Stroke

[trailsend]

Daisy, a senior Dwarf that was surrendered in the summer along with her bunny buddy, a mini lop, had a stroke this week. Went to the Vet, checked for inner ear, and infections ,etc. She has head tilt, and her right side is paralized. Our Veterinarian says this was a stroke. This is the second time I've dealt with this. I had 17 Mini Rex buns dumped in the fall, and one of them had a stroke on Christmas Eve. Noel has recovered completely, without any damage. Daisy is 7+ as far as I know. Noel is 1 year.

I was just wondering about other people who have dealt with this and their situations? I am always wanting to learn more about bun health of course, and I wondered if anyone had stories to share about their experiences with this?

 

[ra7751]

Interesting....but I don't think rabbits have strokes per se. We have seen some issues like that with head trauma...mostly with cottontails that have been hit by a car. I would really suspect this rabbit might be suffering from E Cuniculi. While EC doesn't directly cause head tilt, it does compromise the immune and allows bacterial infections in the ear which causes the tilt. EC will also result in escalating neurological deficiencies that mimic a stroke. Nearly every case we have seen has affected the left side of the body. In advanced stages of this infection, the neurological deficiencies can be seen all over the body.

If you check our blog, you can read about Yoda. He started showing signs of EC soon after losing his soul mate Sabrina....we think it was brought on by a broken heart. He went down on his side quickly and tilted....and he would spin violently. We had seen this before so we tried some "uncoventional" treatments and we were able to provide him with a high quality of life for years. Even when his left side went totally down, we modified our husbandry to make things better for him. He was a real fighter right up until his kidneys were lost.....and he told me it was time.

It might be a good idea to talk about EC with your doctor. Honestly, most vets (even the rabbit savvy ones) have never actually seen an active case of EC. It is a challenge. If you would like some more details on this issue....just PM me. We have dealt with this quite a bit. But if you are willing, you can provide this bunny with a high quality of life. I think that is great....and it will mean a lot both to you and the bunny.

Randy

 

[Marietta]

Trailsend, I haven't dealt with stroke, but you'll find in the Health section of the Library a separate thread called "strokes", it could help you learn more about it.

Marietta

 

[trailsend]

Thanks Randy for the very helpful info. Will read your blog & talk to my Vet. I know that Noel has had no lasting effects from her problems in December which I am so grateful for.

We will of course do everything possible for Daisy - that's what we are here for. and Marietta, will go read the articles too, thanks for sharing.

 

[lindymars]

hi there

i saw your blog and felt for you - my late bun - mr bun r wabit - was diagnosed with having a stroke it was horrible when he took his first one...i automatically thought of head tilt but the vet said it wasnt...despite suffering from paralysis down his right side, he still followed us about came to bed when you shouted him, got up with you etc etc - with the exception of the stairs - we started getting into the routine of carrying up and down the stairs - i think if we had a more rabbit savy vet at that time he may have stood more of a chance but sadly he deteriorated...he kept having more strokes which turned more like fits where you could only hold him to try and comfort him...in the end he stopped eating, had an increase in organ failure and lost sooo much weight - medicines syringed didnt work - and in all honestly i think he just decided enough was enough. i wont go on cos i really hope your bun wont ever have another one and i dont wont to be all doom n gloom...i know there are discussions as to whether or not rabbits can have strokes and i am not going to try and determine whether or not they do but i can sympathise with you as its the most horrible thing having to sit and watch. when they are sitting there quite happily and then start falling over, shaking and theres not a thing you can do to help -...we used to spend many a night holding him through a stroke and then trying to see if there has been any more side effects...i have since got 3 brothers - mini lops and luckily a new very rabbit savy vet but fingures crossed i wont ever have to go through that again.



anyway all the best with your buns and hope there are no lasting effects with daisy.