You’re a big help, MimzyMum, and what you’re saying makes a lot of sense. All the 5 seizures have occurred in the wee hours except the first which was around 11:15pm. That’s why I’m wondering if being up and keeping Buddie up past his bedtime was triggering seizures. I’ve racked my brain trying to notice something that goes on in the wee hours that might be a trigger, but can’t come up with anything. I’ll look at a calendar to see if they’ve happened on the same day of the week. Thanks for your healing vibes, you’re sweet. Sweet little bun you have there, too!

Jerseygirl and RabibitPam, thank you for bringing up the subject of eating. I feed Buddie veggies whenever he runs low and that continues throughout the night. When I get up during the night, if I see he’s out of veggies, I’ll replenish more. In the evening usually, I replenish him with fresh timothy hay and he grazes on that. I keep him constantly stocked with pellets and he seems to munch them periodically through the day. Thanks…

RabbitPam, you suggested he sleep more during the day to offset fatigue at night. As to sleeping during the day, he does just that. He retires to his mini-maze about 9:00am and stays there until about 3:00pm, coming out occasionally to eat the veggies I put out for him. Thanks.

As you suggest, Elrohwen, my vet has been consulting with other vets with rabbits with seizures for their opinion. I guess it’s a matter of guaging how often he has seizures. Thanks for writing. It looks like Otto has a good setup and he’s cute.

Thanks, Bunnytowne, for your good thoughts. Good vibes to Cotton and Lady Ruby.

Thank you, Sage Cat – what a cool name, and your buns are adorable. I spoke to our vet today, she’s still waiting to hear from her colleagues on this, she said she will put in another call to them. Said from what she’s heard, Buddie is an unusual case because he’s having seizures so young in his life. But if i remember correctly, Linda at the Rescue said Cinnamon had had seizures from early on…except that his were 2 or 3 times a day. Thanks for your good thoughts and right back to you.

Hi Jerseygirl, I can’t thank you enough for what seems to be some definitive info and treatment for epilepsy in lionheads. Triggers seem to all apply: artificial light, bright light ( I work on my computer in semi-darkness in the evening with just the hall light on casting a very little light in Buddie’s cage but sometimes I’ve had the light over the kitchen sink on along with the hall light which brings more light into his pen; TV – I don’t have the TV on (but if TV can induce seizures it stands to reason that the light or electrical stimulation of a computer monitor on, can; overhandling (I pet Buddie frequently and one seizure occurred immediately upon stopping petting him); just plain activity around the rabbit – I am quite active at different parts of the evening, moving about to replenish his veggies, clean his litterbox, feed myself and him. My computer monitor is right near his pen and I believe he can see the light from it from where he’s at in various parts of his pen. Many if not all the accounts you so kindly and helpfully sent onset during puberty and continued, days, weeks or months apart. I believe his being a llionhead is specifically related to the epilepsy after reading the info you sent. My feeling as a result of reading both that info and the accounts you emailed me – THANKS SO MUCH! – is that perhaps we should continue with the Fenbendazole (Panacur) in case it’s an E.C. parasite that is causing the seizures, along with the Marin good liver-promotor tablets for the full 30 days. Perhaps then, he should go med-free and see how he does, as the anti-convulsant drugs were reported as not doing any good while inducing harmful side effects (to the liver I assume, and perhaps others). I’ll ask about supplementing him with Metacam while he’s on the Fenbendazole. I hope you have a good night’s sleep, Jerseygirl, you deserve only good night’s sleep for the rest of your life, for the immense help you’ve given me! Thanks…

jerseygirl, thank you both for your posting of info on lionhead bunnies & seizures and your email with helpful info on rabbits & seizures. I tried to email my thanks to you via the message center but my computer crashed as a result so I am posting here. I have a call in to my vet to call me so I can relate to her all the info you so helpfully researched for me. Thanks a million!

Hi jerseygirl, thank you for your kind pointing out that it was probably a coincidence that I petted him and then he had a seizure. I’ll feel a little more reassured that petting Buddie is okay for him (and me) and even good for him if it lowers the heart rate and relaxes him like you pointed out. I will mention the tetany to our vet. i spoke with her this morning and it sounds like she is in favor of stopping meds once the Pnancur is given for the full 30 days along with the milk thistle tablets. I gave her the webaddress you sent about lionheads & seizures and she is going to read it. Thanks again!

Thanks for the new web address you provided about seizures in animals, jerseygirl, I certainly appreciate your finding all this valuable information for Buddie and me!

Spoke with our vet who spoke to a colleague who recommends giving Buddie another 30-day treatment of Panacur after his present 30 days on it ends, along with continuing giving him the Marin liver restoration tablets. Our vet said she’ll leave another bottle of Panacur at the front desk of the verinary hospital so the treatment can be continued and given a thorough chance to kill the E.C. parasite if that is what is causing the seizures. She has questions for the lady who has the website on lionheads and seizures you sent me, jerseygirl. I wrote that lady using the email address she provided on her website so she can add Buddie as another case of a lionhead having seizures in the U.S., and haven’t heard back as yet. I told this to my vet and she thinks that maybe she won’t get an answer either. The lady with the website indicated that she gets in touch with people who report cases of their lionhead having a seizure, so it would be encouraging if I heard from her and if our vet heard back from her in answer to her questions.

Thanks for the vibes, Carrot Lane Bunny. Buddie is doing well, thanks and knock on wood, he’s his perky & inquisitive self. After barreling through his tunnels several times (he doesn’t really have the room in his pen to binky as it’s taken up by his 3 way tunnel network, and his mini-haven, haybox, and bed, but he seems to like the layout well enough), he ate some red leaf lettuce, the medicated banana, a little piece of apple, and a couple dried papaya bits – I’m not sure how many of these papaya bits it’s safe to give him, does anyone know? – and has been munching his chamomile garden treats on top of his timothy hay. He just retired to his lower room in his mini-haven and now he’s out again to see if there’s any mischief to get into!