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Bunny neurological problems?

22 11:05:51

Question
Hi, I've read many of your other responses, and hope that you can help me.

I have an 11 month old mini-lop (Nutmeg) who's behavior has changed lately.  She has a diet of unlimited timothy hay and water, timothy cubes for knawing, timothy pellets (limited), carrots, occasionally parsley and maybe a taste of fruit as a treat.

About 2 weeks ago she had her first "episode."  My fiance witnessed it, he said she stood up, and then rolled backward onto her back into a corner of her cage (so she was sort of propped up) then she rolled over into her hay manger.  It sounded like she was having problems with her balance.  By the time I got out to see her, on our approach she was disoriented and in a highly panicked state, labored breathing, frantically throwing herself around her cage (running into the walls, ceiling, etc uncontrollably).  I finally was able to get her to stay in one spot when she cried out several times.  We then tried to calm her down and pet her, while keeping her still.  Her breathing was labored and audible...almost to the point of grunting.  

We took her immediately to an ER vet who couldn't diagnose anything, but indicated it seemed Neurological.  He took an X-ray when I mentioned concerns about a bladder infection due to some sediment I had seen in her litterbox (details below) and indicated that the x-ray didn't show any stones but was unsure about sludge.  

We took her to her normal vet the next day (who is experienced in bunnies).  He gave her a full exam, and could conclude nothing.  She wasn't in pain, her ears and eyes were healthy--no ear infections. (She does not have a head tilt).  I expressed concern over molar spurs or dental pain because she has been prone to them, but he indicated her spurs have not grown back yet.  I also expressed concern over a possible bladder infection as a few times over the past couple of months she has wet her fleece bedding in her cage, or her hindquarters, when she is normally perfect with her litterbox.  I brought an example of her litterbox linings to show the sediment I was concerned about.  It had just recently started showing up in her litter--it was a pale whitish, and slightly thick/pasty.  He examined it and indicated that it wasn't grainy enough to be sludge and that he didn't think it required a urinalysis at this time.  He sent us home with no real answers, and when I asked about seizures/ neurological problems, he researched them but indicated it was rare in rabbits and to just keep an eye on her.

Last night Nutmeg had another episode. They seem to occur in the late evening.  My fiance saw it again, and indicated that she was on her side/back on the floor of her cage with her paws up in the air and twitching slightly.  Then she stood up and tried to stretch her head forward (as if to investigate something) but it was still twitching.  He woke me up, when I got to her she was no longer twitching, but was sitting hunched up and non-responsive to talking and attempts to attract her attention with our hands.  Her breathing was labored, and her eyes were wide and non-blinking.  Her breathing was not as labored as the first episode. I didn't want to startle her, so we sat and talked to her calmly.  After a few minutes she seemed to come around and began looking around her cage, but she seemed disoriented.  She did not seem to have the balance problems of the first episode.  At this point I was able to reach in and lift her out to hold her and calm her down.

From my research it seems that seizures in rabbits are a bit more common than her vet indicated.  I also found that they can be more common in white rabbits with blue eyes.  Nutmeg came from a breeder who was beginning to experiment with breeding her buck that was white with blue eyes in an attempt to get more of them for show.  I called the breeder when the first incident happened and she indicated some of her rabbits have had seizures before. Could this genetic/breeding background also have an effect?

I can't help but feel that there might be something more to this, and I want Nutmeg to have the best life...but I don't want to put her through unnecessary tests that would stress her out more.  No one seems to be able to give me any answers :(   Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Holly

Answer
Dear Holly,

It really sounds as if you have done your detective work.  The last part is the most interesting/disturbing:  that the breeder from whom you got Nutmeg is seeing these neurological signs in some of his/her other rabbits.  This does suggest a genetic component.  But only time will tell if it's a serious problem or not.  It certainly doesn't sound pleasant for poor Nutmeg!  (Don't get me started on breeders....)

It sounds as if your vet knows rabbits.  True sludge is dark as curry powder and thick as toothpaste. White residue isn't uncommon, and isn't considered abnormal. But if the white stuff in her pee is "sticky," it could be pus.  You could either collect a clean sample or ask the vet to do a cystocentesis to get a sterile sample for culture and sensitivity:

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

Rabbit urinary tract infections can be very strange and cryptic, sometimes with the rabbit showing no signs of trouble, and having only intermittent evidence of pain.  It would not be a bad idea to have a urine culture run *just to rule out this possiblity.*  Urinary tract infections can be extremely painful, though I've not heard of them causing seizures.

It might also shed some light on this to have blood taken for CBC and chemistry.  Blood counts will tell whether there's evidence of infection or parasites (E. cuniculi?  Her signs are not consistent with that, but who knows?) as well as giving a window to her major organ function (liver and kidneys).  If all this comes back clean--and there is no urinary tract infection, then you're back to square one:  "its' something neurological". But at least you'll have ruled out more treatable problems.

This is an odd case, and I'm sorry poor Nutmeg is having to go through this.  There are rare cases of rabbits with epilepsy, and the usual treatment is the same as in cats:  low doses of barbituates.  Not a nice thing.  So you'll have to weigh the benefit/potential harm of those drugs against the severity and frequency of the seizures to make a decision.

It also wouldn't hurt to find another good rabbit vet for a second opinion.  Two heads can be better than one:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps with a few ideas, but truly this is an unusual situation.

Dana