Hind Leg Weakness, not walking

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This topic has 11sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 5 months ago by Doodler.

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- 02/07/2019 at 10:26 AM
  Cheeko&Abby
  Participant
  26 posts
  Abby has been having lots of issues since Cheeko passed away around Christmas. She has lost weight from 1700g to 1440g, has non stop mushy poop, urine incontinence and anemia.
  
  Aside from those things, she seemed to be behaving normally up until Sunday. On Sunday morning I found her laying on her side struggling to get up. She seemed ok and was moving around just fine, then the same evening I heard a scuffle and found her laying next to her litterbox unable to get up. Her pen is lined with towels for traction, but the one by the litter box had slipped out of the way leaving her unable to get traction on the linoleum underneath.
  
  After that, she stopped walking so I took her to the vet the next morning where they determined that her back left leg wasn’t broken, but maybe sprained. They felt all the bones and confirmed she can move the leg and didn’t recommend xrays since she was able to hop on it a couple of times while we were there. They gave her some meloxicam for 14 days and said to keep her rested.
  
  Since we’ve been home, she tried to hop a couple of times and fell on her side when she landed. Now it seems like she has given up. She will eat and drink when I move the bowls close to her, but she refuses to move from the last place I put her.
  
  Her bonded partner died from suspect EC, kidney failure and arthritis. I know EC can present as hind limb weakness, but it started so suddenly. As well as the leg issue, the vet determined the cause of the mushy poop to be mega colon and she is taking digestive supplements that haven’t helped yet.
  
  She has lost so much weight in the last month, the vet suspects that she may have cancer and if she continues to lose weight in the next two weeks, he wants to discuss euthanasia.
  
  Has anyone had any experience with any of these things in the past? Abby will be 10 in March so she’s getting up there, but everything was fine until Cheeko passed away.
- 02/07/2019 at 10:34 AM
  Cheeko&Abby
  Participant
  26 posts
  Also, if it is a sprain, how long would it typically take to heal? She is obviously in pain. The vet said her hips and spine look good from xrays taken 3 weeks ago, but I’m not sure how long I should watch her deteriorate. Right now I’m doing everything for her, moving the water bowl so she can drink, putting her veggies in a pile in front of her mouth, giving her a small bowl of hay since she can’t get to the litter box. She poops and pees where she is laying and this is the 4th day since it all started.
- 02/07/2019 at 1:04 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  I’m sorry to hear she is having so many problems. While I don’t have any advice for you, unfortunately, I do know that EC symptoms can come on very suddenly. And the symptoms can also come on due to stress (possibly from losing her mate and being alone) or weaker immune system (which could be due to the other problems she’s dealing with).
  
  In the past, I had a bunny suddenly come up with EC symptoms (head tilt, nystagmus, wobbliness) after his roomate (unbonded but living side by side for many years) passed away. It was very sudden. One minute he was fine, then he wasn’t. Fenbendazole helped him get back to normal.
  
  Has your vet talked about treating for possible EC? From what I know, it’s not harmful to treat even if EC is only suspected. I don’t have much knowledge of mega colon so some other members might be able to help you out there.
  
  ((((((Abby)))))
- 02/07/2019 at 2:35 PM
  DarthVadar
  Participant
  198 posts
  If possible, try to get Abby a new friend. Rabbits who have had a buddy pass can get depressed to the point of lowering their immune systems, which sounds like what is going on with her. I know she’s old, but a new friend would make her remaining years happy ones.
- 02/07/2019 at 3:15 PM
  Cheeko&Abby
  Participant
  26 posts
  LittlePuffyTail, thank you for your response. The vet we saw on Monday wasn’t our regular vet and she didn’t mention treating for EC. I called them earlier this morning to ask if I can start giving her Panacur that I have left over from Cheeko and they said to hold off until Monday when they can see her next. They tested her for cryptosporidiosis a couple of weeks ago and that was negative, but I suppose they don’t generally test for EC since so many are positive. The tech said if I start the panacur today, it could alter the test results if the vet wants to test for EC on Monday. I hope starting it on Monday isn’t too late. Right now she’s just a bunny blob, laying there eating and drinking when I put food/ water in front of her. It’s heartbreaking seeing her like this. They said I can see another vet tomorrow (not our regular vet) if she needs an appointment sooner than Monday, so maybe I’ll do that instead.
  
  DarthVadar, thank you for your response. Unfortunately getting another rabbit isn’t an option for us. My husband is allergic to rabbits and we agreed to not get any more once these two pass. Cheeko was almost 11 when he died on Christmas Eve and I’ve been spending a lot more time snuggling and loving on Abby so she doesn’t feel so alone.
- 02/07/2019 at 3:38 PM
  Doodler
  Participant
  337 posts
  Cheeko&Abby, my heart is with you and I am so sorry for what you are going through. I hope Abby pulls through and this is just a set back. EC does sound like a good possibility. I wish I could add some advice for you!
  
  To be honest I would not recommend getting another rabbit at this time even if your family situation allowed it. It doesn’t sound like the stress of bonding is what she needs right now. Please do not feel any guilt for not getting her another friend. I would just keep doing what you are doing and give her those snuggles and loving as much as you possibly can!
  
  Please keep us posted and remember we are here for you!
- 02/08/2019 at 1:15 AM
  FlemishDad
  Participant
  114 posts
  Waiting to test seems dubious since testing isn’t definitive. I would ask the vet what would they do if it’s negative. If there isn’t some likely cause they can test for and treat you should probably go ahead and try the Panacur. From the list of causes in this site there doesn’t seem to be common non-mechanical problems to treat anyway.
  
  Can she eat her cecotropes? She’ll go down very quickly if she can’t because she’ll miss a lot of nutrition. That might even cause hind limb paralysis or anemia. Do you have any critical care?
  
  Hope this resolves well for you and her.
- 02/08/2019 at 8:16 PM
  DarthVadar
  Participant
  198 posts
  That’s understandable. As long as she’s getting enough love, she’ll be a happy bunny.
- 02/08/2019 at 10:16 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17138 posts
  I find it odd that they would make your wait until Monday to do a test… which is notorious for false results AND it would take awhile to get the results back. That seems like a long time to delay treatment, especially when many vets will treat for suspected EC based on symptoms alone. How is she doing now? Is she still the same? Are you able to feed with Critical Care or can she eat on her own?
- 02/16/2019 at 1:55 PM
  Cheeko&Abby
  Participant
  26 posts
  Sorry for not responding until now. We ended up euthanizing Abby last Friday. The vet said she didn’t have hind limb paralysis, she just had zero muscle. Her body had deteriorated so much it had eaten away all her muscle, which is why she couldn’t stand up anymore.
  I’d been taking her to different vets for a month trying to figure out why she had mushy poop and was losing weight. They said she had a lot of bad bacteria in her poop and that her gut was cycling non stop, meaning that anything she ate was being pushed through too fast for her body to absorb the nutrients, causing the mushy poop, weight loss and anemia. Since she was 10 they didn’t want to do any kind of exploratory surgery.
  They gave me the option to hospitalize her for an extended period of time for round the clock meds, force feedings, and fluids, but even the vet said she didn’t think Abby could bounce back from the damage and the treatment needed would be too much on her little body
  I feel like I let her down, she saw 3 different vets who are supposed to be rabbit savvy, yet none of them were able to find a way to help her. 10 is a good age, but I still feel like had she received the right treatment she could’ve been with us a while longer.
- 02/16/2019 at 2:25 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17138 posts
  I’m sorry to hear this. Try not to beat yourself up about it. It’s not like you weren’t trying. You were clearly trying and I’m sure she knew that.
- 02/16/2019 at 2:31 PM
  Doodler
  Participant
  337 posts
  I am so sorry for your loss of Abby. I agree that you shouldn’t beat yourself up. You clearly didn’t just ignore what was happening and tried to get her some help.
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