Paralyzed Bunny

[Brocks Rabbitry]

Hello, I had a doe give birth yesterday morning to 6 baby rabbits.. however afterwards she couldnt/wouldnt use her hindquarters. She is alert, does not seem to be in pain, eating and drinking normally. She just cant/wont use her hindquaters. She is feeding the babies, However I have another doe that also gave birth to just 2 babies and I can foster the paralyzed bunny's babies to the healthy doe.. what do you think this is? What could have caused it? Could she have pinched a nerve while giving birth? Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions.

 

[Brocks Rabbitry]

Yes, before someone asks the vet has been called and I was told if she wasnt showing signs of pain or acting shocky to wait a few days and call them back. But if any signs of pain or distress I was to call them back and get her in there ASAP

 

[Sweetie]

First of all, rabbits are prey animals and they are very good at hiding pain. They don't show pain like a cat or dog will. Your bunny is most likely in pain and I would suggest that you get her to the vet asap.

How old is this doe?

 

[Brocks Rabbitry]

The doe in question is approx. 1 and 1/2 years old. she will be 2 this summer. I called my horse vet and he will be in the area this evening and will stop by and check her out for me. Depending on his diagnosis and what he recommends she will probably either live out a very spoiled life here or I will have him put her to sleep. Whatever he feels is best for her. I dont want to see her suffer or be in pain and hiding it. It is better to let her go then let her live a life such as she is.

 

[Kipcha]

Has your horse vet worked with rabbits before?

 

[Brocks Rabbitry]

Yes his sister raises rabbits and goats.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[Sweetie]

I hope that things are okay with your doe. Praying that your bunny is okay and will be able to live a very spoiled life.

Her problem could be a spinal injury before she had the kits. How old are the babies? If you do decide to put her to sleep, please wait until she has finished weaning her babies.

 

[Brocks Rabbitry]

The doe is still the same, I am waiting on my vet to arrive.. The babys are only 1 day old. I have already fostered them to another doe, actually it is the injured does sister, she has accepted the babies and is taking good care of them. The doe was fine the night before she had the baby's, she was in a cage by herself, and it was a secure cage. she was hopping around the cage begging for her treats then she had the baby's and she was paralyzed. I am hoping and praying she can be saved.. if not I will know I have done everything I could for her and she will be in a better place.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Paralysis often does not involve chronic pain, and you may be able to make a mobility device for her depending on the severity and nature of the paralysis. Animals without hindquarter use can still live long, happy, quality lives with a little innovation and extra effort from the caregiver. I'm actually in the process of building a wheelchair for a monitor lizard and would happily link you to some sites on home made wheelchairs for pets if you decide to keep her even if she is paralyzed.

 

[Sweetie]

Well that is good the kits are with another doe.

I hope that paralyzed doe is okay and can be saved.

 

[Anaira]

I watched a documentary on special needs pets recently. Someone had a rabbit who has lost the use of her back legs, and she got a wheelchair harness for her. It didn't take long for her to learn how to use it, either. It was really cool to see! I think Pipp(?) posted a link on here a few months back for a site that sells rabbit wheelchairs.

It may also be only temporary; I know someone whose rat lost the use of her back legs. She had a fall, and pinched a nerve. Within a couple of weeks, she had regained the use of her legs. Hopefully it's just something like that?

Good luck! I hope she'll be ok.

 

[Brocks Rabbitry]

Well Vet came he feels that she pinched a nerve in her hindquarters when she was giving birth. He said she will most likely not regain use of her hindquarters but to give her a week and then make a decision. So she is living as comfortable as she can be made in my kitchen in a large wire dog crate with lots of padding and absorbent material she comes out explores the kitchen, and then goes back in her bed to rest. she gets around good dragging herself with her front legs. My husband and I talked about last night after doc left and we are going to give her 2 weeks to see if she comes around if not we are going to have her put down. This is not a good way for her to live. She was my crazy rabbit hopping, jumping, running around like crazy... just not fair to her to now live like this.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[Anaira]

I will be thinking of her during the week; keep us updated!

 

[Maureen Las]

Paralysis in the hindquarters also does occur when a rabbit is showing symptoms of the parasite e-cuniculi . This is a parasite which is present in many rabbits , however symptoms may develop when the rabbit either has a lowered immune system due to illness or stress..or possibly old age.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/2009/1/Marquis-Ponazuril-dosage-2.htm

In the case of your rabbit it does seem that it probably was something that occurred during the birth process that brought this on with this doe, however, I am just bringing up another unlikely but possible problem. E-cuniculi can be treated with Panacur but is even more responsive to Ponazuril which you would have access to considering that you have an equine vet; Ponazuril/ Marquis is a drug developed to treat an encephalitis type illness in horses but has been found to also work well with e-cuniculi in rabbits

Did your vet do a pin prick test to determine whether the doe responds to pain. ? Was he able to assess any response from the doe?

If this issome type of nerve injury (spinal?) from givng birth then it is possible that she may regain some movement and feeling if given time to resolve.

I would keep her quiet in an enclosed smaller area to allow adequate healing to occur
I am going to Pm our ARBA judge Pam for additional feedback ; I do not breed rabbits so would not know if this is an uncommon or common occurence.
I would give the doe a chance ....

Good Luck

 

[sakyabuni]

angieluv wrote:

Paralysis in the hindquarters also does occur when a rabbit is showing symptoms of the parasite e-cuniculi . This is a parasite which is present in many rabbits , however symptoms may develop when the rabbit either has a lowered immune system due to illness or stress..or possibly old age.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/2009/1/Marquis-Ponazuril-dosage-2.htm

In the case of your rabbit it does seem that it probably was something that occurred during the birth process that brought this on with this doe, however, I am just bringing up another unlikely but possible problem. E-cuniculi can be treated with Panacur but is even more responsive to Ponazuril which you would have access to considering that you have an equine vet; Ponazuril/ Marquis is a drug developed to treat an encephalitis type illness in horses but has been found to also work well with e-cuniculi in rabbits

Thanks for posting this. I just starting having this problem with my 12 year old Himmy.

She already had trouble with the joint in her front leg, so I thought she was just going lame due to old age. I had brought her to the vet a month ago and again 2 weeks ago to check her weight - just because I'm worried about her age, figuring she might go down hill quickly as senior pets sometimes do.

Over the last 4 or 5 days, her hind end seems paralyzed. I'll call the vet in the morning.

 

[Lizzhart]

Hi, I have exactly the same problem with my rabbit that gave birth two days ago. I unfortunately don't have another doe to feed the babies. She moves around, but seems a bit bewildered.

What was the outcome of your doe?

 

[JBun]

It's possible there's some inflammation causing the hind limb problems. If you can get an anti inflammatory like metacam from your vet, that may help.