well, it is sad news for little hoppie... she saw dr. middleton today
and he thinks she has either one of two things... first and foremost
(and scariest) is a brain tumour or abcess that is putting pressure on
the part of her brain responsible for balance, etc, or it is an inner
ear infection caused by the dreaded pasteurella bacteria. He gave
her an anti-inflammatory injection and a course of wide-spectrum
antibiotics (Baytril - enrofloxacin) to be given twice daily, in case
it is an infection, but he did not see any signs of an ear infection
when he examined her, and she has not been scratching or rubbing at
her ears. She is also taking ibuprofen for inflammation and any pain
she may be experiencing, but she does not appear to be in any pain at
this point. He said it won't hurt, and may help, since we don't know
if she is hurting or not. A few years ago, we lost another of our
buns, Zeus, to a nasty abcess caused by pasteurella, even after having
the abcess removed and following up with a diligent antibiotic and
would-cleaning routine. So either way I am petrified that we will
lose her. He said that if it is an infection and not a tumour, we
would see some signs of improvement in 24-48 hours, but it would
probably take a much longer course of antibiotics before she was
totally recovered. If it is a tumour, she is not in any pain right
now but as it grows it will put more pressure on her brain and we will
have to have her put to sleep to avoid having her suffer... it is a
very sad day... So far she seems to be eating and drinking ok (hay
and greens only... she has had two bites of pellets, but that is all)
and is peeing/pooping ok too. Seems to be in good spirits, for the
most part, but I can't help but think that she must feel awful... we
all know what it feels like to be sea-sick, or a little too tipsy, and
not able to get your bearings... poor hoppie!
we'll just have to see how it goes, I suppose... i set her up in a
quiet part in our bedroom, in a makeshift 'pen' beside my bed with
rolled up towels as bumpers so she can lean against them and won't
hurt herself if she falls. So she won't feel alone, we bring her out
into the living room in the day so she can see and smell the other
buns and feel like part of the family. If anyone has any other tips
about how to make her comfortable, they would be greatly appreciated.
many thanks,
Lisa
oh, and yes, the vet is 'rabbit savvy', we have brought all of our
buns here for many years and they always give us the utmost in care
and treatment...
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