Leg twitches/falling over

Question

I took him to the vet and he had a physical done, and everything seemed great and we went to get a urine alaysis done and it turns out he had blood in his urine, it's suspected he has a urinary tract infection, he was given antibiotics but since his return he hasn't been twitching.

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-----Question-----

Hello,


My best friend Anakin, a dwarf rabbit of 8 years has recently started to fall over into the resting position very spontaneously (He normally doesn't do this when I'm sitting next to him) when he's laying there his back legs twitch. He gets back up after a bit then it happens all over again.

I've got an appointment at a vet later today but I wanted to see if there was anything you could tell me before then. Thank you.
-----Answer-----
Dear Craig,

If he's doing this while he's asleep, he might just be dreaming and falling over in his sleep, which isn't uncommon.  But if he's awake and alert when this happens, it could be something more serious.  

If he is having stiffness or trouble walking with his back legs, then the problem could be arthritis or a parasite known as Encephalitozoon cuniculi (symptoms of which often don't show up until a rabbit is about your bunny's age).  You can read more here:

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

You can also find a vet who is experienced with rabbits (a MUST!) here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana

Answer
Dear Craig,

It's good that the problem was diagnosed, and you're now treating with antibiotics (I hope the vet is experienced with rabbits and knows, for example, that amoxycillin is deadly to rabbits).  Please read:

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

for more information on urinary tract problems that can cause blood in the urine.  Infection is not the only possibility.

Good luck,
Dana