Head Tilt Advice [Update 06/02 Page 5]

I found my bunny Bea with a head tilt this morning. She can't walk without rolling over and her left eye looks abit droopy. I rang the emergency vets and they gave me some panacur and I have to book an appointment with my actual vet tomorrow.
She's having a nibble at her favourite veggies but not really eating much. She's had abit of a drink when I've held it to her mouth.
I feel so hopeless, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on how I can make her abit more comfortable until she sees the vet tomorrow.

I'm sorry your bunny is so ill.

You could contact the emergency vet and ask for some Metacam which is an anti inflammatory medication which would be very beneficial for her.

If she is rolling you could put her in a carry case and bank the sides up with towels so that she can't roll and will feel supported. Also keep her bunny friend with her is she has one.

Bringing her inside would be beneficial too. If she is able to move around herself, you can give her a heat source so she can rest her neck on it if she wants to.

If she isn't eating you're going to need to syringe feed her.

Do you have one of those indoor cages? If you can line one of those with towels and put some rolled up towels round the edges as 'bumpers' that should help keep her comfortable. Put in a handful of hay so that you are encouraging her to eat.

Did the emergency vet give her any pain relief? Keep tempting her with food, it may be that she is hungry but cannot physically get to the food. We found with Mischa that he would eat if we hand fed him.

Thanks for the advice.
I've put her in an indoor cage and lined it with hay which she is occasionally nibbling at. There isn't really enough room to put my other bunny in with her as they are both quite big bunnies.

She is eating just not as much as she usually does.

The vet only gave me panacur, do you think that she is in pain?

I cannot add much to the good advice already given:

I would expect the vet to :

1. examine the rabbit to ensure that it is the result of EC and not an ear infection

2. If they conclude there is no inner ear infection then I would expect Panacur for 28 days PLUS metacam anti-inflammatory which will help uninflame the neural pathways. This has been shown to be very important in the initial treatment of EC.

3. If it may be an inner ear infection I would expect both of the above medicines PLUS an anti-biotic - you might get Baytril as a stop-gap but personally I would expect the infection/pus to be cultured BEFORE any Baytril is given and then an appropriate anti-biotic depending on the results of the culture.

4. Housing - yes indoors if possible and rolled towels etc to stabilise her in a dog crate or cage

5. If you can safely do it and are experienced try and syringe feed.

PS an anti-nausea drug often helps them as well - ask the vet for this regardless of the actual cause of the tilt.

Good Luck!! This is eminently curable although it looks awful.

It's good that she is eating. My Mischa was prescribed Metacam with is pain relief and also an anti-inflammatory, Baytril which is an antibiotic as ear infections can cause head tilt, and Panacur in case it was EC which is a parasite which can also cause head tilt. She may be in discomfort, the fact that she's eating a little would suggest she's not in too much pain but I would be asking the vet tomorrow for some pain relief.

It would probably be best to split her from her partner for the moment, if you can, I would make it so that her partner can see her and interact through the bars. Mischa was a lone bun when he got ill but I know other members have found it beneficial to keep the head tilt bunny confined to a smaller space to reduce rolling but allow the other rabbit to see them.

parsnipbun said:

Good Luck!! This is eminently curable although it looks awful.

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:thumb:

It's heartbreaking to see but bunnies often recover back to normal and even if they are left with head tilt can still have a full life.

I have had a head tilt bunny. He was left with a head tilt, but recovered from EC and coped very well. Often bunnies do make a full recovery.

Treatment and recovery can be a long drawn out process but lots of bunnies do get through this.

As the others have said, i would ask for Metacam and an Antibiotic as well as the Panacur that you are already treating with.

Good luck with your little one x

parsnipbun said:

I cannot add much to the good advice already given:

I would expect the vet to :

1. examine the rabbit to ensure that it is the result of EC and not an ear infection

2. If they conclude there is no inner ear infection then I would expect Panacur for 28 days PLUS metacam anti-inflammatory which will help uninflame the neural pathways. This has been shown to be very important in the initial treatment of EC.

3. If it may be an inner ear infection I would expect both of the above medicines PLUS an anti-biotic - you might get Baytril as a stop-gap but personally I would expect the infection/pus to be cultured BEFORE any Baytril is given and then an appropriate anti-biotic depending on the results of the culture.

4. Housing - yes indoors if possible and rolled towels etc to stabilise her in a dog crate or cage

5. If you can safely do it and are experienced try and syringe feed.

PS an anti-nausea drug often helps them as well - ask the vet for this regardless of the actual cause of the tilt.

Good Luck!! This is eminently curable although it looks awful.

Click to expand...

Thanks so much, I will keep this in mind when I see the vet.
I've got her indoors and she's been eating bits from my hand so I'm not too worried about her eating at the moment. I've found that handling her makes it worse, so the less I have to pick her up the calmer she is.

Elena said:

It's good that she is eating. My Mischa was prescribed Metacam with is pain relief and also an anti-inflammatory, Baytril which is an antibiotic as ear infections can cause head tilt, and Panacur in case it was EC which is a parasite which can also cause head tilt. She may be in discomfort, the fact that she's eating a little would suggest she's not in too much pain but I would be asking the vet tomorrow for some pain relief.

It would probably be best to split her from her partner for the moment, if you can, I would make it so that her partner can see her and interact through the bars. Mischa was a lone bun when he got ill but I know other members have found it beneficial to keep the head tilt bunny confined to a smaller space to reduce rolling but allow the other rabbit to see them.

Click to expand...

Thank you! She's in an indoor cage at the moment, she keeps trying to hop round but just rolls over. I can't have my other bun in at the same time as I have only got 1 cage. I've been keeping her company, it's heartbreaking though. There's nothing I can really do until tomorrow.

Kermit said:

I have had a head tilt bunny. He was left with a head tilt, but recovered from EC and coped very well. Often bunnies do make a full recovery.

Treatment and recovery can be a long drawn out process but lots of bunnies do get through this.

As the others have said, i would ask for Metacam and an Antibiotic as well as the Panacur that you are already treating with.

Good luck with your little one x

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Thank you! I'm hoping she will recover. I'll just have to wait and see.

parsnipbun said:

I cannot add much to the good advice already given:

I would expect the vet to :

1. examine the rabbit to ensure that it is the result of EC and not an ear infection

2. If they conclude there is no inner ear infection then I would expect Panacur for 28 days PLUS metacam anti-inflammatory which will help uninflame the neural pathways. This has been shown to be very important in the initial treatment of EC.

3. If it may be an inner ear infection I would expect both of the above medicines PLUS an anti-biotic - you might get Baytril as a stop-gap but personally I would expect the infection/pus to be cultured BEFORE any Baytril is given and then an appropriate anti-biotic depending on the results of the culture.

4. Housing - yes indoors if possible and rolled towels etc to stabilise her in a dog crate or cage

5. If you can safely do it and are experienced try and syringe feed.

PS an anti-nausea drug often helps them as well - ask the vet for this regardless of the actual cause of the tilt.

Good Luck!! This is eminently curable although it looks awful.

Click to expand...

I ttoally agree with parsnipbun about the antibiotics. You need a culture done in the 'down' ear. Even if nothing is visible or if it doesn't look visibly like infection, it should still be swabbed.


Also, I found with both mine that their disorientation got worse when without a friend because they were more stressed, so bare that in mind. If you can confine her to an indoor cage that has a roof that can be taken off, would that be an option? then she can stay in there and her husbunny can go in and out as appropriate.

Totally agree with all the great advise given. The only thing I would add medication wise is some lubrication for her up eye. My bun Mimi couldnt blink very well when she had head tilt so I had to keep it lubricated to stop it getting sore. Also keep an eye out for excess caecotrophs (the squishy poos) and offer them to her if you find them. It might be that she cant reach them and its important she keeps eating them.

Can you bolster the sides of the cage with rolled up towels to prevent her hurting herself when she rolls?

With Mimi I found that she was exhausted but couldnt settle to sleep without rolling. I regularly sat gently supporting her head in my hand so that she could relax and get some sleep. Be sure to keep offering her food and bringing water directly to her.

I agree with Elena and Sky O about letting her have access to her friend if possible. I had to confine Mimi to a cage, but I had the cage on the floor and would just let her husbun Timmy in for regular supervised visits. He would groom her head to toe and she would visibly brighten . I dont know if she could have done it without him

Let us know what the vet says tommorrow and we will help you as much as we can :wave:

I actually found with Mischa that he was more comfortable sitting on us where we could prop him up than alone but I know others have found they've been better on their own paws.

Elena said:

I actually found with Mischa that he was more comfortable sitting on us where we could prop him up than alone but I know others have found they've been better on their own paws.

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The head tilt gang strikes again

:thumb:

my bun had metacam,baytril,panacur and stemstil(they may feel sick when rolling)just make sure they get enough my first vet i went to didnt prescribe enough but once she had the right meds she was back to herself within 2wks and the head tilt was gone and she had severe head tilt but can fully understand what your going through be strong and good luck

Wow, thanks everyone so much for the great advice! It's greatly appreciated!

I'll let you all know how it goes with the vet tomorrow and I'm going to try and work out a plan so that Tomee can come in to keep her company. He was sat by her side when I found her this morning but then ditched her for food. Men and their tummies! :roll:

Bea went to see the vets this morning, they've kept her in as I'm at work today and can't look after her.

She said that it is EC and it's the worse case she's seen.

She gave her some metacam, baytril and a gut stimulant (which I forgot the name of) and she's being fed with Recovery every 1-2 hours. They've put her on a drip to get some fluids into her and she's (finally) passed some poo. She's still tilting though. The vet said the next 24-48 hours are crucial as to how she responds to treatment. I've got everything crossed and I'm willing her to get better.

Aww bless her, it sounds like she is in good hands

How did the vet rule out an ear infection? Sometimes they can be difficult to detect. I would discuss a course of strong antibiotics with your vet, on top of the Panacur and Metacam.

Loads of vibes for her xxx

EC only causes head tilt in it's latest stages (if it causes head tilt at all), so you would expect to see other signs of EC too.

EC lowers the immune system making rabbits prone to infections (again, if it is EC), but equally, a rabbit can have an ear infection and not EC at all.

Baytril won't generally be effective against an ear infection and this is why you need a culture on the 'down' ear.

I hope your bunny manages to keep fighting.