Head tilt advice please

My bun developed severe head tilt 3 weeks ago. The vet was unsure whether it was EC or ear infection. She has been on Baytril, panacur and meloxidyl for 3 weeks now and although eating everything in sight has not really improved. She is unable to keep her balance and still rolls a lot.
She is due back tomorrow for a check up. Is this normal to have not improved or should I suggest a different treatment. Not sure whether in your experience if continuing with baytil and meloxidyl has given positive results. Or after 3 weeks and no improvement it means it is not working. or am I expecting an improvement too soon. Any advice appreciated.

Sorry to hear about your bunny

I had a girl who had mild head tilt when I adopted her and she had a course of depocillin and panacur which cleared her
Dodger developed head tilt and couldn't sit without rolling, he was put on Zithromax and panacur, within days he had improved and he made a full recovery

I'm no expert on head tilt, but I did find that the Zithromax made an impact very quickly

Denise (Bunnyaddict) has a bun with severe head tilt http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=178735 and also Kirsty (Kermit) has had experience with this

Hope you get some good advice from your vet tomorrow and your bunny makes a full recovery

I would be suggesting a far more specific antibiotic than Baytril; which will do, at best, minimal help. We used Convenia with my two rabbits who had head tilt. Sorted them right out, even the girl who came to me after having head tilt for many months prior.

ETA-, not sure where you are in Essex, but the vet who treated mine is in Ipswich, so if you're in the Colchester region, maybe it might be worth seeing if he might be able to help?

Thanks so much for your replies. Unfortunately quite a way from Colchester. I am near Basildon so go to the vets there. I have seen 2 different vets due to the first one being on holiday. At least I have a couple of different things I can suggest if they seem to be unsure as what to do with her. The first one only gave me Baytril and panacur. It was only because I saw on here that metacam was advised that I asked the second vet for it. It must be lovely to have a rabbit savvy vet nearby. If no luck this time I will phone around for a different vet. I desperately want to keep her as I have her sister as well and they are so close. I have had to bring her indoors tho as it was confusing for her sister when she was rolling about and was worried she would break her teeth or something if I could not control her. Her sister visits her in the house so as to keep their bond.lol. X

Good luck with the treatment. Our first rabbit, Buster, had head tilt, and its very distressing to see them rolling, etc. Unfortunately I did not have the knowledge back then, nor, it would seem, did the vet I visited at a practice I believed, at the time, to be one of the best around here

Yes I have kept rabbits for years and this is the first time I have had to deal with it. It is very sad to see the poor little bun rolling about. It really helps to read about other cases and it gives you the hope to keep nursing them. thank you.X

Sorry to hear about your bunny's head tilt.

Nursing a head tilt bun can be a very long and draining process. It will help if you can find a rabbit savvy vet. I would be asking about a change of antibiotic at this stage.

The rolling faze is particularly distressing but it is usually just that- a passing faze. In the meantime avoid stress and make sure her environment is safe. Try to keep handling to a minimum as this tends to make them roll more. It will be comforting for her if you bring her companion in with her. A few extra treats may help give her the strength to fight on- moist foods such as herbs are useful as headtilt bunnies may struggle to drink enough.

Even with treatment your bunny may be left with a permanently wonky head but she will most likely regain her balance in time and be perfectly happy once she has adjusted xx

Thanks for the advice. Yes I will ask the vet this morning about a change of anti bs. She does find it hard to drink so I do soak all her herbs and green foods in water with probiotic in it. She is indoors so I keep topping her up with fresh greens every time they go so she has something to nibble on to occupy her and keep her strength up. Trying to syringe water into her causes stress so I try to limit the handling to just her medication as much as possible. All the time she is eating like she is I am going to keep positive. She seems bright although she cant move around she still tries to clean herself and enjoys lots of attention. Will let you know how I get on at the vets today.x

Hi sorry to hear your poor bun has head tilt
My bun Mimi went through this in May last year, it was extremely distressing and draining for all involved so I do feel for you. Mimis was due to an inner ear infection, as I believe most cases are. I definatly agree that pushing for stronger abx is a must, ear infections are extremely stubborn.
My rabbit savvy vet also put Mimi on a drug called Meclozine. It is a human anti vertigo drug that is not actually licensed for rabbits but is commonly used in head tilt cases to help with the dizzyness and rolling.
I also asked for ointnent for her eyes to keep them clean and lubricated.
Mimi rolled continuoisly for about 5weeks at which point her balance gradually started to improve. Over the next few weeks she started to get around normally again, and after a couple of months her head was pretty much back to a normal position.
I carried on fighting with hwr because, like your bun, she was eating very well and despite everything seemed in good spirits. It did seem hopeless at times but it was worth every agonising minute to see her getting better
Now she is a little wobblier and fragile than before and I think her vision is slightly impaired, but other than tgat she is a very happy healthy bunny
I hope that helps, please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or I can help in anyway :wave:

Thanks so much for replying. Do you know what anti bs your bun was on please. Did you start off with Baytril then change. Did you also panacur or did your vet know it was an ear infection. Really pleased to know that your bun recovered after rolling for so long.X

Hi, sorry for the late reply my internet is questionable atm!
Mimi was on Marbocyl, Meclozine and Metacam from the start. My vet never tried Baytril as he didnt think it woupd be aggressive enough. He took a swab of puss from her ear (not always possible but great if so) so that he could make sure an appropriate antibiotic was being given.
She was actually only on the abx for 15 days, at which point my vet decided to stop then. There was no improvement atall in the head tilt or rolling but she had improved alot in herself by this point, seemed 'well' whereas at first she was withdrawn and her appetite decreased. So he thought the infection had gone and that the head tilt and rolling was at that point due tO the damage done to her inner ear by the infection. I was EXTREMEly dubious about taking her off them but did so and it turned out he was right. This is quite rare as I know in alot of cases the affected bun can be on abx for many weeks, even months.
In answer to your question, no my vet didnt even consider treating for EC. I pushed for her to he tested for it but he was adamant that EC offen presents with other symptoms aswell, and that most cases of head tilt were due to ear infection. It wont do any harm treating for it though
How is your bun today? X