Giving a dying rabbit every chance...

[Frosted Rabbits]

Okay-- all of marsha's kits have died off-- then I lost the lynx Rex kit, overnight. two days later, it looked like the lilac kit was going to be a goner... It has been over a week, and that particular kit has failed and revived so many times--
Yesterday, I watched in misery as it would seize, then sit up and grind it's teeth. I knew the pain had to be incredible- the grinding was so loud. But the previous day, it had really rallied, even ate about 4 ounces of a gruel I made for it. I knew for sure, I would find it dead this morning--
At one point yesterday, I mashed an aspirin tablet, knowing I would not be able to give an accurate dose. Mixed the powder with water, and used a syringe to get some of it down the fellas throat. I figured if I could break the pain/spasm cycle, Berry would have a chance. This morning, it appears he had eaten some of the soaked hay cube I put in the cage for him. I added some water with electrolytes this afternoon, and the fella is not only attempting to eat, but is cleaning himself and starting to move about. There is still some tooth grinding, but I have not seen him seize in several hours. He is placed in front of a space heater, as I have no central heat.
Some people would ask "why?" when the rabbit was obviously on it's death bed.. Why? Because after every seizure, he got back into a sternum down, ears up posture. Sternum down is extremely important for just about every species there is-- That position keeps unnecessary pressure off the heart and lungs, reduces the chances of pneumonia, maintains proper circulation. IF this guy survives, he may be stunted, but I will know he has something needed that may be important to pass along to future generations.
sometimes, It is the little scrappy ones that should be kept-

 

[akane]

If he's having seizures that don't stop I would not keep him alive. I don't think quality of life would be very good if the seizures don't stop as he gets older. Unless someone wants to pay to medicate him. Also it is often a sign of something else being wrong that will eventually claim their life in a gruesome way. We dealt with guinea pigs who were born not quite right and had seizures. We'd try to save them but all we did was prolong their misery until health problems claimed them in a long tortuous day of fits and diarrhea.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

At this point in time seizures have stopped, and little Berry is behaving absolutely normally. I am in touch with a vet that should be able to verify if something I have planned will work-- IF this little fellas problems were the result of Circovirus, I should now be able to use him to inoculate other rabbits and develop a serum vaccine for my herd.( and Sky's, for that matter) Believe me, if he had been laying out flat after each seizure, and not attempting to eat or drink, he would have received a shovel to the head. Little stinker was begging for his soaked hay this morning-he has a lot of hindquarter muscle loss to recover, but his activity level is such I am considering letting him run the living room for a day or two- just have to protect my houseplants from his appetite. ancake:

 

[MaggieJ]

Keep us updated, Terry. I don't know whether I would be able to see this through, but I understand and agree with your reasoning. I know you'll pull the plug if the situation deteriorates.

 

[Galadriel]

:good-luck: :group-hug2: Hope he gets better soon! {{{HUGS}}}

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Berry is brighter today than yesterday- eating pellets, the horse feed I use, soaked hay, and drinking his supplemented water, His eating is a bit slow-- I think his jaws are a bit achey- but with his belly filled back out, and hydration levels 'perfect', all grooming activities resumed, he is looking good.
If the vet I contacted is of the same thought process, I will need to find an inexpensive centrifuge, and start making a plasma 'serum' to inoculate other rabbits against whatever this mystery illness is. I was actually thinking about this a while ago with the risks we take when we bring a new rabbit into our barns, and death happens even after quarantine is over. Sky certainly has lost a lot of monetary investment in her barn, and neither one of us feels good about transferring rabbits to other people if they are going to cause a problem for the new owners. If I can make this plan work, then we can all benefit from the results.. and it would work for several of the causes of "snuffles" as well. ( which is why I considered this in the first place) We can pass serum around!!!