Possible Stroke?

Question
QUESTION: Hi - my rabbit appeared very quiet on Saturday morning (she was fine Friday evening) and was not interested in food at all. Unusually she was very stationary and not very responsive to sound or movement. As she is housed with another female rabbit it was not possible to tell if she ate anything that day. on Sunday we decided to take her to the vets where they thought that she might have had a stroke and they said that she had no bowel movements at all and could have lost her eyesight. They gave her an injection to see if they could start her bowel movements off again. That evening we fed her water by syringe and tried to tempt her with dandelion leaves. She really was not interested very much.
By this morning (now housed separately to the other rabbit) we noticed that the dandelion leaves had gone and she was a bit more perky. She has eaten some broccoli but not touched much, if any of the dry diet. We noticed some droppings in the hutch so it seems things are moving again. We are taking her back to the vets this afternoon but I wanted to ask if you think she did suffer a stroke and if she has lost her eyesight is it possible there might be some improvement over time and can we do anything to help with the recovery. I do not want her to suffer in anyway so can a rabbit who has suffered a stroke and blindness live a happy life and still be housed with the other rabbit? Any advise would be welcome.

ANSWER: Dear Jo,

I would certainly not separate her from a bonded partner.  But I'd need more information to know whether the signs are consistent with a stroke.  Blindness can be caused by *many* things, and if it's bilateral, it's not as likely to be a stroke (which usually affects only one side of the body).  Did the vet see any sign of paresis/paralysis?  Palsy?  What made him/her think it was a stroke?

If the vet is not very familiar with rabbits, then you might wish to seek a second opinion here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

But please also read:

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

and write back if you can give me more specific signs the rabbit is showing so I can help you figure out what is going on.

I hope this helps.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Hi. thanks for this information. There were no signs of paralysis and since she has really perked up. The vets second thought was that she might have E.Cuniculi, I know this is a parasite so could it affect my other rabbit? What are the symptoms of this, could this be the cause of the blindness?
She seems to be detecting our movements quite well so I think that there may be some improvement in her eyesight- is this possible?

Answer
Dear Jo,

I'm glad your bunny is feeling better!  Encephalitozoon cuniculi can cause a certain type of blindness via forming cataracts in the lenses of the eye.  A very experienced veterinary ophthalmologist can actually discriminate whether a cataract has been caused by E. cuniculi with a close visual exam.  This is something you might want to consider, if you really want a definite answer--but it won't change the fact that the lenses are permanently damaged.

It's possible that your bunny is adapting to the loss of clear vision, but that will be limited.  The only way to restore some vision in the eye would be to remove the affected lens(es) so that the retina won't be blocked by the milky cataract.  Vision won't be as clear as it was before, but the bunny won't be completely blind.  (And this will work only if the retinas are working, which can be determined by the veterinary ophthalmologist.)

There's a great deal of argument in the veterinary community about E. cuniculi, and even whether it's a pathogen.  But some other signs of E. cuniculi signs include hind limb paresis, renal failure and head tilt.

Also, no one really knows just how long E. cuniculi is contagious.  I have heard various things, from the parasite being transmissible only for 2-3 weeks after initial infection to constant infectiousness (perhaps because of constant reinfection from contact with infected urine).

In general, transmission between rabbits might not be very easy unless the bunnies are exposed to infected urine.  And if your other bunny has been in contact with your infected bunny, then it's too late to worry about exposure:  If it's going to happen, it already has.  

But take heart:  Not all rabbits who test positive for E. cuniculi get sick.  In fact, many vets believe (from clinical observations) that MOST rabbits with E. cuniculi never show signs.  No one knows what determines who gets sick and who doesn't.  It may be a combination of genes and immune system differences.  But this is still an area of ongoing debate with little or no hard data to support any of the "camps."

If your vet suspects E. cuniculi, then ask about treatment with Panacur (fenbendazole):

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

or a newer drug, Ponazuril.  Some people have reported marked improvement in neurological signs (though these drugs will not resolve cataracts--I'm afraid those are here to stay).

I hope this helps!

Dana