laying half in his house out the door way or he is just laying on the cardboard flap. Silly bunny. I think I may put a bottom in it and give him some paper. Ive been reading around the forum and see that other's bunnies enjoy shredding and playing in it. Cally scratched at the carpet mainly when he is going to lay down, so I'm not sure if he would have any interest in it. But we will see. I'll have to let you know. He did the silliest thing today! He was laying with his legs stretched out behind him and I look over and little mister stretches some more, then starts pulling his front legs forward as if getting up but then pushes backward and his stretched back legs push back. Reminded me of the yoga pose downward dog! It was quite silly looking! Has anyone else ever seen their babes doing something strange?

And here is a little bit about me. I am 24 years old and a little introverted so animals are my outlet! Growing up, I've always had a dog and/or another animal. My first dog was a bulldog but I cant remember its name to save my life. Second pet was a cat named Shigar and two rabbits (cant remember their names. These were at my grandmas house), Then I had a Saint Bernard named Scarlet. While we had Scarlet we had two other rabbits. Unfortunately, I was around 4 or 5 and my home life wasnt exactly text book. We lived in a trailer park and my parents were just awful. The two rabbits died due to cold weather and my step father refused to let my mom bring them inside. We had to give Scarlet to a farm because my step father did not want her after she ripped up our bathroom floor (he locked her inside while we went away). After Scarlet was given away, we moved and my mom bought a basset hound named Fred. People mistook him for a beagle all the time! He was precious but peed EVERYWHERE! While we had Fred, we also had a small green parrot, also named Fred. Fred the bird died of suspicious causes...again, due to my step dad. While both Freds were still alive, we also adopted a great dane named Maggie! She was a big old baby. Afraid of the dark and everything! She had a medical issue and constantly had hair loss on her hind quarters. After Fred the bird died, we got two amazon parrots named none other than Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde was a mean bird. I disliked him a great deal! Bonnie on the other hand was precious. She would only let me hold her. But she was stressed out, much in part I think to my home situation. She would constantly pull out her neck feathers and she got blood feathers all the time. We ended up selling them. In high school, I was sent to live in FL and there I adopted a beautiful black cat named Lucky. Eventually during high school, I was fortunately removed from my home but wasnt able to take my cat. But the home that I was placed in had a Border Collie named Jasmine! She was absolutely beautiful. While in college, she had to be put down due to extreme issues in her uterus. Callaway is my first pet since Jasmine. I would like a dog but right now, a dog just isnt feasible. I want another rabbit! BUT Josh does not want one. He is afraid that two rabbits would begin to stink and they wouldnt get along. I tried to tell him that before we adopt, we would let Callaway meet the other rabbit first to see if they get along and all that good stuff. BUT still no. So Callaway will be a lonely bunny for a while..... Unless I sneakily buy a rabbit :lookaround.

I am praying to goodness that I get this job that I interviewed for Monday. Dont get me wrong, I love hanging out with Callaway, cleaning, doing dishes, lawn work, etc.... BUT I can only do so much! Not to mention the fact I hate using Josh's money... I mean not like he busts his butt to earn it... but he earns it! SIIIIIGGGGHH. Well, till another day. Im keeping my eye on little mister and I'll let you know if I do the paper thing.

Good luck on getting the job! I hope it works out for you. I am sorry you and your bun are going through this illness. Hopefully the vet can find the cause and treat it.

Day two of Baytril.... He had one seizure today. Lasted only a few seconds. Not even sure if it even lasted 5. Might send an email to the vet and let him know as well as bring up the med question someone posted earlier.

He spent alot of time playing in his cardboard box today! I was trying to shred the panels. So I cut slits in them so he could get at them a little better. And I put some paper in it for him to shred. He did quite the opposite! He flattened out the paper just like a human flattens out a bed sheet! It was the most peculiar thing to see. He actually even moved his box halfway across the living room! Silly monkey. He currently is running in speedy circles around the couch, stopping periodically to eat some hay.

My neighbor is moving out and has a lot of plants in her shed she said I could have. I just had to split them and get them out of the post they're in. So that's what I did. So now I have some Day Lilly, a couple of Iris, Monkey Grass, and Hosta. Currently they are in our shed with the roots wrapped in plastic bags to keep moisture in till I can plant them. Unfortunately, it wont be done tomorrow. Josh and I are going offroading in the Jeep tomorrow. All day affair. He wants to go Sunday also, so I'm not sure when it'll get done. Hopefully they will keep. Anyone have any ideas? Also, I am scouting out supplies to make a raised garden bed. I dug out a plot for it but 1. TN soil is clay, rock, and root. 2. Japanese Knotweed or Mexican Bamboo has taken over. 3. I cant figure out how to work this ancient artifact my landlord likes to call a rototiller. Has anyone made a raised garden bed before? Tips?

Am I doing this blog thing right? Ive never done it before.:confused2:

And sharing his dead bunny flop halfway out his cardboard play box! Silly bunny

Oh, he is adorable, a relaxed little bunny.

You´re doing fine, we love hearing not just about your bunny but about you and what´s going on in your life. So, you´ve got off to a good start.

I´ll be crossing my fingers that you get the job, it´s always nice to earn your own money.

Keep us posted on Cally and hope the treatment works for him.

Day four: no seizures that I observed and he was a little more active today! He hung out in his cardboard box most of the day playing with paper and the bowl his applesauce goes in. This morning though I was soooo mad at him! Last week he pulled the "I'll stand on to legs, cross my paws, and look at daddy" thing and josh gave in and left him out of his cage for the entire night while we were in bed. So since then, Cally has though he is just king and puts up a fight to go in his cage at night. He has also been making ALOT of racket during the night and in the morning. Fiancé and I had a wine and movie night and didn't get to bed till late. Probably drank a few too many glasses. BUT this morning at 632am, little mister decided it was time to come out and made the hugest noise in the world. I had massive head ache so I got up to let him out and give him his morning pellets so he would be quiet. I go out to the living room, no glasses, in the dark, left him out of his cage and go to get in the container to get his food and he decides that he is going to hop between my feet and attempt to hump the crap out of me! I pushed him away and told him no. He continued to try. I actually had to jump into the love seat to escape him! Distracted him with his pellets and went back to bed. I was so angry at the little guy. I know its not his fault but headaches turn me into a monster!

I got the first half of the transplanted plants planted today. We ended up not going offroading today. Pretty much just worked in the yard and watched Sons of Anarchy on Netflix for most of the day. I'm hoping the plants take off this month. Bed looks pretty sad! But I'm sure it will fill in eventually but I'd love got it to do so before we end up being sent back to Maryland when Josh's work assignment is done here.

I'm hopeful!

He sounds like such a little rascal. Problem is they´re most active at dawn and dusk so it´s probably normal for him to be hyper active and noisy at 6.30am, just caught you on a bad day lol. Had to laugh at you jumping on the love seat to get away from his unwanted attentions :laughsmiley:
It seems to be the season for our RO gardeners, everybody seems to be outside with the flowers.

Callaway was seizure free again yesterday, so I am hoping this thing is working itself out. He is still honking at me and running around. Feel bad for the little guy. We cannot get him neutered to help him out due to this seizure thing. Vet said its dangerous to do in animals who are prone to seizures. SO until this seizure business takes the highway, he is staying intact and in the mood almost 24/7.

I got him some dried seagrass twists as a chew toy thingy and well, it was a long shot. Callaway doesnt chew. Callaway doesnt play. So the twist is just sitting on the floor and thats where it stayed. I put it up to Cally and he just head butts it. Tried to show him how to do it (yeah... I know) but still all I get is a head butt. Really wish I could coerce him to play hwell: but that just isnt in Cally's cards... Not how he rolls.

Speaking of honking, my fiance gave me the good ole lack of intimacy comment. I mean I made the comment myself a few weeks ago. But he threw it at me this morning after I declined him and his snuggles last night. iPhones are the devil. He got his first. The thing was and still is glued to his hand. When he got his, we would be watching a movie. Correct terminology is Iwatched the movie. He would be on his phone. That was almost a good year ago. I got an iPhone. While I am not on it the entire night, I am on it. We've lost touch somewhere. We've settled into a routine. We come home, fix and eat dinner, watch TV, go into bed, play on phone, sleep. Its like that almost every single night. We do not have the same relationship as we did when we first got together. Now the iPhone has taken over. Thats the major part of our lack of intimacy... the other part is that I am just unhappy with myself. BUT I am taking the initiative and working on that! Eating better and doing Zumba at the gym throughout the week. So I hope that part will resolve. But as for the technology interfering.... I dont know what to do. I was thinking of implementing a no phone after 730Pm rule. Phones would get put away at 730 so we spend "quality" time together. But what else can I do? We are getting married next year. I want to have it 100% resolved before then or we are in for a bumpy ride :tears2:.

SORRY for the personal nature of this post... I dont really have anyone to ask advice of in "the real world". I'm in an area where I know absolutely no one. :/ boo. HISSSS.

As far as rototillers go, the one thing I do know is to be light handed with them. Let them do the work. If you try to control them they will drag you across the yard like it did my hubby

Callaway...you can keep trying different things with him as far as toys are concerned. Thumper doesn't play with toys but he loves the dig box and other boxes I put together for him.

I am in the same boat as you. I worked when I first moved here but wasn't friends with anyone there outside of work. Now that I am a stay at home I don't talk to anyone much. Most people that come over are guys into racing. Nothing wrong with that and I do talk to them but it's not like I'll call one up when I feel like talking to someone. Ha.

Relationships can take effort. Our relationship is wonderful and we really do love each other but sometimes life has a way of getting in the way. I think the most important thing is to openly communicate so bring it up with him, let him know exactly how you feel. Be honest and truthful. I think the idea od limiting the phone could work out if both of you are open to it. As a couple I don't think it is possible to just have every moment the two of you without distractions but yes you do need time when it is just the two of you without other distractions.

I made a paper back full of hay and tied it with string and they´ve had real fun with it.

I agree with Denise, if you´re not happy with something you have to bring it up and talk about it. I do hate mobile phones now, especially when you arrange to meet someone and then they spend ages on the phone and don´t even listen to you. I had a bf like that, he would come home and then spend all his time on the computer or the phone....they have their place and we all get drawn in but there has to be time to just talk, exchange stories and even watch the TV or a film together.

Callaway had another seizure today. Lasted about 5 seconds. Same symptoms nothing new. I did notice an odor afterward. It sort of smelled like body odor. But he groomed then went back to sleep as if nothing happened.

I gave him some newspaper today. Didnt play with it at all. Just laid on it. He does like tissue paper though. Is that alright to give to him?

Josh came home early yesterday. Really early. I suppose it has something to do with his intimacy concern yesterday morning. He didnt say anything about it though. Just wanted to snuggle up on the couch. While I was making dinner I suggested the no phones after 730pm... He didnt agree with it. He said it was quite the silly suggestion. I asked him what he thought we needed to do and he shrugged. So, apart from my daily household chores today, I was on my second addiction... Pinterest. I found some really neat things to help keep couples intimate and spontaneous. One of the ideas included a jar, with pop cycle sticks in it with ideas written on them. Each night you pull a stick out and its a "date" night. I thought it was cute. Might give it a try?

We'll see.

and we had another seizure today. This time he was more contorted than normal. After, his hind legs were twitching minimally. I did notice that he has over groomed his on hind leg, the fur seems all matted together. Looks like someone gelled the hair. I dont know if he has pulled the hair out but the hair is stiff and like I said, looks as if someone gelled it.

This breaks my heart.:bigtears:

Poor little guy. I was hoping this round of baytril was going to cure him of his seizure problem. Not sure about the gelled hair. The matted hair could be from laying in some drool, or maybe something else.

Did you have a chance to talk to your vet about the e. cuniculi being a possible cause, and maybe starting Cally on Panacur? EC doesn't always show up as head tilt. It can have a variety of neurological symptoms, including seizures. If you decide to have a blood test done, they can look for EC. If the bayril doesn't seem to be helping, you may want to consider trying the panacur.

I sent an email to the vet with the concerns since their office was closed. So hopefully they will contact me tomorrow. Ill keep you posted.

I do have to say the silly bugger wanted attention today. He hopped over to where I was sitting on the floor. I pet his head and stopped. The little guy decided to swat my leg and say mom! PET ME

I am sorry that Callaway is not yet doing better. I have no idea what the gel could be. I don't have any experience with ill buns so only know what I have read here so I am no help.

As far as playing, you said he likes tissue paper and I don't know if that is safe but you could try packing paper if you haven't already.

I'm sorry that he didn't feel shutting the phones off at 7:30 was a good idea. I know it may be even harder on you since you don't have someone else to turn to to talk.

Just got off the phone with the doctor. We are going to start the Panacur Monday since the Baytril is obviously not doing anything. He said he wanted to try the Baytril first in case it was bacterial, not parasitic. He did it as a first step. Since the seizures are a little worse in terms of his body, we are going to go this route. He will get it once a day for 30 days. I did ask the dreaded question about what we do if he does not respond to the Panacur. He said after that, the next step is all experimental. He said we would go on an anti-convulsion medicine that is experimental in rabbits. Is called Phenobar (spl?). He said due to the nature of it, he could have a very big change in personality. He could become depressed, moody, withdrawn, etc. He said hopefully it is just the EC so the Panacur can take care of it because going down the experimental path is like walking into a dark alley in a foreign town (these are my words... simplified from his). Fingers crossed. I couldve picked it up today, had he called me while I was still in Knoxville. :grumpy: But he called me literally when I walked in the door back at home. So instead of making another hour trip today, I will make it Monday and take care of other business at the same time.

Why was I in Knoxville today?:? Another job interview :big wink: I was hired on the spot. However, I can still deny it as I am waiting to hear back from the job I interviewed for last week. The job I was hired for isnt consistent which is a big eh.... and it is an 45-50 minute drive for just above minimum wage. BUT its something. But I have a bad feeling about the one that is just down the road from my house. They made it a point to say twice during the interview they were looking for long term employees. We're only down here til Watts Bar unit two is finished. :expressionless Apparently its a joke down here considering they've been working on it since the 80s. But with all this government stuff and budget cuts and stuff with this idiot in office, it could be shut down at any time and we could be sent back to MD.:nono

Sorry I have a lot of smilies today... Im in a smiley mood:roflmao: