Injured Spine!

[ellissian]

I am posting on behalf of an online friend whose 6 month old English Lophas beensuffering from paralysis for a month now. This is what she emailed me.....

When I went to pick Eric up from out of his cage, he kicked so hard that he lost his balance in the back of his body. It wasnt till the next day that i saw him starting to lose balance. We took him to the vet and they said that he had hurt his spine. He did not snap it but just injured it. They said it was like a bad disk in a human. They gave him an injection of Prednisolone. The also gave him the liquid form of it that we gave to him through a syringe. He got that once a day. He was on it for at least 3-4 weeks than he ran out. He got a little better to where he could stand for a short amount of time but then would fall over. We called the vet to see if we should put him back on it and they said no. Right now he sits in a cage unable to move his back end. He drags himself around and sometimes he tries to switch sides and flips on his back.

She says he is eating, drinking (with help) and pooping fine but has lost quite an amount of weight. Her vets have only ever gave him prednisolone and have now advised her to put him to sleep! I am hoping someone will have some advice for what she can do for her baby, it seems to me as if he is fighting and not giving up. Thanks in advance.

 

[NZminilops]

I don't know if this helps much, but I just read this here: http://www.aquavet.i12.com/Rabbit.htm



Hindlimb paralysis/paresis - Damage to a rabbit's back by any kind of trauma can lead to partial or complete paralysis of the hind limbs (see above).
Cause: The most common cause of back trauma is when a rabbit is being restrained and it kicks out suddenly or twists. Even when the best restraint is used, it is still possible for this situation to occur. The force of the kicking or twisting can literally fracture vertebrae (spinal bones) in the back traditionally L7/sacrum. The fractured vertebrae are then unstable resulting in severe bruising or severing of the spinal cord. Rabbits can also sustain this kind of trauma (although rarely) when running or playing. Consider possible osteoporosis from long years of inadequate exercise in a hutch - an atrophy of disuse!
Signs: Complete or partial paralysis is immediately evident after the injury. There may be a loss of bladder and bowel control.
Diagnosis: This condition is diagnosed by demonstrating the damaged vertebrae on radiography. Occasionally the vertebrae will subluxate during the injury, cause damage to the spinal cord and then go back into place by the time the x-ray is taken. These cases can be difficult to diagnose unless high detail x-ray film is used or a myelogram is done.
Treatment: With severe cases, consider euthanasia. Cases that have only mild to moderate damage to the spinal cord or that still experience some feeling in the toes and maintain bladder or bowel control have a chance of recovery. These rabbits should confined to a cage for a period of 6 to 8 weeks to facilitate healing of the fractured bones. It may be necessary to use anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids for the first few days after the injury. Many of these rabbits will regain at least partial if not total neurological function and live a good quality of life.

 

[ellissian]

thank you Michelle I will email it to her

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

Has any rads been done on this rabbit's spine? A specialist should be able to interpret them to see if the spinal cord has been damaged. In some cases...check out our blog for Miracle's story....the spinal cord has suffered trauma from swelling and if the cord is not severed, it is possible to have at least some recovery. We have dealt with several buns with spinal issues. Most often, there is some degree of luxation in the spine at the trans-lumbar region and the damage is normally found at L7. If the cord is not severed, there is always a possibility of some degree of recovery...again, see Miracle's story. We routinely treat spinal trauma with a steroid....we usually use Dex SP but prednisone is good too. Steroids given long term can lead to some issues....and since it does suppress the immune system, a broad spectrum antibiotic should also be given while on the steroid. Can this rabbit recover? It all depends on what the damage is to the spinal cord. It took Miracle months to move from total hind quarter paralysis to being able to stand to being able to hop. We have also worked a couple that did not recover. Can a paralyzed rabbit live aquality life? Yes....if the humans are willing to spend the time and money to make it happen. If there is no hope for movement, the vet may want to fuse the vertebra to stabilize the column. There are also companies that make custom carts so the rabbit can wheel along pulling by it's front feet. The real challenges in dealing with a paraplegic rabbit is the skin issues that develop from dragging itself....and the gut issues. It would be a challenge. My suggestion is to get a series of x-rays and have a veterinarian neurologist assess the damage and make the decision from there.

I don't know how well this will show up, but I am going to attempt to post an x-ray of a spinal luxation with cord damage.

Randy

 

[ellissian]

Thanks so much Randy!

 

[ellissian]

Just a quick update about baby Eric. I've just heard he has started hopping!!!! It sounds like he is going to be ok!

 

[Leaf]

I think its great that he is showing movement, but I'd still be extremely cautious until X rays are done. There may be a problem that is only recently feeling better - but not necessarily on the *mend*.



Stitch, the standard rex I had, had a pre existing back injury I knew nothing about when I brought him home. A wrong move on his part further injured his back and ultimately sent him into shock he never recovered from.

I definantly would look into having that vet do more, or find a vet who is willing to find the source of the problem rather than treating the symptoms only.