Torticollis - bracing

Bun is displaying Torticollis, and I'm considering bracing bun's neck to assist in preventing permanent ligament damage. Opinions?

Im not sure as I have never heard of it being done before but it may lead to extra problems with balance...

What is the cause of the Torticollis in the aforementioned bunny?

Has the cause been identified and treated? A head tilt can be caused by various things (EC, inner ears infection etc.) and if treated promptly it usually goes away when the original cause is solved.

The problem isn't with the ligaments it's with the internal balance sensors. I don't think it's a good idea to brace the neck, it's likely to cause distress to the rabbit and prevent them from grooming themselves.

Tamsin said:

Has the cause been identified and treated? A head tilt can be caused by various things (EC, inner ears infection etc.) and if treated promptly it usually goes away when the original cause is solved.

The problem isn't with the ligaments it's with the internal balance sensors. I don't think it's a good idea to brace the neck, it's likely to cause distress to the rabbit and prevent them from grooming themselves.

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Ditto to that

What medical treatment has your Bun had?

Janex

Last night the doc said Pasueurella, and I've Baytril in the water since. I'm assisting her with eating and drinking.
Here's attributes I've observed: Eyes are always "reading" left to right, carriage return, left to right, rhythmic and smooth. Appears hypnotized. Absent minded, but when present she is perfectly normal and spastic at the same time as if a hijacking, it usually requires some sort of disturbance to gain her attention... when she regains attention/control, assuming these things are under her mouth, she automatically begins drinking, and eating dampened "natural" timothy hay (she wouldn't eat dry when I last tried), "organic" romaine lettuce (I've given the darkest green parts mainly). I have been letting her alone to rest/sleep between drinking and feeding. She's progressively waking up on her own, moving around, grooming mainly, and looking to be petted. She recently is beginning to eat dry hay on her own.

I mentioned a brace because when bun has her moments of clarity, she flails violently, appears to be attempting to regain balance: snapping her head to her left and spins/flails about, inverting, etc. I'm monitoring a polyurethane foam brace (wrist wrap) that I fastened on her neck, which is "absorbing"/slowing her quick movements, stabilizes her (has yet to invert and such), yet allows her movement to groom and such, seems to make eating and drinking easier.

Feeding baytril orally or giving via injection tends to be a more accurate way to ensure they get the correct antibiotic dose. The amount rabbits drink can vary a lot depending on their diet.

In addition to the baytril you could ask your vet about an anti-inflamitory injection.

I've also heard Stemtil (prochlorperazine) recommended which is used to treat vertigo from inner ear problem. That may help with the moments when she losses her balance.

Headtilt can also be caused by a parasite called E. Cuniculi so treatment for this (Pancur) is usually recommended at the same time to rule it out. More info here: http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rwf/articles/ecuniculi.htm

There are some links to further general references on causes/treatments here: http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#tilt

Here's what was on the invoice (from last night) the (emergency) doctor gave me:
1 injection - Baytril
1 injection - Dexamethasone SP
1 fluids, subcutaneous
1 Baytril - 3cc - add to one liter of drinking water
Bun goes to the regular vet doc tomorrow. I'll mention what you suggested.

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rwf/a.../ecuniculi.htm is broken

I can recommend the Stemetil. My bun has been on it for some time, and displayed similar traits to yours - through pasturella/ear infection, His eyes would continually move up and down when he got dizzy and when he tried to walk, he would roll over all the way. Dreadful to watch. I tried to keep the water and food in the same place and not move it around much but had to 'pad' his room a bit as he often landed on his water and got himself soaked! He has a head tilt to the right.

The stemetil has worked wonders for him and he hops around just fine again now, no more eyes flickering and only the occasional rolling. Still has a slight head tilt but copes fine with it.

As mentioned previously though, Charlie was treated with a long course of Panacur as EC couldn't be ruled out in the beginning.

I hope your bun improves, please keep us posted.

Jupiter said:

His eyes would continually move up and down

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Bun's eyes are moving left and right.

Bun's ingested one Baytril tab (dissolved with ~2ml water and banana in syringe) per night since Monday night, today Vet switched from Baytril to 2ml Tribrissen liquid/syrup, which bun just ingested.