Rabbit not eating, vet gave me Baytril and I’m wondering when to expect improvement.

[marrar]

Hey all! I have a 3 year old male dwarf rabbit. Two days ago I noticed he seemed a little off, and yesterday around 2pm I noticed he had a head tilt and hadn’t touched his hay. I brought him to his vet at 4pm who said it’s probably an inner ear infection and gave him an injection of fluids and metoclopramide. I picked up his antibiotic today and gave him his first dose at 2pm. Unfortunately the compounding pharmacy took a while to make it so pick up was delayed.

I’m force feeding him 5mL of Critical Care every 2-3 hours. He hates it but luckily he’s a really nice rabbit and I can get most of it in his mouth. He did nibble some romaine but has since lost interest and he hasn’t touched his hay or pellets. I just heard him tearing at his hide and he appeared to be eating some of the floor of it, but he didn’t eat much. He is still grooming himself and perks up/watches when I come by, but he’s also grinding and clearly uncomfortable.

The vet told me to give it 3-4 days and if there’s no improvement to bring him back. She didn’t give me a pain killer or anti inflammatory and from reading online it seems she should’ve? Should I set alarms and get up throughout the night to continue force feeding? He only weighs a pound so I’m really worried about dehydration. Sorry to be the millionth person to ask this but I’m really worried.

 

[JBun]

Yes, your rabbit absolutely needs pain medication, and really any vet that doesn't automatically send this home with a sick rabbit isn't likely a very experienced rabbit vet. Rabbits in pain usually won't eat well or at all on their own. It's essential to get the pain under control to help a rabbit recover from illness.

https://rabbit.org/the-importance-of-analgesia-pain-control-for-pet-rabbits/
Rabbits in pain will also usually get a little hypothermic, and a cold rabbit is less inclined to eat. If your rabbits ears feel really cold, I would provide a rabbit safe warm pack or other safe way to keep your rabbit warm. Then I would syringe feed(warmed up but not hot) every 4 hours, at least, and through the night.

Tomorrow first thing, I would make sure to get meloxicam from the vet, to take home(enough for 2-4 weeks at least), dosed at the higher dose of 1mg per kg of body weight, split into two 12 hour doses. For a 1 lb rabbit, that would be about 0.23mg twice a day, which is about 0.15ml of the 1.5mg/ml suspension, given twice a day. Many inexperienced vets will underdose thinking rabbits need the same dose as dogs. They don't. They have a faster metabolism and need a much higher dose for it to be effective. So come prepared with articles to back this up if needed, and make sure the right dose is prescribed.

https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/
If the vet didn't send home a gut stimulant, I would make sure to get that as well. Then if possible and you are able, I would find a more experienced rabbit vet to go to to get a second opinion and better treatment. Yes an ear infection is a possible cause, but unless the vet found clear indicators it was an infection (pus in the ear canal or scans showing an infection), then it's also possible it could be e. cuniculi( or even possibly another cause). Usually when it's not clear if it's an ear infection or EC, experienced rabbit vets will initially put the rabbit on a safe antibiotic, meloxicam, and Panacur(fenbendazole) to cover both possibilities. And if it is an ear infection and your rabbit isn't showing progress on the current antibiotic, a different antibiotic may be needed. So keep that in mind as well. But if you find a better rabbit vet, they should know all this and come up with a better diagnosis and treatment plan.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Head_tilt
Medirabbit: ear infection clinical signs and treatment

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Encephalitozoon_cuniculi
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/head-tilt.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HelpforHeadTiltHoppers/
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[marrar]

Yes, your rabbit absolutely needs pain medication, and really any vet that doesn't automatically send this home with a sick rabbit isn't likely a very experienced rabbit vet. Rabbits in pain usually won't eat well or at all on their own. It's essential to get the pain under control to help a rabbit recover from illness.

https://rabbit.org/the-importance-of-analgesia-pain-control-for-pet-rabbits/
Rabbits in pain will also usually get a little hypothermic, and a cold rabbit is less inclined to eat. If your rabbits ears feel really cold, I would provide a rabbit safe warm pack or other safe way to keep your rabbit warm. Then I would syringe feed(warmed up but not hot) every 4 hours, at least, and through the night.

Tomorrow first thing, I would make sure to get meloxicam from the vet, to take home(enough for 2-4 weeks at least), dosed at the higher dose of 1mg per kg of body weight, split into two 12 hour doses. For a 1 lb rabbit, that would be about 0.23mg twice a day, which is about 0.15ml of the 1.5mg/ml suspension, given twice a day. Many inexperienced vets will underdose thinking rabbits need the same dose as dogs. They don't. They have a faster metabolism and need a much higher dose for it to be effective. So come prepared with articles to back this up if needed, and make sure the right dose is prescribed.

https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/
If the vet didn't send home a gut stimulant, I would make sure to get that as well. Then if possible and you are able, I would find a more experienced rabbit vet to go to to get a second opinion and better treatment. Yes an ear infection is a possible cause, but unless the vet found clear indicators it was an infection (pus in the ear canal or scans showing an infection), then it's also possible it could be e. cuniculi( or even possibly another cause). Usually when it's not clear if it's an ear infection or EC, experienced rabbit vets will initially put the rabbit on a safe antibiotic, meloxicam, and Panacur(fenbendazole) to cover both possibilities. And if it is an ear infection and your rabbit isn't showing progress on the current antibiotic, a different antibiotic may be needed. So keep that in mind as well. But if you find a better rabbit vet, they should know all this and come up with a better diagnosis and treatment plan.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Head_tilt
Medirabbit: ear infection clinical signs and treatment

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Encephalitozoon_cuniculi
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/head-tilt.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HelpforHeadTiltHoppers/
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Wow thank you SO much! I’ll call first thing tomorrow. His regular vet, Deb Chew, wasn’t available unfortunately so I’ll definitely call tomorrow and see if we can get those meds.

 

[JBun]

One other thing to consider is if it's only a slight tilt, if a rabbit is also acting somewhat normal otherwise, but reluctant to eat food, or seems interested to eat then stops, it is possible the tilt is from mouth pain and it's a dental problem. So a thorough dental exam is also a good idea, which may include xrays to rule out an infected tooth. The xray can also be to check if there are any visible signs of infection in the inner ear in case that is the cause of the tilt.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Teeth

 

[marrar]

One other thing to consider is if it's only a slight tilt, if a rabbit is also acting somewhat normal otherwise, but reluctant to eat food, or seems interested to eat then stops, it is possible the tilt is from mouth pain and it's a dental problem. So a thorough dental exam is also a good idea, which may include xrays to rule out an infected tooth. The xray can also be to check if there are any visible signs of infection in the inner ear in case that is the cause of the tilt.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Teeth

Okay that makes sense. He does have nystagmus and his head trembles so I’m not sure, but I’ll definitely call tomorrow and ask for those medications and imaging.

 

[JBun]

Ok, no. Nystagmus does mean vestibular disease. So likely ear infection or EC. The direction of the nystagmus(eg. up/down, side to side, etc) can help in determining which it is, but it's not always definitive. An experienced rabbit vet will be able to determine better what it could be based on all of the clinical signs exhibited. The head trembling could just be due to the pain. So hopefully abates once you get the pain meds going.

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?pId=11349&catId=34765&id=5328290
https://www.unusualpetvets.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Vestibular-Disease-in-Rabbits.pdf

 

[marrar]

So the vet gave him an injection of Meloxicam at 11:30 and more fluids. He had a few bites of alfalfa and gave up. Isn’t interested in Timothy or orchard grass or greens. I have enough Meloxicam for three days but I think he’s circling the drain and I’m starting to give up. I’m exhausted from fighting to feed him every three hours, it’s not enough food, and he’s not drinking water. I don’t really know what else to do.

 

[JBun]

Taking care of a head tilt rabbit can be pretty labor intensive. You need to find a workable routine for you. If you need to spread out the feedings to make this more doable, that's what I would do. I would make it 4-6 hours between feeds. If he's getting enough water in his syringe feeds then he won't really need additional water.

You really need to be seeing a different vet. A meloxicam injection is pretty useless and just jacks up the cost of a vet bill. It's just as easy to be giving it orally and costs less. 3 days of meloxicam is ridiculous. Your rabbit is going to need to be on it at least 2 weeks minimum, which is what the vet should have prescribed for you to begin with.

Getting your rabbit on the proper medications and dosage, is essential for a recovery to be possible. This includes the vet making sure to give an accurate diagnosis when possible. Sometimes you need to be the advocate for your rabbit, and be insistent on what you know your rabbit needs. If the vet isn't open to listening to you and working with your concerns to make sure your rabbit is getting the right treatment, I wouldn't hesitate to try and find a better rabbit vet.

I would suggest joining that 'help for head tilt hoppers' FB group. The people on there will have a lot of experience to share, in dealing with the same problems you're going through. Also, here is some info on medicating and syringe feeding rabbits that might be helpful.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Medicating_your_rabbit

 

[Moonshadow]

When my bunny broke his jaw, wasn’t drinking water, and needed to be fed critical care, the one thing he continued to be able to eat on his own with the pain medicine was an apple slice. (We stuck it on a little wood ‘spike’ we made so it wouldn’t move). Since apples are mostly water (around 80%), it definitely helped him through the worst of it, when his jaw was healing. During that time, we knew apples are only supposed to be ‘treats’ but it was kept his system going and was a special circumstance so we made an exception until he recovered.

I hope your bunny gets through this difficult stage. If you think he might be able to eat a bit of apple, you might need to hold it for him so it doesn’t move away. Hope he recovers~

 

[cwebster]

When our bunny Dutchess wouldnt eat, i gave her critical and meloxicam. She wouldnt even eat apple. So i cut yard grass. She would eat that, but i had to make sure it was not sprayed with anything or mixed with other weeds. Also our grocery had alfalfa grass in the oroduce section, which perked up her interest. And i got carrots with tops and hand fed her carrot tops. It is hard getting a bunny to eat. Hope your bun has had hisr ear checked by a vet now.

 

[Crie]

First of all, I'd go see another vet... immediately!

As far as feeding, I have a 12yo on hospice and she needs Critical Care and water about ever 4hrs. She hated it at first, and like you, I almost gave up the fight. I'm so glad I didn't, because it has been 3 months now, and I thought I only had 2 weeks left with her. Though frustrating, don't give up!

This is my pro tip:

1) go buy some jars of baby food (organic banana, pumpkin, apple/blueberry). I usually freeze them into little ice cubes, as a har is only good for 2 days once opened, so freezing little cubes gets you way more servings.

2) make up some critic care with room temp water (some rabbits like it watery, some will eat it thicker. Play around with it to see what your bunny prefers.

3) once you got a syringe of CC, take some baby food, and dip the dip in the baby food, then offer it to your bunny. With every bite, dip the tip in baby food. It's a slow process, but it gets easier.

 

[Crie]

Also, this feeding method can add extra sugar to your rabbits diet and give them soft poo. So when I started this with my rabbit Clara, I removed all other sugar from her diet. No more treats, etc. Now, she gets excited to syringe feed, because it IS her treat, and she knows she gets sweet stuff with every bite. It's a win/win. She gets a "treat" and I get food/water in her at the same time.

 

[marrar]

Just wanted to give an update and thank everyone! I’ve been back to the vet again and Pipkin is much improved. His head is nearly straight, he isn’t guarding his belly, and his poops are just about normal size. He even peed on me twice yesterday when I was feeding him!! Such a relief. Never thought I’d be happy to be peed on.

Vet gave me additional pain meds and metoclopramide, and she pushed fluids again. He’s now hopping in and out of his cage, periscoping, and foraging through his hay. His appetite hasn’t completely returned but the vet said he’s well hydrated and his belly is full, so she advised I cut back to force feeding every 6-7 hours instead of every 4.

Also want to give people hope for force feeding—it really does get easier. I was beside myself for the first three days but now I’m super comfortable with it and can easily get him to ingest 15mL in one sitting. Thank you all so much for your kind words and suggestions (I did use some baby food and apple and he loved them!). Crossing my fingers that we’re on the up and up and he has an appointment with a new rabbit vet in three weeks. He’s not happy with me but he’s alive and feisty and I’m over the moon.