cmh9023
Well-Known Member
Jessie has had head tilt since April 27. Iâve posted a few other questions about it and got some great information from several people. Thank you! So I thought Iâd write an update in the hope that some people with head tilt experience will read it. Plus, I found it very helpful to search through old threads for information so maybe this will be of help to someone else at some point. Iâm at work but donât feel in the working mood so thatâs why this will get longâ¦
Her EC titer result came back as .615 which means she was exposed. But that was obviously no surprise. She still has had no blood test for infection. Not totally sure why, but my vet seems confident that it is not an infection. Based on everything I read no the forum I think it could be. I probably should insist on a blood panel, shouldnât I? I let the vet know that Jessie had been treated for syphilis at the shelter. She had no signs but her babies had it so she was treated too. I asked if there could have been any residual infection from that or if syphilis could have travelled to her brain as it does in people. She upped her dose of PenG to what she said would be the treatment for syphilis.
The biggest issue continues to be the rolling. She canât move an inch without rolling uncontrollably. Her head is still tilted at about 90 degrees. I read that peopleâs buns have done better outside of a penned area so Iâve tried that, but she canât catch her balance at all. Sheâs been on meds (which Iâll list below) for 10 days.
At what point will I know that she wonât be able to stop rolling even with taking meds. If she is going to stop rolling should it have happened by now? If she could just regain her balance a bit and be able to move around a little I think she could have a very good life. But not being able to move without rolling uncontrollably seems like a horrible life. She does grunt and snort after a rolling episode like sheâs totally irritated by it which makes me feel like she still has some spunk. The other sad thing is that she canât live with her partner because if he bumps into her at all she rolls. She still tries to move. Not a lot but some. Iâm thinking if she had lost her zest for life she wouldnât even try to move. Is that wishful thinking?
This is her current medication:
.25 ccâs Oxybendazole (Once a day for 10 days now) Might Fenbendazole work better? I know Randy suggests Marquis. Has anyone else used that? Will my vet know what it is or how to administer it??
.25 ccâs PenG every other day (4 doses so far). Yesterday she added .5 ccâs every 7[suP]th[/suP] day in the event of syphilis infection (1 dose so far)
Iâve had an impossible time getting her to take the Meclizine so the pet pharmacist is going to compound and flavor it today. Iâm hoping that might help with the rolling?
The other bad news is that she hasnât pooped since sometime Saturday. (Just a few tiny ones, no cecals at all). Iâve been trying to get a much fluid to her as I can and Iâve taken her to the vet for fluids once since this started. Sheâs going again tomorrow for fluids and vitamins. So, she started taking Reglan and Ciscipride. I know most people will hate that, but Iâm not sure what else to do. The rabbit vets at my clinic seem to believe in using it because they prescribe it very easily/often.
Appetite = Pretty good. Eats hay and some greens and a little oats. If she doesnât take initiative to eat, I feed her piece by piece dipped in water and she will eat a fair amount.
Alertness = Up and down. She was never a particularly active bun. She still tries to groom herself (falls over if she uses both hands but can do it by lifting one hand at a time). Still tries to move around occasionally. Eyes sometimes look very alert, other times not so much.
Affection = Sheâs never wanted anything to do with me so itâs hard to rate this. She still grunts at me and has tried to stomp at me a couple times so Iâll consider that her sign of affection
Ohâ¦one other thing. I try to massage all around her neck and shoulders at least once a day. Would it be helpful or harmful to try to move her head around? I seems like it might be helpful so it doesnât atrophy in that position. I havenât done it yet though in case it could be harmful or painful.
Her EC titer result came back as .615 which means she was exposed. But that was obviously no surprise. She still has had no blood test for infection. Not totally sure why, but my vet seems confident that it is not an infection. Based on everything I read no the forum I think it could be. I probably should insist on a blood panel, shouldnât I? I let the vet know that Jessie had been treated for syphilis at the shelter. She had no signs but her babies had it so she was treated too. I asked if there could have been any residual infection from that or if syphilis could have travelled to her brain as it does in people. She upped her dose of PenG to what she said would be the treatment for syphilis.
The biggest issue continues to be the rolling. She canât move an inch without rolling uncontrollably. Her head is still tilted at about 90 degrees. I read that peopleâs buns have done better outside of a penned area so Iâve tried that, but she canât catch her balance at all. Sheâs been on meds (which Iâll list below) for 10 days.
At what point will I know that she wonât be able to stop rolling even with taking meds. If she is going to stop rolling should it have happened by now? If she could just regain her balance a bit and be able to move around a little I think she could have a very good life. But not being able to move without rolling uncontrollably seems like a horrible life. She does grunt and snort after a rolling episode like sheâs totally irritated by it which makes me feel like she still has some spunk. The other sad thing is that she canât live with her partner because if he bumps into her at all she rolls. She still tries to move. Not a lot but some. Iâm thinking if she had lost her zest for life she wouldnât even try to move. Is that wishful thinking?
This is her current medication:
.25 ccâs Oxybendazole (Once a day for 10 days now) Might Fenbendazole work better? I know Randy suggests Marquis. Has anyone else used that? Will my vet know what it is or how to administer it??
.25 ccâs PenG every other day (4 doses so far). Yesterday she added .5 ccâs every 7[suP]th[/suP] day in the event of syphilis infection (1 dose so far)
Iâve had an impossible time getting her to take the Meclizine so the pet pharmacist is going to compound and flavor it today. Iâm hoping that might help with the rolling?
The other bad news is that she hasnât pooped since sometime Saturday. (Just a few tiny ones, no cecals at all). Iâve been trying to get a much fluid to her as I can and Iâve taken her to the vet for fluids once since this started. Sheâs going again tomorrow for fluids and vitamins. So, she started taking Reglan and Ciscipride. I know most people will hate that, but Iâm not sure what else to do. The rabbit vets at my clinic seem to believe in using it because they prescribe it very easily/often.
Appetite = Pretty good. Eats hay and some greens and a little oats. If she doesnât take initiative to eat, I feed her piece by piece dipped in water and she will eat a fair amount.
Alertness = Up and down. She was never a particularly active bun. She still tries to groom herself (falls over if she uses both hands but can do it by lifting one hand at a time). Still tries to move around occasionally. Eyes sometimes look very alert, other times not so much.
Affection = Sheâs never wanted anything to do with me so itâs hard to rate this. She still grunts at me and has tried to stomp at me a couple times so Iâll consider that her sign of affection
Ohâ¦one other thing. I try to massage all around her neck and shoulders at least once a day. Would it be helpful or harmful to try to move her head around? I seems like it might be helpful so it doesnât atrophy in that position. I havenât done it yet though in case it could be harmful or painful.