Bunny Seizures??

[Mjacqu6]

I am going to call my vet first thing in the morning but I thought I might be able to get a quick answer here to ease my mind. 

A few months ago my youngest rabbit had a little “episode”  He rolled around on the floor for a little while then walked with a limp for a few minutes. We thought it was just a one time thing and he seemed fine afterwards. We figured he had a muscle cramp or something in his leg and panicked, thinking that something was attacking his leg, causing him to roll around to get it off.

Tonight he seemed to have another episode, this time much worse. He was violently rolling back and forth on the floor for 2 or 3 minutes. After that stopped he dragged himself across the floor with his front legs to hide under the heater (he seemed completely unable to use his back legs). He was soon able to sit up, but when he did, he was violently bobbing his head up and down (something I have NEVER seen him do). He is usually very nervous and doesn’t like extensive human contact, but he seemed very disoriented and he walked over to me and nestled himself against my body. This was very abnormal behavior for him.

I called my girlfriend who is a medical resident and she said if a human patient presented with those symptoms (violent uncontrollable movement, muscle weakness, confusion/disorientation) she would diagnose a seizure.

Has ANYONE else had this issue?

I am going to call my vet but my girlfriend says seizures generally aren’t diagnosed unless they have 4 or more episodes, or an episode is witnessed by a doctor. Maybe its different with vets though.

Please help me! =(

Matt

[Deleted User]

I would definitely take your bun to a vet. It’s different with animals. Especially buns. Since rabbits are very good a hiding illness when symptoms of sickness are present then there is normally something up with them. I know that this isn’t all too comforting. And I’m very sorry. =[ But I do want to make sure that your bun goes to a vet. The vet should hopefully be able to do some tests and tell you what is wrong with your little guy or tell you what they think may be wrong and how to proceed from there.

I really do hope your baby is okay! ((((Vibes for getting better and being okay))))

[jerseygirl]

Oh wow. Scary to witness.

Rabbits can have seizures for various reasons.
He does seem to be having some neurological issues, even with his not using the back legs. One thing to have investigated regarding the legs & the rolling you described is EC (Encephalitozoon Cuniculi). It is not uncommon in rabbits and can cause some neurological symptoms. It’s also treatable. It just one of possible causes…Ear infections can be another possible cause for loss of balance, seizures etc

Obviously you’ll want your vet to do overall assessment.

Good luck at the vet!

[jerseygirl]

he was violently bobbing his head up and down (something I have NEVER seen him do

Were you close enough to see what his eyes were doing during this?

[Mjacqu6]

I was right with him the whole time…. Im slapping myself for not paying attention to his eyes… That’s the first thing my girlfriend asked too…   I’ve had a few pets die in my arms through the years (I had 3 cats with terminal illnesses growing up) and I was just trying my best to comfort him and make him feel safe. I really thought he was dying. I’m going to take him to the vet tomorrow, I was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. I can’t be the only one….

[jerseygirl]

If you were right with him then I think you would have noticed so don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes there is really rapid eye movements. i dont think you would have missed it.

So he’s come back to being relatively normal after this episode?

ETA: the topic of seizures came up recently on the forums. Not sure if useful to you but here is the thread if you want to take a look
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/123793/Default.aspx

[peppypoo]

Poor thing, I agree that it definitely sounds like a seizure. Do try to make note of when the seizures occur i.e. if there are any common circumstances that seem to bring about the episodes. Also note duration, frequency, particular movements he makes, and if one side of the body seems more involved than the other. My first rabbit had lifelong seizures, though we never did find a reason – best of luck to you.

[peepi&warri]

One of my rabbits started having seizures about a year ago. We treated Warri for EC but that didn’t help at all. He’s on seizure medicine now which has kept the seizures pretty well under control. He went from having 3-5 a week to having 1 maybe every two months.

Your bunny’s seizure sounds like it was more severe than Warri’s though, his usually don’t last longer than a minute. About the head bobbing, it may or may not be the same thing, but Warri always does some sort of repetitive behavior after his seizures. Usually he’ll lick his chest or paw for several minutes afterwards and he’s completely oblivious to anything going on around him while he’s doing this.

[Mjacqu6]

There is only one vet within reasonable driving distance (< 3 hours) who is willing to deal with rabbits, which are "exotic pets" apparently…   and I'm not thrilled with her so far. I'm concerned she will charge me a few hundred dollars and then send my rabbit home and say hes fine. Are there any particular points I can bring up that will get me some sort of response? Someone mentioned Encephalitozoon Cuniculi. Could it be that? Could it be a seizure?  I need some talking points for my vet or she wont take me seriously.

[Deleted User]

In what general area do you live? Maybe someone on here can give you a good vet recommendation or at least point you in the right direction. I honestly wouldn’t be too keen on taking your bun to a vet that you are not satisfied with.

[jerseygirl]

I suppose getting his spine checked over would be an idea. In case a misalignment or source of pressure on it is causing some sort of spasm.

Blood tests would identify a nutritional deficiency if any.

[jerseygirl]

I hope your bunny is still doing ok. Any update?

[Author]

Messages