Buddie had a 6th seizure Sun.,3/28/10 5:50pm

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 12 months ago by lashkay.

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- 03/28/2010 at 6:35 PM
  lashkay
  Participant
  1548 posts
  Buddie had a 6th seizure today, Sunday 3/28/10 at about 5:05pm. I had just joined two willow half-tunnels to make one round one and attached it to his plastic tunnel. The idea was to give him an extension tunnel to chew on other than the plastic. He went at the bottom of the willow weave very vigorously for about 10 seconds and in mid-chew arched his head back twitching and then continued to have spasms and convulsions on his back on the linoleum. He scrambled outside and inside the willow tunnel where he lodged himself for about 10 seconds and was stationary on his back with his foot thrust out, then he continued to scramble outside the tunnel about 5 more seconds so I picked him up and brought him to my chest. He changed position in my arms so that he was facing away from me at an angle to my neck and I covered both his eyes with my hand so he wouldn’t try to leap out of my arms. He continued to rapid pant and so continued to seize stationary in my arms for about 15 more seconds. Then I was able to change his position back to facing my neck. I hadn’t wanted to risk fishing him out of the tunnel when he was having the seizure inside there as I thought if I blindly tried to scoop him out he might bite me while seizing. When he looked around in my arms I set him back down in his pen whereupon he immediately hopped into the lower room of his mini-haven to recover. He’s still inside there now. I slipped him a dried papaya bit to ease any obstruction of the willow twig that may have been stuck in his mouth or throat when the seizure happened and he ate it.
  
  This is not the first time Buddie was chewing on willow when he went into a sezure. The fourth seizure he had onset while he was vigorously chewing on his willow playhouse basket, except that that one happened between 1:30 and 2:15am. So I’m wondering if the vigorous acitivity of energy when gnawing at willow twigs is triggering a seizure today in the early late afternoon. This is the first time he had a seizure while it was still daylight. I figure either the E Cunniculi parasite attacked his brain or the energetic chewing on the willow triggered a seizure. He’s still recovering in his mini-haven but I have removed the willow tunnel. If it is the E.C. parasite that caused the seizure this afternoon, then apparently the Panacur drug I’ve been giving him since 3/5/10 is not enough in his system to kill the parasite. But no clear cut cause can be determined of the willow chewing because there have been 4 other times when he had seizures that didn’t involve chewing on willow. And turthermore he has been happily chewing and devouring his willow playbasket and a willow ball stuffed with meadow grass hay without event but that may have been before he first had a seizure. While it seems to be one of those two triggers, it only seems to be, so it’s still a mystery. Thank heavens he didn’t choke on willow while he was seizing which is what it appeared was happening at first.
- 03/28/2010 at 9:16 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  (((Buddie))) It just sounds so scary to see!
  
  Keep in mind that pain can trigger seizures. Could he have been chewing on the pen bars or anything else prior to the other seizures? Has your vet been able to gain any more information. It’s hard to isolate triggers. It could be, if he’s prone to seizures that he has them for different reasons, different triggers. They may be like a coping mechanism perhaps.
- 03/28/2010 at 10:10 PM
  lashkay
  Participant
  1548 posts
  Thanks for your valuable input and vibes, jerseygirl. You may be right on target that Buddie has the seizures for different reasons, including as a coping mechanism. To the best of my knowledge, he had been relaxing in his mini-haven when he came out to re-investigate the tunnel I had put there. He had nibbled the willow just a bite or two, about 15 minutes to 1/2 hour earlier, then retired to his mini-haven for 15 min or 1/2 hour, then came out again to munch on the willow again and was chomping away more vigorously than earlier when all of a sudden he arched his head back and the seizure hit. During the time I don’t recall his being near the pen bars so no I don’t think he was chewing on the pen bars, although he was earlier yesterday morning and maybe earlier this morning. Your thought that the seizures may be like a coping mechanism is interesting and new to me. I’m going to try to speak to our vet in the morning and I’ll run your ideas by her. Thanks so much, jerseygirl
- 03/28/2010 at 10:32 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  mmm…though now I’m rethinking it!! I had heard years ago how panic attacks can be a coping mechanism, so I might have got the 2 confused. But if a body goes into seizure that’s induced by pain – i really don’t know it that’s a way it’s wired like a chain reaction or a coping thing. Your report that he was chewing beforehand had me thinking of dental issues and pain – but it could have been entirely coincidental. I mean, there’s not much of the day when is a bunny not chewing!!
- 03/28/2010 at 11:36 PM
  lashkay
  Participant
  1548 posts
  Good points, all of them, thanks. When he was biting the willow twigs and suddenly arched his head way back and went into convulsions, there may have been some dental thing that happened, even a chipped or cracked tooth which may have even been caused earlier by his pen wire chewing and then aggravated by his vigorously biting the twigs. I’ll try to speak to our vet to see if I should bring him in to examine his mouth. Good thinking, thanks, jerseygirl.
- 03/30/2010 at 11:52 AM
  kralspace
  Participant
  2663 posts
  I’m so sorry to hear he’s had another seizure. Keep in mind that it may have happened, just because and nothing specific triggered it. You can try to isolate and remove triggers that are definite and regular, but when it’s indefinite, you can’t remove everything in their life. I can tell by your writing you’re getting better and feeling more in control when the seizures do happen. Not that you ever do feel in control of them, but you kinda graduate from the terror of watching the first ones, to knowing what’s going on and being able to help Buddie get through it the best you can.
  
  I know your heart drops every time it happens, but you’re doing great. Keeping him safe through it, reassuring him as he wakes from it, being mindful of any physical harm makes his life so much better. I hope you eventually do find a specific cause, the right meds or whatever it takes to control them, but if not, you’ve learned so much on how to make his life as good as it can be.
  
  (((anti seizing hugs))))) (((great caretaker hugs))))) Kathy
- 03/30/2010 at 3:48 PM
  bunnytowne
  Participant
  7538 posts
  OH boy. Hang in there. He didn’t get hurt and choke on his willow. Thats a good thing. Maybe there is no trigger. Or… Maybe pain maybe chewing are triggering it.
  
  I really hope the vet can help with this. This is a tricky situation.
- 03/30/2010 at 7:16 PM
  lashkay
  Participant
  1548 posts
  Thank you for your comforting words and vibes, Kathy and bunnytowne. I agree that it’s possible there is no specific trigger, at least that I’ve been able to pinpoint yet. I spoike to our vet and I might bring him in at the end of this week to check for dental damage that may have caused him pain which may have been a trigger. He’s still eating his pellets which are kind of crunchy so I assume not much damage if any has been caused to his teeth. We’ll hopefully give him another 30-day treatment of Panacur when this one ends and 2-3 weeks later, I’ll take him in for a blood test. Thanks again for your support!
- 03/31/2010 at 7:09 PM
  lashkay
  Participant
  1548 posts
  The more I learn about seizures, in people as well as in animals, for that matter, the more I wonder if it’s in the plan of the Great Creator that seizures remain mysterious and their triggers eluding, their treatment baffling. I know that each time a seziure has happened to my rabbit, Buddie, the circumstances, place, time, length, everything, is never quite the same and is always different. I suppose statistics somewhere show that my days are numbered before a seizure happens in a way that’s dangerous, hazardous, or injurious to him.
  
  Thank you, Kathy, for saying that I’m a great caretaker – it takes one to know one! …so I’m sure you are a great caretaker too. Thanks for the hugs, and your kind words I found reassuring, that I seem to be more in control, it also gives me confidence which I need as I don’t always feel I know the best thing to do in a given situation, given the unique circumstances…hugs back to you.
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