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Netherland DwarfLooking up a lot

H

haven

New Kit
Hi,

I have a 2 year old indoor female Netherland Dwarf. At the beginning of the year she started to look uo a lot as if to help her breathing. She also lost some of her engery and would just sit around a lot. She would also bite the cage bars at night.
I went to the vet and her teeth were fine so it looked like an infection of some kind. She was given 3 weeks of Baytril and I would say after about a month she was 100% recovered. During the last week, she has stated looking up and biting the cage again. I am going to the vets today but wondered if anyone has had any experience with this condition. I have searched the interenet and my books but cannot see anything.
 
i think (from no experience, but reading) that thats mouth breathing, which in a rabbit is quite severe from my understanding as it means they are struggling to breathe sufficiently.

Jane, you about? Jane would be able to offer better advice on this and the other experts here.
 
Lifting the head is a way that bun can open up the airways better if they are finding they are short of oxygen, generally this is indicative of a respiratory infection, either lower or upper, but commonly lower with this sort of behaviour. Baytril is rarely strong enough for lower RTI's.
Is she actually opening her mouth to breath or just lifting her head?

Is your rabbit spayed by the way?

I think she needs to go back to the vet and if possible they may need to make an exotic referral if they are not sure what is going on, some vets aren't as rabbit savy as others sadly. Good luck x
 
prettylupin said:
Lifting the head is a way that bun can open up the airways better if they are finding they are short of oxygen, generally this is indicative of a respiratory infection, either lower or upper, but commonly lower with this sort of behaviour. Baytril is rarely strong enough for lower RTI's.
Is she actually opening her mouth to breath or just lifting her head?

Is your rabbit spayed by the way?

I think she needs to go back to the vet and if possible they may need to make an exotic referral if they are not sure what is going on, some vets aren't as rabbit savy as others sadly. Good luck x
Click to expand...

I'm so going to remember your username prettylupin - you seem very knowledgeable :) Are you a vet per chance? ;)
 
Thank you for that information. No she has not been spayed (the vet didnt push for this as she was very small). The baytril did work fully to solve the condition the at the beginning of the year but it seems strange that about 6 months later it has come back. I am booked in at the vets in about 1/2 hr time.
 
haven said:
Thank you for that information. No she has not been spayed (the vet didnt push for this as she was very small). The baytril did work fully to solve the condition the at the beginning of the year but it seems strange that about 6 months later it has come back. I am booked in at the vets in about 1/2 hr time.
Click to expand...

That implies the infection was not fully beaten, it just was 'under control' but not completely fixed. There would be more appropriate antibiotics for a respiratory infection.
 
haven said:
Thank you for that information. No she has not been spayed (the vet didnt push for this as she was very small). The baytril did work fully to solve the condition the at the beginning of the year but it seems strange that about 6 months later it has come back. I am booked in at the vets in about 1/2 hr time.
Click to expand...

Well it is unlikely as she is only 2 but I would be slightly concerned about secondaries in the lungs from her uterus i'm afraid and would want the vet to rule this out. I think as Sky-O says some stronger and more appropriate antibiotics would be better for the respiratory infection, I too agree that it did not solve the problem and only controlled/masked it and allowed the bacteria to become possibly resistant to baytril also.
Injectable antibiotics which are off-license tend to be stronger and far more effective for these sorts of infections, there are a few to choose from. For example something like LA Engemycin (long-acting)

Good luck at the vets x
 
Last edited:
thanks for the advice. I have just come back from the vets. It is looking like she may have a neurological parasite. I have been given Baytril again (0.8ml twice daily for 10 days) to help with any stress and 1ml of Panacur for 28 days to clear the parasite. I have also been told that a steroid may help reduce the inflamation if this doesn't work.

Fingers crossed and thanks for all your help.
 
Sky-O said:
Do you mean her head is tilted?
Click to expand...

Yes this Q from me too?

If your vet suspects EC (the parasite I suspect they are referring to) then your bunny will also need to be on a course on NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in preference to the steroidal anti-inflammatory they are suggesting to help control any damaging neurological inflammation. Steroids really should not be used in a rabbit unless a last resort as they significantly affect the immune response which whilst your bun is fighting an infection is not a good idea, but if they are used then obviously covering antibiotics must be used - such as the baytril - to prevent secondary infections. However, a NSAID is preferrable as said before.

I do hope your bun feels better soon x

ETA it might have been worth your vet doing a quick blood antibody screen for EC before begining treatment just to confirm whether or not there is an active infection, then one can be done after treatment to compare.
 
Last edited:
Also get a culture on the down ear for infection. EC does not casuse head tilt, it can lower the immine system making a rabbit more prone to infections. Really your bunny needs a more effective antibiotics than baytril for head tilt.

I can give you the link to a forum where there is a guy there who has done a lot of recent research into head tilt and he can probably help an awful lot.
 
rabbit looking up

Hello
For what it is worth...
I've noticed this with two rabbits-- one was doing this quite regularly around the time he had dental problems and an abcess.
No apparent respiratory problems then though.
The other is our current rabbit who does this from time to time after grooming. Of course I worried that it might be tooth problems or an abcess, since i'd seen our other rabbit do it with those. I can't rule that out completely as current rabbit did have to have a tooth rasp in March, and now has some eye problems.(Long story posted elsewhere.)
However , the time I see him doing this is definitedly after grooming esp when fur is moulting. Its an action a bit like when you look up to swallow a tablet or a drink of water and he repeats it several times at intervals.

On one occasion I gave him a bit of apple to chase any fur down and he stopped. So I thought maybe fur in mouth, hard to swallow, was making him do that motion.

it may well be an action that they do for different unconnected reasons...
Shebunkin
 
Sky-O said:
Also get a culture on the down ear for infection. EC does not casuse head tilt, it can lower the immine system making a rabbit more prone to infections. Really your bunny needs a more effective antibiotics than baytril for head tilt.

I can give you the link to a forum where there is a guy there who has done a lot of recent research into head tilt and he can probably help an awful lot.
Click to expand...

I agree - if bun is head tilting then Sky-O is correct on this. Baytril again is insufficient to control middle ear infection. Sky-O also knows a lot about EC so I would def support this. :)
 
Thanks again for all your help. She is not tilting from side to side but looking up. The vet called it stargazing. I have been told that I should ideally notice an improvment within the next few days but have arranged to go back in a weeks time for a check up as well.
 
haven said:
Thanks again for all your help. She is not tilting from side to side but looking up. The vet called it stargazing. I have been told that I should ideally notice an improvment within the next few days but have arranged to go back in a weeks time for a check up as well.
Click to expand...

Yes this sounds like a head tilt and is usually due to a middle ear infection. She really does need daily pain relief and much stronger antibiotics. :wave:
 
Does it look like this? but maybe more or less severe?

069.jpg
 
I *don't think* the OP means the bunny has head tilt...star gazing is something a bit different...often the affected rabbit will sit in corners looking upwards. It can have various neurological causes AFAIK.

Of course it could be mouth-breathing as suggested in the first post, but you'd hope a vet would notice this.
 
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