Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice and experiences regarding spinal trauma in rabbits.
The Incident: On Tuesday (approx. 55 hours ago), my 5-year-old rabbit, Merienda, was kicked by my dog because she hurt him, they love eachother but was an auto reflex, he feels so sad without her home :(. Immediately after the hit, she actually ran back to the house on all four legs, but once inside, she collapsed into a "mermaid" position (hind legs paralyzed) and started breathing very fast, so i went FAST to the specialist 24h vet (Selvatics in Spain). While waiting for our uber, she peed but it was normal, like she controlled, it wasn't like leaking or drops.
Clinical Status:
X-rays & Ultrasound: No broken bones, no internal bleeding. Organs look fine.
Neurology: Initially, she had zero deep pain reflex (nociception) or movement in her hind legs. However, at the 17-hour mark, one vet saw a very slight twitch when pinching between her toes.
Current Status (55h mark): She is now able to sit up on her own (maintaining a seated posture), which the vets were shocked by and just got phonecalled. She still isn't "retracting" her legs when pinched, yesterday's vet said there is some muscle tone (not completely flaccid) but today's vet says it's flaccid…
Vitals: She has a bit of anemia but improving (21% Hematocrit yesterday, she was 20% when she came in and probably is more than 21% today) and some gas, but she is pooping and eating (lettuce, hay, and even some grapes and apple, but more slowly than when she was at home ofc).
The Dilemma:
The vets were pushing for euthanasia yesterday already at 32h mark … because she still lacks deep pain sensation and they are worried about the "24/7 care" (bladder expression, etc.). However, Merienda is very alert, "purring" (tooth clicking) when I pet her, and even trying to move her front legs to follow me when I leave. She looks at me the same as always, she wants to live and i can't make the decision to put her down, she's my life and she's trying, I can't give her up.
I live in Spain and here people eat rabbits… i think they are not giving her a chance to recover or if she doesn't recover at all they sound like they don't even know that disabled rabbits can live a happy life… It's the most reputable exotic vet hospital where I live 🙁
They don't wanna do magnetic resonance etc because they have to fully sedate her and that's always a risk for a bun, and they say the treatment is the same whatever she has.
My Questions:
Has anyone had a rabbit recover mobility after 72 hours without deep pain sensation initially?
If she stays paralyzed but remains happy, eating, and alert, is it manageable to provide her with a good quality of life (wheelchairs, bladder expression)?
How long did it take for your "spinal" bunnies to show real progress? The vets say 72h is the limit, but she just started sitting up today.
I’m not ready to give up on her while she is still fighting and showing interest in life, but I don’t want her to suffer either. Any advice or similar stories would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much.
BTW, she doesn't usually shake her head like that, it's because of the tube, she feels uncomfortable, the first day she was more apathetic when i went to see her (she was 18h in) but yesterday she wanted my pets and purrs and if i stopped to talk to the vet she tried to move her front legs to search for me 🙁 and she was 32h in!!
by 6de6ad6