Weeble was born in the local animal shelter along with his 5 brothers on the 4th of July. When the shelter called me I wasted no time and they were in my rescue the next day. Weeble and his brothers had a tough beginning, not only being born in the shelter but to a mother that was only 5 months older then them. However, Weeble's started was even tougher as he was not only the runt of the litter an
d born with alopecia areata, also known as spot baldness, is an autoimmune disease in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, usually from the scalp due to the body's failure to recognize its own body cells and destroys its own tissue as if it were an invader. For what seemed like forever we weren't sure if he would survive as his development continued to be slower than his litter mates. He continued to thrive but still slower than his brothers so we continued the supplement feedings. As the days passed he got stronger and slowly his hair started growing back. He actually ended up a beautiful fluffy two tone Lionhead and by 12 weeks was the same size as his brothers. However on 9/10 I notice a slight shaking to his body. No head tilt, still very active with a great appetite. Other than the shaking he seemed healthy. Within a short time the condition progressed to the point that it was no longer just a slight shaking but a full on side to side body wobble. Then he appeared to have difficulty using his back legs, though still able to hop a really straight line, when it came to turning or stopping he would fall over. Never one side over the other, it could be either direction. Look at by our vet, he had no ear infection that was causing it and though it didn't appear to be EC we treated him for it as a precaution, no change. His eyes were checked for involuntary movements both up and down and side to side that could have indicated an issue, but his eyes were normal. Our final visit to the vet showed that his body growth seems to stopped and he's not gaining weight as he should and is falling behind in size development of his brothers. However, the vet deemed him over all healthy and determined that he has a some form of cerebral palsy. But without extensive tests and MRI's that's as far as he can diagnose that his time. I have been making him a special food to help with weight gain that I mix in with his pellets and it's seems to be slowly working. He has an extraordinary amount of energy and seems to be non stop running around visiting the other buns during his many play times each day. And just as obstinate as any other bunny or small child, remove him from something he's not supposed to being doing and he'll make a bee line straight back to it. The only difference between him and a 'normal' rabbit is this Weeble does fall down. We're not sure how this affliction will affect him in the long run or how long he will be with us. He is a sanctuary bunny here at the rescue and is my boyfriends lil bestest buddy. For the time that he is with us, we will love and cherish him. We will see to his every need. We made this page for Weeble to show how delicate rabbits can be, the many afflictions they can be affected by but still, like humans, live happy and otherwise healthy lives full of love and affection for their hoomins and other critters.
