MEET PLESTIA!

Plestia/ Pleshy the beautiful bun who stole the heart of everyone she met! This wonderful little character started her physiotherapy journey at just 4 months old, after being taken in by a wonderful rescue The Hoppy Acre.

Pleshy was the runt of her litter and subsequently arrived at the rescue with several issues, she was severely underweight and prior to her move had contracted E. Cuniculi (encephalitozoon cuniculi) which is a tiny parasite, often transferred through contaminated urine, despite its size, contracting this can have severe consequences as it can damage vital organs such as the brain and nervous system (in addition to kidneys, liver, heart and lungs!). Her dedicated new home worked around the clock to support her physically and psychologically. Unfortunately, Pleshy suffered from several seizures, one of which resulted in her losing the ability to use her hindlimbs. Pleshy had a wonderful care team who worked to keep her clean, encourage movement through the limbs and improve her comfort however, after a couple of months of management, they had noticed several issues and contacted us.

We began physiotherapy roughly 2.5 months after the loss of limb use and upon our first assessment, it was clear that some of her important hindlimb muscle groups had formed contractures (due to the disuse, neural misfiring and abnormal positioning of them, the muscles had shortened and become very tense resulting in reduced joint mobility) which then caused her stifles (knees) to be held in a permanent twisted position (where the muscles were shortening and pulling the bones, this caused a rotation of the joint) in addition to causing a small fracture of her calcaneus (the back of her hock joint), due to the disuse she also exhibited atrophy (muscles loss) throughout the hindlimbs as well as through her spinal stabilising muscles (where she was not using the muscles, they had become smaller and "wasted away"). Where she was constantly leaning on her front legs, the musculature through her shoulder had also become hypertonic (very tense due to overuse) . This combination had lead to several compensations and subsequent discomfort. Due to the neurological aspect of her condition, she had also begun to show signs of self mutilation (injuring herself, in Pleshy's case, she began to chew at her hindlimbs). Despite having a very difficult start to life, she constantly sought affection, loved her treats (particularly the longest ones in the pot!) and was such a trusting girl!

As her body was weakened by the seizures and e. cuniculi, it was important that we did not cause too much stress during our sessions so as not to lead to further complications, for this reason our first sessions consisted of lots of heat therapy, massage, PEMFT and gentle mobilisations to help improve her comfort and build a bond. Working with these cases can be really difficult but Pleshy showed her appreciation in the sweetest way, nuzzling in for a cuddle, gentle grooming and falling asleep! To be trusted by any animal (or person of course) is always a beautiful connection but it really hits a different part of my heart when they have been through so much. We began ultrasound therapy treatment sessions multiple times through the week to help further improve the alignment of the fibres within the damaged muscle, reduce the discomfort and encourage improved mobility. In usual cases, therapeutic ultrasound is not used in animals who are so young, however after several discussions with her wonderful veterinarians, it was decided that this would be the best course of action!

Through the weeks, we saw excellent progress both physically and psychologically, with

improved awareness and small improvements in movement of her hindlimbs as well as comfort throughout however, with the development of such progressed contracture, we still had a long road ahead and it became clear that she was heavily relying on the physiotherapy sessions for her comfort, when larger gaps between sessions resulted in quick declines in comfort! She was introduced to using wheels which were bespoke to support her small frame and after some initial uncertainty, she began zooming around!

After further consultation with her veterinarians, they decided that a double amputation was the best option for her continued comfort. Her fabulous Veterinary team were able to complete a successful amputation and she came round from the medication sleepy but ready for all the snacks!

Major surgeries like this are always tough on the body, no matter the species however, for rabbits, the risk of not waking up after surgery is very high, their skin is very thin so the risk of wounds and infections is also increased in addition to the impact of such high stress levels on their little bodies. Unfortunately in the week following the surgery, it was clear that something was wrong, she went back to her veterinarians and they confirmed that one of the limb stumps was dying, there were talks of needing another surgery but her little body had been through enough so she went for her final sleep surrounded by those who loved her.

Although this is a sad outcome, I wanted to explain that this came about through no fault, the surgery went well and the vets were pleased, the post surgical care was followed in line with guidance by experienced owners, and she had the support of not one but two veterinary physiotherapists! Sometimes, especially when they are still so young and so small, the body simply cannot cope and after trying for so long, it is kindest to allow them to rest.

This job is truly a gift and I love every moment of it however, every loss is so difficult. It is a privilege to have been able to provide this special little soul with so much comfort during her time with us.

Don't Just Take Our Word For It! Here is What Plestia's Owners Have to Say:

What Encouraged You to Begin Physiotherapy With Pleshy?

The reason we wanted to start physiotherapy with Plesh is because once we realised she was going to have limited capabilities of using her hind legs, we felt the best thing for her would be an assessment and physiotherapy to make sure that she would live the best life possible in the least amount of discomfort. Although during the first two weeks that she was in our care, we felt that she may hop again, it has become clear that she no longer will. We have taken our three legged Rex rabbit to physiotherapy before and the assessment really made us feel like we were in the loop with his situation and wanted the same for Plesh.

Have You Seen An Improvement In Her Since Starting Physiotherapy?

It is difficult to say with a disabled rabbit, but because of the severity of Pleshy's condition, the fact that she behaves in all the ways you would want a healthy rabbit to, including never losing hope or energy, we believe that all of the physio that has taken place with her is doing her good tenfold. At the start, the physio was intended to help her hop again, but actually the stimulation of the muscles and tendons in her hind legs feels absolutely crucial for her contentment.

Why Did You Choose Every Step Veterinary Physiotherapy?

We chose Every Step Veterinary Physiotherapy because one of their students had told us that she felt Kye would be suited to assess Plesh. Kirsty has been assisting with Pleshy's physio and has done a brilliant job which reflects very well on Every Step, specifically Kye.

Would You Recommend Physiotherapy For Another Animal In A Similar Position?

We absolutely would recommend Every Step and Kye to anyone that has any animal under their supervision or care that has any form of poor bodily function. Moving forward as a rescue, we plan on having Every Step assess any intakes that fall into the category of needing physiotherapy.