HEAD TILT GETTING WORSE!!

[bri13194]

I have had my rabbit for a few weeks now. When I first got her I noticed a weird smell, but assumed it was just from living outside where she previously was. She had one ear down and one up. I looked it up online and read that she may just have weaker cartilage on that side and it will get better. Last Saturday I noticed a slight head tilt and knew it was something more serious than cartilage. Called my vet on Monday and made an appt for Tuesday. Took her in she swabbed her ear to check for mites then they flushed her ears. She was negative for mites. Her right ear was too swollen to see into.Her left ear looked fine.

She sent me home with Baytril and ear drops that were also baytril to put one drop in once a day. Yesterday (friday) her head tilt slightly worsened. She was flopping more because she isn't use to this all yet. She still eats and drinks on her own. I do give her some critical care though so she stays at a good weight. I have been sleeping next to her all night. Went to sleep around midnight then woke up at 5:30 because she started rolling. I held her so she didn't hurt herself. She was a little freaked so I tried keeping her calm because when she is tense it gets worse. I ended up putting her right next to me on a towel and covered her with one so she wouldn't flop again.

It is about 7:47 now and I put her in her cage and she is eating and drinking at the moment. I am taking her back to the vet today and I want to ask for some Metacam. I am not sure if I should get Panacur as well as I am reading parasites can cause this too not just ear infections although I am sure it is an ear infection. Is there anything else I should ask? should we use a different antibiotic? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Her name is True and she is 5 months old. Thanks.

 

[bri13194]

Location: California

Description (Breed, color, weight): Californian mix, she is a little over 2 pounds.

Age: 5 months.

Sex: Female

Concise Summary of the Rabbit's Condition: In above post***



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / CHECK LIST: (Please fill in relevant info).

Fecal and Urinary Output

- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? yes
- when did they last use their litterbox? not sure
- any unusual behavior? straining to pee? unusual litter habits? no
- what litter and/or bedding do you use? Carefresh at the moment.

Medical History

- spayed/neutered? no
- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? not that I know of she is fairly new.
- is s/he on any medications? Baytril

Diet

- what specifically does your bunny eat? Oxbow timothy pellets the regular mixed with the organic. I mix some alfalfa hay with the pellets and she also get timothy or orchard grass hay. Fresh veggies.
- when and what did s/he eat last? Few minutes ago.
- any changes in the way s/he eats? (ie: not eating a particular food, odd chewing motions, etc) Besides the fact her head is tilted while she eats and drinks no.


Other

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? no head is tilted she circles mostly, but gets a few hops in.
- is the rabbit molting? She is shedding quite a bit.
- any weight loss? not .that I am aware of
- any sign of drooling? wet face? no
- runny eyes? no
- wet nose? coughing? sneezing? no
- is s/he breathing normally: yes

Additional

- any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach? No
- has the rabbit been outdoors? Yes at previous owner not with me.
- any other pets? if so, have they been ill? Yes and no.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Maybe call UC Davis--they have one of the best vet programs in the US and ask for advice.

 

[Imbrium]

I'm so sorry to hear about your little one's head tilt! I have no experience with that, but others here do - hopefully they can provide some advice.

I hope she gets better quickly! ray:

 

[HEM]

We are sorry to hear about your poor lil bun
We hope that your vet can help and she is back to normal in no time!!

 

[JBun]

Definitely talk to the vet and get her put on panacur. If it's not EC then it won't hurt her, but if it is EC as well, it could help save her life.

 

[bri13194]

Thanks everyone! I took her back and now I have her started on metacam and panacur. They also did a blood test. Her head is still very tilted, but I am hoping that she will show some improvement very soon. I am also mixing some probiotic in her critical care. I give her some critical care to be sure she doesn't lose any weight. It looks like I have a long road ahead of me,i'm sort of scared, but I know it will all hopefully pay off in the end.

:expressionless :?

 

[JBun]

It sounds like you're doing everything you possibly can for your bun. I hope she starts to show improvement soon. Head tilt can be a scary thing. You may want to check out some of the other threads on here where other members talk about their success stories with it. I know MiniLopHop went through it not too long ago with one of her rabbits. I'm glad the vet started your bun on Panacur. Keep us all updated on her progress.

 

[Bizzybunny]

Ive had 3 bunnies with this.

Id put towels rolled up in her cage against the edges making "bunny bumpers" and pad the bottom of the cage so she doesnt hurt herself from the rolling.

From my personal experience get aggressive with it asap. Have fluid on hand so u can do sub-q fluids under the skin if need be (learn how to do it) panacur treatment is critical.

Every case is different, as I have used low dose meloxicam to keep the neck from being so tight, massage therapy, steroids, etc

It is important to have a experienced vet treating EC if a ear infection has been ruled out. The sooner you jump on it the less time it takes to recover. This isnt something to tackle on your own or just on the internet.

If you are in an area with a non exotic vet have them call an exotic vet like Jeff Jenkins in San Diego (http://www.drexotic.com) he's conferred on a few cases with mine and a great help.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

bri13194 wrote:

Thanks everyone! I took her back and now I have her started on metacam and panacur. They also did a blood test. Her head is still very tilted, but I am hoping that she will show some improvement very soon. I am also mixing some probiotic in her critical care. I give her some critical care to be sure she doesn't lose any weight. It looks like I have a long road ahead of me, i'm sort of scared, but I know it will all hopefully pay off in the end.

:expressionless    :?

---middle ear infection.??--azithromycin,metacam,critical care,probotics-lots of grasees and water,--let us know how well the baytril works-(it should)-sounds like you are on top of this early enough--this will prove beneficial,,--did the dvm take any cultures or blood tests.??--prey animals stress easily which triggers things which lay dormant-ie.pasturella,--sincerely james waller:big wink::innocent

 

[bri13194]

She rolled a lot last night the way it is tilted it is just so hard for her to stand she lays down a lot more now. She has been struggling to eat because of her balance. She will take food from me still so that's good, but she just can't get it on her own. I am giving her critical care more often now. I also try to syringe water for her and she drinks it. I give her veggies that I wash really good to keep her hydrated. I test the skin between her shoulders to make sure she is not dehydrated.



she only has her one eye to see out of as the other on is gunky and closed. I try to keep it as clean as possible. The only time she is content is when I hold her and I will sometimes wrap her up in a towel. I do that a few times a day for no more than an hour. I have been massaging her and when I lift her foot I can tilt her head up and I like to hold there for a bit to work the muscles.



My hope right now is that her heads straightens just enough that she isn't constantly rolling. She wasn't a very tame rabbit before, but now that I spend so much time with her she has started licking my hand when I hold her. My vet is an exotic vet. We have disccussed steroids, but that is a last resort medicine she wants to try other things first. Yes she had blood work done should have results in a week. thanks again everyone.

:expressionless

 

[Geoff]

As someone already mentioned, most head tilts are due to E. canailculi, a parasite that lives in the kidneys but can infection nervous and other tissues as well.. .in the brain it tends to cause head tilts, but can also cause seizures, blindness etc. that is what the Panacur while be treating (and with luck, working to cure, too). It does not always help. You should be also apply antibiotic ointment regularly to the 'down eye' as that one tends to rub on the ground all the time (soft bedding helps) and corneal damage is common with rolling or head tilt bunnies. You don't want to lose the eye while waiting for the head tilt to improve.

Caution with steroids... I have read that a single dose of dexamethasone can sometimes be helpful, but I have not had any luck with that and have not tried it for many years now. Bunnies often have serious problems with steroids.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

bri13194 wrote:

She rolled a lot last night the way it is tilted it is just so hard for her to stand she lays down a lot more now. She has been struggling to eat because of her balance. She will take food from me still so that's good, but she just can't get it on her own. I am giving her critical care more often now. I also try to syringe water for her and she drinks it. I give her veggies that I wash really good to keep her hydrated. I test the skin between her shoulders to make sure she is not dehydrated.

 

she only has her one eye to see out of as the other on is gunky and closed. I try to keep it as clean as possible. The only time she is content is when I hold her and I will sometimes wrap her up in a towel. I do that a few times a day for no more than an hour. I have been massaging her and when I lift her foot I can tilt her head up and I like to hold there for a bit to work the muscles.

 

My hope right now is that her heads straightens just enough that she isn't constantly rolling. She wasn't a very tame rabbit before, but now that I spend so much time with her she has started licking my hand when I hold her. My vet is an exotic vet. We have disccussed steroids, but that is a last resort medicine she wants to try other things first. Yes she had blood work done should have results in a week. thanks  again everyone.

 :expressionless 

---one week,-oh-dear,we trust so much in our dvm,s-but thats where we are at-ouch,-even with the baytril you should see some results soon,but behavior is so very important--and start a chart for meds and weight /weigh her regularly/daily--keep her hydrated,using critical care which has probotics in it,metacam for pain and simethicone for upset tummy/gas/pain--has the dvm mentioned penicillin-G-injections-(not penicillin)-this could have quicker results.??--keep bowl of water grasses close,--you sound like a very good mom,--sincerely james waller

 

[bri13194]

If I put her in her cage she flops a lot and gets everything in her food and water bowls. I have been keeping her in a smaller crate that she doesn't roll around in as much and when she does I feel it is safer than a large cage because it is soft fabric/ mesh. I have been giving her critical care 4 times a day and I feed alfalfa by hand and some pellets and fresh veggies. I also give her these carrot slim things because they are crunchy and I am trying to make sure her teeth stay worn down.

She is starting to stand more, but only in corners where she is a little supported. I am concerned about her eye that she can see out of not the one where because of the tilt it stays closed, but the other one I notice it like, I don't want to say goes back and forth, but it does it just looks like it is rolling though. If I hold her in certain positions it stops. Is she dizzy?

The only improvement right now is that she is standing more and when she falls instead of just laying there most of the time she will try to stand. Whenever I give her medicine and critical care I massage her a little and lift her front leg to tilt her head up right. That is what I am doing for physical therapy so far. She goes back to the vet on Thursday. Today she just had her 3rd dose of panacur and later today will get her 3rd dose of metacam.

Medicine schedule is:

8-9 a.m.- First dose of baytril and some critical care.

12 p.m.- Panacur and some critical care mixed with some benebac probiotic.

5 p.m.- Metacam and some critical care.

8-9 p.m.- second dose of Baytril and some critical care.


I tried to space it out so it isn't everything at once.
Of course in between all that I give water through a syringe and hand feed her hay/ pellets/ veggies.

She eats everything I give her. Her poo is a little smaller than normal and darker. What does that mean? I still pinch the skin between the shoulder blades to make sure she isn't dehydrated.


Thanks again everyone! I really appreciate the support.

 

[bri13194]

james waller wrote:

bri13194 wrote:

She rolled a lot last night the way it is tilted it is just so hard for her to stand she lays down a lot more now. She has been struggling to eat because of her balance. She will take food from me still so that's good, but she just can't get it on her own. I am giving her critical care more often now. I also try to syringe water for her and she drinks it. I give her veggies that I wash really good to keep her hydrated. I test the skin between her shoulders to make sure she is not dehydrated.

 

she only has her one eye to see out of as the other on is gunky and closed. I try to keep it as clean as possible. The only time she is content is when I hold her and I will sometimes wrap her up in a towel. I do that a few times a day for no more than an hour. I have been massaging her and when I lift her foot I can tilt her head up and I like to hold there for a bit to work the muscles.

 

My hope right now is that her heads straightens just enough that she isn't constantly rolling. She wasn't a very tame rabbit before, but now that I spend so much time with her she has started licking my hand when I hold her. My vet is an exotic vet. We have disccussed steroids, but that is a last resort medicine she wants to try other things first. Yes she had blood work done should have results in a week. thanks  again everyone.

 :expressionless 

---one week,-oh-dear,we trust so much in our dvm,s-but thats where we are at-ouch,-even with the baytril you should see some results soon,but behavior is so very important--and start a chart for meds and weight /weigh her regularly/daily--keep her hydrated,using critical care which has probotics in it,metacam for pain and simethicone for upset tummy/gas/pain--has the dvm mentioned penicillin-G-injections-(not penicillin)-this could have quicker results.??--keep bowl of water grasses close,--you sound like a very good mom,--sincerely james waller

I will start to weigh her and no she did not suggest that. I will discuss that with her on Thursday.

 

[bri13194]

Geoff wrote:

As someone already mentioned, most head tilts are due to E. canailculi, a parasite that lives in the kidneys but can infection nervous and other tissues as well.. .in the brain it tends to cause head tilts, but can also cause seizures, blindness etc. that is what the Panacur while be treating (and with luck, working to cure, too). It does not always help. You should be also apply antibiotic ointment regularly to the 'down eye' as that one tends to rub on the ground all the time (soft bedding helps) and corneal damage is common with rolling or head tilt bunnies. You don't want to lose the eye while waiting for the head tilt to improve.

Caution with steroids... I have read that a single dose of dexamethasone can sometimes be helpful, but I have not had any luck with that and have not tried it for many years now. Bunnies often have serious problems with steroids.

I have a triple antibiotic ointment (not specifically from a vet just in our first aid kit) will that work?

 

[bri13194]

***Scratch that. I have antibiotic ointment for EYES for people will that be ok?***

 

[JBun]

I think the eye rolling has to do with the head tilt. I would mention it to your vet. You don't use a regular antibiotic oinment for the eye. You need something specifically for eyes. There's terramycin ophthalmic ointment you can buy online or feed or horse tack store will sometimes have it, or you could get something from your vet.

It can take some time before you start seeing improvement. It's good that she'll eat with your help. I think you're doing a wonderful job. This is one of the harder illnesses and it takes alot of time and tender care to help the bun through it.

The smaller darker poop might be because she's not eating as much hay, and because the critical care would also be a change in her diet, so that might have something to do with it too.

 

[bri13194]

I realized after I put that, that you obviously need eye ointment not regular ointment. I will look in to buying some right away.
:headsmack

That is what I figured with the poop. I will try to give her more hay. Thanks again.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

bri13194 wrote:

I realized after I put that, that you obviously need eye ointment not regular ointment. I will look in to buying some right away.
:headsmack

That is what I figured with the poop. I will try to give her more hay. Thanks again.

--yes,poops are very important--to save time and perhaps frustrations here is my link to my sanity http://www.medirabbit.com --no poops within 12-24 hr.is an emergency--i repeat,you sound like a very good mom,,-sincerely james wallerray::big wink:ray: