Floppy bunny syndrome HELP PLEASE

[Kelbelly]

earlier today took my bunny to the vet considering he is laying on his side and can’t move other than just wiggling his body a little bit. You can tell he is trying move around and use his legs he just can’t. He doesn’t seem to be in any pain. The doctors suggested that he has a parasite and gave me medicine to give him however they didn’t give me any information on why my bunny can’t move. Considering that I spend $500 and got no answers I turned to the bunny communities online and have concluded that I’m 99% positive it’s floppy bunny syndrome. I have read a lot of stories about it and I just want to find out what I need to do to help my baby !! Can someone please explain the treatment and where I should start! I have been attempting to syringe him water and feed him food however the doctors gave him some heavy pain killers and he doesn’t seem to even have the energy to swallow right now. I am going to attempt to feed him again tomorrow when he isn’t so sedated and hopefully he starts getting an appetite and eating a bit. As for floppy bunny syndrome where do I begin. What are some effective treatments. Thank you so much for reading my whole explanation and if you have any information you fee could be helpful I would love to hear it!! ❤️

[Bam]

The cause of floppy bunny syndrome isnt known. There is suspicion that it could be due to a selenium deficience or a potassium deficiency. A home remedy used to be to squeeze the contents of a vitamin E capsule into the poorly bun’s mouth, because vitamin E is required for the selenium metabolism and some rabbits can have a vitamin E deficiency. I know that some breeders recommend feeding tomato to babies that present with flaccid paralysis. This is because tomatoes contain potassium. Potassium is a very important electrolyte that’s needed for the proper function of virtually all cells in the body.

There is no other specific cure or meds, but supportive care is crucial. The bun should be kept warm, and served easy to reach, easy to eat food. If the bun doesn’t eat, you should syringe feed Critical Care or similar.

 

[Bam]

my guess is the vets suspected E cuniculi, which is an intracellular parasite that the rabbit actually can be born with or get from his mother when he’s very young. It’s very common in rabbits, and most rabbits never show any symptoms of illness. Some rabbits do however get sick from it, and paralysis is among the symptoms. Other symptoms can be head tilt, seizures and incontinence. Treatment is a 28-day course of panacur (fenbendazole) together with meloxicam, which is an antiinflammatory painkiller. Did you get any meds for him that you’re supposed to give him at home?

You could call the vet and ask them to explain what they think is wrong with your bun. They shouldn’t mind, pet owners, myself included, often have questions that crop up once the acute situation is a little bit calmer.

[LBJ10]

Yes, it sounds like they were suspecting EC, which is much more common. I would be curious to see what meds they prescribed.

[Kelbelly]

He has made almost a full recovery!! I am. So happy whatever they gave him helped!! I also gave him a vitamin e capsule so maybe that was what did it but he is already back to himself 🙂

[Bam]

Wonderful news!

[LBJ10]

Glad to hear he is doing better. If you are treating for EC, I would continue the entire course.

[Author]

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