head tilt

[nuttymeg]

My daughters rabbit had gotten attacked playfully by a cat about 3 weeks ago. He ended up with a severely torn ear and is currently being treated by a vet. Last thursday I had noticed he had a very small barely there head tilt. I took him back to the vet who agreed he has a head tilt,he cleaned his infected ear of as he put it,lots of debris in the ear canal.

He also took note at the base of the ear near the jaw there is a lump. Today the poor guy seems worse,is rolling more,very unsteady. Is this common? Is it supposed to get worse while on treatment?

I have never dealt with anything like this before. He is lively,eats and drinks lots. I hate having to give him his medicine as he gets so out of it and it bothers me to see him that way.

I would really like some advice. The first picture is of his last week a day or so before he went back to the vet.

 

[nuttymeg]

this is him today.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

The lump sounds like a possible abscess if his head is tilting that severely you need to take him back immediately. The ear could be reinfected and an abscess or two could of formed it sounds like the antibiotics are not working and aren't the correct kind for the infection. Surgery will probably be required as abscess are difficult in rabbits and the ear sounds like it needs scraping through surgery. I urge you to make a new appointment or call another vet and get a second opinion but a vet regardless is a MUST.

 

[JBun]

What meds/antibiotics is your rabbit on? Was a swab of the bacteria in the ear taken, and was a culture and sensitivity done on it? Is the lump believed to be an abscess? Did the vet take head xrays to see the extent of the infection?

The bacteria from cat scratches and bites, can be very serious. Hopefully your vet is treating the infection aggressively.

 

[nuttymeg]

Thank you for the response. He is on chloraphemenical 1cc twice a day and baytril otic twice a day. I know the vet cleaned his ear out,but no cultures or xrays were taken.

I just did a night check on him,cleaned his cage,fed him and rolled up some towels for his cage,he is eating really good,takes it great willingness. I took a look inside his ear and got a bunch of junk out of it so I think the infection is coming out. I do find that when I need to give him his meds he gets really woozy.

Tonight after his cage was ready for him I waited and supported him until he gathered some of his balance so I knew he was going to be okay. I do think he will be fine,he seemed better tonight,I wonder if letting him be helps with the vertigo he is experiencing,it always seems worse after he has been picked up.

 

[JBun]

Sometimes there can be a bit of a set back, and then you will start to see improvement. But you need to try and tell if it is a minor set back or the antibiotic isn't proving effective. If you continue to see it getting worse and if you are concerned at all you should phone the vet.

Their balance can be really compromised, and for some buns picking up or moving them can make them very disoriented temporarily. When at all possible try and give meds and everything from the floor to prevent this. I know that the med Meclizine, has proved beneficial for helping with the dizziness for some rabbits. You could ask your vet about trying it. Is your bun also on Metacam for pain and inflammation? If not you could also ask about that as well.

Here's some info on ear infections in rabbits, as well as caring for rabbits with these issues.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm
http://www.specialbunny.org/head-tilt-ec/
http://www.mohrs.org/hrswebpg19.html
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/

 

[nuttymeg]

I asked about the vertigo meds today when I spoke with the vet,he seemed like they wouldn't do much to help. For pain I am giving him camomile tea bags soaked,I take the leaves out and he gobbles them up. But he goes back in thursday and will ask about the metacam.

I am watching his very closely and after he gets his meds I cuddle him in my arms. I feel so awful this has happened to him,I feel since he started the meds thursday it really isn't enough time to see any improvement,but getting so much stuff out of his ear I am more optimistic now.

 

[JBun]

These things can really take quite some time to clear up, so it's not surprising that you haven't seen improvement yet. It's really good that he is still eating and drinking on his own though, as it gets much more complicated when you have to hand feed them. It sounds like he is still doing pretty well, aside from the vertigo from being handled, but sometimes that is unavoidable as you have to be able to take care of them properly.

Definitely ask about the metacam, as bringing down the inflammation may help improve his symptoms. You will also want to keep a close eye on the lump and the size of it. If it gets any bigger you will want to let your vet know right away. At your next appt. also find out your vets thoughts on the lump as well as treatment options. It may be your vet is hoping the antibiotics will have an effect on it.

 

[nuttymeg]

Well he has gone downhill. I am taking him in tonight to be reassessed. I am also picking up some critical care tonight for him. He stopped eating and drinking yesterday afternoon. I started water by syringe last night. I mentioned to the vet over phone today about zithromax,and he agreed. Has anyone had experience with zithromax?
He still cleans himself which I take as a good sign. However he just sleeps now. His scab came off his ear yesterday too,which I was thrilled about.

 

[JBun]

I've read that it can be very effective for ear infections, but I've also heard it can have some nasty side effects and cause GI problems, so should be used with caution. When it does work, it seems to work really well though.

If the vestibular symptoms haven't worsened, and the only worsening symptom is loss of appetite, that can sometimes just be due to the effects of the antibiotic, so changing to Zithromax may not change this and you may still end up syringe feeding. As long as it's only causing nausea and not messing up the microflora and causing runny poop, sometimes you just have to hand feed them to get them through the, usually temporary, nausea. So you may not need to change antibiotics if the head tilt isn't worsening and there's no runny poop, but you will need to syringe feed. Though sometimes if the antibiotic is causing difficult side effects, it may be worth trying a different antibiotic. If he seems to be more lethargic and sleeping excessively, that could be a troubling sign though.

I don't know if you have tried offering something like green leaf lettuce, but sometimes when they won't eat their usual pellets and hay, they will still eat leafy veggies. If he isn't used to it though, then don't give too much. He also may not be eating due to pain, so getting the metacam right away may help this out quite a bit.

 

[nuttymeg]

just got home from the vets. He prescribed metacam and we decided to remain on the current meds he is on as there was some improvement since last week. He gave him sub q fluids as well. He mentioned that his eye does not blink when an object is near,but that the pupil is responsive,he felt with that observation the rabbit may need to be ultimately put down,this is not an option for me.

His eating has picked up,he ate a small piece of papaya,some pineapple,carrot tops and some pizza crust. I wasn't very sucessful,actually not successful in giving him the critical care.

 

[nuttymeg]

he has been eating well over an hour NON STOP,eating lots of hay and the other stuff I mentioned,still no interest in kibbles. I wonder if it is the metacam?