loss of appetite

[cupcake bun]

hi

my bun diagnosed with ear infection about 3 days ago. the vet gave him baytril oral medication ones a day and ear drop twice a day, he is getting better slowly but he losses his appetite .he started hating on the greens I give him and relay on hay only even though he eats a little then before, eat his treats well and his mood is a little gloomy. he doesn't show any sighs of gass or any other symptoms only losing balance .

my question is
Is it normal to hate on specific type of food in this time and should I be worried so much about losses of his appetite even though I make sure he is eating all day even if its a little bit?

 

[JBun]

The antibiotic can sometimes affect a rabbits appetite. Apparently baytril has a pretty nasty taste to it, so that could have something to do with it. But usually after a few days, the appetite starts to get back to normal.
But if it doesn't and your rabbit starts or is already, eating a decreased amount of food, you'll need to start syringe feeds, which you'll need to get a mix and instructions from your vet. Usually Oxbow Critical Care is the most common mix used.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Medicating_your_rabbit
Ear infections are difficult to clear up, so make sure your vet doesn't stop the antibiotic too soon. It usually takes a minimum of 4-6 weeks, and two weeks past the last of the symptoms clearing up. But sometimes it can take much longer with multiple antibiotics used. Also, if your vet didn't prescribe the anti inflammatory Meloxicam(suspension), that should have been prescribed for you to give at home as well, the recommended dosage being 0.3-0.6mg/kg, twice a day.

Medirabbit: ear infection clinical signs and treatment

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Otitis
https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/

 

[cupcake bun]

the vet told me there is no need for Meloxicam because his condition is not that bad and he is not feel pain that much and the drug is pretty much dangerous on him, but I don't know maybe its time to revisit him again to change the medication.

 

[JBun]

Meloxicam is one of the most common pain medications prescribed to rabbits, and is almost always recommeded to be given with any condition that causes mild to moderate pain, like an ear infection, provided the rabbit doesn't have problems with the kidneys and isn't already being given steroids or other NSAIDS. It's particularly important to give anti inflammatories to help reduce the inflammation that's occurring from the infection, to minimize the chances of cell damage occurring, as well as alleviate the discomfort the rabbit is feeling. Ear infections hurt, even minor ones.

https://rabbit.org/the-importance-of-analgesia-pain-control-for-pet-rabbits/
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/medical/pain-management-rabbits/
If an ear infection is serious enough to cause loss of balance, it's much more than 'not that bad'. Loss of balance means it's affecting the inner ear, that the infection has spread to the inner ear, and this is extremely serious. Inner ear infections are very difficult to treat and can result in a rabbit developing head tilt and start rolling. Inner ear infections can prove to be fatal, especially if not treated correctly and aggressively enough to get the infection under control.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm
"The infection can also spread from the middle ear to the inner ear (otitis interna or labyrinthitis). This development of the disease is marked by head-tilt, and ataxia (lack of balance)."

I would recommend going to a more experienced rabbit vet, or at least consult with one if you aren't able to travel to get to one. A vet that doesn't see this condition as being as serious as it is, I wouldn't trust my rabbit with.

http://www.rabbitvet.net/Africa&AsiaRabbitVets.htm#Japan

 

[cupcake bun]

I know its serious problem that why I searched a lot after he told me its not that serious condition and the information I read on the net is pretty much scary for me so went to change the medications that affected his appetite but he insist that its OK if he loss his appetite as long as the medication works but I wasn't convinced at all about that since eating is the most important to the rabbit's gut system so I stopped giving him baytril and stayed on ear drops only until I find another vet online to prescribe me another medication .unfortunately the vets in my city is not aware in rabbits in general.

 

[JBun]

Baytril is relatively well tolerated by rabbits usually, in that it doesn't often lead to serious digestive upset occurring, which is an important thing with rabbits. As long as it's not causing severe digestive upset and runny poop(an emergency), I would keep giving the baytril and just do supplemental syringe feeds with a recovery food mix. It's not unusual for antibiotics to result in some lack of appetite, so you just make up for the reduced appetite with the syringe feeding.

But if you really don't want to continue with that antibiotic, please get your rabbit onto a different systemic rabbit safe antibiotic right away. The ear drops aren't going to be sufficient for treating an inner ear infection. Bactrim/spetrin(smz/tmp) is another common oral antibiotic given to rabbits, so that's a possibility, though it's not always the most effective. The one I've found most effective in rabbits, that works quickly with good tissue penetration to get to the infection, is azithromycin. But some rabbits can have serious side effects with this, so it does have to be used with caution.

Medirabbit: safe antibiotics

Medirabbit: unsafe drugs

This link has additional info and references, about your rabbits condition, even though there's no head tilt at this point, it's pretty much the same condition.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Head_tilt

 

[cupcake bun]

thanks to the information you gave to me I booked another appointment online yesterday and she give me a complete package of medication to buy from pet pharmacy to treat his ear infection and begin the treatment from today. I hope my boy heal soon .

thank you for your concern.