any ideas on what could be wrong with my pumba?

hi all

Since i got him back from boarding on the 24th dec i noticed he had slight head tilt. We took him straight to the vets who treated for an ear infection they could not see anything but thought we best treat him for that instead and EC which he finished a week ago. He was also given pain relief. His test results for EC came back negative and they said his teeth seem fine.

He still has slight head tilt and when excited can loose his balance this prob happens a couple of times a week.

He seems fine in himself, eating loads of hay and all his pellets they do not really have greens. Poos are big and golden and he will run around and be distructive as norm .

The only change is before he when to boarding he liked a nose rub and stroke behind the ear but since he came back he will come and dig at my feet if im in his space which is the whole of the hall but other than that does not want to no. But this could just be down to him growing up.

he gets very stressed when traverling and i thought maybe it was stress related as he had a 40 min ride back from boarding and then two 30 min vet trips but it has still not gone. The is guy carter in watford who i trust completely with my buns and he did say sometimes they can not find the reason for it. He does not seem in pain infact never has.

They want me to take him back for a check up which I will do but i want to ask what they are looking for as he seems so much worse after travel.When in the car he freezes with his head up and teeth showing shaking like a leaf. Any advice or ideas would be great.

Thank you xx

What anti biotics did he have? Was he on Metacam? Did he have his 'down' ear swabbed?

When I used to transport Tilly I used to hold her in a normal bunny standing position, but against my body so she was solid and felt safe. When I tried her in a carrier she was roll and get distressed but she was much happier when I held her or when she travelled with another bunny friend. It's not particularly safe to do that though, that's just what I did for her.

Hi skyo thank you for your response

i don't think a swab was taken, yes he was on metacam, batryil (not sure how you spell it as i no longer have it) and 28 days of panicure as were his two brothers. When i have taken him he has always been in his carrier with his two bonded buddies. Just at a bit of a loose end :?

should I ask for swabs to be done? His eye is slightly shut at times too.

Hi, thats abit of a head scratcher. Id normally say that its a good idea to try another antibiotic as Baytril can be uneffective on ear infections, but as hes totally fine in himself it doesnt sound like an ear infection. Unless maybe its a very mild one?

How long was he on the abx for? :wave:

To be honest I've yet to come across Baytril being effective for head tilt. A culture and sensitivity test on the 'down' ear would be sensible, I think. It's very common for ear infections to not be visible to the naked eye, yet to show up on swabs.

Gemmapookie said:

Hi, thats abit of a head scratcher. Id normally say that its a good idea to try another antibiotic as Baytril can be uneffective on ear infections, but as hes totally fine in himself it doesnt sound like an ear infection. Unless maybe its a very mild one?

How long was he on the abx for? :wave:

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Just to say that my Tilly had an infection and was very normal and fine on it- but she lived with it for a long time prior to treatment. Once she got her antibiotics she became upright and relearnt a load of skills so it is possible for them to have an ear infection and act normal.

Thank you I will ask for this, he was on it for 2 weeks if i remember right. This was over a month ago, then we thought maybe EC but blood teasts were negative. Just thought they did not x-ray teeth just checked could it be that even though he is eating fine? I do not know about problems with the brain but do worry it could be something like that but one vet not my savvy one as he was not there on our first trip said its unlikely in buns so young. Very strange.

Sky-O said:

Just to say that my Tilly had an infection and was very normal and fine on it- but she lived with it for a long time prior to treatment. Once she got her antibiotics she became upright and relearnt a load of skills so it is possible for them to have an ear infection and act normal.

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Thats very interesting thanks for that. I just remember how poorly Mimi was with it

In which case Im with Sky-O on pushing for a course of stronger antibiotics :wave:

Sky-O said:

To be honest I've yet to come across Baytril being effective for head tilt. A culture and sensitivity test on the 'down' ear would be sensible, I think. It's very common for ear infections to not be visible to the naked eye, yet to show up on swabs.

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I agree totally with Sky O . . . (wanders away and feels pretty useless . . . )

SkyO can i ask what antibiotics she had maybe i could suggest this? His head tilts towards his down ear which is what made me think it could be an infection as i think i read some where that there down ears provide a nice warm enviroment for germs but i might be wrong there.

hayley2126 said:

Thank you I will ask for this, he was on it for 2 weeks if i remember right. This was over a month ago, then we thought maybe EC but blood teasts were negative. Just thought they did not x-ray teeth just checked could it be that even though he is eating fine? I do not know about problems with the brain but do worry it could be something like that but one vet not my savvy one as he was not there on our first trip said its unlikely in buns so young. Very strange.

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Often, the time needed on antibiotics for head tilt is a loooooooooooooong amount of time. Tilly was on for three months and maybe could have done with another month consolidating. I have known of rabbits on them for longer. That said, with the antibiotic we used we saw improvement after 2 days so we knew it was the right one and kept at it once we found the dose for her.

hehe thank you parsnip bun, it made me smile

Gemmapookie said:

Thats very interesting thanks for that. I just remember how poorly Mimi was with it

In which case Im with Sky-O on pushing for a course of stronger antibiotics :wave:

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To be fair, I have no idea what Tilly was like when she got it but by the time she came to the Centre she was pretty normal. She didn't get her antibiotics until two months after that as well. Hers was a deep one and she had nystgamus on movement (which went when treated). I wonder if it depends on the type of bacteria and also the position of the infection?

hayley2126 said:

SkyO can i ask what antibiotics she had maybe i could suggest this? His head tilts towards his down ear which is what made me think it could be an infection as i think i read some where that there down ears provide a nice warm enviroment for germs but i might be wrong there.

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We used a controversial antibiotic, and that was Convenia. We dosed it every 7 days, totally aware of the risk and prepared to manage it if necessary, although it's licensed for use every 14 days for cats. I believe my vets now use Convenia pretty often with hefty infections and, as far as I know, haven't had a particularly disasterous side effects on a bunny with it despite that being expected.

A less controversial option would be Zithromax (given orally) or something injectable like Depocillin, for example.