Spencer and Stirling

We agreed to adopt Spencer and Stirling when Clement Rabbit Rescue originally announced their closure once their circumstances had changed.

Spencer and Stirling were two giant rabbits and would be staying as permanent residents.

Despite being permanent residents, the pair have had their issues! They both had/have a long and complex medical history.

Spencer:

Shortly after arriving, we noticed Spencer had lost a considerable amount of weight. 

At Clement Rabbit Rescue, Spencer weighed around 5.6kg. When we weighed him shortly after arriving, he was 4.5kg - a substantial weight loss.

We decided it was necessary to take Spencer to the vet for an in-depth veterinary assessment.

Surprisingly, there were no issues with his teeth upon intraoral examination. The vet did note, however, that Spencer was hypersalivating, had impacted food, and was more sensitive on one side.

Based on the findings, we were all in agreement that X-Rays should be taken.

There was an issue picked up on the DV X-Ray. It could've been a retrobulbar issue, abscess, or lesion. One of his upper cheek teeth was also slightly deviated and distorted.

The next step was to run inhouse bloods and another sample sent off to PALS.

Pinmoore Animal Laboratory Services Limited

Mr Struan Henderson Owner name: BACCHUS

Congleton Veterinary Centre Animal name: Spencer

West Heath Retail Park Species: Rabbit

Sandbach Road Breed: GIANT

Congleton Age: 2 Years

CW12 4NB Sex: Male neutered

Sample date: 07/04/2020

Lab Number 124644 Received date: 09/04/2020

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HAEMATOLOGY

White Cell Count 5.0 10^9/l (3.1 -9.9 )

Haemoglobin * 8.8 g/dl Low (11.6 -14.8 )

Red Cell Count * 4.01 10^12/L Low (4.50 -7.45 )

PCV 39.4 % (30 - 44 )

MCV * 98.3 fl High (57 - 90 )

MCH 21.9 pg (16 -31 )

MCHC 22.3 g/dL (22.0 -38.7 )

Platelets 275 10^9/L (120 -800 )

WBC Differential

Neutrophils 54% 2.70 10^9/l (2.1 - 8.1 )

Lymphocytes 46% 2.30 10^9/l (2.0 -8.6 )

Film Comment No polychromasia but marked hypochromia within

erythrocyte series. No toxic or macrophaging

leucocytes seen.

Platelets appear normal on film.

It appeared Spencer may have had developing anaemia due to a low red blood cell count. Our vet wanted to send Spencer's case over to Dr Richard Saunders at RWAF for his specialist input.

Dr Richard Saunders couldn't see anything of obvious interest and believed if Spencer continued to deteriorate, a CT scan would be the next best step. 

Our vet noted that Spencer was stable and had even regained weight (now weighing 5kg).

We noted that Spencer was well within himself and was showing no subtle or obvious signs of illness. We decided to play it by ear and postpone a CT scan for the time being.

As of today, Spencer is doing great!

Stirling:

Stirling's illness was very severe and very sudden. We would never in a million years have expected him to become gravely unwell.

Please note, the rabbits seldom get fed carrots, and these were fed between 10 rabbits.

Stirling suddenly developed cyanosis around his lips, drastic weight loss (over half his body weight within a week), he was drooling, withdrawn, and lethargic. Whilst waiting for an appointment with our preferred veterinarian, Stirling was given oral Metacam which he seemed to respond to.

The vet decided to go ahead with a dental procedure as Stirling had obvious spurring.

Unfortunately, this is when things only got worse. Stirling's procedure went well, but his recovery was slow. If it wasn't for our wealth of experience and resources, the vet wouldn't have discharged him.

Stirling was still extremely drowsy, his blood pressure kept dropping, and he still had dilated pupils. For an unknown reason, he wasn't metabolising Ketamine well. The vet had concerns for an internal renal or hepatic issue. 

Stirling was given frequent subcutaneous fluids and by 9pm he was starting to be able to sit up on his own.

At around 10pm things worsened. We decided to video call one of our trustees who is a rabbit savvy vet. The vet observed him interpreting his surroundings in an unusual way suggesting that he may have been hallucinating. Our trustee gave us a plan to ensure Stirling didn't become dehydrated or hypoglycemic over the next few hours.

Stirling appeared to develop a racing heartbeat within 15 minutes of terminating the videocall. We rushed Stirling downstairs (where the stethoscope was) and he let out a huge yelp before suddenly passing away. We were absolutely shocked.

The vet agreed to perform a post-mortem.

Warning: Graphic images of Stirling's post mortem.

The post mortem findings were grossly normal, apart from his heart. His heart appeared to be enlarged and the walls appeared thin. The vet believed Stirling passed away due to endocardiosis and dilated cardiomyopathy. Unfortunately, even if we anaesthetised Stirling for testing, the results would've likely been the same. It seemed Stirling's death was inevitable and would've happened one way or another.

Stirling passed away on the 27th of May 2020.