Need help with my rabbit

[Vertimnus]

Hey guys. So my rabbit is 8 months old. I got her when she was 2 and she was always very energetic, running around and hopping. 2 months ago she developed psoriasis on and around her nose, so the vet gave me some cream medicine for her. She was cured of it but then it reappeared on all four of her feet. Around that time she started eating a lot less and stopped being as energetic. She’d often just sit in one place and do nothing all day. She is only skin and bone now due to the fact she hasn’t been eating right. The psoriasis on her feet is cured. However, it has reappeared again around and under her mouth. The vet told me to just keep administering the medicine.
But now there’s another problem. 2 days ago, I came home from work and she hadn’t eaten, drunk water, or peed. When I took her out of her cage to administer the medicine, she tried to run away, fell on her side and couldn’t get up. She’s been like this since then, though she has started eating, drinking and peeing a bit.
I just checked her legs (there’s only skin right now around the upper part and fur hasn’t grown back yet) and it seems like her front legs… Bend, in a weird way. When I bent them it didn’t seem like she was hurting at all, but she can hardly walk and keeps falling on her side. I’m very worried, I’ve been trying to get her to eat by giving her all sorts of food but it doesn’t seem like her appetite has changed much. She’ll just eat a little bit and that’s it. It doesn’t seem to me like it’s an intestinal problem, like the vet suggested at first. She can hardly walk, and is very very weak. I can’t afford x-rays and ultrasounds at the moment. The vet just told me to keep her warm and wait, but she doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Does anyone know what might be going on?

[BanditCamp]

Sounds like there is something in the home that might be causing this. That’s my opinion, I know you might be strapped for cash but if rather be a bit broke then let my bun suffer. Try to stay on it and at most you can do critical care to ensure your baby is eating as you don’t want to stasis on top of that

[Bam]

I think you need another vet. I’m not so sure about the psoriasis-diagnosis. Do you remember the name of the ointment?

Weakness and falling over and being very skinny are signs of some very serious issue. A parasite or bacteria could be the cause, and ointment won’t be enough to treat it.

Is/was your rabbit scratching herself when she had the psoriasis? I came to think of burrowing mites, here’s an article with pictures and symptoms that you could check out if you like, scroll down to “Mange: Burrowing mites”: http://www.thebunnyhut101.com/2013/05/3-types-of-fur-mites-in-rabbits-how-do.html

[jerseygirl]

I agree, this sounds like mange (sometimes called scabies). It can lead to anorexia (not wanting to eat) severe weightloss and staggering.
Ivermectin is usually readily available. Can the vet give her injections of this in case it is a parasite that is susceptible to ivermectin?

[Vertimnus]

@BanditCamp You mean some kind of bacteria or something that stresses her out?

[Vertimnus]

@bam
One is called Travocort. He gave me a second one a couple weeks ago in case it was mites that were causing this, called Daktodor.

No, I haven’t seen her scatch herself at all. And at first her appetite and mood were the same as before the infection. It does kind of look like mange, which is what I told the vet at first, but he insisted it was psoriasis. I could post a few pictures if you’d like.

[Vertimnus]

@jerseygirl
I will call the doctor and ask!!

[Bam]

We’d love pictures.
Dactodor seems to be an ointment with cortisone and an anti-fungal. It’s used for ringworm, which has nothing to do with worms but is a fungal infection. Travicort is another antifungal ointment. Anti fungals would have zero effect on psoriasis because psoriasis is a hereditary condition and not caused by fungus. Cortisone would relieve the symptoms of psoriasis though, but only temporarily. Antifungals would have zero effect on mites, because, obviously, mites are not fungi.

Could your vet perhaps be willing to prescribe empirical Ivermectin or Selamectin (Stronghold) ? Empirical means you treat on suspicion only and if the medecin helps, there’s your diagnosis. Both ivermectin and Selamectin are bunny safe and very effective against parasites.

Another possibility that came to mind is rabbit syphilis (treponematosis). It’s not consistent with eczema on the feet though.

[Vertimnus]

@bam
I’ll post a few in a second.
I will call him and ask, thank you! And I will check with other vets as well.

[Vertimnus]

@bam
This is her when I first got her: https://ibb.co/cwU3Qk
When she first got the dermatitis: https://ibb.co/ih6drQ
At this point the crust has started falling off and skin is showing:https://ibb.co/dSgYQk

I don’t have any pics of what the dermatitis looked like on her legs but this is what she looks like now: https://ibb.co/bs0ckk
https://ibb.co/jrAckk

[Bam]

Poor little sweetheart.

This doesn’t look like a condition ointment alone would cure. I’d try to find another vet and book an appointment first thing Monday morning. 

[Vertimnus]

@bam
Will do. Thank you.

[Bam]

We’d very much appreciate updates.

Many many good recovery-vibes for your little bunny!

[Vertimnus]

@bam
Hey, so my vet agreed to giving her ivermectin, I’m on my way to get some right now since he isn’t in town at the moment. Do you think I’ll have trouble administering the medicine?

[jerseygirl]

Is it the injectable ivermectin you are getting?

If you’re not comfortable about giving the shot, you could see if the nurses will do it for you. Or if you know someone that’s done shots for their animals before, ask them! The injection is given subcutaneously (under the skin-into the layer between the skin & muscle). There are a lot of video online if how to do this for a rabbit. It might be an idea to get some extra doses.

The good thing is only one shot is needed every 2weeks. You do 3 in total.
Has the vet seen her recently and is aware of her current weight?

[Vertimnus]

@jerseygirl
I couldn’t find any place that was open so I’ll be getting it tomorrow. Yeah, I’ve seen people give the shot before and I’m comfortable with shots so I think I’ll be fine with that.
Yeah, he is and he hasn’t told me anything about it. Thing is, where I live, there are literally no rabbit-savvy vets so he’s like, the best I could find. And he’s still bad with rabbits. So I’m doing everything I can think of.
On a lighter note, I tried syringe-feeding her and she responded great to that! She ate her mushed up pellets from a bowl too, and she’s even eating a bit of left-over watermelon right now Waiting to see if she’ll pee, cause we really don’t need stasis on top of everything else right now.

[Bam]

It’s great that she’s eating! Good girl!

[Bam]

Just want to add a warning that we always issue in threads about antiparasitics: It’s Ivermectin you want, so don’t let anyone at the pharmacy try to sell you any compound containing fipronil instead. In case they’re out of Ivermectin for example. Fipronil is sold under many names, Frontline and Effipro are two common names. Fipronil is deadly toxic to rabbits. It kills mites, but it might very well also kill the bunny.

We have had reports of fipronil incidents with tragic outcomes, this is why we always like to issue this warning.

[LBJ10]

I agree with the others and, after seeing the pictures, I’m going to go with mange as well. As Jersey said, it can cause some of the other symptoms you are witnessing. I think Ivermectin is probably your best bet. Even if you do a skin scraping, there can often be false negatives. Simply treating and seeing if it helps is often the way vets go with this sort of thing anyway.

And yes, Bam, thank you for issuing the fipronil warning. I don’t think we can say it enough! Way too many sad scenarios on here.

[Vertimnus]

Alright, I’ll be very careful. Thank you all so much for the help! I’ll keep you updated!

[Vertimnus]

Hey guys. Unfortunately, she passed away before we could get to the vet. My roommate and I are both very shocked. Thank you everyone for helping so much.

[Bam]

I’m so sorry to hear it. I was hoping she’d make it.

Binky Free, sweet little girl.

[Author]

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