e. cuniculi and related problems :(

Hi all,
My female bun, Zippy, woke up with a head tilt and she was unable to walk without falling on Friday. Took who to the vets who suggested e. cuniculi and gave her anti inflammatory and antibiotic jab as well as a 28 day course of Panacur. Within 48hrs she is much better, still a slight tilt and a little unsteady on her feet and generally she looks a little sad. The problem is she is completely off her food, she normally eats excel pellets, hay and a little veg. Since Friday all she will eat is veg and a little grass. If I leave pellets and hay they remain untouched. Tonight I have checked her cage and there are only a few poos all of which are really runny, which im guessing is all the veg. Im stuck in a catch 22, all she will eat is veg but I think the veg is giving her an upset tummy .. . .. . .. . any ideas anyone? Im sad she looks so depressed bless her.

You really just need to get her to eat anything just now.

Do you have any recovery feed? You could get some of this from the vets and syringe feed her some.

My Kermit only ate small pieces of veg for a few days when he had EC/Head Tilt.

A pro-biotic might also help her tummy.

Good Luck xx

what does her belly feel like?

Sounds like maybe she could be going into stasis? I would stop giving her veg personally and see if there's anything else ypou can tempt her with?

I would take her to the vets as she could go downhill very rapidly

Is she drinking and peeing?

Hi thanks for replies, yep she is weeing okay and drinking fine, I took her to the vets again on Monday to check her hydration levels which he said were fine. He said keep going with the veg if thats all she'll eat. Ive left her tonight with some grass mixed in with her hay as she seems to take grass ok.

What is recovery feed? I'll see how she is in the morning and ring the vets if her poos are still runny. I hate taking her as shes a rescue bun and very timid and it super stresses her out.

Oh dear. I hope your bunny is ok? I think the fact she is eating is a good sign, so whatever you can get her to eat is good. My bun got diarrea the other day and now has gone into statiss.

It is horrible not knowing what to do. Good luck with Zippy x

Toad im sorry, i was just reading up on stasis. Buns are so sensitive, its hard to know what to do and you end up feeling guilty. i hope your bun gets better soon x

I think thats a good idea with the grass and hay mixed together

Deffo take her to the vets if she gets any worse or doesnt improve by tomorrow.

I do hope she will be ok. keep us posted

xx

boyce buttons said:

Toad im sorry, i was just reading up on stasis. Buns are so sensitive, its hard to know what to do and you end up feeling guilty. i hope your bun gets better soon x

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Thank you. He is sleeping at the vets tonight and hoping he gets better soon. It just not fair when bunnies are ill! He is in the best place he can be aswell. x

Just went to check on Zips this morning and she hasn't eaten her hay but is still drinking okay. Have left her with a mixture of carrots and broccoli, hay and grass and see how she is in a couple of hours. Only a couple of poos in the cage now

i would take her back to the vets, either she needs gut stimulant to get her eating, and maybe her teeth checked. just incase.

Hi, my bun Mimi has recently recovered from a severe head tilt (hers was due to an inner ear infection) so I really feel for you and your bun

I really think that painkillers (Metacam-anti inflammatory aswell) would really help get her eating again as it did with Mimi. Definatly suggest this to your vet.

Also, has the vet considered an inner ear infection? These are the most common cause of head tilt in buns and are sometimes not apparant from examination. When Mimi first got poorly I thought it mightbe EC but my vet stressed how unlikely it actually is to be the cause and insisted on treating for an ear infection instead, which worked. A course of strong antibiotics might be in order, although injectable would be better for your bun than oral if she is already having problems with her gut.

Sending loads of vibes for her xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks everyone, took her back to the vet today. She hasn't got stasis, shes just not pooing because shes not eating, hydration is fine on the upside. Shes been given a further 7 day steroid injection and a gut stimulant to try to kick start the appetite and bowels.
Ive tried recovery food but because shes a rescue bun and super stressy we are having real trouble making her take it and it just stresses her out which makes her head tilt worse
The vet is pretty sure it isn't an ear infection, but I just don't know. Shes worried about her weight as she is only a little bun and has lost over 100gms since last friday. Ive tried all her favourite foods, pineapple juice, everything. All she seems to eat is carrot but even thats touch and go. The last thing the vet said was that she wasn't sure she was going to make it, especially with her not eating. Don't know what else to try

Oh poor bun
how has your vet ruled out an infection? When mimi got poorly my vet at first ruled out an infection because there was no evidence of it in her ears. A few days later when she was worse he swabbed her ears again he found the infection :roll: inner ear infections sometimes cant be seen without a brain scan so at this desperate stage it'd be well worth treating for that aswell.
Was she given metacam?
Xxxx

Hi again, how is bun today?

Have a read through this link. It will give you some more info to discuss with your vet xxx

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=485&S=5

Thanks for all the info, really is a big help. Its been a couple of days and her eating has definitely improved, head tilt is better, still drinking and is eating some grass and even some hay. Just wondering if it was the steroid injection helping all this, in which case it could all wear off in a couple of days. If it does I will definitely go and chase up on getting her ears re-checked, but hopefully she looks like she is on the mend (fingers crosssed!)

Glad to hear shes perked up unfortunately it could well be the steroids treating the symptoms but the cause may still be present in which case as you say she may go down hill again. I really would push the abx thing, as steroids (the use of which is controversial in these cases anyway) will weaken her immune system, so if there is an infection present it could e making it worse :?
The first thing my vet did was put mimi on steroids. It eased her symptoms alot at first but a few days later she was at her worst. Id requested abx from the start but he was reluctant as there was no infection detectable at that point.
5 days after there was pus in her ear so he got her onto abx :roll:
i cant help feeling that if shed been put on abx straight away she might not have ended up as severely poorly as she was (she couldnt even stand and rolled continuously for weeks)
of course your vet may be right in your situation, but my advise would be to discuss getting her abx asap, especially as shes on steroids xxxx

Thanks Gemma, will definitely push for that if she goes back downhill. Its really hard when you don't know any better and you have to trust the vet, but am I right in thinking that the abx wont do her any harm anyway?
Am just going to have to keep a close eye on her and take it from there :?

Im looking on the optimistic side but its always helpful to go to the vet armed with a bit of insider knowledge xx

I know what you mean, I was in exactly the same situation when mimi first started showing symptoms. i wanted to trust him so much but thanks to some lovely people on here along with my own research i just knew she should be on abx. Is very hard to boss your vet around though i know!
In all fairness my vet is generally very cautious about giving abx to buns because it can upset their gut flora and cause tummy problems. However this is rare and if an infection is indeed the problem the benefits far outweigh the small risk. Also, if the abx can be given by injection, either by your vet or by you as mine allowed me to do, it completely removes the risk of tummy upset.
Did Zips have nystagmus (eye darting) by the way? If so can you remember which way it went? A side to side motion usually indicates inner ear problems whereas if it was going up and down this would be an indicator of something in the brain ie. EC.
Is she on metacam yet? This helped so much to get Mimi eating again. Its an anti inflammatory aswell as a painkiller so has a similar effect as the steroid (loosening of neck muscles, eduction of inflammation in the brain/inner ear) without the risks that steroids carry. I would strongly advise getting her on a short course in these early stages when her appetite is reduced.
Sending loads more vibes for her and i hope she keeps recovering well :wave:

Wow youre such a great source of info, its brilliant
Yep Zips had eye darting but I cant remember which way it was, im inclined to say side to side but can't be sure.
Im pretty sure she isnt on Metacam, im trying to find her vet reciepts to tell me!! Her appetite seems pretty good now, just got to keep her away from Boycie as he'll just eat the lot and leave her with none! All being well im going to she how she is Wednesday and if im notconvinced then back to the vets it is xxxx

I was a bit fortunate in this regard with Mischa as he is an eating machine and he ate even during his head tilt - nowhere near as much as usual but I would pick out his favourite bits of mix (he was on mix back then) and he'd get some treats. He also nibbled on hay. He hated the recovery food and he'd spit it back out again.