Diva's got something wrong with her!

[Fergi]

I know it has been ages since I last posted and it sucks the first post I have in forever is one about a sick bun.

Some of you will remember Diva, she is a two-year old flemish giant.Lately she seems to be having some difficulty with her hind legs. She can't hop high enough to get into the litter box and now she has urine all over her tail, back legs, and tummy. I gave her a partial bunny bath a few days ago but didn't really see very much improvment. She is still able to hop and is using her hind legs just not as well as she had been before. I do not believe she has had any opportunity to injure herself, I don't have to pick her up so I know I didn't hurt her.

Any ideas about what may be going on with her? I do plan to consult with the vet but we were really short on funds because our dog Gunnar just had to have emergency surgery for a blockage and that set me back800$ and then the Chinchilla go sick and that set me back some more.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Extra info, she is in a flat bottom Nic cage with coroplast for the floor. She shares a cage with Fergi and Sam who are both in great health. She has never had an problems like this before and I do not believe that she is overweight.The pads of her hind legs are matted and may possibly be pulling but I wasn't sure if I should trim away the mats or not.

 

[naturestee]

Hi Fergi! I remember you and Diva!

It sounds like a neurological or arthritic problem, although it might also be a bladder issue. Has she had any falls lately? Some spinal injuries can be improved with steroids and temporary confinement during healing. Another cause of neurological problems like this is sometimes E. cuniculi.Even though she is young, arthritis is still a possibility and can be managed. Any hind-end mobility problem like this can cause issues with bladder control and proper positioning while peeing, which could be causing her wet rear.

Since there are so many different possiblities, you'll definately need to take her to a vet. Till then, try using dry baths to help prevent urine scald. There's good instructions here:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

You'll find more good info here on caring for her while she's ill:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12158&forum_id=10

Does your vet take Care Credit? It's a like a credit card for veterinary or medical expenses. There's no interest if you pay back according to one of their plans. The website for that, plus other resources for affording vet bills, are here:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12684&forum_id=10

I hope you can get her in soon.

ray:ray:ray:

 

[JimD]

Hi Fergi !!!:wave:

Sorry to hear that Diva's having some problems .

Angela has already given some great advice :thumbup. I agree that a vet may have to be consulted to get a good diagnosis, but I also understand about the $$$$.

Our MooShu had some similar problems a few months ago. She seemed to have lost some of the use of her hind legs and was not hopping around as usual. She was doing more of a slinking walk, she was stumbling, and she was having difficulties turning & maneuvering around.
I checked her over and couldn't find anything the first time over. She was still managing to keep herself clean and there weren't any apparent injuries. So I checked her again and found 2 of her nails broken off below the quick. It looked like it had happened at least a day ortwo prior.
The next day I noticed that she only ate and drank about half of normal....same thing the next day. She was still pooping and peeing,but she wasn't moving around much. She was overly sensitive to any contact with her hind quarters, too.
I called the vet and she recommended confining her and keeping her activity at a minimum. If she didn't improve I was to bring her in. The broken nails could have been an indication that she may have also injured the bones in her foot. Since the nail is actually part of the bone structure, her balance could be affected. Pain could have alsobeen adding to her problems.She wasn't showing any signs of acute pain or stress, so we decided to see how it went fora few days.

We kept her confined in her cage. I put a soft warm blanket down on thewire bottom. Moosh had already chewed the front of her litter pan off,so she had easy access. I repositioned a few things around in her cage so she would be able to get to them easier, and I removed all of her toys so she wouldn't be stumbling on them. I clipped the rest of her nails and groomed her the best I could.
Within a few days she started to show show some improvement.
After a week she was pretty much back to normal.

This probably didn't help too much, but it'll give you something to read while you wait and watch.

Prayers and good thoughts sent!!

Keep us updated!

jim

PS: LOOKITDAH DIVA BUNNIE!!!!!

 

[Pipp]

Hey Fergi, we've really missed you guys! :kiss:

Sorry Diva's feeling poorly.

Pipp had a back sprain once, just from a taking a bad hop off my chair,shestopped hoppingfor three days or so -- just over the weekend when the vets were closed. She was fineonce I made an appointment. :rollseyes

I'd be the most concerned abouta Urinary Tract Infection,that's the only thing that really can't wait to see if she gets over it with rest. Your vet may be willing to let you drop off aurine sample for a pretty low rate, but I think you have to collect it in a reasonably sterile container and it's not that easy getting a rabbit to pee in a cup:biggrin:.. Is she visibly leaking? Or can you catch some with a screen and a tray or even just in a tray with no litter? I've seen a suggestion or two on how to do that, I just have to figure out where.onder: Maybe the vet may suggest something.

Sometimes the vets won't bother testing, they'll just prescribe a round of Baytril to see if it clears it up.

This would be my main concern requiring a vet visit.

Here's hop(p)ing she's okay. ray:



sas

 

[Fergi]

Thanks so much for the response guys. I have an appointment on Tuesday with the vet to get Gunnar's staples out so maybe he will let me sneak her in at the same time. I do have a CareCredit card and get my bonus check on Friday so one way or another she will get seen.

Thanks for the links Naturestee, I will try out the dry bath and see if that cleans her up a bit. The other links I have purused as well before. I hope she doesn't have arthritis but I suppose it is possible.She really hasn't had any opportunity to hurt herself that I am aware of. I have been giving her time away from the other two so she can relax, she is quite huffy with the other two right now.

JimD, thanks for posting the pic! I did just trim her nails about three days ago and all were fine. We have an animal trimming day once a month in my house, total nails done is 100! I am getting darn good at clipping nails to say the least!

Pipp, I was also considering a UTI but the urine does not seem sluddgy at all, very normal in appearance. She does not seem to strain either.

As for pain, it is possible, I am assuming this by her behavior with the other two and she has taken to biting me lately which is not normal for her.

Thanks for the warm welcome back. I will make sure I get some recent pics posted of the crew as well!:bunnydance:

 

[Pipp]

I know you updated Diva's mats thread, but thought I'd bump this one to see if there are any more details. Does the vet have any guesses as to what's causing her problem?

Hope she's feeling better soon! :nurse:



sas

 

[Fergi]

When he was examing her the very bottom of the end of her nails has little sore spots. What may have happened was the mats were holding the urine close to the body which caused urine scald and that escalated into a bacterial infection I believe he said Cocci was the strain. Chances are it was from matting. I guess I never thought to brush the bottom of a bunnies feet but considering she weighs 14lbs 3/4 ounces the weight must have just been enough to cause the matting.