Vet cant help floppy bunny

Question
Our very loved 18mth old male, neutered mini-lop bunny has been to the vet about 6 times in the space of 4 months after going all floppy (lethargic, weak, can't get up.)

The Vet is very caring and kind and hasn't charged us nearly as much as they should but it keeps recurring.

Each time they have given him a course of antibiotics and cortisone injections (which itched him and he scratched at his skin and pulled his fur out near the injection sites - so he had to be treated for that too) and he has come right for a few weeks before going down hill again.

This time however he has returned home from a week at the vets to be not much better (still very weak and skinny) He is too small to take a blood sample from safely apparently, and we have already spent over $600 on treating him to no avail.

Our bunny lives on our deck, is litter trained and joins us inside for cuddles in the evenings.(although at the moment we have set up a cage inside for him with a hot water bottle to snuggle into at nights)

I have tried each time to completely change the type of food, water bottle, vitamins, litter and treats in case he is allergic to anything or not getting the right nutrition. We have also tried at times syringe-feeding him tomato juice, water and small amounts of a "smoothie" mix of banana, oats, spinach, yogurt. (his stool is fine)

Do you have any ideas? We love him and don't want him to give up!

Answer
Dear Tiger,

I am not sure if there are many experienced rabbit vets in New Zealand, but I would strongly recommend you use the international vet listings here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find one.  In the meantime, please read these articles, which should help you get him through these periods of weakness:

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

It is possible he's going hypothermic periodically because of the stress/pain of GI tract problems, such as gas or even ileus, which you can read about here:

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

But it is of prime importance that you learn to take his temperature when he goes weak like this, as getting his temperature into normal range is just about the most critical aspect of his recovery.

If he's a lop, I would not be surprised if dental problems are at the root of this, causing painful mouth problems that cause him to spiral into ileus, hypothermia, and misery.  Please read:

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

His weight loss could be due to difficulty eating caused by painful molar spurs, which are alarmingly common in lop rabbits.

Blood work will really help get to the bottom of this mystery.  And if you find a vet who is experienced and competent with rabbits, this should not be a problem for even a very tiny rabbit.  The fact that the vet administered corticosteroids really suggests to me that s/he is more experienced with dogs and cats than rabbits, as corticosteroids should almost NEVER be used in rabbits, particularly when there is a suspected infection (which I'm assuming the vet suspected if s/he gave bunny antibiotics.  That, or s/he was just guessing, and throwing the pharmacy at the problem.).

I think you need to pursue finding a more rabbit-savvy vet, but in the meantime, I hope these articles will help you figure out what the problem might be, and what to ask the new vet so you can get bun on the road to recovery.

I hope this helps.

Dana