Rabbits nose changed color?! Already sick.

[SlinkyKat]

My bunny was taken to the vet yesterday day after noticing a slight head tilt and lethargic behavior the night before. The vet thought it was most likely a parasite in the brain, I can’t remember

the exact name. He isn’t eating or drinking well, he isn’t excited by food like he used to be, his head is tilting to the left, and as of last night, it seemed his legs weren’t working too well and this morning I noticed a big gray spot on his nose or muzzle. He’s a big pure white bunny and the rescue organization we got him from assuming he’s 2-4 years old and a vet agreed with that estimation. 

The side the gray spot on seems a little more “firm”. Is it possible he hit himself while struggling to move and he bruised himself? Would that show on his nose?
His cage is covered in fleece could he have somehow dyed his nose?
Is it normal for bunnies fur to change overnight?
Is this a symptom?

We want to take him back to the vet as soon as possible.

(On another note I’ve run out of critical care and only vets sell it where I live. They’re all closed today. Best way to encourage him to eat? We’ve tried different hays, mixing them, and buying mint, dill, parsley, basil etc. he’ll take a bite of those and a bite of kale but he won’t eat enough) 

Thank you for any help, it’s more than appreciated!

(Can’t attach photos)

[Bam]

The name of the parasite is Encephalitozoon cuniculi or EC for short. A change in color is not a symptom. The other symptoms you describe are typical of EC. The differential diagnosis is a middle ear infection, but that wouldn’t affect his hind legs.

Some white bunnies get a gray color change on the nose or ears or paws during winter. It’s a gene called the Himalayan gene that’s responsible. It responds to cooler weather by producting dark pigment. Here is a picture from yesterday of a white rabbit (Sterling) whose nose gets darker in winter: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/164090/Default.aspx

How is the skin looking and feeling in the area that’s turned gray? EC suppresses the bun’s immune system so other parasites or bacteria can get the opportunity to infect an EC bun. Things like that would make the skin wet or crusty or scaly/dandruffy.

If he wont eat you’ll have to syringe feed him, obvioulsy. You can mix CC with baby fruit or veg puree or canned plain pumpkin for the bun to hate it less. At this point you can give him mashed banana if he wants that, because it’s very importnat that he eats, what he eats is less important. Some head tilt buns are suspected to experience nausea (nausea is coupled with balance issues) and might benefit from drugs that suppress nausea. As you know buns can’t vomit, so nausea manifests as lack of appetite.

What meds was he prescribed?

If you can’t add a photo directly you can upload it to an external source like imgur or Flickr and paste the link to the pic into your post.

[SlinkyKat]

Thank you for your help, my fingers are crossed the color is simply from the weather change. I also appreciate that extra info on ‘EC’. Would you happen to know if EC has a high or low recovery rate? 

(To answer your question)

“How is the skin looking and feeling in the area that’s turned gray? EC suppresses the bun’s immune system so other parasites or bacteria can get the opportunity to infect an EC bun. Things like that would make the skin wet or crusty or scaly/dandruffy. “

His skin seems normal however there is a noticeable ” bump” on the side the gray is on and not the other side.

“What meds was he prescribed?”

Metacam, sulfatrim, and panacur 

Thanks again. 

[tobyluv]

Since you have run out of Critical Care, you can soak some pellets in water to make a mash to syringe feed him. I hope that your bunny will respond well to the medicines. I don’t know about the recovery rate, but I have read that it may take a course of a few weeks for the medicine to take effect.

[SlinkyKat]

Thank you for your help, we are going to make that mash right now and put a little food in his belly. 

[Bam]

EC as a rule needs treatment for many weeks with panacur. It’s a very slow-acting drug. Standard treatment is 28 days, some vets say 6 weeks. I don’t know what the recovery rate is, the condition isn’t yet fully understood. This is a good article about head tilt in bunnies: https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/management-of-head-tilt-in-rabbits/ The article is about both ear infection and EC, so you can try to sift out the parts that are relevant to EC. It’s directed at pet health professionals so there are quite a few medical terms that can be a bit tricky. Ask if you like and well try to help make sense of it for you.

CNS: Central nervous system ie the brain.
NSAID: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug – a painkiller of the same type as ibuprofen for humans. Metacam is an NSAID.

Sorry I missed the part about you having run out of CC. Pellet mash will do fine, as Tobyluv says!

[SlinkyKat]

Thank you so much for the article, I have already found it helpful.

[SlinkyKat]

Thank you, Bam and Tobyluv for your help. Jeremy, the sick bunny, passed away today. I appreciate everything you guys helped me with. Your advice and such really helped, and helped to make Jeremy’s last few days less stressful. He really liked when I mixed a little bit of berry into the CC and actually ended up almost eating it on his own. The stressful force-feeding wasn’t stressful anymore and I feel he enjoyed just hanging out on the bed with me eating yummy flavored mash and getting pets.

As an “update” The black spot was an abscess or a severe bruise, the vet recommended we use a hot compress to help with the scabbing. He seemed to enjoy it, but we didn’t have the opportunity to see results. With his lack of balance from the head tilt, we figure he must have hit himself VERY VERY hard at some point. 

[tobyluv]

I’m very sorry about the loss of your sweet Jeremy. He knew that you were doing everything possible to help him and how much you loved him.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m so very sorry for your loss.

(((((Binky Free Jeremy)))))

[Bam]

I’m very sorry you lost Jeremy. I’m glad you managed to make him so comfortable, with lots of love and yummy food.

[Author]

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