*updated*Middle Ear Infection Advice ?

My friend's rabbit has had on-going treatment for snuffles and dentals.
Currently he has a very bad head tilt. The vet has him on baytril, meloxidyl, panacur and canaural.
He's moving around and eating well.
A week later the vet saw him Thursday and suggested Septrin as he's probably resistant to baytril now from having it long-term for his snuffles.
She asked to see him the next day and then told my friend may be best to pts. My friend was shocked as one day on Septrin isn't going to fix him and she is not convinced it's time as he is eating. They suggested a ct scan or removing his ear canal/tubes - a new procedure she said ?? My friend definitely feels this is extreme and he would not pull through.
She wants a second opinion and is going to speak to my rabbit savvy vet tomorrow. I just wondered if anyone had any suggestions on what can be done?

:wave: Does sound a bit severe without trying another abx for a bit longer.

I was going to suggest your vet for a second opinion or there is also Molly Varga not far from you.

I hope the bun can recover from this OK x

bunny babe said:

:wave: Does sound a bit severe without trying another abx for a bit longer.

I was going to suggest your vet for a second opinion or there is also Molly Varga not far from you.

I hope the bun can recover from this OK x

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Molly Varga! Didn't think of her. Thanks Sandra. :thumb:

What can be done depends very much on the exact extent of the infection. If your friend has already decided that surgical intervention is not appropriate (I can fully understand why) then there are other abx that could be prescribed to try to reduce/contain the infection. Having a CT scan would involve a GA and if surgery is not going to happen regardless of findings I personally see no point in putting the Rabbit through a GA.

There are other abx such as Depocillin (by injection only) or Azrithromycin. Abx treatment does need to be ongoing, sometimes for life.

Ear Canal Resection Surgery (GRAPHIC IMAGES)

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Surgery/Ear/ear_resection.htm

Lateral ear canal resection and ablation (GRAPHIC IMAGES)

http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/navc/2006/SAE/617.pdf?LA=1

Approach to Ear and Nose Disease in Rabbits

http://veterinarywebinars.com/assets/Study_Notes_Ear_Nose_Rabbits.pdf

A rabbit savvy vet is definitely her best bet.Long term antibiotics might be the answer.These things can take time as I know from my own experience but its definitely worth persisting with.Hope she has better luck with the rabbit savvy vet.

I don't have a lot of experience with ear infections, but barney currently does have inner or middle ear infections in both ears and is being treated for them. I opted for treatment with abx and we're using baytril, the vet did say these types of infections usually need a prolonged course and currently we are on the second month.
My vet talked briefly about operating but said that he felt due to the complexity of an operation like this that it should be done by a rabbit specialist (John Chitty in our case). It's not something I'm keen on personally, barney is well covered for pain relief and I don't feel like he's suffering so Im content to try extended courses of antibiotics first- if baytril doesn't work Barney will have a GA to do a culture test and we'll try a different antibiotic.

The advice I would give your friend is to ask the vet why she thinks they should pts, if it's because of the pain it may be that a higher dose of the meloxicam would improve his quality of life. If the abx isn't working it may be worth trying another, or trying a combination. I think it would be worth asking for a referral for a specialist too, as if the vet is suggesting pts then it may be that she feels that she can't help the bunny anymore, but that doesn't mean a specialist wouldnt be able to find something that works.

Just to update : My friend saw Molly Varga yesterday and Molly has suggested many things for Rolo and is not convinced it is time to pts. He had his teeth done and ears flushed today and was eating straight away. Here's hoping he's on the road to recovery.

Great news !!

Lea-Anne said:

Just to update : My friend saw Molly Varga yesterday and Molly has suggested many things for Rolo and is not convinced it is time to pts. He had his teeth done and ears flushed today and was eating straight away. Here's hoping he's on the road to recovery.

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Wow, what a fantastic update :thumb:

Hope Rolo goes from strength to strength!

The text I received :

' So she thinks it's connected to his chronic sniffles, she's going to do his teeth and take an X-ray to see the state of infection and then review his treatment, possibly flush his ears if needed she suggested that he may need motion stickiness tablets too for his dizziness.
Seemed happy she could help him which is such a relief!! I know! Had to wait an extra 30 mins to see her but I don't care she was brilliant with him, she just knew what to do instantly which was such a relief! She was like I don't think there's any need to consider pts thank god!! It's going to cost a small fortune but he's worth it!She was just totally confident even from his history that's what was wrong, whereas my vets just didn't have a clue anymore. Thankyou so much for pointing me in her dirrection.'

So nice to hear!! Xx

Lea-Anne said:

The text I received :

' So she thinks it's connected to his chronic sniffles, she's going to do his teeth and take an X-ray to see the state of infection and then review his treatment, possibly flush his ears if needed she suggested that he may need motion stickiness tablets too for his dizziness.
Seemed happy she could help him which is such a relief!! I know! Had to wait an extra 30 mins to see her but I don't care she was brilliant with him, she just knew what to do instantly which was such a relief! She was like I don't think there's any need to consider pts thank god!! It's going to cost a small fortune but he's worth it!She was just totally confident even from his history that's what was wrong, whereas my vets just didn't have a clue anymore. Thankyou so much for pointing me in her dirrection.'

So nice to hear!! Xx

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What a difference a Rabbit Savvy Vet can make !!

Jack's-Jane said:

What a difference a Rabbit Savvy Vet can make !!

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It really does. I've never used her myself - my vet is amazing and I did suggest my vet to my friend but then decided Rolo would probably need specialist treatment. It's comforting to know Molly isn't too far away if I need her.

That's great news Leanne. Glad I thought of her and saw this post.
I know Barb has seen her a couple of times for specialist stuff.

I hope your friend's bunny can make a good recovery x