prayers for a special-needs Holland

[rabbitgirl]

Dear folks,

Please keep Fenwick in your prayers as he is having problems walking.His right hind leg is extremely weak and he is running around on three legs. I suspect either a pulled muscle or a mild stroke. He is eating, begging, and bouncing around like a rocket (he just keeps tipping over). E. cuniculi is always a first thought, but I'm quitesure it's not that this time around. Whew. It's very obviously a problem with the leg itself, as it drags slightly when he hops. He has some motion but can't bear weight on it.

His unquenchable attitude, as always, amazes me. Whatever it is hasn't slowed him down much. He tips over and bounces back up undaunted.

There seems to be some improvement today. The vets were no help so I contacted a breeder that a friend recommended. She said she was nursing a velveteen lop doe through the same thing, and that it has been two weeks and the doe is still not quite healed, although there is improvement. She suspected a pulled muscle or something similar, and described almost exactly what Fen is doing. Her doe is also eating well and not in pain, so she advised us to just wait it out and keep an eye on things. He has no visible sign of injury and shows no sign of discomfort.

Will keep you all posted, but please keep the boy in your prayers. He's had a lot of challenges for such a little thing.

Rose

 

[naturestee]

Poor little guy. He's such a cutee! I hope he gets better soon.

 

[TinysMom]

Would baby aspirin help at all? Maybe relieve any swelling if there is any in the leg?

I'll be praying! I'm sure you're a great bunny mama and will help him get better soon.

Peg

 

[jordiwes]

Prayers are definitely going out for Fenwick. ray:

 

[bunnydude]

rayraying for Fenwickray:

 

[Maureen Las]

Jacques ,my tiny mini-lop has somewhat the same problem. Often when he tries to get up from lying down he tips over. Or sometimes he can't make it into the litterbox....it seems like his left leg. He is a rescue approx. 3-4 yrs old. Recently the vet took an x-ray of his spine which showed damage to a portion of the spine that was healing on its own (bone growing back). Since i know that I am less worried as in every other way he is fine. The vet thought it could be an injury from before I got him or possibly even something genetic.

 

[JimD]

Prayers and good thoughts sent!

~Jim

 

[loplover]

I noticed that all the rabbits that seem to have similar problems all are lops. Alsoat my high school in the ag science room there was a lop that had a hind leg that was"backward" (It was born that way). It got around ok though. So this brings the question; are lops more prone to this kind of thing?

 

[LuvaBun]

Oh. poor little Fenny. At least it's good that he seems OK in himself. I will definately be praying for him!

Jan

 

[cheryl]

ohh noo,poor little fella i will be hoping so much that he can get his strength back in his leg.

come on little guyray:

 

[Bassetluv]

Adding my prayers and good thoughts for Fenwick....

ray:

Archangel Raphael - the angel of healing

 

[rabbitgirl]

Thanks all, for good wishes and prayers. I found it fascinating how some of you mentioned that this seems to be a "lop thing". I wonder why? I wish we had a rabbit vet online here, that could shed some light on it.

Rose

 

[Maureen Las]

Hi Rabbitgirl....I'm curious about the lop thing myself. I have three mini-lops..one is a holland that has been healthy but the other two have had teeth and eye problems. The other three rabbits are mixes (not lops) and for some reason they just seem hardier than my lops. I keep thinking about what I have heard about the breeding of English bulldogs,,,how there faces are pushed in and thatthey have difficulty breathing because of over-exaggeration of AKC standard for the breed.

I think that lops have more eye and teeth problems because of their flat faces but this is based only on experience, not on knowledge of lopsbased on studies..I have to admit that lops are cute and I hope that I'm incorrect in thinking that they may have problems due to the structure of their faces and bodies.

 

[rabbitgirl]

Fenwick is showing very marked improvement today. He is using the leg although still limping heavily. He stretched using both hind legs, although the right one was used with great caution.

angieluv, lops do seem to be prone to problems! Fenwick has trouble with his nose--he's allergic to everything and his face is so flat, I think his sinuses just don't drain right.

Rose

 

[Spring]

Here's a very inspring and rather adorable story worth a read with a little bunny that needed some assistance.



http://www.vrra.org/special-rabbits.htm

 

[rabbitgirl]

Amazing stories!

Rose

 

[Maureen Las]

Hey Spring..those pictures were sad and happy....I never heard of that Vancouver Rescue... I just think that AbleAngel is too cute to be true.....what a wonderful place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Rabbitgirl..I think that Fenwick is improving...let me tell you that if I had thought of the name "Fenwick"I would have named one of my males Fenwick:that is so cool aname.. My holland lop Babette is purebred and has never had any problems. Her face is not that flat.

My rescue Jacques,on the other hand , has never looked symmetrical(hard to describe) he is the one with the spine problem and also has the tear duct problem and is the most gentle and submissive of all my bunnies. It breaks my heart apart to see him fall over but I know that it is not a systemic illness and I know that he feels OK and seems happy.His face is totally flat when I look at him sideways (cuter than a button) but really flat.

My other mini-lop Beau is from a rather shoddy pet store. I'm lucky I bought him as he has peg teeth that grow upward in a bizarre way and if a less diligent person had bought him he would probably be dead. His peg teeth have to be cut very frequently to keep him able to eat hay and groom himself. I would guess that this is a genetic flaw. Please keep us up-dated on your little guy Fenwick...I have the feeling that he will recover.

 

[2bunmom]

Rose, So sorry to hear about Fenny's leg.:? Poor little guy, as if the allergies aren't enough for him to deal with. I know that you are a great bunny mom ,soI know he will get the best of care. Have you tried gently messaging his hips and leg? It is so hard to know what to do for them sometimes. He and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Beckie

 

[Dutches_Rock]

A special prayer for Fenwick.ray:

 

[rabbitgirl]

Today Fenwick continues to improve dramatically.He is limping only very slightly, and can stand on his hind legs for a moment before the right one buckles. He's using it almost normally again.

I didn't do a thing other than check for obvious injuries and keep an eye on him. He has healed just fine on his own!

Thanks for all your prayers--I think he'll be just fine in a week or so!

Rose