3LO's Head Tilt? (Photo Inside) - RECOVERED : )

3LO seems to have developed a head tilt within the past few days, each day it has seemed to have got worse so we taken him into the emergency vet today.

He hasn't been eating like he normally does, and avoiding most things we give him. I have not seem him drink any water for 3 days which has also worried me. The head tilt is causing him to fall over when trying to clean himself and falling a little when walking/running.

So after taking him to the vet today, they mentioned it could either be ear infection (inflamed/swollen inside ear) or some kind of "bug" in the brain? They are approaching this by prescribing me 2 medications incase it is either of them. They are not too concerned about the fact that he isn't drinking as they said he looks well hydrated. Maybe that's because I am giving him plenty of veg.

Medications:
Meloxicam (0.5ml per day)
Enrofloxacin (1.2ml per day)

Does this seem like the right medications to give him, and should I be expecting any drowsiness etc from 3LO?



Bless him!!

Bless him, and bless you for your concern for him!

You say your vet suspects there may be a 'bug in the brain'. What he refers to is encephalitozoon cuniculi.
There's some info about it here:

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/Ecuniculi_Lft.pdf

You will see from this article that the treatment of choice is Fenbendazole, which is the common wormer Panacur. If I were you I would go back to your vet (as soon as possible, as the sooner treatment is begun the better a chance of recovery) and ask if your rabbit can be put on a 28 day course. Please don't settle for a 9 day course or anything shorter. It really needs to be 4 - 6 weeks.

Of course there are other things that may have caused it. As your vet says, it could be an ear infection. That's why he's prescribed antibiotics. Or it could be a stroke.

Also remember that if you have any other rabbits in the household, they should be treated with Panacur at the same time, even if they display no symptoms. And finally on this subject, when you've begun treatment, make sure you clean litter trays with a 10% bleach solution on days 21 and 28 of treatment. If you have a steam cleaner, use this also to clean the environment.

I hope this helps. Your little chappie looks bright enough right now and I wouldn't particularly expect any drowsiness with those medications. However, the onset of the illness may be making him tired and feel worn out. I hope he continues eating and perhaps drinks a little more!

Removed - Double posted (sorry).

Just a quick post to say thank you for your message, I have had a quick read but I will have a full read tomorrow morning with a reply. I would also like to add that we treated 3LO with mite treatment around 3 weeks ago, if the mites or treatment could have anything to do with this?

My hamster recently passed away over the past month with a serious head tilt and disability with the legs, can hamsters have encephalitozoon cuniculi, and pass that onto rabbits?

3LO said:

Just a quick post to say thank you for your message, I have had a quick read but I will have a full read tomorrow morning with a reply. I would also like to add that we treated 3LO with mite treatment around 3 weeks ago, if the mites or treatment could have anything to do with this?

My hamster recently passed away over the past month with a serious head tilt and disability with the legs, can hamsters have encephalitozoon cuniculi, and pass that onto rabbits?

Click to expand...

Hello

The 'brain bug' your Vet is referring to is Encephalitozoon Cuniculi( EC). As well as the antibiotic (Enroflaxacin) and the non steroidal anti inflammatory (Meloxicam) I would ask the Vet if you can also start your Rabbit on a course of Fenbensazole (Panacur or Lapizole). The course needs to be continued for at least 28 days, sometimes longer. As EC is spread via spores shed in the urine it is very important to insure A* husbandry to minimise the risk of the Rabbit ingesting urine contaminated hay/food etc. Doing so would re-infect the Rabbit. On days 21 and 28 of Fenbendazole treatment the Rabbit's environment needs to be bleach cleaned (a 10:1 bleach solution). A steam cleaner will also eradicate EC spores.The following link is a very concise article about EC, although the understanding of condition is an evolving science, even some Vets cant always agree on the 'right' treatment. But for now it would be helpful to take a look here :

http://www.gwexotics.com/wccms-resources/a/5/0/e/77554b90-a660-11e0-a685-0050568626ea.pdf

Is your Rabbit eating enough to keep his GI tract ticking over, ie is he pooing OK ? If he is hardly eating at the moment he is likely to require supportive syringe feeds. When a Rabbit is ill and off their food secondary gut stasis can develop, hence the importance of assisted feeding if necessary.

These links have more information about Head Tilt in Rabbits:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Parasitic/Encephalitozoonosis.htm

http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/head_tilt_in_rabbits.pdf

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/head-tilt.html

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...lt-and-rolling-U-D-Advise-for-Graeme-plz-pg34

Head tilt can be a protracted illness and in some cases it can get worse before it gets better. But some Rabbits can eventually make a good recovery. Even if some may be left with a permanent tilt they learn to cope with it very well. I hope that your Rabbit will respond to treatment and make as good a recovery as possible xx

3LO said:

Just a quick post to say thank you for your message, I have had a quick read but I will have a full read tomorrow morning with a reply. I would also like to add that we treated 3LO with mite treatment around 3 weeks ago, if the mites or treatment could have anything to do with this?

My hamster recently passed away over the past month with a serious head tilt and disability with the legs, can hamsters have encephalitozoon cuniculi, and pass that onto rabbits?

Click to expand...

Hi there

Thanks for your reply and I hope you found the info I provided helpful

It's very unlikely that the mites treatment had this effect. The only thing I would say is that mites in a rabbit is a symptom of a lowered immune response. It's possible that 3LO's immune system is a bit run down (for whatever reason - we sometimes don't know) and that's why you're seeing the symptoms you see now.

I repeat what I said in my first email to you last night, please ask your vet about a 28 day course of Panacur. It may well be the answer, or part of it at least.

I am not a vet but from my experience I would say that it's possible the encephalitozoon cuniculi could have passed from your hamster to your rabbit, as the isolates from both are identical. Don't worry, it's not passed onto humans except if they are severely immunocompromised.

Please do refer to the bleaching regime I mentioned, and steam cleaning (if you have one) and apply it also to the hamster cage.

Keep in touch. Please free to PM me if I can help further! :wave:

Thanks to you both for your replies!!

Well, a little good news is that I actually made 3LO jump this morning when I came into his room as he was well away sleeping!! He hasn't looked that relaxed in the past few days so thats good, he also ate his midnight mini buffet I gave him last night (oats, nuggets, carrot and lettuce).

Thank you for also sharing that it could be EC, I will mention that to my vet. With the ear being inflamed/swollen inside, could this be a symptom or EC or would that more be a sign of an ear infection?

I don't really like the sound that this can be passed onto humans, even if humans have to be severely immunocompromised, especially as 3LO has nipped me the odd time .

3LO said:

Thanks to you both for your replies!!

Well, a little good news is that I actually made 3LO jump this morning when I came into his room as he was well away sleeping!! He hasn't looked that relaxed in the past few days so thats good, he also ate his midnight mini buffet I gave him last night (oats, nuggets, carrot and lettuce).

Thank you for also sharing that it could be EC, I will mention that to my vet. With the ear being inflamed/swollen inside, could this be a symptom or EC or would that more be a sign of an ear infection?

I don't really like the sound that this can be passed onto humans, even if humans have to be severely immunocompromised, especially as 3LO has nipped me the odd time .

Click to expand...

The risk of transmission to a healthy human is microscopic. It is really only humans who have conditions such as HIV, are on Chemo or have had a spleenectomy that are at a slightly higher risk. Just good hand hygiene really is all you need to do as far as your own welfare is concerned. Remember EC is spread via spores excreted in the Rabbits urine. So transmission via a nip would be very unlikely indeed.

The fact that 3LO's ear is inflamed points far more to an ear infection than it does to EC. Hopefully the antibiotics will soon kick in and get any bacterial infection under control. The course of antibiotics may need to be prolonged, ear infections can be very stubborn. It may also be necessary for your Vet to consider changing to another antibiotic, either as well as or instead of the Baytril (Enrofloxacin)

3LO said:

Thanks to you both for your replies!!

Well, a little good news is that I actually made 3LO jump this morning when I came into his room as he was well away sleeping!! He hasn't looked that relaxed in the past few days so thats good, he also ate his midnight mini buffet I gave him last night (oats, nuggets, carrot and lettuce).

Thank you for also sharing that it could be EC, I will mention that to my vet. With the ear being inflamed/swollen inside, could this be a symptom or EC or would that more be a sign of an ear infection?

I don't really like the sound that this can be passed onto humans, even if humans have to be severely immunocompromised, especially as 3LO has nipped me the odd time .

Click to expand...

You're very welcome!

Please don't worry about the transmission to humans. It's very rare, and unless someone has HIV or is currently undergoing treatment such as advanced chemotherapy, you really have no need to worry. If you wear rubber gloves when you clean out the litter trays that should suffice, as E.C. is passed on through spores in a rabbit's urine. You or any of your family will not catch E.C. from a nip!

It sounds very much like an ear infection from what you've described, and if symptoms don't improve over the course of a week or so, please go back to your vet and explain. There are other antibiotics that may hit the spot better than the one you've currently been given.

I hope your little man gets better soon, and it was splendid to hear such a good report of him eating his midnight buffet :thumb:
What a pampered bunny

I have had head tilt rabbits in the past and most recovered with early treatment. Like you heard from the prior postings, your bunny may have some tilt even with a successful treatment.
MightyMax's suggestion about using a steam cleaner is one I will try myself, especially on surfaces that cannot be bleached.

Just a quick update for anyone who's worried about lickle 3LO.

Hes recovered VERY well, I would say he is 90% better so we are just going to finish of the course of medication he is currently on. Looks like it was an ear infection as the medication responded well.

His head is now as normal and he's eating and drinking like his old piggy self . Thank you to all who helped and supported me.

3LO said:

Just a quick update for anyone who's worried about lickle 3LO.

Hes recovered VERY well, I would say he is 90% better so we are just going to finish of the course of medication he is currently on. Looks like it was an ear infection as the medication responded well.

His head is now as normal and he's eating and drinking like his old piggy self . Thank you to all who helped and supported me.

Click to expand...

Wonderful news !!

What good news! Even better with no residual tilt.
Ear infections sometimes require a second course of antibiotic, so you may want to keep a close watch after he finishes his first course to be sure all the bacteria has been eliminated.

3LO said:

Just a quick update for anyone who's worried about lickle 3LO.

Hes recovered VERY well, I would say he is 90% better so we are just going to finish of the course of medication he is currently on. Looks like it was an ear infection as the medication responded well.

His head is now as normal and he's eating and drinking like his old piggy self . Thank you to all who helped and supported me.

Click to expand...

You're most welcome for any support I can offer and I'm so glad to hear this wonderful update!

Continued recovery now 3LO .. to 100% .. and stop worrying your Mommy! :wave: