Help - my rabbit is struggling with his left hind leg

[Naatalie991]

Hi. I recently went to the vets with my 5 year old lionhead. Hes recently lost his balance..it seems. He cannot hold himself up at the moment without aid, its his left hind leg I think, it sort of is at an angle and he flops over when he tries to hop after being let go.
I went to the vet and they have suggested baytril & loxicom - i don’t think its improving as it has been 3 weeks to nearly a month now.
we have made him some wheels and he loves these, but i do see his back legs go sideways when hes hopped.
I don’t know what it could be?? Other than wear and tear - he used to hop and jump a lot around my neck when he was younger etc. Very affectionate and gives lots of licks and grunts. He loves the fuss. I don’t think he is in pain or discomfort honestly.
He’s a house rabbit, is eating, drinking, urinating, pooping all as normal. We clean him, make sure hes drank, ate etc. Plenty of hay.
Any ideas what to do? Or what it could be causing it? Thank you!

 

[JBun]

Did the vet run any tests like xrays to rule out spinal degeneration or a blood test to rule out e. cuniculi?

 

[Naatalie991]

No she didn’t. Because of Coronavirus we couldn’t go inside and it was all by telephone, vet collecting him, examining & calling us back in the car park.
In her words “he’s quite active on his legs” and prescribed him Baytril & Loxicom. £84 later.
She didn’t suggest any other treatment other than having him put to sleep... I can’t do that knowing he is mentally okay and himself, eating etc...

I do think the Baytril has helped as he has always had runny eyes - on and off. And this has significantly reduced that. But his legs are letting him down.

 

[Diane R]

Get a second opinion from a rabbit vet - find one here: Rabbit Friendly Vet List

 

[JBun]

If it's only the one rear hind leg(not both, or the front leg on the same side), I would suspect it being caused by some sort of spinal issue or hip/leg injury. Whether or not it's spinal degeneration due to age or some sort of hip or leg injury that could be correctable, there's no way to know without having further testing and xrays done by a knowledgeable rabbit vet. If it's spinal degeneration, not a lot can usually be done. Daily meloxicam/loxicom may prove to be of some benefit if given at an adequate dosage range(0.3-0.6mg/kg, twice a day). If it's an injury, then corrective surgery may be needed at this point as improper healing would have already occurred.

If it's both hind legs, it could be e. cuniculi related and could possibly see some improvement after treatment. In which case, treatment with panacur and meloxicam(or short term corticosteroids in severe cases) is the recommended treatment. If it's the front and hind leg on one side, it could be stroke related. Which physical therapy may prove helpful. And that little cart is perfect to help in this and keep your bun more mobile and active.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Differentials/paresis.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html
https://rabbit.org/hind-limb-weakne...moderate to,interpreted as hind limb weakness.

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/paralysis.html