HELP WITH DIAGNOSIS PLEASE

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Jessykah

Jessykah

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Okay so I appologize, but I don't have very much info for you at this point...here's what happened:
My husband fed the rabbits this morning. He said that my most skittish doe (californian) stretched her legs out and was shaking her head from side to side...then he said she went back to normal and looks fine now...He said he thinks she had a seizure, but he has no experience with rabbits, other than the feeding that I showed him how to do. We were both really late leaving for work, so I could not check on her; I just had to trust that she is back to normal now like he said. She was bred a week ago. I am concerned for her. I hope she is alright and that I don't come home to her dead. I won't be home until 8:30 or 9pm. I will thoroughly look her over...She is only fed pellets, hay, and crackers (1 per day that I am just using up, I posted about it here once).
What do you all think? All I know is to keep observing her. Should I take away the crackers and give her BOSS back to her? Do you think it was a seizure? If so, what causes that? Thanks all!
 
Hard to say, but if your husband can just give her hay and her normal pellets and, make sure she has a dish of water (bottle or nibbler might not be working well) until you get home, it wouldn't hurt.

It's all together possible he simply woke her and that was her half awake startled reaction. Or she has ear mites causing the head shaking and, was just stretching that leg while shaking at the mites. Really ahrd to tell form that bit but, sticking the basics for her and insuring lots of fresh water won't hurt.
 
There are tons of possibilities from a simple stretch to the worst case scenario that it was a seizure, and if it was then there is nothing you can do for her anyway and so no sense worrying or feeling guilty.

Wait until you get home and/or see the behaviour again.
 
I had one do something similar a couple of years ago. She was jerking her head to the side almost mechanically. I felt her all over in the dim light after work but couldn't feel anything wrong or out of place. When I saw her the next day in the light I could see she was trying to pull fur from her side but had gathered so much hay and fur for an early nest that she couldn't get it out of her mouth. There were bits of fluff everywhere but she wasn't making any progress putting it where the nest belonged. Once I stopped laughing it was easy to pull the mess out and she acted like nothing had happened. She typically made her bones a week or 2 into each pregnancy.
 
When I got home last night, she still hasn't eaten her pellets (she always eats everything right away). So I gave her some hay and she started nibbling on it slowly. This morning she still hadn't eaten the pellets. I got DH to give her more hay.
I doubt it's ear mites because that doesn't cause loss of appetite if it is just starting (she had clean ears a week ago when I checked her). But I will check anyway.
Any ideas why she isn't eating? Or what else I can do? Again, I am not home until this evening.
 
Still a lot of reasons for her not to eat, but that is definitely a problem. At least she is eating some hay. Dental would be the first thing I'd check, maybe a spur on a molar or an abscess starting. Too early in the year to worry much over parasites so, that would be low on my list. Dental and GI Stasis would be my first two thoughts and, I'd be getting some Critical Care for her, if I really wanted to make the full effort to save her. If not, I'd be planning a cull in a day or two.
 
From your description, I am not really sure what the cause may be, so the best you can do at this point is offer supportive care and get her eating and drinking well.

First off, check her hydration by pinching the skin on her shoulders and pulling it up from her body. It should snap right back. If not, she is dehydrated. I would offer her electrolytes in addition to her normal water either way, but if she is dehydrated you will need to force her to drink some by syringing it into her mouth.

You can use Gatorade or Pedialyte, or you can make your own healthier version very easily:

homemade-electrolytic-solution-t14844.html

Parsley is an appetite stimulant so you can give her a few sprigs to see if it helps. Putting a light coating of molasses on her oats or pellets may also tempt here appetite.

Good luck! I hope she starts feeling better soon. :clover:
 

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