Rabbit falling over

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

I just came back in from feeding and I noticed one of my rabbits, the same one that had the abscess on her foot which has completely healed now and fur is growing back and she is walking on it, she had leaned forward on both of her front feet and raised her back feet off of the floor and then fell over. She did this several times. I picked her up and looked her over and I really didn't notice anything wrong, maybe she broke her toe, but I'm not for sure. A broken toe wouldn't make her do this, would it? Does anyone have any ideas on why she is doing this?

 

[JBun]

Is she exhibiting any other odd symptoms? Is she still eating, drinking, and pooping normally?

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

She is eating and drinking more than I usually see her do, she went through a whole bottle of water in a few hours when normally she only drinks a half bottle a day.Pooping I'm not sure about all of my rabbits are in the same area where all of the poop just falls to the ground so i don't know which is hers but I didn't see anything abnormal in the poop in her area.

 

[JBun]

Has she done that odd behavior again, of raising her hind legs off the floor, and is she continuing to fall over and show signs of balance problems such as unsteadiness while hopping? Have you had abnormally hot or cold temperatures recently? Has anyone that has contact with your rabbit, happen to have a cold sore right now?

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

No one recently has come in contact with any of my rabbits recently but I and I don't have one. Thursday was 76 degrees and the past few days have been in the 40s. When I went out there she was huddled in one corner with her eyes halfway shut and when I put food in there she seemed to extend her back legs fully with each hop to get to it. And when I tried to pet her normally she will bow her head down and let me this time she ran to the back of the cage. I did not see her do that odd behavior while I was out there but that's not to say she didn't do it more during the night and while I was at church.

 

[JBun]

What you describe makes me very concerned there is a serious neurological problem going on. Diseases that I know of that might be a cause of the odd leg movements you are describing are nutrient/mineral deficiences, tularemia, or herpes simplex virus(which is why I asked about anyone having cold sores). All of these can be critical illnesses that need immediate veterinary attention. Other possibilities might be a leg injury, spinal injury, or possibly arthritis issues.

If your rabbit isn't back to normal behavior now and no longer showing movement issues, I would get her to a rabbit vet right away.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

Could it be due to her abscess after it was drained, a possible infection that led to the brain causing neurological issues?

 

[JBun]

If there is still infection in there, maybe in the bone, that could certainly be a cause of what's going on. Maybe not causing neurological issues but pain and infection in the leg or even spread to the bone. She might be trying to avoid hopping on her back leg because it is very painful to do it. If you think it could be infected and she isn't doing well tonight, I would get her to the vet tonight if you have a 24 hour vet that is good with rabbits. Or if she seems stable tonight or you don't have a 24 hour vet, then I would go first thing tomorrow morning to your regular vet.

It also may not be infected but she could have developed some other problem in the leg due to the previous infection, or maybe has arthritis in that leg now that is causing it to hurt her to walk on it. It's hard to know, but clearly there is some sort of problem going on that needs to be investigated to find the cause.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

She seems stable tonight, I will call the vet in the morning and get an appointment.