UPDATE on Marissa (Delta's neck improved )

[marissa]

So being the new bunny owner that I am I was worried when delta force started acting funny on day 3 of being introduced into her new home. She was unable to move in and out of her rabbit hutch which has a little plank that she can move up and down and was constantly off-balance. I took her to the vet the next day because I thought she had diarrhea (actually just protein enhanced urine) and found out something more serious was wrong with her. The vet is a very experienced bunny-vet ( he has two of his own) and told me she was very sick and gave me some antibiotics to feed her (5 days ago) now her neck is completely twisted to the side and she has weepy eye and has started rolling and being very off-balance. Today is her second vet appt and I'm totally freaked out since he said normally this can be treated if her eyelids respond to being touched,but hers don't at allAny advice or suggestions??? I have fallen completely in love with her and am so worried

 

[JadeIcing]

Don't freak. Head-tilt can be treated. One of the first things is to find out what is causing. So run a culture test. Antibiotics for 5days is nothing. They need at least 3 weeks of antibiotics.

Is the rabbit spinning or rolling?

Is the bunny still eatting? Drinking?

I am going to PM Randy he has more knowledge with this.

I have a bunny who has survived head-tilt and continues to thrive.

 

[marissa]

Deltais spinning and rolling and having a hard time getting comfortable in the hutch

She's still eating and drinking

I'll mention doing a culture test today at the vet

Thanks

 

[Maureen Las]

She should be taken inside the house and out of the hutch while she is sick.
Try to get a basket to place her in so that you can roll towels and place them on each side of her body so that she is in a secure position and not flailing about.

This is a very painful situation for your bun as she is very dizzy. Your vet can give her medication for the dizziness..As Randy has said most head tilt cases are from an ear infection that has gone into the middle ear. A culture should be taken and she should be treated aggressively with antibiotics. 5 days is not enough.
You will need to feed her your self and also give her fluids .
This is a big undertaling but many people on this forum have had rabbits with this problem that have recovered. There is a lot of help here.

For now I will sendyou some articles to read as you need to arm yourself with all the info you can get to help her.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=27901&forum_id=10

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience with head tilt....technically called "torticollis". While there can be numerous causes, the most likely is an inner and/or middle ear infection. It is imperative to get a culture to see exactly what pathogen is in there....and it doesn't have to be bacterial. Most vets tend to be far too conservative in treating ear infections in rabbits...even experienced vets. There is only one antibiotic I would use that is given orally....and because of some side effects in the humans handling the drug,it is difficult to get. The traditional drugs such as Baytril and the Sulfa drugs are most likely not going to resolve this condition as they are becoming ineffectivedue to mutating bacteria. The causes, and side effects, are much different than cats or dogs. Improperly treated infections can cause uncorrectable tilt or an escalation of the infection into the brain stem. I come out with all the big guns firing against vestibular infections.

Please list everything you are doing for your rabbit....husbandry wise as well as medical including drugs and doses. Breed and weight would also be helpful.This can be treated but it is sometimes a very long term deal....we have treated for as long as 8 months for a confirmed bacterial infection. It can become rather involved in some cases...but it is worth it all if we can get resolution.

If this is a confirmed bacterial infection, there is a new drug that has just become available in the US (as with all drugs, it is "off label" when treating rabbits) but it shows great promise for use in rabbits. I am using it here now. It is an injectable and only requires one dose for an entire treatment period. I'm excited about it as it opens some new treatment options.

Please let me know everything you are doing.....and I might can offer some suggestions based on my experiences.

Randy

 

[naturestee]

How did today's vet appointment go? I'm really concerned that she has gotten so much worse even though treatment was started before the symptoms were really obvious to you.

I highly encourage you to talk to Randy and see if he can suggest anything that your vet isn't already doing. He knows what he's talking about.

ray:

 

[RexyRex]

I'll be thinking of you and your bun....good luck!

 

[marissa]

OK

So we went to the vet and he said her head tilt has gotten much much worse but the fact that she is eating and attempting to groom is still a good thing. His main concern is that she has the "darting eye" symptom and that there is partial facial paralysis. He believes that it is a brain thing rather than a peripheral problem.



Here are the answers to Randy's post:

Siamese Sable Holland Lop doe

1.75 lbs

2.5 months old

What I do for her is give her an antibiotic twice daily in a dropper and I have already given her a full course of worm medicine. The doctor has her coming in once a week to receive some type of injection (i THINK it was an antibiotic)

Note: when I get home from workI will list the actual medicine names

In terms of husbandry I put rolled up towels in the sides of the hutch (which is indoors in my room) Leave plenty of timothy hay and a handful of pellets and a water dish. I take her out twice a day and lay her in my lap for the medicine which she loves and will just lay there forever if I let her. When she does get antsy I support her side and lay her against a wall in the hutch so she feels stable and doesn't roll. I've been letting her hop around on the carpet for excericse and she seems to be doing OK with this but sometimes goes into circles or falls over.

After the injection yesterday I took her home and she did wonderful. Her head is still completely to the side but she ate everything in her bowl and drank a tone of water and then groomed herself. PLUS she didn't roll at all this morning and looked a little stabler. Her poops look great too. Her left eye is now completely closed and she just uses the good one.



OK that's everything I can remember right now. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I honestly can't believe this happened to my very first bunny but I wouldn't trade her personality for any other one

Thanks

Marissa

 

[naturestee]

I'm guessing the weekly injection is penicillan. I'd ask the vet (and have Randy talk to him) about doing daily injections. The weekly thing is for treating a specific disease- syphilis- and isn't very effective for anything else.

 

[Maureen Las]

I agree with naturestee.

if it is an antibiotic like penicillin a weekly dose just won't do it. She may be better today because she just got it yesterday

If your vet is open to suggestions and has an open-minded he may consider talking to Randy who has very sucessfully treated head tilt (with his medical team at the rescue)

it is really great that she is eating ,drinking , pooping which places her on a higher level of functionng than some head tilt rabbits.
it sounds as if you are handling her very nicely.

Maureen

 

[ra7751]

Umm....a few things here concern me. First...the wormer. I am assuming this means that someone is trying to treat EC. Contrary to popular belief, EC does not directly cause head tilt. The darting eyes is a condition called "nystagmus". A rabbit can't see directly in front of them....they are searching for a focal point. The end result is a violent spin that can cause collateral injury. In some rabbits, a drug called meclizine might be of help. While using the wormer probably will help with any other parasites, treating for EC is probably not the direction that should be taken. Nystagmus is most often caused by an ear infection...but in severe cases known as "positional nystagmus"....the infection is in the brain stem....and that concerns me since you mentioned some neuro issues in the face. But....that can also be caused by a dental issue and small lops (mainly Hollands) are very prone to dental issues due to the shape of their face. Been there and done that one before.

I suspect if she is receiving one shot a week that it is some form of penicillin. Most of the vets I know don't have the most effective concentration of that drug in house. And once a week is not effective as it will not maintain proper working levels. This is an old school idea that was used when penicillin was first used in rabbits some years ago.

Let us know what the specific drugs are when you can. I suspect the attack will need to be stepped up quite a bit. In defense of the doctors, they are sometimes limited in what they can do by possible liability issues in some states as well as practice protocols if they are not the owner of the clinic. I'll be checking for your updated posts regarding medications.

And if you can contact your vet....you might ask about the meclizine or even using some valium to sedate her a bit if she is spinning violently.

And a couple of final notes on this post. The "down eye" will tend to dry out and possibly get the cornea scratched which will result in more issues. Keep that eye hydrated with basic tears. I prefer the gel type lubricant. And something most people don't know....the down side is where the most aggressive infection is.

Randy

 

[marissa]

Hi Randy

thank you for all the tips

She is taking 1/2 dropperful of Tribrissen every day plus those injections that I am not sure about. I'll find out on Monday when I go to get the next one and if it is penicillin ask for it every day.

I will also ask for meclizine as she has continued to spin violently and is now whimpering when I hold her in my lap (something she used to love) I'm worried she might have hurt herself rolling when I wasn't there. I don't know how to check for injury

I have been cleaning her eyes with saline and soft cotton, but the down eye is completely shut so the dirt tends to stay out of it, also the vet said her teeth look good, is there anything specific in the dental issue I should be looking for?

Soo My plan of attack is thus:

1. Ask about Meclizine; 2. Find out what the weekly shot is and discuss daily shots if it is penicillin; 3. get the gel lubricant for the eyes

keep delta in your prayers

Marissa

 

[Maureen Las]

Hi Marissa
it sounds like you are being a great bunny mom to Delta.

is there anyway you could get her to the vet this week?

The reason I'm asking is that today is only Thurs and she really sounds uncomfortable. it would be a lot easier on both of you if she had more medication to make her more comfortable before Mon
is she still eating and pooping OK?

Poor little girl..my heart goes out to her

Maureen

 

[tonyshuman]

poor baby! sending good thoughts!

 

[marissa]

Hey just an update...

the injection that she is getting is corticosteroid once a week plus the antibiotic twice daily.



She's getting worse, I just sit there and hold her in a basket with a blanket and her eyelids have gotten red and she only eats if I feed her... I hope she makes it through the week

Marissa

 

[dootsmom]

Would it be possible for you to get her to me? I have experience with wry neck. I am also home all day to give meds, feed, etc.. I cannot, as she seems to be "going down", say that she'll recover....but, I can give it my best try. Call me: 973-398-5538
I'm in Hopatcong, NJ.

 

[Maureen Las]

What kind of antibiotic is she getting?
Poor little girl!~

 

[naturestee]

ray:

 

[RexyRex]

Oh no...I'm praying for you both.

 

[bunnylady2]

I am so sorry to hear about your little girl. My Jacob had a time with nystagmus and head tilt. We had excellent success with a combination of Baytril and Metridonizole(sp). I believe we treated for at least eight weeks. We found that Reglan worked wonders for the nausea and dizziness. We have a wonderful rabbit savvy vet. Hope this helps. Sending prayers your way.