E. Cuniculi: paralysis/treatment/special care questions(RIP Little Bunny)

[DazyDaizee]

I am fostering a rabbit who has E. Cuniculi. She has little use of her two hind legs and one front leg. Her other front leg is now starting to deteriorate as well. She cannot position herself well or coordinate well enough to eat much on her own. She has a great appetite and will eat Oxbow Critical Care from a syringe, and loves her veggies which she can manage to eat on her own.
She was being treated with Panacur, but on Monday, when I picked her up, my vet switched her to Albendazole. She's also on Metacam. She has SEVERE open sores on her hind end and foot which I am bandaging, flushing, and treating with cream 3-4 times daily.
Currently I have her set up with rolled blankets to keep her balanced and upright, doggy pads to help absorb urine, some hanging toys to try to keep her entertained, and her food and water dishes. I am trying to rig up some sort of hammock with foot holes so that her feet will touch the ground, but she'll be cleaner and hopefully try to move her legs around a bit, but this is proving to be more complicated than it sounds.
I have considered a wheelchair, however I'm not sure that she's going to survive at this point in treatment, and she currently has little to no use of any of her legs. I am still considering, given she continues to do "well" springing for the $200 or $300 full support model wheelchair. Of course, if it comes to that, I assume I'll be adopting her...

I guess my questions are:
1. Any alternative ideas to keep her clean and upright, comfortably?

2. Any mental stimulation I can offer her? I feel terrible that she just sits there all day... but she cannot walk.

3. Any additional supplements I could be giving her?

4. Any other helpful tips on caring for a partially paralyzed rabbit?

 

[Maureen Las]

I cannot help you with personal experience although several forum members can if they see this

there is a yahoo group for disabled rabbits that someone on this forum has joined recently ; a group like that could also be helpful in addition to us


http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/disabledrabbits/
this is from our library

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12158&forum_id=10


Hopefully some other memebers can help although you sound as if you are taking excellent care of her

 

[DazyDaizee]

Thank you,
I joined the yahoo group and sent out a message. There's also a lot of good information in those links. I was really interested in Scooter's wheels. I think an option like that is much more natural for a rabbit, it allows them to lay down comfortably and it isn't this big contraption that they have to lug around, they can hide easily, ect.
I know that if she makes it though she may have to have one of her feet or entire leg amputated since she's chewed it to the bone already, however, I'm sure that I could figure out a modification for Scooter's chair that would accommodate a rabbit with legs, too. Definitely something to look into.

 

[sha10ly88]

I'm so sorry for your bunny. Her condition sound so bad.

I have been taking care of my paralysed bunny. He couldnt walk eversince the fall he had when he was only 3 weeks old. Till today,he can't use his left leg. Due to that, he is always on his left side and that makes its fur ugly on the left side especially between his two hind legs. His fur gets entangled and at times all wet becos of his pee. I couldn't think of how to keep him dry other then expressing his bladder and helping him drink at times. When it does get wet, I will wash the dirty part, towel dry and then blow dry almost everyday. Sometimes its really a sad when I see him trying to scratch his ear but couldnt reach. I don't think I can get a wheel chair or anything like that. My only hope is to for him to recover fully. Initially it was both of his hind legs. Now, his right leg is strong and normal whereas his left does give little movements sometimes. It has been about 2 months since the fall and I'll always stayed positive and hope that he can run and hop around again. He just need a lot of time.

Iam thinking of getting the dog pad that u said. But how did u place it? I don't know about dogs at all.

 

[DazyDaizee]

Sorry about your bunny, hopefully he'll continue to improve.. might physical therapy help?
The doggy pads I just place underneath my rabbit because she can't move.. so when she urinates it helps to absorb it, but if your guy drags himself around you'd probably only get him to use it if he was trained to do so, it was easily accessible, and you got a tray to attach it to so that it stays in place (they sell flat trays for this purpose.. so it wouldn't be as difficult as climbing into a litter pan.. but if he's incontinent he won't know when to go to the pad...)

 

[sha10ly88]

Aha i c. Nah he is not trained. I suppose now I have to think of how to train him to pee at the pad. He is still very little and likes to explore. Anyway... thanks for the explanation.

What about your bunny's fur? Does her fur gets entangled and all ball up against her skin?

 

[DazyDaizee]

She actually was missing most of the hair in that area when I got her... mostly from all the damage to the skin. I shaved the remaining hair that was stained and dirty to make it easier to clean and dry after washing her.

 

[tonyshuman]

You're an angel for taking care of this girl. I wish you the best of luck! Some people will put infant diapers on their rabbits with mobility issues, but they have to be changed pretty often. Cornstarch is good for dry butt baths and to keep the skin dry and clean. Also, make sure she is very well hydrated, as metacam can cause severe kidney damage in dehydrated bunnies. You may need to syringe her water at times or offer pedialyte.

 

[DazyDaizee]

I thought about diapers, but because of where her sores are, it might just cause the urine to stay in contact with her skin and bandages for longer. I have been syringing her water several times throughout the day. She takes it best if I add a tiny bit of the critical care mix to give it some flavor. I have subQ fluids, too, in case she needs them, but she seems to be pretty well hydrated.
She's very thin, but I weighed her this morning and she's already put on nearly half a pound.

I'm going to try to get some pictures up and stick a link here so if anyone wants to check it out and get a better idea of the situation...

 

[DazyDaizee]

Okay... here's a link to pictures if anyone wants to see. WARNING... they are definitely graphic. http://www.flickr.com/photos/37228477@N04/sets/72157616561107158/

 

[tonyshuman]

Yeah, diapers might not always be helpful. Just wanted to mention it, and I'm glad you're keeping her hydrated. Yay for putting on weight! So suddenly, the weight gain is probably hydration. I'd love to see pics of her!

 

[anneq]

I second what Claire said - hope you're bunny continues to improve.

 

[tonyshuman]

Oh poor girl. She must have been in really bad shape when she came to the rescue. It does look like she's improving. Keep up the good work with that little sweetie. {{HUGE hugs}}

 

[sha10ly88]

DazyDaizee wrote:

She actually was missing most of the hair in that area when I got her... mostly from all the damage to the skin. I shaved the remaining hair that was stained and dirty to make it easier to clean and dry after washing her.

So it is ok to shave her. I did not dare to shave my rabbit firstly because he cannot stay still even when he is half paralysed. Secondly, even if he is going to remain still, I am afraid I might hurt him.His skin looks so thin. Instead I only cut off his stained fur. How did u shave your rabbit?

 

[sha10ly88]

I just saw the link to the pictures. Shes really sick. I really hope her condition will get better everyday. I didn't know shes actually quite a big girl. How old is she?

 

[DazyDaizee]

She stayed very still for me, but you can cut their skin, so be careful if you choose to shave. The vet or a groomer might be able to help you with it, also. There are some rabbit groomers who will come to your house, so maybe try an online search and see if there's one in your area.

Scissors are usually more dangerous than clippers. Just make sure to keep the clipper parallel with the area you are shaving and if you shave an area with loose skin, flatten it out with your hands to make for a tighter plane. This helps to avoid the skin bunching up which makes cutting the rabbit more likely. Bunny skin IS very thin and little cuts can tear more and become a problem. It would be best if you had someone teach you to do it, and then someone to help hold the bunny while the other shaves.

 

[DazyDaizee]

She's about 4 years old. She maybe looks big in the pictures, but she's really tiny. She weighed only a little over 2 and 1/2 pounds when I got her on Monday. She's now 3lbs.

 

[sha10ly88]

Yea. When I cut off the stained fur, I made sure that the pointed end of the scissors was not pointing towards the body. It was away in case he makes sudden movements. Maybe someone helping is useful but gets even more challenging i guess because he is still small and playful. Most probably I will just consult the vet and let them do it for me if its not going to cost me a lot.

 

[Maureen Las]

sha10ly88 wrote:

Yea. When I cut off the stained fur, I made sure that the pointed end of the scissors was not pointing towards the body. It was away in case he makes sudden movements. Maybe someone helping is useful but gets even more challenging i guess because he is still small and playful. Most probably I will just consult the vet and let them do it for me if its not going to cost me a lot.

Sha

I wouldn't try to shave your bun yourself ; it is just too risky if you are not
experienced


Daizee
The pics really are horrifying ; is she on pain meds ?
Maybe you already posted this ..but is she under the regular care of a vet; I think so if someone changed her meds

 

[sha10ly88]

angieluv wrote:

sha10ly88 wrote:

Yea. When I cut off the stained fur, I made sure that the pointed end of the scissors was not pointing towards the body. It was away in case he makes sudden movements. Maybe someone helping is useful but gets even more challenging i guess because he is still small and playful. Most probably I will just consult the vet and let them do it for me if its not going to cost me a lot.

Sha

I wouldn't try to shave your bun yourself ; it is just too risky if you are not
experienced


Daizee
The pics really are horrifying ; is she on pain meds ?
Maybe you already posted this ..but is she under the regular care of a vet; I think so if someone changed her meds

What if I just leave it the way it is? As in, I won't shave him or anything like that but just keep him as clean as possible. Usually, I would check his butt every now and then. Everytime it gets dirty with poop, I would dust it off but when its tough stains I would wash it with lukewarm water and towel dry. After that blow him dry with a hairdryer at very low speed and cool air. N normally, I have to do this at least everyday. Is that ok? The only issue is when the fur get balled up and flattens against his body and also when certain times his poop is the semi-solid kind. It gets entangled.

I hope Dazy dont mind that i post my queries here too. :bunny5