Diarrhea? Suddenly sick bunny. (RIP)

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Just wanted to update with the conclusion... I got the Necropsy report sent to me.

Summary of the microscopic exam was:
Eroded surfaces of cecum, blood vessels in lamina propria congested, infiltrate of low numbers of heterophils noted in lamina propria and central lumen.
Overgrowth of bacteria along some surfaces of central lumen. Infiltrates of slightly increased numbers of plasma cells present within cecum.
Liver: mild periportal to random infiltrates of lymphocytes & plasma cells present.
Kidney: Mild multifocal tubulointerstitial infiltrates of lymphocytes & plasma cells.
Normal colon & intestine.

And what it means, quoted from the report:
"Diagnosis:
1. Subacute erosive typhlitis with bacterial overgrowth.
2. Mild chronic interstitial nephritis.
3. Mild chronic portal hepatitis.

Comment: Histologic changes in the cecum are typical of clostridial infection. In this case a subacute variant. This condition is sometimes associated with changes in diet, high carbohydrate diet, reduced roughage in the diet, concurrent infectious diseases such as coccidiosis or cryptosporidiosis, and concurrent colibacillosis. No parasites are seen in the gut. An interesting finding in this case is the inflammation in the kidney and liver, although mild and chronic, is most suggestive of a concurrent encephalitozoonosis."
 
Thanks for posting that. It sounds like they think he had a small intestinal infection, but he had some chronic liver and kidney damage that they think was due to a long-term EC infection. So perhaps he had EC, and a small gut disturbance really set his system off, and because he was weakened by the EC, he wasn't able to fight off the GI infection. An EC infection could have also led to that scanning type head movement he was making for a bit.

I wonder if they considered though that the clostridium toxins could have caused the damage to his liver and kidneys, not an EC infection? I just think many vets see a bunny with tilt and automatically assume EC is involved. In any case, his little body had been through a lot and he had the best care he could have.

:hug2:
 
The pathologist who did the necropsy was only given his age, that he was a neutered male and had a 10 day history of diarrhea that was non responsive to supportive care.. so the EC assumption was based on the condition of the kidneys and liver, not the head tilt.

I know that he had exposure to EC, because he lived at the rescue for 2 years with rabbits constantly coming in and out, some with known cases of EC. My personal opinion is that the uneven wear of the teeth affected how much hay he was eating long before I noticed any problems.. the lack of hay set off the gut, and in his weakened state the EC reared up... though I know it could have been a number of other things..
 

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