help my bunny has head tilt- U/D been to the vets

Hi guys,

Went to feed my fluffies this morning to find molly on his side unable to get up with his head all tilted He tried to get up but kept falling over so I lifted him out of the hutch and then he went back to normal :?

Obviously I took him to the vets and she said it could have been a number of things but he seems fine now so we have treated him for E.C just incase. I was wondering if anyone else has had the same experience? Does anyone know if they have an 'episode' again?

I'm so confused and heartbroken as poor molly has had numeroud problems this year

xx

My bunny has head tilt at the moment - bit different to yours though as he still has it!! He too is being treated for EC but also with anti biotics as it could be an ear infection - symptoms are the same. It's a bit weird how molly had it one minute then was OK. I'm not sure if the symptoms will come back but I'm sure someone will be around with something a bit more helpful.

Does he have any other symptoms? Does he shake his head or wee more?

Charlie started off over balancing then gradually developed the head tilt over this week.

Hi Suzy,my Charlie bun was ill a few months ago, he was twisted up and on his side for at least a week, then he gradually started getting on his feet, then initially he had a very pronounced tilt but this gradually went - now he is only tilted very slightly when he's tired. Charlie is back to his normal life now and fully recovered.

We treated him for all of the things my vet and I thought it might be so EC, ear infection and stroke. I think any of these things affect bunnies in a quite a variety of ways, so in answer to your question I wouldn't be at all suprised if he can have another episode.

I have other questions though - what is Molly being treated with? It might be wise to treat her for all of the possibilities not just EC. Have you seen any other changes in behaviour lately like head shaking or scratching ears?

No it was all very odd to be honest, he was flopping over and had a twisted head for about 30 seconds when I went to see him although I can't be sure how long he was like that before I went to see him. He had/has no other symptoms so no shaking of the head, scratching etc. He went to the vets on thursday for his VHD and was checked over then and the vet said he seemed fine then. He had an abscess caused by pasturella back in April but my vet checked him today inside his ears etc and said its unlikely to be an inner ear infection as he is not displaying any other symptoms.

She seemed to think it may have been a damaged nerve in the brain (vestibular) although we can't rule out EC so he has panacur for that. She checked his eyes, heart rate, temperature and put him on the floor to assess his balance and he seemed like a normal healthy rabbit.

Its all really odd because as soon as I picked him when he was flopped over and tilting his head he was fine. The vet said it was unusual as usually rabbits who have head tilt still have it when they are taken to the vets.
He is in his run at the moment, eating, pooing and cleaning himself. He has no evidence that this even happened this morning so no head tilt of flopping over. Does anybody think it is worth him having blood tests?

Thanks for your replys

Suzy xx

How long is the Panacur course he is on?

Most vets will treat head tilt with a minimum of 28 days Panacur and a course of antibiotics just to cover all the bases.

He is on 9 days at the moment, which I then have to take him back to she can assess him. I haven't been given any anti biotics though, as my vet was pretty sure it was a damage to a nerve in his brain, although she did say she couldn't rule out anything else. Does anybody know if a blood test can pick up an ear infection etc?

x

9 days is NOWHERE NEAR long enough for an active infection.

9 days is the preventative course as an annual wormer. Due to the cyclical nature of the oocyst dveleopment and the way the spores are passed 9 days will only eradicate any spores shed during that period......they are active for much longer.

I got my vet onto the manufacturers to discuss the use of different lenght treatments and she explained this to me (a little went over my head but this was the jist of it). She now recommends 6 weeks treatment for suspected active EC.

Oh my days im so worried

The vet told me that 9 days is not long enough to kill off the parasite, which is why I am to go back after then for a re-assessment of his symptoms. Because he seems fine and and is displaying no signs/symptoms of head tilt/EC she was reluctant to say it was EC, but thought it was best to treat him for it anyway just incase. We did intially think it was a stoke or a fit, but the fact that he was flopped to one side and had a tilted head suggested it may not have been, which is why she thinks it may have been a damaged vestibular nerve (for which there is not treatement for this).

In the meantime he is fine, running around (all balanced) eating, pooing and chewing. I am reluctant to put him back in his hutch as he has ramps so I'm worried incase it happens again and he falls.

I'm so confused to what he has :? The vet said the blood tests are a bit pointless, as 80% of rabbits can test positive for EC, it just depends whether they are active. I will continue the to treat him for EC, do you think he will need any anti biotics?

xx

The blood tests for EC have to be taken over a period of weeks...they work by minitoring the anti-bodies to EC, a few constant ones show it has been present, an icrease shows an active infection and a decrease shows an infection is passing.....well its bit more complex than that but along those lines.

EC can present inso many symtpoms of which only one or any combination may be present, so it never hurts to err on the side of caution.

Thanks so much for your help!

I feel so helpless at the moment I don't know what to do. I shall continue the treatement for EC, but is there anything else I can do? The vet couldnt really do much as he is fine in himself now, displaying no symptoms or anything. Should I go back tomorrow and ask for antibiotics and blood tests? or see how he gets on?

xx

TBH the cost of the bloods compared to treating for EC as precaution are extortionate.... I would keep him on a 6 week Panacur course PLUS antibiotic treatment for a possible inner ear infection (with soluble probiotic to support the gut flora) and see how it goes.

The blood test may also not be accuarate as many buns carry EC but don't actually have it so my vet explained to me that a bloo test would be very hit and miss, and may not actually tell us anything concrete.

When Charlie was ill my vet said at least 28 days on panacur but we also talked about continuing for 6 weeks, also its essentail that any cohabiting bunnies are treated. I ended up getting panacur paste for my other bun as she doesn't like being picked up to have the liquid stuff syringed, and it was very cheap off the internet. I can find the site agan if you want it.

As for antibiotics, absolutely definitely. Your vet cannot tell whether its EC or an ear infection so you need to treat for both. My vet tried to xray Charlie's ear canals (without anaesthetic as he's a well behaved bun) to see if he could see any thickening of the bone as that would show long term ear infection, but it was all clear. He said there was no way to tell from looking down Charlie's ears.

Try not to worry, but do try to take Molly back to the vets as soon as possible and explain that you've spoken to people who's other bunnies have shown the same symptoms and they were treated for all possibilities to be on the safe side. A good vet will listen to your concerns.

I was actually thinking that Molly may have had more of a fit than anything else but am obviously no expert - don't even know what's wrong with my bun and have so many questions about his condition!!! :roll:

Charlie is on baytril (1.5mg per day) and panacur for 28 days. He has had an anti inflammatry injection and will probably have another when I take him back in 3 weeks. But he has ongoing symptoms and has for the last 10 days.

I hope your bun continues to remain well with no episodes but would really keep an eye on him, just in case.

My vet said the blood test would show that my Charlie had been in contact EC but not necessarily recently. The cost of all the tests would be extortionate to assess exactly what everything was - I was quoted around £1500 :shock:

Jupiter said:

The cost of all the tests would be extortionate to assess exactly what everything was - I was quoted around £1500 :shock:

Click to expand...

That is exactly the reason my vets always suggest trial treatments first......diagnostics are nearly always more expensive than the cure!

thanks for all your advice guys!

Molly has been booked in for another appoitment this morning, I am going to get more pancur for him and also for his girlfriend jessica who lives with him. He is ok, but when he turns around he topples over and when he jumps down he does land on his side. When he had his 'episode' yesterday I did initially thought it was a fit, but he was lying on his side trying to get up and his head was all twisted, which makes me think it wasn't a fit, just him being unable to get up off his side.


Right so far on my 'checklist of polite demands' i have : anti inflammatory meds if necessary, antibiotics for possible ear infection and more panacur. On the positive side he has been eating fine and has been running around this morning.

I shall update you from the vets!

xx

Helloo just got back from the vets...

we put molly on the floor and he was fine, running around and no signs of wobbling or rolling over so the vet was pleased about that.

She has given me 7x days worth of baytril incase of an inner ear infection and 28 days worth of panacur and 9 days worth of panacur for jessica (his wifey). I must admit I had to push for the 28 days of panacur but never mind. My vet thinks he probably had mild vestibular syndrome yesterday which caused him to lose balance where he was unable to get up. She thinks he still may be a bit wobbly from this.

She of course hasn't ruled out an ear infection nor EC and we are treating them accordingly. She didn't give me an anti inflammatory because he is not at at stage where she feels he can have it (ie, rolling around on the floor, unable to get up, head tilt etc).

I feel I have done all I can do for him now with his medication and I shall just have to wait and see and what happens. Unfortunately Molly is the worst bunny to try and give medication to, I find it very difficult to give him his medication orally as he squirms and it usually ends up down my top or on the floor. I was wondering if anybody else has the same problems and what they do to give the medication?

Please send get well vibes to my fluffy and to his girlfriend Jessica

xxx

Im glad your vet has taken appropriate action.

I usually pop bunny on its back between my thighs with his head at my knees and my knees raised (so Im sitting on the floor) then insert the syringe between the incisors and molars.

This stops them struggling but because the head is raised does not put them in a position where they may choke on the medication (provided it is syringed slowly).

Diluting the baytril with black currant or apple juice can help make it more paletable.

I usually put Charlie's baytril in half teaspoon of live yoghurt (probiotic - but don't do this unless you have OK'd it with your vet as rabbits aren't supposed to have yoghurt) and also mash a tiny bit of banana in. He usually wolfs it down. As for his Panacur - again, I just hold the syringe out and he puts it in his mouth and gobbles it down - I think he's the exception though! He eats anything

You can get Panacur as a paste so can hide it in bits of sugar snap pea or if you just put it on their paws they often lick it off (I think it must taste nice as both of mine like it), its really cheap on the internet. A syringe of paste cost £12 from my vet but only £5 on the internet. Your vet might swap what she gave you.

As for the baytril, I pick bun up, cradle in my arms, put the syringe into the side of the mouth, hook it behind the teeth and squirt quick. Charlie is well behaved so is fine, but Lavender is HUGE and doesn't like being picked up so I just do it as quick as possible so she doesn't really know whats happening! :lol: