E Cuniculi

[ImBrian]

I came home today to find by rabbit totally paralysed with head tilt and rolling/fitting. He was fine this morning eating and moving about.

I took him straight to the vet who gave him pancur and an injection to stimulate his digestive tract. They did say that they hadn't seen a rabbit this badly effected before but that was worth trying him for 24 hours.

I'm syringe feeding him as he can't move and he's taken a tiny bit. The vet said to do this every two hours through the night. It's awful seeing him like this, he can't move and if he tries to just rolls over and over. His whole body is stiff and it must be so frightening for him.

I've brought him inside and he's in a box with a towel over him to keep him warm. There's been no poo or wee for at least 4 hours now and I don't know what else to do to help him.

Has anyone got any experience of this or any ideas how to help his digestive system and make him more comfortable?

[FernieB]

Sorry no experience of this. Poor bun and poor you. Must be distressing to watch. All you can do is to keep trying to syringe feed and I'd stay close to him and try to keep him calm.

[ImBrian]

He's now eating like a horse but still totally paralysed. Back to the vets shortly.

[PippityPop]

Hi ImBrian

I foster rabbits for a local rescue and have had a few with EC.

One went downhill as quickly as you described your little one doing and we had to rush to emergency vets. She didn't eat for a while and in order to reduce her stress we kept her in a small box with a blanket over her so she couldn't walk and bump into things. We encouraged her to eat regular and, again like yours, after a while she wolfed everything down. Soon after she could drink by herself (out of a dish) and it was obvious it was time to let her out of the box. I continued with the panacur for the recommended time (maybe 14 days?) and by the end of it, it was like nothing bad ever happened.

You don't mention any other buns but if you do have others, they will need to be treated too. Pineapple juice is an easy and excellent way of helping with digestion. It's most important to just get anything in the bun though, so treats like oats and raisin, fruit and brown toast. My lady was particularly fond of fresh herbs so I just got her bunches and waved it in front of her mouth. Force feeding is tricky with head tilt and dizziness so maybe try fibreplex first as buns often love the taste anyways. You could always get gut motility meds, once is done via injection so you wouldn't have to worry about forcing it down.

The first vet we saw basically wrote her off, said she wouldn't make it. She's 4 now and in perfect health. Your bun sounds to be improving already so keep at it and keep calm good luck to you both!

[ImBrian]

Thank you, my other bun is having preventative treatment. He's eating and pooing really well just can't even lift his head up. He can lie in his side and rolls if he tries to move.

[PippityPop]

My girl was exactly the same, I know it's hard tob believe they can snap out of it because it looks so awful but that's exactly what happened to my bun who had a quick decline. Eating is a brilliant sign so I have everything crossed for you both!

Other buns I've had with EC were left with a bit of head tilt but still had a good quality of life, managed to live just as well as the other bunnies!

[cherrypepsimax]

Are they absolutely sure its EC? Did they do a blood test? No harm in carrying in with the panacur but if if doesnt resolve it could be because it's something else.

Pineapple juice is no earthy use unless it is fresh, and then it is very sugary and can cause gut problems. Obviously don't feed oats or raisins...

Hope the bun is improving :(

[cherrypepsimax]

If it's been such a sudden onset like this, has the vet done an X-ray?