last night i put my bunny into the cage and when i let him out in the morning, he was limping and not able to come out of the cage. Then he tried to jump onto my lap, tried twice but could not. I'm so worried abot the lill one as it has been with me for 7 months since its birth, i've seen him learning how to walk, eat, drink and jump. I cant see him sick. Im taking him to a vet in 2 hours, but i would like to know if there is any first aid kind of a care that i can give to him before taking him to the vet. :bigtears:
bunny not able to walk properly
- Thread starter v4vikas
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It could be due to an injury, or some parasites can cause weakness/paralysis problems. In case it's due to an injury, it would be best to keep him confined to a smaller area, and not let him hop around much, as this may aggravate the injury. Just keep him comfortable and make sure he is still eating and drinking, until you can get him to your vet.
Imbrium
Jennifer
I'm really not sure how much you can do for him before the vet visit... definitely make sure his movement is pretty limited so that he doesn't hurt himself more by trying to get around. Make sure he can reach his food and water very easily and is eating/drinking and make sure he's a comfortable temperature (not too warm or cool). Ear rubs are always very reassuring 
If he seems to be in pain, you can potentially give him pain medication... preferably metacam/meloxicam if you have it (only available through vets). Baby aspirin is safe for rabbits, but without being able to guess at the cause of your rabbit's issues, I'm inclined to recommend against giving it since aspirin is a blood thinner and it's possible that the vet may need to do blood-work or something. With the vet visit only an hour and a half away now, I honestly wouldn't give him anything unless he truly seems to be in pain simply because there's always a risk that at-home medicating might interfere with what the vet would normally do. If you do give a pain medication of ANY sort, it's absolutely imperative that you tell the vet how much of what was given and at what time. This website has dosing info for pain meds - http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm
ray: Best of luck to both of you at the vet visit! Please let us know how it goes and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions later.
If he seems to be in pain, you can potentially give him pain medication... preferably metacam/meloxicam if you have it (only available through vets). Baby aspirin is safe for rabbits, but without being able to guess at the cause of your rabbit's issues, I'm inclined to recommend against giving it since aspirin is a blood thinner and it's possible that the vet may need to do blood-work or something. With the vet visit only an hour and a half away now, I honestly wouldn't give him anything unless he truly seems to be in pain simply because there's always a risk that at-home medicating might interfere with what the vet would normally do. If you do give a pain medication of ANY sort, it's absolutely imperative that you tell the vet how much of what was given and at what time. This website has dosing info for pain meds - http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm
ray: Best of luck to both of you at the vet visit! Please let us know how it goes and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions later.i just took him to a vet, doc gave him some injections, told me that it was due to cold weather and asked us to visit im again tomorrow if no improvement is shown. Im praying god to take care of him. Im doing what all i can do for him. Need your prayers too :sad:
ladysown
Well-Known Member
how was the way he was acting related to colder weather?
it's cold here (snowing).... none of my rabbits now or ever have had any issues with mobility with the onset of colder weather.
So I would like to understand the vet's reasoning.
what were the injections for?
it's cold here (snowing).... none of my rabbits now or ever have had any issues with mobility with the onset of colder weather.
So I would like to understand the vet's reasoning.
what were the injections for?
Imbrium
Jennifer
How experienced is the vet with rabbits? Also, do you know what the injections were?
That diagnosis just doesn't sound right at all to me, as rabbits take to cold very well - I've never heard of anything like this happening "because of cold weather".
We have a library of rabbit-savvy vets here - http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/ - I think it would be a really good idea to see if one is listed for your area and if so, to get a second opinion.
We'll be keeping your bunny in our thoughts!ray:
That diagnosis just doesn't sound right at all to me, as rabbits take to cold very well - I've never heard of anything like this happening "because of cold weather".
We have a library of rabbit-savvy vets here - http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/ - I think it would be a really good idea to see if one is listed for your area and if so, to get a second opinion.
We'll be keeping your bunny in our thoughts!
ray:
lovelops
Well-Known Member
hey there, did he do anything while playing the day before ? Did he get caught in his cage? That happened to my agouti when he was 4 months old. He went to hop into his cage and his paw got caught in the door of the cage (I had it down to use as a ramp) he started limping and I felt like I was going to die. These are the babies I raised from 4 days old because the mother died when they were 3 days old.
It may be a strain or something. Do you have a vet around that is good with rabbits and exotics?
It may be a strain or something. Do you have a vet around that is good with rabbits and exotics?
How experienced is the vet with rabbits? Also, do you know what the injections were?
That diagnosis just doesn't sound right at all to me, as rabbits take to cold very well - I've never heard of anything like this happening "because of cold weather".
We have a library of rabbit-savvy vets here - http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/ - I think it would be a really good idea to see if one is listed for your area and if so, to get a second opinion.
We'll be keeping your bunny in our thoughts!
i was told that the injections were for getting strength as he z very weak, im not able to read the prescription his hand writing is very pathetic
Imbrium
Jennifer
If you don't mind (and assuming they're open today), do you think you could call and ask them what exactly the injections were? Even if you don't manage to get the spellings 100% perfect over the phone (easier said than done with unfamiliar medications!), we should be able to determine what drugs were given. That may help us figure out what's going through your vet's mind (and should you seek a second opinion at any point, you'll definitely need to be able to tell the new vet what's already been done).
this is almost similar case with ours. hw fast did your agouti recover? i took him to a better doc now and i was told that it could be some spinal injury as it is not able to move at all. i almost thought it couldnot survive any more and was in tears. he was given saline and pain killers and the doc asked me to give him 5 drops of "VEROL" twice a day. im so worried about him i've seen him growing up since he was a week old. i want to see my bunny walk by the time i wake up in the morning, i cant take if anything happens to him, need more prayers from you all. i also put his mate separately as suggested by the doc.
The only way that I can see cold making a rabbit weak and affecting it's ability to stand, is if the rabbit for some reason, became hypothermic, in which case warming would be the needed treatment. Another reason could be arthritis, which would need longterm medication and not just a one time thing. I can't understand any reason for suggesting cold as the cause with a one time medication as the treatment. Were you given any medications to give at home? Does your rabbit live indoors or outdoors, and do you happen to live in the US, or another country?
I can't tell what meds those are supposed to be. I would suggest calling your vet office and asking for the specific medication info that your rabbit was given.
I can't tell what meds those are supposed to be. I would suggest calling your vet office and asking for the specific medication info that your rabbit was given.
Do you know what pain meds you were given? Were any xrays taken? Are you seeing any paralysis or just limping?
Imbrium
Jennifer
Unfortunately, I can't even begin to decipher that horrible handwriting
I'm glad you were able to get him to a better vet! If it's a spinal injury, he *could* fully recover depending on how severe it is and how well it's treated, but there's a possibility that he'll never regain the ability to use his hind legs. However, that wouldn't necessarily mean that he can't continue to live a good life.
Here are a few threads I dug up with the search function regarding spinal injuries and/or the option of a "bunny wheelchair" - they may be worth skimming through.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/homemade-wheelchair-paralyzed-bunny-75185/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/rabbit-without-hind-legs-gets-new-way-travel-48177/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/bunny-spinal-injury-care-73909/
aozora
Amy, Member
His temperature was 100.2 F at the time your vet took his temp, which indicates hypothermia from what I understand (since rabbits' body temps should be around 101-103 F).
Where are you located, by the way? Depending on the country they may have different trade names for the same types of medications and those are looking like trade names to me. the second one was given sub-cutaneously and from the sounds of it so was the first one?
I am honestly puzzled as to why the second vet is prescribing you this "VEROL" syrup though, which from the looks of it is supposed to be a multi-vitamin geared towards dogs and there is absolutely no mention of it being safe for rabbits...
But most importantly, are they doing anything to warm your bunny up at all? If he's still hypothermic that is going to be a huge concern.
Where are you located, by the way? Depending on the country they may have different trade names for the same types of medications and those are looking like trade names to me. the second one was given sub-cutaneously and from the sounds of it so was the first one?
I am honestly puzzled as to why the second vet is prescribing you this "VEROL" syrup though, which from the looks of it is supposed to be a multi-vitamin geared towards dogs and there is absolutely no mention of it being safe for rabbits...
But most importantly, are they doing anything to warm your bunny up at all? If he's still hypothermic that is going to be a huge concern.
lovelops
Well-Known Member
I can only read the temp everything else is Greek to me. I just took my bunnies to the vet yesterday. My doc is good with my bunnies and my other babies (I've got 4 rabbits). I can try to call him Monday when he's back in the office. How is your little one doing? Getting any better???
lovelops
Well-Known Member
With my little guy it took him a couple of days. A spinal cord injury doesn't sound right to me but then again I'm not a doc.
I've had animals with spinal cord injuries and they could not walk at all. One became paralyzed (and then was able to walk again after two months..)
off
Are you able to get a second opinion? Is there an emergency vet office around that you can take him to that has doctors that know something about rabbits? I would really go get a second opinion but then again this is coming from a person who spent $5000 before on MRI's for my animals...
I've had animals with spinal cord injuries and they could not walk at all. One became paralyzed (and then was able to walk again after two months..)
off
Are you able to get a second opinion? Is there an emergency vet office around that you can take him to that has doctors that know something about rabbits? I would really go get a second opinion but then again this is coming from a person who spent $5000 before on MRI's for my animals...
ray:
Imbrium
Jennifer
I believe the vet who said "spinal cord injury" was the second opinion - the first just blamed the cold weather and gave some injections we haven't identified ><
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about spinal cord injuries, but I know the symptoms can vary a fair amount depending on the location, cause and severity of the injury - with a less serious injury, sometimes walking is still possible.
hez getting worse hez not even able to lift his head up, i just fed him som milk, as he is not able to take in solid food,i gave him juice of cauliflower leaves which he likes. he could only lick the fluid that i put near his lips, he couldnot even clean his mouth after drinking. he also has no control on his excretion. i dont mind cleaning him even hundred times a day, but i cant see him like this. Jesus, instead of making him suffer more, take him to your hands. i dont think i can ever see my lill bunny come to me and lick me. im sorry i could not respond to everyone as im not abl to control my tears, and thanq all fr the replies n prayers.
