There's something about Annabelle...

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BunnyBunch

Active Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2009
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Location
loveland, Colorado, USA
Mommy and I have known there's something just not right about me. You see when I am running too fast around the apartment my back legs will actually go sideways and i'll fall over. Also I can be just hopping by, and the slightest little touch on my side will cause me to topple over. I get scared when these things happen, and seek Mommy's snuggles for comfort. Mommy says she has also noticed that when I am just hopping about or walking my tail is always pointed left. The other bunnies do these activities with their tails pointed upward. Finally I have more difficulty than my siblings in finding traction on smooth surfaces, as my hind legs will slip out completely from under me at times.

During a routineexam a couple months agoMommy mentioned these things to the vet but the docjust set me on the floor, watched me frontways as I hopped a couple steps, and said I was fine as far as she could tell. Surely I am not dreaming these things up and maybe somebunny else has a clue!

I know Mommy loves me just the way I am, but i'm worried. I want to be with her a long time don't you know!!

So mommy took a weawy good look at me today and has come to the following conclusion-in past somebody must have handled me wrong and I injured my back. I am obviouslynotparalyzed, but my spine seems to be twisted, asmy hip joint (and therefore hind legs) areat a slight angle. And dat is why I fall over at times she tinks. She says she can feel that my spine is not straight. She says she'd feel more comfortable taking me to wabbit savy vet just to make sure, but little monies we have needs to go to food, and rent, and der is not enough left over to do dat (go to vet for non-emergency) right now. Anybunny/body else experience this, or have any ideas/thoughts??
 
If you can tell the spine and legs are not straight then she/he probably does have a spine/nerve problem. The best thing is to have a x-ray done, when you can afford it.



Sounds like your bunny is stillhappy and runningwith these symptoms, but she/he may need future medical attention if it worsens.

:hug: :)April






 
one other thing about her... when she drinks from the water bottle she makes a noise like a short high pitched fart everytime she swallows??? I figure it just makes her "her" but think its odd nonetheless!
 
Have your vet do a full CBC w/EC titer. Start treating for E Cuniculi. The initial presentation of EC is a "laziness" in the hind quarter. In the numerous rabbits I have treated here with EC, it has always presented in the left rear....my description is it looks like they have forgotten how to use that leg. This usually presents initially as a very slight stumble....and many times a urinary incontenance problem will also be present. This is many times misdiagnosed by vets as a UTI and they feel thestumble isfrom pain. They will treat fora UTI and it appears the rabbit will get better. But it's the rabbit's own immune system that is doing the attack. But EC will overwhelm the immune system and the neuro issue will return. Most vets have never actually seen EC and they don't treat it properly. Most will use one of the"bendazoles". But the parasite that causes this is in the brain and these drugswon't penetrate the barrier protecting the brain. I use a drug called Ponazuril and it does penetrate the blood/brain barrier and is effective against EC. I am currently treating one of my rabbits for the very same thing. She is showing a great response to the Ponazuril. It is vitally important to keep your rabbit properly hydrated as they spores shed from the protozoa will damage the kidneys....keep the fluids going. You will also need to be on guard against bacterial infections allowed by the compromised immune system....upper respiratory and ears are the primary targets of these secondary infections. But get that titer done....and the specimen has to be sent out as there are only a couple of labs that can titer for EC. And get treatment for EC going immediately as a pre-emptive strike.

Randy
 
I agree that you should check for EC, since it could be hind leg weakness due to that. You have to treat EC quickly and aggressively to beat it, but it can be done. The full name for EC is encephalitozoon cuniculi.

If it is determined to be a mechanical/spinal issue and not an infection, I don't think it will impact her much. She may have to be more careful while running, and maybe you'll have to put down rugs in her play area and perhaps pillows near the walls so she doesn't run into them. If her mobility becomes very poor in the future, there are options to keep her comfy even if she can't get up to use the toilet, so don't worry about that.
 
um, well I don't think its EC cause she can use both legs. as far as urinary incontinence, she doesn't go outside the litterbox to pee ever. She has a peepee butt though. She grooms herself elsewhere fine but does not seem capable of reaching her butt. maybe because of spine issues? anyhow, her hunny Travis grooms her but not on her butt. and her butt is getting smelly. i hear its bad for health to give a bunny a bath, so what can i do to keep her clean smellin and her butt clean?
 
Usually EC starts in just one of the rear legs, then progresses to both.

You can give her a bunny butt bath, where you hold her around the chest area and support her back on your belly. Then her back legs can be put in the sink, and you can wash her with your other hand. Use warm but not hot water, a mild soap (like baby shampoo or Dawn dish detergent). Dry her very well with a towel, and even keep her in the towel snuggling with you if she'll allow it. Let her dry the rest of the way in a warm area w/o drafts.
 
"If her mobility becomes very poor in the future, there are options to keep her comfy even if she can't get up to use the toilet, so don't worry about that."

Like what? Took her to vet yesturday, and she said Annabelle's spine is pretty twisted, and so her mobilty will most likely worsen in the time to come.
 
Well, there are buttbaths, baby cornstarch, preparation H, diaper cream, udder creme to keep her hind end skin ok. Also fleece bedding to soak up urine or something called Palace Pet Bedding or Vet Bed. There's also a Yahoo group called Disabled Rabbits with lots of members with experience, and we have a few on here too who've had disabled bunnies. The fact that she has a buddy will help. If you want, you can even look into dog wheel chairs so she can get around, depending on her size.
 
If you a have a video camera post the video to here.

I do agree with the others about looking at testing for EC. I've had two rabbits with that nasty disorder.

I used hylyt shampoo to wash my rabbits' butts.

 
EC can be passed from a mother rabbit to her kits in utero. It also is shed in urine so one of a bonded pair could become EC positive.
I do believe that a large number of domestic rabbits have been exposed to it . Some rabbits will be asymptomatic throughout life while others will begin to show symptoms when the immune system is weaker either due to age and /or illness.
 
Becka and Angieluv are right. Almost every domestic pet rabbit has been exposed to EC and carries a low level of the parasite in them. Under stressful conditions, the immune system of the rabbit stops keeping the parasite population low, and an active infection occurs.

Interestingly enough. I have read of some places that breed rabbits for medical research, and they've eradicated EC in their facilities. But unless your rabbit came from one of those places, it probably has been exposed to EC.
 
When we went to vet, she said that an EC titer would come up positive for most bunnies, and that it can't tell us if this is an active case or not...? Since then I have suspected that Annabelle has been losing weight, but know for sure now because today when I was petting her down her back she felt like all bone. also noticed today that she has soft globby pudding-like poops. she's been racing all over the place lately though, and was doing a couple binkies the other day. so her mobility appears to have gotten better, but her genral health is decreasing?? wish we had a MORe knowledgable vet closer to us! our current one continues to convince me she clueless!!
 
Your last post tells me several things. First, your vet is a good reader but probably doesn't know much about EC. In the initial stages of EC, some of the clinical signs will appear to resolve. Many vets will treat for symptoms of a perceived ear infection, or urinary tract infection or something else. The symptoms appears to go away. But it isn't the treatment from the vet....it's the immune system mounting a response. Symptoms always come back....and come back hard. Your vet is right, nearly every titer will show positive...but someone that understands EC can integrate the titer into the overall puzzle and tell what is happening. And it appears that your rabbit's immune system is responding to something.....the issue is to find out what it is.

One of the first rabbits that I had that presented EC taught us a lot. He lost mobility a couple of times....and both self resolved, at least temporarily, and he was able to walk again. EC is one of those "one stop forward, two steps back" type of deals....it is truly a wasting disease that takes the body in small pieces.

I would highly suggest both a full CBC with EC titer and a full urinalysis. Those tests will form a base line to chart bodily functions....especially the renal system. And based on presentations, I would start appropriate EC treatment immediately. One of my rescues, Angel, recently began presenting loss of mobility in the hind quarter and eventually urinary incontenance. I started Ponazuril (Marquis) immediately. This is a treatment that very few vets are aware of. This is the only drug thatis both effective against EC and can pass the blood/brain barrier to reach the parasites. As of this time, she is fully recovered with very little neurological impairment.

Randy
 
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