# Potential Stroke



## shelly989 (Oct 22, 2012)

Hi,

I have an 8 and a half year old rabbit called Betty. On Saturday she started having a fit in her hutch. Since then she has not had another one (to my knowledge). She is still eating and drinking and can just about manage to hop from one side of the hutch to the other but is definitely favouring her left side and her left eye isn't functionining correctly. 

I have held off taking her to the vets and she is so old and this would be so stressful for her. 

I have come to the conclusion that she has had a stroke as my other rabbit who I lost a couple of months ago had E.Cuniculi and his head was very tilted, whereas Betty's head is not tilting.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Michelle


----------



## Guest (Oct 22, 2012)

Errr vets NOW........


----------



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

I'm sorry about your poor bun. One of my previous bun's had a stroke, and sounds very similar to what you described ( exept mine wasn't on the side of her). She had a fit then her back legs went all limp and the feeling went in them. She could still eat and drink, but her back end had completely failed. Because I was much younger and she was still eating/drinking and she was my heartrabbit, I kept her and looked after her and she lived for another 2 years or so, I found her dead the morning she was due to go to the vets. In hindsight though, it wasn't right to do that, and if it happened again, I would of had her put down straight away as it really wasn't fair on her. Hopefully yours will recover enough to live a normal life or a fairly normal one.


----------



## Guest (Oct 22, 2012)

Just thought I'd add that just because the head isn't tilted that does NOT mean that you can rule out EC.

Please take your rabbit to a vet, you can't self diagnose and if it is EC then bunny will need treatment ASAP.


----------



## gem88 (Jun 2, 2012)

why on earth didnt you get you bun to the vet as soon as the fit happened!?


----------



## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

Please get your rabbit to the vets ASAP- it sounds as though E.Cuniculi is a very large possibility, as it is contagious and your previous rabbit had it. She needs urgent treatment and a course of Panacur (if it is EC).

Sorry if I sound blunt or forceful, but I can't stress the vet trip enough! I hope she's okay, please keep us updated! Sending lots of vibes for Betty x


----------



## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Have to agree - if you've already had a case of EC, then this seems the most likely cause. Not all have head tilt, and not all head tilt is caused by EC.

If it was an out of the blue fit, there will be an underlying cause. The fit may have caused brain damage, hence paralysis, which may or may not be permanent.

Sorry to be so bleak, but do get bun to the vets and see what they say.


----------



## shelly989 (Oct 22, 2012)

Thank you for all your help.

Betty was treated for E.C. straight away after we lost Arthur. I am happy to report that after seeing her this afternoon (she lives at my mum's house you see) she is much better today so I think I made the right decision.

I didn't take her straight to the vets when she started fitting as she would have harmed herself fitting in a box being taken to the vet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Guest (Oct 22, 2012)

shelly989 said:


> Thank you for all your help.
> 
> Betty was treated for E.C. straight away after we lost Arthur. I am happy to report that after seeing her this afternoon (she lives at my mum's house you see) she is much better today so I think I made the right decision.
> 
> I didn't take her straight to the vets when she started fitting as she would have harmed herself fitting in a box being taken to the vet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


No she needs to see a vet, just because she was treated for EC after the death of her friend does not mean she is safe for life. EC could still be an issue.

Sorry to be harsh but your rabbit needs to be seen by a VET, fitting is not something that should EVER be taken lightly 

I have taken fitting rabbits to the vet so that excuse is ridiculous if I'm honest.....


----------



## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

To safely transport, all you need to do is put a soft fleecy blanket under and around your bunny, to protect her.

We once had a bunny who had a fit, reason unknown, who made a full recovery. I hope yours does too.

Have your or your mum used any spot on treatments recently on her? She might have had a reaction.

I am thinking that if EC is eliminated, then something toxic may be a possibilty. Could she have got to anything toxic? Or had she had a severe fright that might have triggered it?

Even if she is improving, I would urge you to get the vet to have a look at her. She may have underlying issues, as well as what you can see.


----------



## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

Could you not pay for a vet to come and see her at home? Surely, that'll be a win-win scenario. If you explained your situation, I'm sure they'd consider it...

I agree that she needs to be seen, even if she looks a bit better. If this was one of my two, they'd be straight up to the emergency surgery without a second thought!


----------



## Louiseandfriends (Aug 21, 2011)

_*vets! Vets! Vets! *_


----------



## shelly989 (Oct 22, 2012)

I strongly advise you that I have found no EXCUSE not to take her to the vets! I simply did what I thought was best for her. I have also taken fitting rabbits to the vets before and can safely say every time the stress made them worse!!!! Please don't assume I am making excuses, I can to this forum for help not to be criticised! 
Thank u to everyone who has genuinely tried to help - me and Betty are very grateful!!


----------



## Guest (Oct 22, 2012)

shelly989 said:


> I strongly advise you that I have found no EXCUSE not to take her to the vets! I simply did what I thought was best for her. I have also taken fitting rabbits to the vets before and can safely say every time the stress made them worse!!!! Please don't assume I am making excuses, I can to this forum for help not to be criticised!
> Thank u to everyone who has genuinely tried to help - me and Betty are very grateful!!


So as the advice has been "take her to the vets" across the board, and you weren't making excuses I assume you have now taken her to the vets?

What did the vets say?


----------



## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

shelly989 said:


> I strongly advise you that I have found no EXCUSE not to take her to the vets! I simply did what I thought was best for her. I have also taken fitting rabbits to the vets before and can safely say every time the stress made them worse!!!! Please don't assume I am making excuses, I can to this forum for help not to be criticised!
> Thank u to everyone who has genuinely tried to help - me and Betty are very grateful!!


Please don't feel like we're being critical, as Bernie says, you've asked for advice and the advice has been given i.e. that a vet should see to her. I don't know what else you wanted us to say, as I for one can't think of anything else to do.

If you got a vet out to you, if possible, the stress shouldn't be an issue, and surely, if she could be prescribed something to ease her symptoms, it would be worth it.

I hope Betty is okay x


----------



## shelly989 (Oct 22, 2012)

Aww yes I know most people are trying to help just some were are so rude! I am new to this forum thing so maybe it's normal!
Yes I have taken Betty to the vets, they think she's had a stroke and said there's nothing they can give her just got to do what we are doing.
Thanks everyone!
Michelle and Betty


----------



## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

i do hope Betty continues to improve.


If we appear critical or rude, it is because we get desperate. We know how early treatment can make such a difference, and many of us nurse rabbits that didn't have that, and need lifelong care.

it makes us feel helpless, if we know there is a bunny out there that needs help and isn't getting it. Some of the stories are horrific.

Thank you for taking her to the vets.


----------



## Kammie (Apr 4, 2009)

Summersky said:


> i do hope Betty continues to improve.
> 
> If we appear critical or rude, it is because we get desperate. We know how early treatment can make such a difference, and many of us nurse rabbits that didn't have that, and need lifelong care.
> 
> ...


To add to what Summer has said even early treatment and diagnosis sometimes isn't fast enough as I found out myself just over a week ago. BUT the sooner you seek treatment the better the chances of recovery.


----------



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

shelly989 said:


> Aww yes I know most people are trying to help just some were are so rude! I am new to this forum thing so maybe it's normal!
> Yes I have taken Betty to the vets, they think she's had a stroke and said there's nothing they can give her just got to do what we are doing.
> Thanks everyone!
> Michelle and Betty


Yep that's what the vets told me about mine, that she'd had a stroke and nothing could be done about it, and that I could either put her down straight away or leave her for a while and see if she recovered partially on her own. Unfortunately she never regained use of her back legs and was paralyzed from the middle of her back down. My beautiful bun who had done tons of walking around with me, been on car trips and shopping more than any other rabbit proberbly has became a different rabbit and it was awful to see. Whereas once she would sit up and jump up on command, she could barely keep herself up right to eat, in fact she couldn't eat out of a bowl at all, had to have food hand fed or put directly on the floor and be lifted into her bed at night. Utterly distressing to see and now I'm older I can see I made a very wrong decision in not letting her go.


----------



## shelly989 (Oct 22, 2012)

Oh god that sounds awful and very distressing. 
Betty is barely leaning to the left though now and can hop round her hutch and eat and drink on her own. She used to come out every morning and had the run of the garden but I won't be letting her out on her own anymore I'm just going to let her stretch her legs inside for now so I can keep an eye on her. I know if she goes downhill it is inevitable I will have to have her put to sleep. She is a fighter though I've never had a rabbit who has survived something so traumatic and never had one live so long. She is a very special bunny!
Thank u for sharing your story and I'm sorry to hear what happened.


----------



## Guest (Oct 22, 2012)

shelly989 said:


> Oh god that sounds awful and very distressing.
> Betty is barely leaning to the left though now and can hop round her hutch and eat and drink on her own. She used to come out every morning and had the run of the garden but I won't be letting her out on her own anymore I'm just going to let her stretch her legs inside for now so I can keep an eye on her. I know if she goes downhill it is inevitable I will have to have her put to sleep. She is a fighter though I've never had a rabbit who has survived something so traumatic and never had one live so long. She is a very special bunny!
> Thank u for sharing your story and I'm sorry to hear what happened.


I'm not trying to scare you but if her symptoms have changed then I personally would lean more towards EC rather than a stroke 

Many vets will misdiagnose EC as strokes so I'm not saying your vet is useless or anything but EC is still a fairly unknown illness, even the best vets in the country are still scratching their heads over it  I just thought I'd mention it because if she had a stroke there wouldn't be a change in her mobility, especially so quickly.

If I was you I would put her on a 28 day course of Panacur as a precaution, it won't do her any harm but if it is EC it could help her to shed the parasite before it does more damage :huh:


----------



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

Can a rabbit "recover" from a stroke? I know mine didn't, but I know people who have had them and are almost back to normal as regards moving, talking and stuff. So is it possible to get lucky with a rabbit? i'm fairly certain my first chinchilla had a stroke (a fit, went floppy, couldn't move) but she recovered quite well, apart from her temprement which wasn't properly the same after.


----------



## Guest (Oct 22, 2012)

Wobbles said:


> Can a rabbit "recover" from a stroke? I know mine didn't, but I know people who have had them and are almost back to normal as regards moving, talking and stuff. So is it possible to get lucky with a rabbit? i'm fairly certain my first chinchilla had a stroke (a fit, went floppy, couldn't move) but she recovered quite well, apart from her temprement which wasn't properly the same after.


Strokes in rabbits are actually fairly rare. Strokes can also mimic other health problems. Since strokes are a result of an obstruction of blood through a vessel in the brain, or a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, the signs of a stroke point to the part of the brain that was affected. To properly confirm a diagnosis of stroke, diagnostic tests must be administered. There is no treatment for a stroke other than supporting the rabbit with fluids, feedings and pain management. It is possible for the rabbit to regain any lost functions over a period of months, but this depends on the severity of the stroke.

Which is why I want to express my concern to the OP, at the moment EC can't be ruled out and if I'm honest it is probably a much more likely diagnoses than a stroke.
But having said that I haven't seen or examined the rabbit so I am only going on what the OP has said 

If the OP's rabbit has had a stroke then I would expect a vet to prescribe metacam at the very least.


----------



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> Strokes in rabbits are actually fairly rare. Strokes can also mimic other health problems. Since strokes are a result of an obstruction of blood through a vessel in the brain, or a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, the signs of a stroke point to the part of the brain that was affected. To properly confirm a diagnosis of stroke, diagnostic tests must be administered. There is no treatment for a stroke other than supporting the rabbit with fluids, feedings and pain management. It is possible for the rabbit to regain any lost functions over a period of months, but this depends on the severity of the stroke.
> 
> Which is why I want to express my concern to the OP, at the moment EC can't be ruled out and if I'm honest it is probably a much more likely diagnoses than a stroke.
> But having said that I haven't seen or examined the rabbit so I am only going on what the OP has said
> ...


If their rare mine must've just been very very unlucky Yep it does effect the brain, neither the bun not the chin were quite 'right' mentally afterwards, my chin went rather vicious, something she'd never been before, and would try to leap stupid distances without thinking about it. I made her a cage out of a double floored rabbit hutch because her balance went and she wasn't safe in a cage with ledges and stuff. I remember the vet giving us something for my rabbit, but I was too young to remember exactly what. Didn't work whatever it was.


----------



## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

B3rnie said:


> I'm not trying to scare you but if her symptoms have changed then I personally would lean more towards EC rather than a stroke
> 
> Many vets will misdiagnose EC as strokes so I'm not saying your vet is useless or anything but EC is still a fairly unknown illness, even the best vets in the country are still scratching their heads over it  I just thought I'd mention it because if she had a stroke there wouldn't be a change in her mobility, especially so quickly.
> 
> If I was you I would put her on a 28 day course of Panacur as a precaution, it won't do her any harm but if it is EC it could help her to shed the parasite before it does more damage :huh:


This is exactly my thinking, too, though Bernie's always much better at explaining such things.

I would treat this as EC and give her Panacur. If it is EC, her symptoms will be alleviated and if not, she's been treated anyway and there will be no harm done.

It's a horrible illness, and its cause is still a mystery i.e. why many carry the disease but never show symptoms whilst others become very poorly. All you can do is give her the treatment and hope that it helps her in some way.


----------



## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

I can only agree with all that has been said about a long course of Panacur. Well worth doing, in spite of vets diagnosis. 

And Wobbles, you were very honest about your bunny. But like you said, that bunny was very special to you, and you were only young. Your parents would have had to make the big decisions for you.


----------

