3 months old rabbit lost body coordination, sitting in one place and wont eat or drink

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
Hope you can help me through this. I have a 3 month old male rabbit, who was suffering from mange from last few weeks. He was been treated with Ivermectin shots with a week's interval. Now that shot course has ended but his hair has not regrown yet( he was almost bald, now has small hairs on his back). So the doctor has prescribed him with Spectrazole ointment and vitamin syrups.
I was hoping that he would recover soon but yesterday evening a new symptom showed up.  When I took him out for his run, he was flat on his front leg and his head was tilted to its side. He seemed to lose his body coordination completely.  I gave the vet an emergency call. He visited us within an hour and injected him with Gentamicin and told us what he has is a wry neck. Now my bunny can sit on his own and keep his head straight but he wont move and shows no interest in eating or drinking , even his favourite treats. I have tried to syringe feed him but he is not being cooperative.
Please tell me what can I do to comfort my baby and make him eat something so that his gut movement doesnot stop. He has not yet recoved from mange yet and now he has another illness. Is there something I do wrong?
I clear his cage twice a day, give him a free run for about two hours daily, feed him plenty of hay, green veggies and water, papaya once a day and carrot once a week.  Along with that I also take him to vet every month for a check-up.
Please suggest me about how to keep my bunny healthy. He has been very friendly ever since I got him and dont want to loose him at all!

ANSWER: Dear Indrani,

Gentocin is quite a powerful antibiotic to use for this condition, but I'm glad it is helping.  Please ask the vet about switching to something that is not so toxic to the kidneys, especially if the bunny is not eating or drinking.  Also, the antibiotics will not solve the problem if they are given only once.  A problem like this will require a full course (for as long as the condition persists, plus a several days, to be sure the immune system has recovered enough to handle the remaining bacterial pathogens), not just one shot.

But a full course of Gentamycin could really destroy your bunny's kidneys. So please ask about a different rabbit-safe antibiotic, such as ciprofloxacin, marbofloxacin, or even injectable Penicillin-G Procaine (best if used in combination with Benzathine penicillin; this is usually sold as "dual-acting" or "long-acting" penicillin.  Note that oral penicillins of any kind must NEVER be given to rabbits.).

The inappetence may be due to the stress of the condition, and is just as dangerous as the infection causing the wry neck.  Please read this:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

and share this with the vet, if s/he is receptive to receiving information from clients:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.pdf

For quick relief of the ileus that your bunny may be suffering, use the directions for enema in the article, and preferably have the vet show you how.  (NO catheters!  Just a shallow instillation of lukewarm water will do the trick).  Enema can get the GI tract started when almost nothing else will work, and it works FAST.

I hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answer. But the bunny left us forever, 24 hours after he had showed his wry neck symptoms. He did not poop or pee from that day afternoon. We tried to syringe feed and he drank that, but was unable to move at all. We also noticed some movements in his stomach, as if few balls are moving inside his belly. Was  he a female because those movements resembled a lot like babies moves? We were told it was a he! His skin, teeth and white part of his eyes became yellowish as the day progressed. We called the vet again and he pushed Gentamycin for the second time. However he last breathed at around 10 pm.

I am so broken down that I have decided to give away the other bunny, his pair, to a responsible and caring family. I cant take the pain if something happens to Black as well in future. But I would like to know, that will Black be *mentally* all right if it looses its partner and mother within a few days span? Will Black be all right in a new family with a new partner? Can it cope with the fast changes? Or should I keep Black for few more weeks and then give to a new family so that he gets time to settle down? I don't know how a Rabbit's emotions work, so i would need your assistance.

Answer
Dear Indrani,

I am very sorry for your loss.  But please don't abandon Black at this point.  If he is suffering from kidney problems *and* has just lost his companions, losing his familiar home might be the last straw.

Right now, he needs lots of love and attention as well as treatment for his medical problems.  If he's ill, then it's not kind or responsible to turn him over to another family.  He needs your help right now, and you need to be strong for him.

I know you are doing everything possible to help your bunnies, but sometimes the resources are just not there.  I hope Black will be okay.  Once he is well, you can either consider adopting him out to a safe home, or--better still--to let him choose a new companion.  But all bunnies in bonded pairs should be spayed/neutered to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

The movement you saw in the sick bunny's abdomen might just have been the movements of the intestine, which can be quite conspicuous in a very young, lean rabbit.  I hope it was not babies, and let's just assume it was not.

I hope Black will be okay.

Dana