• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Cleo's Diary - A battle with EC/UD 11th October

*Bex*

Mama Doe
I just need somewhere to write down what has been going on for the past couple of weeks, and Cleo's ups and downs while fighting this illness. This is going to be a long post, good luck if you get through it!
Cleo is my little REW nethie who I rescued just over a year ago. She is around 2-3 years old. She is bonded to my great big REW New Zealand white, Polo.
If anyone has any advice please feel free to add.

Since me and my little boy moved from my parents a year ago, the buns stayed there due to the size of their set up it would've been near impossible to move them. Parents take great care of them and I see them almost every day as I work 2 mins down the road.

Monday 29th April
I get a phone call from my mum at around 9pm to say Cleo isn't right. My dad found her with a headtilt and one of her back legs was at a funny angle. She wasn't like it earlier so it had come on in the last few hours.
I phone the OOH vets and they say to bring her down straight away. Vet says EC is the most likely cause but she didn't seem too badly affected. Given lapizole.

Tuesday 30th April
I head to my mums before work to see her. Head considerably tilted and had developed a nystagmus overnight. Wobbly on her feet but getting about ok. Takes a syringe feed brilliantly. We don't think she's eating much herself.
Spoke to the vet about treatment and made an appointment for that evening. Vet thinks she'll start her on metacam. Get a call a little later to say vet had decided a course of 3 steroid injections 48 hours apart would be more beneficial.
Vet confirms her tilt is worse than the previous night and the nystagmus was definately not there when she last saw her. Steroid given and started baytril for antibiotic cover.

Wednesday 1st May
Tilt much improved and seems more steady on her legs and her nystagmus has gone. Still not eating much herself but gobbling down her syringes and meds.

Thursday 2nd May
She seems good, still tilted but not a great deal. Gets worse when handled or going in the car. She goes out in the run for a little while and had a good look round. Gets her 2nd steroid. Appears much worse at the vet but show him pictures and video of her at home and he's amazed how well she's doing.

Friday 3rd - Monday 6th May
She remains much the same. She's seen eating by herself but is still receiving syringe feed too. Has her last steroid on Saturday morning. She was weighed and her weight had dropped from 1.3kg on Monday to 1.25kg today. Vet isn't too concerned as its expected due to her reduced food intake.

Tuesday 7th May
A bit more wobbly today. She fell a couple of times when washing herself which she hasn't done before. She always managed to wash herself and keep her balance. Still eating well.

Wednesday 8th May
Speak to my parents in the morning and they say she's a lot more unsteady and tilted. Still eating really well. I phone the vet with the new concerns and he says to bring her in that evening.
Leaving work at lunch to go and see her I get a call from my mum. She tells me she thinks she has died, she went to check on her and couldn't see her, when she entered the shed she was hidden behind their hay box lifeless on her side. I rush round and by the time I get there my dad had come in and got her. Fortunately she is still with us but with a severe head tilt - head almost upside down.
Phone the vet and he tells us to get her there now. I was sure we were going to pts.
Vet is concerned by the relapse but she is still eating and alert the vet does not want to give in on her yet. She receives another half dose of steroid and eats a big syringe feed. She is now to be confined to her carrier as she isn't safe to be left in an open space. Vet thinks she would benefit from the carrier being out in the shed so it will smell familiar and Polo will be around her. Her weight is steady at 1.25kg which is good as I was worried she'd lost weight from the weekend.

Thursday 9th May
She is spending the majority of time laid on her side. She is eating great both from the syringe and the food we leave with her. She has to be held to be fed and when put back down she rolls and flips uncontrollably until she gets herself settled on her side. We have to try and help her steady herself. We have to clean her now as she's totally unable to do so herself.
It's such a sad and distressing sight to see her like this :( clinging on to the fact she's eating like a little piggy and to the success stories I've read online of seriously ill buns getting through this.

Friday 10th May
Speak to my parents and there is no change. Still eating well but still laid on her side all the time.
I go and see her at tea time - I don't work Fridays and I had a couple of appointments for me and my son through the day so couldn't get any earlier.
I give her a feed while my mum holds her. Put her back in her carrier and she stays up on her feet. Head still very tilted but she's upright!! She stays upright all the way back to the shed! I take Polo in for his lapizole and when I go back out for him she's still stood up!! She's moved around the carrier - pretty sure she hasn't rolled as she'd moved in the opposite direction to how she rolls. I watch her for a while and she does lose her balance once and settles onto her side.
Speak to parents at bedtime. Again, she managed to stay up when they put her back!!

Saturday 11th May
She was laid down this morning when they got her. Ate as well as usual. Stayed upright when they put her back. Looking very bright today and seems to be trying to lift her head a bit when she's stood up!!
Speak to my mum a little later on, she was sat upright when she went to give her her mushy pellets. She ate well but had sat in them so had to have her bum cleaned! Maintained her balance the whole time.

This is where we are up to now. I'm hoping we have turned a little corner in the last 24 hours. Spoke to the vet this morning who is very happy with this bit of progress.
Vets are currently waiting for some info from Simon at the Cat and Rabbit clinic, as I'd read and spoke to someone whose rabbit he managed to successfully bring through severe bouts of headtilt. They've already spoken to FHB but she wasn't overly helpful in treatment options.

I'll update daily or when there is anything new to tell. It'll help me read back and remember how bad she has been and these little improvements she's made. I have never known of anything so draining in every way possible.
It is an evil, cruel illness.
 
Last edited:
It's heartbreaking to see them so poorly isn't it. Sending lots of vibes for Cleo. She sounds like a fighter with great people who care for her :)
 
lots of vibes that Cleo continues to improve.
the upset and worry to see them like that is awful but you can take comfort in the fact you are all doing the best you can for her.

xx
 
Thank you. The distress seeing her just laid there, and then completely unable to keep her balance is just indescribable. She doesn't want to give up yet, she's a strong minded little girl and I just hope she can keep on fighting.
 
On Tuesday I spent most of the day crying after talking to Cheeky's vet. She has inner ear infection and her head is tilted and she keeps falling over. After nearly a month of treatment she was no different and tbh he really depressed me. Today she is at hopping around the room and has only fell once and it's give me more hope for her :D
Keeping Cleo's diary will help when you are feeling down and knowing buns can recover from EC :wave:
 
Bless her, I hope she continues to do well :D

My mum just phoned, she ate well again and took her meds. She was laid down when they went to get her but once they got her out she was kicking her little legs and fighting at being held and she stayed upright again when she was put back :D it's such a change from her just losing control and rolling. If only her head was the right way round she'd just look like a normal bunny sat there.
Apparently her fur has got quite dirty from sitting in her food earlier. Any ideas on cleaning her off? Are the pet wipes any good? We've used a slightly damp cloth but its not done a lot. With her being white I'm not sure if its just stained her fur. I don't know if she'll be able to realise she's dirty, I don't want it making her feel uncomfortable.

I have to keep reminding myself that the vet said as awful as it is for us to see her laid still on her side, it's worse for us to see than it actually is for her. She is just doing what's best and most comfortable for her at the moment.
 
It sounds like she's making progress!

Is Cleo still confined to a carrier but in the shed with her partner? If her balance is improving maybe try making her a safe area with rolled up towels or blankets round the edge but it will allow Polo to get close to her and you'll probably find he cleans her up for you. Our experience was that Willow cleaned Brownie's down eye and ear for her both while she was ill and after, as she was left with a permanent tilt.

I don't know much about it but some people have had success in helping their buns to straighten up again with massage/physio type techniques - I think Gemmapookie did this for her bun who had ear infection tilt.
 
It sounds like she's making progress!

Is Cleo still confined to a carrier but in the shed with her partner? If her balance is improving maybe try making her a safe area with rolled up towels or blankets round the edge but it will allow Polo to get close to her and you'll probably find he cleans her up for you. Our experience was that Willow cleaned Brownie's down eye and ear for her both while she was ill and after, as she was left with a permanent tilt.

I don't know much about it but some people have had success in helping their buns to straighten up again with massage/physio type techniques - I think Gemmapookie did this for her bun who had ear infection tilt.

Yes she's still confined the carrier. I can make a little area for her to come out tomorrow and see if Polo wants to groom her. Although when i'm around at the moment he makes a quick exit outside as he just sees me as the nasty lapizole dispenser at the moment :lol:

I shall look into the massage techniques :) certainly something to consider for her!
 
Sunday 12th May
I spend most of the day at my parents on a Sunday with my little boy (we get fed for free :thumb: ) so i have seen a lot of Cleo.

When i arrived she'd just polished off a plate of soft pellets by herself so i went to remove the plate from her carrier. She was stood up leaning on the side of the carrier but she was so tilted i couldn't tell which end of her was facing me. I thought it was her bum but it turns out it was her head, just really tucked under.
Went back to check on her a bit later. She was laid down and she'd got her face against the bars of the carrier so i moved her back and gave her some fresh hay and a few greens.
Around an hour ago i went to collect Polo to give him his lapizole before i went home. Look in on Cleo and she is sat up in the middle towards the front of the carrier, not leaning on anything with her head a little less tilted than it has been! She looked bright, alert and sturdy on her feet. Looked like she was trying to have a little look out. I would say her tilt has been almost 180 degrees but it had come up to maybe 120 degrees. I didn't make to much fuss as i didn't want to scare her, just told her quietly how brilliant she was and to keep on fighting :D Hoping this is yet another tiny step forward.
Im heading home now as its the tiny humans bedtime almost. Parents will call later to say how she is at bedtime.
 
Monday 13th May
She's been much the same today. Continued to eat well. She's been sat up quite a bit of the time but with her head on a considerable tilt - almost like its been put on upside down. She's lively enough when handled.
She's started on different meds today. The steroid will have now left her system so she has switched to metacam and has started on a different antibiotic - long name beginning with a z. Vets have consulted with the cat and rabbit clinic and discussed her treatment and agree this is the best route to take going forward. They are confident and hopeful that she'll continue to show small signs of improvement.
 
Have nursed 2 buns with this-1 had it twice.Its frightening at the time but we were lucky enough to get through it each time.Good luck with a good recovery.(Used Lapizole for every treatment)
 
Last edited:
Have nursed 2 buns with this-1 had it twice.Its frightening at the time but we were lucky enough to get through it each time.Good luck with a good recovery.(Used Lapizole for every treatment)

Thank you. I'm glad your bunnies came through this!

Tuesday 14th May
Nothing to report today, she remains the same. No improvement but thankfully no deterioration. She's eaten well and taken her meds fine.
Feeling a little dejected about it all this evening :(
 
You're doing a brilliant job, my rabbit got diagnosed with EC yesterday.
I know it will be be a long hard road to recovery but for some reason I had convinced myself that it was VHD so I was very happy that it was EC.
I think it's a brilliant idea to do daily updates on here to map progress.
Best of luck, I will be checking this often xx
 
I'm so sorry to hear your rabbit has also got EC. How is he/she doing?
It is such hard work and completely draining in every way but it will be so worth it for when she hopefully picks up and starts recovering.
Here for any advice or support you need xx
 
Wednesday 15th May
Again, not a lot to tell. Still eating and drinking really well, alternating between sitting with her little upside down head and laying down on her side. She's usually laid when we go for her but always stays up on her feet when she's put back. She doesn't appear to be rolling much that we've seen. She still looks very bright eyed and alert and seems to know what's going on around her, especially if there is food on the go!
 
Thursday 16th May
Again, not much to tell. She remains the same, although possibly slightly brighter than usual. She started eye drops today as I noticed her down eye was looking sore around her eyelids.
 
Just seen this thread, hope Cleo continues to do well, she sounds like a little fighter! Lots of vibes for you both :wave:
 
Just seen this thread, hope Cleo continues to do well, she sounds like a little fighter! Lots of vibes for you both :wave:

Thank you!

Saturday 18th may.
Didn't update yesterday, there wasn't much to tell. She remains the same. Eating really well. She had gone and sat in her soft pellets this morning so had to give her a little clean and dry her up. She had somehow managed to move the bowl from one end of her carrier to the other though. We are just desperate to see some bigger signs of improvement. I know it will not happen overnight so we are just keeping on doing as we are doing, feeding her, medicating her and giving her lots of love.
 
Sounds like you are doing everything right for her so allow yourself to feel a little more positive :)
It feels like Cheeky's treatment has been going on forever while in reality it's just a month since I rushed her to the specialist and was feeling so down about it all. Today, although she still has head tilt, little madam is thumping at me when I get into her pen to give meds and grooming herself so her bum and down eye is better than its been. Little things I know but they give me hope :D
 
I hope Cleo continues to eat well and to fight the EC. It may be a long road to recovery, but it is possible to get there and it sounds as though Cleo is determined to do just that :love:
 
Back
Top