EPILEPSY IN THE
LIONHEAD RABBIT

opinions expressed on these
belong only to Gail Gibbons, you can
except or discard them as you choose

Epilepsy in the
Lionhead Rabbit

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Since I have become involved with this wonderful breed, there has been one thing that has continued to bother me, the stories that have come from all over the United States reporting Lionhead Rabbits that have had seizures. I have been carefully keeping track, and verifying each report that reaches me with the owner of the rabbit. I have 29 cases so far. At first I thought it was isolated to one small line that was imported from England but as additional incidents surfaced it has become apparent that this problem involves most if not all of the English Lionhead bloodlines. Since almost all American Lionheads trace their ancestry to England it is a problem that all Lionhead Breeders need to be aware of. The propose of this section of our site is not to scare anyone but to give us all the information and tools we need to improve this breed here in the United States.

A recent email from a new Lionhead owner looking for information on seizures in Lionheads has prompted me to act. She was looking for information that she could share with their veterinarian having no idea that this was a problem in this breed. The tone of her email which was desperate, confused and worried brought home the fact that we as breeders need to face this problem head on.

DON'T HIDE IT. This breed is very young and we can beat this thing if we all work together. Let potential buyers know. If some decide this not the breed for them that is ok. We love our breed and we are willing to tackle and solve this problem, but not everyone else is.