EMERGENCY: Bunny with no balance and little/no movement in back legs.

[Katmais_mommy]

Note: He's going to the vet tomorrow morning as soon as it opens.

When I let down the ramp to Katmai's hutch, he tried to hop out but instead fell down it and into his enclosure. Then he tried hopping and landed on his back and side. His head and whole body was shaking from side to side (like how old people do when they're in their late 80's+). He wasnt acting himself at all.

He has absolutely no balance whatsoever. His legs are almost useless. He's going to the vet in the morning (if he makes it through the night). But I would like to know what to expect.

He is my heart bunny and my first bunny and I would be devastated if I lose him. As some people know on here, I just lost a bunny last week. So, two bunnies in a short amount of time would absolutely destroy me. :cry1::bigtears:

 

[Dustiechick]

Praying for Katmai. <3
please update us.

 

[Pipp]

I hope he's okay. Hard to say what the problem could be. How old is he?


sas :clover:

 

[woahlookitsme]

Make sure the vets take Xrays!
broken lumbars can be very common in rabbits

You can also see if he has reflex in his back legs by pinching his toe and seeing if he pulls his foot away. If he doesnt then he has no spinal reflex to his rear and it is most likely a broken back or pinched nerve. If he does have a reflex then it might be E.cuniculi (this is what happened to one of my bunnies. She became paralyzed in her hind end (no fractures and she still had reflexes)

 

[Pipp]

Keep him warm (if he's cold), contained (don't let him hop) and make sure he's getting fluids.

Was he in any heat?

Could he have fallen at any point?

Any sign of Nystagmus (eyes darting around)?

Could he have eaten a plant or anything like that?

Does he share any grass or tree space with raccoons or other wildlife?

Was he peeing and pooping normally?

All I can think of to ask.


sas ray:

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Pipp wrote:

I hope he's okay. Hard to say what the problem could be. How old is he?


sas :clover:

He is 2 yrs and 4 months.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Pipp wrote:

Keep him warm (if he's cold), contained (don't let him hop) and make sure he's getting fluids.

Was he in any heat?

Could he have fallen at any point?

Any sign of Nystagmus (eyes darting around)?

Could he have eaten a plant or anything like that?

Does he share any grass or tree space with raccoons or other wildlife?

Was he peeing and pooping normally?

All I can think of to ask.


sas ray:

During the heatwave, he was fine. I let him out into his run and he spent the day lounging against his frozen water bottle. His poops are small, not too dark, and uniform shape (round). He may have jumped over the divider in his hutch and hurt himself. That's my thought. I dont believe he ate any poisonous plants since I cut back the invasive ivy behind his hutch.

If the vet tells me that it's the "jumping over the divider" theory, I'm going to have to revise and build a new hutch for him. My other two rabbits dont jump over their dividers but i know Katmai is infamous for it.


Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts. I'm crossing my fingers and praying for okay results tomorrow.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Also, his eyes were not darting around.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

try stabling him over night in a carrier, propped up with towels. Could be E. Cuniculi, Back Trauma..Not exactly sure. Try to keep him calm.

I'll be praying for him! ray:

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Bunnylova4eva wrote:

try stabling him over night in a carrier, propped up with towels. Could be E. Cuniculi, Back Trauma..Not exactly sure. Try to keep him calm.

I'll be praying for him! ray:

I did a little light research on e. cuniculi and it seems to match Katmai's symptoms. I read that it isnt fatal, just incurable.

As long as he makes it, I dont care. My only issue is money. I'm unemployed and my parents are nice enough to pay for his vet bill tomorrow but $200 is their limit, so i am VERY worried since I know that he will need a blood test and x-ray. And the appointment fee. And a fee for any medication he may need.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

How do I provide him with enough water if he can't move to get to his water bottle? Should I just give it to him by hand frequently throughout the day?

 

[CB Millicent]

My bun had very similar symptoms a week or so after she was spayed. We finally let her out of her cage and she hopped in circles, kept falling over on her left side and acted like she'd had a stroke.

Took her to the vet and had blood work done for E. Cuniculi, then started her on Panacure and Metacam (which wasn't very expensive). However, the blood test came back negative for EC--no titer at all--so the vet told me to stop the Panacure. Because I'm paranoid, I kept giving it to her.

Fast forward 4 months. She is doing MUCH better. She still shakes a bit when she's still, can't periscope and still occasionally falls onto her left side, but she does run around the yard, binkies, and has an otherwise normal life. We did get her a companion and I think it helped tremendously.

I still don't know what caused her symptoms, and it's definitely neurological. But I'm just happy that she's happy. We did build a ramp with sides so that she won't fall off.

About the water: Can you put a small bowl next to him? Or a frozen bottle that will melt and he can lick the condensation off?

 

[Pipp]

It can be a lot of things. We have a half-dozen wobbly UVic guys with something like EC, don't think it happened overnight, but I'm not sure.

It may be an injury, and if that's possible, you won't be able to get around x-rays.

If the vet can rule that out with just the exam, then the likely treatment no matter what will likely be a combo of Panacur and antibiotics, it's standard to treat for both.

The blood test for infection and organ function and maybe EC would probably be a second step if nothing's helping and/or the cause is a mystery.

Thats my experience.

Is he eating? If he's eating, keep his veggies soaking in cold water for awhile before he gets them. If he's not eating, he'll need critical Care or something that will be mixed with water and also allowed to soak. And there's just giving him small syringes full off and on all day, maybe mix a little juice in with it a few times to keep it interesting. .

How is he?


sas :clover:

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Pipp wrote:

It can be a lot of things. We have a half-dozen wobbly UVic guys with something like EC, don't think it happened overnight, but I'm not sure.

It may be an injury, and if that's possible, you won't be able to get around x-rays.

If the vet can rule that out with just the exam, then the likely treatment no matter what will likely be a combo of Panacur and antibiotics, it's standard to treat for both.

The blood test for infection and organ function and maybe EC would probably be a second step if nothing's helping and/or the cause is a mystery.

Thats my experience.

Is he eating? If he's eating, keep his veggies soaking in cold water for awhile before he gets them. If he's not eating, he'll need critical Care or something that will be mixed with water and also allowed to soak. And there's just giving him small syringes full off and on all day, maybe mix a little juice in with it a few times to keep it interesting. .

How is he?


sas :clover:

When I left him last night, he was wolfing down his pellets and oats. I also topped it with 2 papaya tablets and 2 vitamin c tablets.

You have a point about EC not being overnight. May have been a stroke because it's only partial limited movement but I can't figure out where.

I'm going to try and convince my parents to let me take him inside for a week because since he falls over so much, I dont want him falling on the grate part of his hutch.

I'm heading to the vet in a few hours so I'll update everyone when I get back.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

I just took him to the vet. They had me leave him there which freaked me out. So, now I'm home trying to keep myself busy. I'll update in a few hours when I hear back from the vet.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[woahlookitsme]

Any news?

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

ray:

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Hello, everyone. I got back with Katmai from the vet a few hours ago. The vet, Dr. Liz, said he hopped today without falling down, which is improvement from yesterday when he kept falling over.

Dr. Liz said that his current condition may be trauma from a fall OR e. cuniculi.

Due to financial issues, I opted to get the prescription med for e. cuniculi without doing the titer/blood test.

Right now, he is inside for the night, not outside in his hutch. Since he is still very weak, I put him in his old plastic cage with soft bedding, just in case he falls over again.

Next weekend, I am permanently removing the wire grate part of the hutch floor and replacing it with wood. Due to his weakness, I dont want him falling on the metal.

Right now, he is eating his pellets and oats. Since he spent the day at the vet, he was very thirsty when I gave him his water bottle.

I am planning to go back to the vet in 2 weeks for a follow-up exam. Thanks everyone for the well wishes and prayers. He is my heart bunny and I dont know what I'll do if I lose him.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Another update: Katmai is drinking and eating well. He still hasnt urinated yet which is starting to worry me but I shall wait til morning to see. The vet said that him urinating is crucial.
Katmai is hopping around without falling down. He's still wobbly and his head is still shaking but not as bad as before.