# Seizures in rabbits..



## pamela227 (Aug 26, 2004)

Hi, as you know Oreo was diagnosed with a hairball last week, we've been force feeding her & giving her laxatone.. she's drinking water on her own & eating her hay a little at a time & she is starting to go to the bathroom a little at a time as well.
Today i'm not really sure what happened with her so I'm just wondering if anyones had any experience seeing a rabbit have a seizure.. This morning while i was at work, my mom heard a lot of noise in her cage & thought she was just running around in there, but when my mom went to check on her, she was laying on her side, kicking both her front & back paws & her body was shaking.. then she stretched out her legs & settled down & my mom stayed with her & pet her. Could that have been a seizure? What can be done to treat prevent seizures in rabbits?
Oreo just turned 5 last thursday so it's really got me worried. Her normal vet is on vacation this week so we are taking her to another rabbit savvy vet she's got an appointment in about an hour. 
If anyone can give suggestions as to what it might have been or what could have caused it, i'd appreciate it
~pam


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## Stephanie (Aug 26, 2004)

I haven't heard of anything like that, but please let us know what the vet says!


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## Carolyn (Aug 26, 2004)

Hi Pamela227,

Signs of a seizure is shaking, screaming, uncontrollable, often violent body motions. Afterwards, the rabbit is exhausted as it takes a lot out of them. 

Pamnock has witnessed a number of seizures in rabbits. She said once to me on the topic of them: "Stress brought on by fear can also cause a seizure due to chemical responses in the body. Parasites (such as roundworm) migrating through the neurological system can also cause seizure as well as fever brought on by illness. Shaking the rabbit (and other injuries) may also bring on seizure."

What can you do? Hold the rabbit, keep it from thrashing and hurting itself. Don't hold it too tight because it could break it's back or bones, but try to keep it from thrashing into things. Try to keep the little babe as calm as possible.

There's not much you can do if a rabbit is genetically inclined to seizures, but preventing sudden/loud noises or movements can help.

-Carolyn


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## Carolyn (Aug 26, 2004)

From Pamnock: "Many medications (in rare instances) can cause seizures in any organism including rabbits and humans. Flea and tick medications as well as the commonly used Ivermectin has been associated with seizures. Some animals appear to have a genetic deficiency in a aprotein-associated with blood-brain barrier. This allows Ivermectin to enter the brain from the blood resulting in seizures."

Seizures can vary in degree. They can be short or indefinite. If they carry on too long and the brain is damaged and they don't pass from seizure, the kindest thing you can do is euthanasia. 

They could happen once and never again or could be repeated. 

I will pray for you and Oreo, Pamela227.

-Carolyn


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## pamnock (Aug 26, 2004)

It sounds like it may have been a seizure that is age related or something frightened her in the cage. May have also been a seizure related to her illness. Toxins can build up in the rabbit's system and result in seizures.



Pam


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## LuvaBun (Aug 26, 2004)

Pam, I'm sorry to hear about Oreo. We once had a dog that had seizures and they are a frightening thing tos ee. keep us posted as to what happens- Jan


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## pamela227 (Aug 26, 2004)

Thanks for all the info. We just got back from the vet a short while ago, he took a blood sample & is checking for a chemical profile & 2 kinds of bacteria i forget the names of it but he said we should get the results in a few days to a weeks time. He also gave her 2 shots, one to help get her gut moving again from her hairball & the other was an anti-inflammatory that he says works well to ease the pain caused by hairballs.
We think we might have found what caused the seizure but we're not sure. We are doing work on our house & have been painting in the hallway. Oreo's been in my bedroom with the door closed & the windows open, all the windows in the house have been open & the fan has been on to air it out as well. Oreo's seizure took place as my mom was in the middle of staining the back parts of the steps so we asked the vet if the fume from the stain/paint could have triggered it & he said it's very possible even though she was in my bedroom with the windows open since her sense of smell is greater then ours & she is small. So i guess we just have to wait til the test results to come back to see if she tests positive for any kind of bacterial infections.:?
In the mean time, hes put her on a strict high fiber green diet which will hopefully get her system moving again.
Thank you for your thoughts & prayers, Oreo thanks you too! I will keep you posted on what happens when we hear the results from her bloodwork
~pam


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## rabbitgirl (Aug 26, 2004)

pamela, Iseem to remember myPandemonium twitchingquite a bit in her sleep last year. It seemed to be just dreams with her anyway. Mostly her feet twitch. My cat does too--she jerks a lot and makes really funny noises when you wake her.

yours does sound a bit more violent, though. Hope she's ok now!

Rose


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## pamela227 (Aug 27, 2004)

just a short update:
the vet called today while i was at work one of the test results came back & showed her kidney count being a little high.. which could mean an infection.. but he said not to get alarmed yet that we have to wait & see what the other tests come back as :?

~pam


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## pamnock (Aug 27, 2004)

The kidneys are adversely affected when a rabbit has GI stasis, so any abnormal readings wouldn't be unusual.It's important to keep her well hydrated at this time.

Pam


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## pamela227 (Aug 29, 2004)

Tomorrow is the moment of truth.. the vet told us the rest of her results should be in on monday. I'm so nervous :? I hope it's nothing bad.. she's still not herself she's drinking a lot of water but hardly eating anything 
i'll update again later tomorrow after we find out what's going on with her
~pam


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## LuvaBun (Aug 30, 2004)

I'll be thinking of you today. Hope its good news - Jan


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## Buck Jones (Aug 31, 2004)

*pamela227 wrote:*


> Tomorrow is the moment of truth.. the vet told us the restof her results should be in on monday. I'm so nervous :? I hope it'snothing bad.. she's still not herself she's drinking a lot of water buthardly eating anything
> i'll update again later tomorrow after we find out what's going on with her
> ~pam




???? Hope no news is good news in this case.

Buck


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## pamela227 (Sep 2, 2004)

I really wish that was the case Buck. :? Sorry I wasn't able to update, the test results were supposed to be ready on Monday, but weren't.

We just got back from the vet a short while ago, all the test results are back now & he says she's got kidney disease  
They administered fluids to her today at the office, they said it will help dilute the toxins in her kidneys & flush them out. We have to continue administering fluids every other day for 1 month & see what happens.. I just hope we caught it in time to clear out the toxins before they do too much damage to her kidneys  saturday is the first day my mom & i are going to do this ourselves, the vet showed us how to & gave us everything we need. i'll update you all on her progress when i get the chance
wish i had better news to tell..
~pam


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## Carolyn (Sep 2, 2004)

Hi Pamela227,

I know how scared and upset you are right now. I wish there was something I could do. 

Since there is a chance, I'm going with that. You acted so quickly once you recognized it. I will pray and will be thinking about you and her.

Give her a kiss and a hug from me.

-Carolyn


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## Buck Jones (Sep 2, 2004)

So sorry to hear of the dismal diagnosis. As Carolyn mentioned, perhaps, you have caught it in time to make a difference.Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

Buck


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## LuvaBun (Sep 3, 2004)

Pam, I'm so sorry for you and Oreo. At least there is a chance you caught it in time and I hope everything goes well with giving her fluids. Be brave - we are all thinking of you. - Jan


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## Carolyn (Sep 8, 2004)

Hi Pamela227,

Just checking in to see how you and Oreo are doing.

I'm thinking and praying for her.

-Carolyn


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## pamela227 (Sep 11, 2004)

Thanks for the thoughts & prayers everyone. I'm sorry I haven't been able to get on to update I had a death in the family & things have been crazy here it's just been one thing after another. I've been trying to spend as much time playing with Oreo as I can. 
The shots are going ok.. mom and I are proud cause we were able to do it & now have our own system to get it done which is basically me holding on to Oreo with my face buried while mom gives the shot. I tried to do the shot.. but just couldn't bring myself to do it. :? I feel awful having to do that to her.. but I keep telling her it's gonna make her feel better.. not too sure if she's listening or not.
As far as if she's improving or not.. I can't really tell to be honest. She is very alert and when I let her out in my bedroom she hops around for a bit, lays down for a bit, rips up her cardboard box for a bit then lays back down.. in that respect she seems much more active then she was. 
As far as eating.. well the vet told us as long as she's eating by herself not to force feed her & she is eating by herself but mostly just her hay, she hasn't really touched her pellets and she's not drinking as much water as she was. I'm guessing she's just full from the fluid shots, she's getting 40cc's of the stuff every other day.. so my take on it is as she's finally getting rid of all the stuff we're pumping into her and getting her appetite back, it's time for another shot & that just fills her up again, but I did notice she's been leaving lil droppings more frequently they still aren't back to normal size yet, but at least shes making them! She's also peeing a lot from all the fluids. 
Her bloating has gone down which is good, she's a lot more comfortable and flops herself down like she always did. 
So I guess I can say she seems to be getting back to her normal self compaired to how she was just laying there and not wanting to do anything. I had her out to play last night and she was getting into all kinds of trouble like she always did. Just the eating is worrying me right now. She still has 10 more shots left.. Sept 30th is her last shot & then we have to call the vet and go from there. 
That's about it for now.. I'll update again when I can
~pam


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## Carolyn (Sep 11, 2004)

Thanks for getting back to us, Pamela227.

Will keep Oreo in my prayers and send you some as well with thoughts ofsympathy over the recent death in your family. I'm so sorry. 

Stay positive about Oreo. Good job that you and your mom have gotten the shots down to a science.

-Carolyn


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