Rabbit with rapid onset neurological symptoms

I had a Calcium/Magnesium/Potassium/Phosphorus supplement that I had taken when I was nursing still wandering around, so I mashed/dissolved a tablet and syringe fed it to the Dwarf doe with some banana (rabbits usually like banana). Over the years, I had occasionally found a nursing doe that had apparently suddenly died in convulsions, but this was the first time I had a live animal with neurological signs that I could actually treat.

What supplement did you give your doe, @Bunnylady ? She has had a mineral wheel in her cage. Can a rabbit be given Nutra-Cal?

Bunnylady said:

I had a Calcium/Magnesium/Potassium/Phosphorus supplement that I had taken when I was nursing still wandering around, so I mashed/dissolved a tablet and syringe fed it to the Dwarf doe with some banana (rabbits usually like banana). Over the years, I had occasionally found a nursing doe that had apparently suddenly died in convulsions, but this was the first time I had a live animal with neurological signs that I could actually treat.

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Sorry, I somehow missed this message. I found a slightly outdated bottle of calcium/magnesium/zinc and a separate bottle of calcium... Do you think that would be safe to try until I can get to the store tomorrow?

GypsyG said:

Sorry, I somehow missed this message. I found a slightly outdated bottle of calcium/magnesium/zinc and a separate bottle of calcium... Do you think that would be safe to try until I can get to the store tomorrow?

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I would look at it this way, give it to her, it might save her life. She is in bad shape and could die whether you treat her or not. So I would treat her with what you have.

GypsyG said:

Sorry, I somehow missed this message. I found a slightly outdated bottle of calcium/magnesium/zinc and a separate bottle of calcium... Do you think that would be safe to try until I can get to the store tomorrow?

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Probably.

Baymule said:

I would look at it this way, give it to her, it might save her life. She is in bad shape and could die whether you treat her or not. So I would treat her with what you have.

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That was pretty much how I looked at it with Theo - I had to try something. Theo's litter was 3 - 4 weeks old; younger than I like to wean, but if I was right about what was wrong with her, feeding them was killing her. Recovery was gradual, but gratifying.

Bunnylady said:

That was pretty much how I looked at it with Theo - I had to try something. Theo's litter was 3 - 4 weeks old; younger than I like to wean, but if I was right about what was wrong with her, feeding them was killing her. Recovery was gradual, but gratifying.

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Was her breathing fast and did it sound labored when you found her? Did she have trouble getting around her cage? Would she accept the banana or did you have to syringe feed? How long was it before you saw the first sign of improvement that gave you hope?

Baymule said:

I would look at it this way, give it to her, it might save her life. She is in bad shape and could die whether you treat her or not. So I would treat her with what you have.

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I was just unsure about the zinc, but I mixed some up for her. I honestly don't have my hopes up too high, but I won't give up until she does.

This is one of my neices does, and she is going to be heartbroken if she does not make it.

Theo had five babies, and I had decided they needed more space, so was going to move them to a bigger cage. When I picked Theo up, she was wide-eyed, shaking, breathing fast; it was only when I put her down that I saw the loss of coordination. I'd never heard or read anything about hypocalcemia in rabbits, but I had heard of it in dogs, cows, etc, and what I was seeing seemed pretty similar, so I played a hunch with what I had on hand (the only vet I knew that would see rabbits had previously told me, "you know more about rabbits than I do."). I had no idea about the dose size, but I hoped that giving it to her by mouth, she'd be unlikely to absorb enough to overdose. The first time, I gave it to her with a syringe, but at some point I started giving her the mixture in a little dish and she ate it on her own. This was several years ago, and I can't remember just how long it took before I saw results nor how many days I continued to dose her, but I'm pretty sure she started improving by the next day (I was only giving it to her once or twice a day). Since too much calcium can also be a problem, I stopped giving her extra when she no longer seemed wobbly (I figured, since she was no longer nursing, she should be able to get back to normal just eating her usual food).

Five is a lot for a Dwarf (as I recall, a couple weren't hers), but these babies were all fat and lively. Thinking back, the other does that I had lost while lactating had had large litters that were doing very well, and I think that was the key - the does were putting more minerals into the milk than they were taking in. After that, if I had a doe that I thought seemed particularly at risk, I either gave her a few banana mixture doses or put a tablet in her water bottle for a few days (not terribly scientific, I know, but what can I say?)


I hope your girl pulls through!

I keep dolomite lime out for my ewes. Sometimes they don't touch it, sometimes they lick it all up. I have never had any mineral related problems with them while pregnant or lactating. I also keep mineral out for them. I realize this thread is for rabbits, but sometimes what works for one species also works for others. Not real sure how you would keep it out for rabbits, maybe a small tuna can wired to the cage with a teaspoon of dolomite lime in it? Thoughts?