Bunny spinal injury care??

[annabelle00]

My bunny had a spinal injury six weeks ago. He's been on metacam since then. There have been times where he seemed to move his legs.
He's a cashmere mini and his one left leg which he rests on tends to get very soiled. I do clean him but some of the mushy poo and pee still remains and I really don't want to keep moving him. When I look at his leg I get worried about about him getting infections or urine scald. I put some tissue to absorb what sticks and he's got a drop pan underneath. It's been six weeks and I'm pretty sure his lack of progress is due to my cleaning or sitting him straight :help

I used cornstarch too...made it so much easier...but it still remains soiled and discolored...some of the cecetropes clumps on him when he sits on his legs...also when he does this later on his legs don't move much. I managed to get him to sit up straight once (somehow) and three days later I checked and he moved his legs as though he was hopping/binkying...with me holding his back side up(encouraging but not good considering the strain he could put on his back)

Totally panicking it's already been six weeks and although there has been very little progress it seems to go bad everytime he sleeps sideways. Should I let him sleep sideways or get him to sit straight (not sure how as that usually ends up with me moving a lot or him being squirmish...:help
when i sit him straight he digs through the hay or turns himself over.

Also if a rabbit had a spinal injury would it be appropriate for a vet to hold him up while letting his hind end dangle (she was checking for feeling in his toes)?

 

[Imbrium]

*waves* welcome! I'm glad to see you decided to join RO!... hopefully someone here will be able to give you some good advice

just to fill folks in, we've already had a bit of a chat about this over on Yahoo Answers - here's that conversation: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130323002522AARAx0C

 

[PaGal]

I am sorry that you and your bun are in this situation. I am not experienced enough to give advice, hopefully someone that is will come along. At the very least you can find caring people here that love buns and will support you. Welcome!

 

[MBP3]

Does your vet have extra training on rabbits. Many vets don't receive much training on rabbits in their course work, according to my vet. She took extra classes in treatment of rabbits, but she still sends us at time to a expert in rabbits. I am not saying your vet has no experience with rabbits, just wanted to inform you since you were not sure if your vet should be holding the rabbit with the legs dangling. I don't know if that is bad.
I have a rabbit that has a spinal injury, but not has critical has yours. Our rabbit Hoppy has trouble cleanning his ears on his left side and we often have to clean drobbings near his genitals and his foot. He does hop around okay. If you are not sure of your vet, check out to see if there is a house rabbit society in your area and they may have a list (that is where I found my vet) that they recommend. You can check to see if your doctor is on their list, and if not see if there is a doctor nearby that maybe you can get a second opinion.

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

I don't know much about spinal injuries, hopefully someone will come on and help. I will pray for your bun.

 

[Blue eyes]

Oh, it's been awhile since I've since him on RO, but does anyone remember the rabbit owner/vet that has been on this forum? Maybe he would have a suggestion. (His forum name escapes me)

 

[annabelle00]

*waves* welcome! I'm glad to see you decided to join RO!... hopefully someone here will be able to give you some good advice

just to fill folks in, we've already had a bit of a chat about this over on Yahoo Answers - here's that conversation: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130323002522AARAx0C

yes! Thanks for the advice! I had forgotten but there was a vet nurse who boards rabbits around the city area I lived in.

She's a general vet so I'm not sure...her advice on sitting him straight was pretty close to what I've seen on rabbit sites for spine injuries though. But after going to her his legs had pretty much lacked any movement. Although I don't know if that's from putting him in a carrier with movre constraint

In the first two weeks I once managed to sit him up and in a few days he had improved. But its pretty hard to get him to sit up without moving him and touching his spine xs I figure it would be better for someone with experience

Will be taking x rays although his are likely to inflammation.

 

[Imbrium]

Oh, it's been awhile since I've since him on RO, but does anyone remember the rabbit owner/vet that has been on this forum? Maybe he would have a suggestion. (His forum name escapes me)

Geoff? yeah, I was hoping he'd comment on this if he's still floating around... could be worth a PM...

 

[annabelle00]

Would anyone know about using comfrey for spine injury?

 

[ladysown]

spinal cord injuries....To keep the rabbit sitting more upright you need to stuff hay or towels around him. You basically don't want him slumping over or moving around a whole lot.

 

[tonyshuman]

It sounds like at this point the loss of mobility isn't going to go away, so you will need to adapt his living situation to make him comfortable. Several members have taken care of disabled rabbits, and there is a yahoo group for disabled rabbits as well. I think the Metacam at this point is probably just causing stomach and/or kidney injury, which it can do if given long-term. It reduces swelling, which is why it's given right after a spinal injury, hoping that reducing the swelling will allow the nerves to heal. If he is in pain, then it might be good to keep it up. If the pain is from pressure sores, there are other ways to deal with that. I have seen pillows made for bunnies that they will prop themselves up on: https://sites.google.com/site/thehareapparent/bunny-hugger-bunny-beds . There are other materials you can use to reduce the time the urine is in contact with his skin, and other than cecotropes, changing his diet should make all the feces non-messy. Here's some more info for disabled rabbits:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f22/disabled-bunnies-27352/

It really seems that after 6 weeks, the swelling should have gone down and movement should have returned if it's going to happen. I would discuss with your vet if he thinks your bun will improve.

 

[annabelle00]

Took him to the vet yesterday and he does say that it would be most likely nerve damage or a bone fracture. Caramel did show lots of progress in the last couple of days. He's moving his legs, hopping, kicking, flinching when getting his toes pressed too. I'm just hoping that we keep going forward with his progress and he manages to get his back off the floor without help. That would be the aim now and making sure his injury doesn't compound itself.

I'm thinking of taking him to a homeopathic. I bought some comfrey yesterday, don't think we have any willow in this part of the world (?)

I had bought some birch bark herbage by burgess excel from the uk but people at the airport aren't letting it through. It needs to be heat treated before they let it in. The heat treatment would be at 85 C for 8 hrs. Would any of the nutrients still remain? would it still work?

 

[tonyshuman]

Oh that is good to hear. I am not sure about the homeopathic stuff, but I do know that some forms of massage and even accupuncture have helped some bunnies with mobility problems. If you PM the member TreasuredFriend, she may have some info for you. She had a paralyzed bun that she took care of for many happy years. She is quite busy with her rabbit rescue and hasn't been on the forum a lot lately, but may respond if you send a PM. She may also have documented some of her attempts with Karla on her rescue's website. She was totally hind leg paralyzed, but they did a variety of things to make her more comfortable and have a normal bunny life. Her email is at the bottom of the webpage as well. You may also want to look into the book "When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care" and the Yahoo group DisabledRabbits.

http://www.linedgroundsquirrels.com/KarlaPVCWheelcart.html
http://www.linedgroundsquirrels.com/SoulmateRabbitRescue.html

 

[Imbrium]

I'm so glad Caramel is showing some signs of improvement! I think homeopathic treatments are definitely worth a try

 

[annabelle00]

Very sad news He's worsened I'm not sure why...after taking him to the vet. I changed his diet it looks like he's getting quite skinny. Even though I've confined him to his cage he keeps pushing his head through the bars, even when I'm trying to feed him or open it to pet him His back and legs are still dragging Should I take him out to exercise? It looks like his legs are stiff... there was a sudden car noise outside and he started moving them a bit...?

The people who do homeopathy for rabbits live across the city and the ones nearby aren't answering the phone although the first time I managed to get a hold of them they told me there would be %60-%70 chance of him recovering. Is that good? Better than nothing, I will be getting a ride there tomorrow.
Their the homeopathic vets in Castor Bay, North Shore

Learning to make a comfrey poultice atm

Not really sure what to do now as I would usually (at home atm) would not have enough time to take care of him due to my career path and the work I would have to do to get there. Also my landlord (or my family) aren't fond of rabbits being in the house (don't think the landlord knows yet and he lives just 1 house away :s )

I have also got another bunny 5 month angora, they aren't bonded so I'm not sure how that will work :s i.e. cages, spaying/neutering, bonding. Also she just today started jumping on top of her hidey box :s ...its the same thing that happened to Caramel xs

This is him when I first got him.

 

[Geoff]

Sorry I do not have any magical suggestions for chronic neurlogic deficits in rabbits... 6 weeks is a long time to not be walking again, and the likelihood of the ability to get around returning at this point is really remote. I have no experience with putting rabbits in carts and suspect it might be fraught with complications, but many dogs have benefited from such devices to help them continue life without the use of their hind limbs. I suppose some rabbits might be able to adjust, but it would require a LOT of patience. But it would help with the pressure sores and soiling of the down limbs that plague many paralyzed pets. I have absolutely not homeopathic experience so I cannot add any suggestions there either.

 

[annabelle00]

Sorry I do not have any magical suggestions for chronic neurlogic deficits in rabbits... 6 weeks is a long time to not be walking again, and the likelihood of the ability to get around returning at this point is really remote. I have no experience with putting rabbits in carts and suspect it might be fraught with complications, but many dogs have benefited from such devices to help them continue life without the use of their hind limbs. I suppose some rabbits might be able to adjust, but it would require a LOT of patience. But it would help with the pressure sores and soiling of the down limbs that plague many paralyzed pets. I have absolutely not homeopathic experience so I cannot add any suggestions there either.

He is walking and hopping again. After some exercise his legs were moving and hoping. Turns out it was stiff legs. Its his back that isn't going up. :s

Would it be possible to neuter a disabled bunny?

 

[annabelle00]

I've also read other threads by members with the same problem and one poster said damage to the lower spine could cause something similar to Caramel's

 

[bigjake]

rabbits have very sensitive spines, and typically do not heal very well. How did the injury happen, and have you considered culling the rabbit. Quality of life should start to come into play, you said it has been 6 weeks already?? This is not a good sign.

 

[minmelethuireb]

No offense bigjake, but I don't think anyone will appreciate your advice of "culling" their pet rabbit. It's euthanasia, for starters.

annabelle, I wish you good like in caring for your disabled bun.