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Pasturella/Otitis Media/Inner ear infection- HELP

hi all. I am new to this forum.

One of my house rabbits, Ginger, is in vet-hospital, as of 4 nights now, with Pasturella that has caused an inner ear infection. Though her severe head tilt and spinning/rolling has improved, she still refuses to eat, and so remains at the vets. She has had conjunctivitis, snotty nose, as well as nerve damage to her face (due to a passing ear infection it seems the X-ray showed earlier in the year, but she seemed to have gotten over it), since Christmas. It has flared up again the last week and this time cause severe neurological issues. Naturally she is on the right meds, but having tried long courses of Baytril in the past, the specialist is trying Penicillin G now. My sister is a vet, and I have a lot of meds at home, so as and when administer accordingly.

What I am seeking is stories of those who have overcome severe middle ear infections/chronic pasturella. I should also state although neurological symptoms are better she is still wagging left to right. Struggling to walk. And severely disorientated. and not eating (this is the biggest issue, as she is losing weight quickly).

Ginger is only 2, my best friend and loving sister to Algy. When should she come home? Is it less stressful to be in normal environment. or where there is 24 hr care? any examples/stories here would be useful. Has anyone experienced the surgery being successful (Im warned against this)? How long is force feeding sustainable? Its been 5 days now which concerns me. Equally, how long were courses of antibiotics before changes? Any help appreciated. Im scared they will make me make a tough decision soon :cry:. Liz
 
hi all. I am new to this forum.

One of my house rabbits, Ginger, is in vet-hospital, as of 4 nights now, with Pasturella that has caused an inner ear infection. Though her severe head tilt and spinning/rolling has improved, she still refuses to eat, and so remains at the vets. She has had conjunctivitis, snotty nose, as well as nerve damage to her face (due to a passing ear infection it seems the X-ray showed earlier in the year, but she seemed to have gotten over it), since Christmas. It has flared up again the last week and this time cause severe neurological issues. Naturally she is on the right meds, but having tried long courses of Baytril in the past, the specialist is trying Penicillin G now. My sister is a vet, and I have a lot of meds at home, so as and when administer accordingly.

What I am seeking is stories of those who have overcome severe middle ear infections/chronic pasturella. I should also state although neurological symptoms are better she is still wagging left to right. Struggling to walk. And severely disorientated. and not eating (this is the biggest issue, as she is losing weight quickly).

Ginger is only 2, my best friend and loving sister to Algy. When should she come home? Is it less stressful to be in normal environment. or where there is 24 hr care? any examples/stories here would be useful. Has anyone experienced the surgery being successful (Im warned against this)? How long is force feeding sustainable? Its been 5 days now which concerns me. Equally, how long were courses of antibiotics before changes? Any help appreciated. Im scared they will make me make a tough decision soon :cry:. Liz


Welcome to the Forum Liz :wave:

Sorry to hear about Ginger. Roxyroller88 has much experience of this and I am sure she will be along to help you.

In the meantime (sorry I haven't more time) I can post you a little help here:

http://www.veterinarywebinars.com/m...oads/2016/03/Study_Notes_Ear_Nose_Rabbits.pdf


http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...eeds-specialist-vet-treatment-😥/page2

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

There is also a Head Tilt Hoppers Facebook Group

Good luck xx
 
Hi Liz

I went through this with my bun last year and it resulted in us going down the surgery route but i'll get back to that a little later on!

Personally I think that a head tilt bunny always does better at home in their own environment. Is her sister with her at the vets? It could be that she isn't eating because she is a little scared and in a strange place. If you have all of the correct meds and you are able to syringe feed at home then personally I would give it a try. You could also ask your vet to show you how to do SubQ fluids at home if you don't already know how to do them.

If and when you do decide to bring her home it is important to set up a suitable environment for her. A small pen is ideal and flooring is really important. You want to avoid anything slippy such as lino, tiling, wooden floors etc and go for something which provides more traction such a carpet (you can buy offcuts for around £10 from carpet shops) or a rug. It's equally important to avoid anything too soft like squishy dog beds and really thick blankets. A flat surface makes all the difference. You can then place rolled up towels and blankets around the enclosure to prevent her from hurting herself if she falls/rolls.

It's also important not to lift her or pick her up if you can avoid it. Every time you do this it could set her back a little and send everything spinning. Over a year down the line this is still a problem for my boy, so we keep all four of his feet firmly on the ground at all times. Try to medicate her on the floor between your knees and get down on the floor with her for cuddles instead :)

As for the meds that she is on, well... it's very much trial and error, especially when inner ear infections are involved. PenG is known to have good results but antibiotic treatment should be long and aggressive, usually between 4-6 weeks but changing to a different antibiotic after 2 weeks if you see no improvement. Some other options that you can try are Doxycycline and Azithromax. Is she on Metacam? Ear infections can be painful so make sure she is on a good dose because that may be another reason why she isn't eating. You can also give meds that help with the dizziness, in the UK you can get a prescription for Stemetil which may help.

There is absolutely no need to PTS with head tilt, especially not after 4 days. It does take time for them to start showing improvement so it's important to have a good support network. I highly recommend joining the Help for head tilt hoppers group on facebook. The link is www.facebook.com/groups/helpforheadtilthoppers :) You will get some great advice and lots of support!

Now back to the surgery! We have had great success with it and our boy is thriving. It's something that you need to consider carefully though and it depends on the individual bun. Hiro (my baby) was only 18 months, he bounced back from anaesthetic well and he was otherwise completely healthy so he was an ideal candidate. We also had an excellent vet on board which is something that you will need to research before going ahead. This is all easy to say in hindsight but at the time it was incredibly difficult, there were some bad times along the way so it wasn't all plain sailing. There is a chance of reinfection which is something that happened to us and a second operation was needed. There were definitely times when we didn't think that he would make it. It's not an easy decision to make but if you want any more advice then I will offer as much as I can.

Feel free to inbox me at any time and please join the head tilt group, i'll be looking out for you!

Holly

xxxx
 
Last edited:
Hi Liz

I went through this with my bun last year and it resulted in us going down the surgery route but i'll get back to that a little later on!

Personally I think that a head tilt bunny always does better at home in their own environment. Is her sister with her at the vets? It could be that she isn't eating because she is a little scared and in a strange place. If you have all of the correct meds and you are able to syringe feed at home then personally I would give it a try. You could also ask your vet to show you how to do SubQ fluids at home if you don't already know how to do them.

If and when you do decide to bring her home it is important to set up a suitable environment for her. A small pen is ideal and flooring is really important. You want to avoid anything slippy such as lino, tiling, wooden floors etc and go for something which provides more traction such a carpet (you can buy offcuts for around £10 from carpet shops) or a rug. It's equally important to avoid anything too soft like squishy dog beds and really thick blankets. A flat surface makes all the difference. You can then place rolled up towels and blankets around the enclosure to prevent her from hurting herself if she falls/rolls.

It's also important not to lift her or pick her up if you can avoid it. Every time you do this it could set her back a little and send everything spinning. Over a year down the line this is still a problem for my boy, so we keep all four of his feet firmly on the ground at all times. Try to medicate her on the floor between your knees and get down on the floor with her for cuddles instead :)

As for the meds that she is on, well... it's very much trial and error, especially when inner ear infections are involved. PenG is known to have good results but antibiotic treatment should be long and aggressive, usually between 4-6 weeks but changing to a different antibiotic after 2 weeks if you see no improvement. Some other options that you can try are Doxycycline and Azithromax. Is she on Metacam? Ear infections can be painful so make sure she is on a good dose because that may be another reason why she isn't eating. You can also give meds that help with the dizziness, in the UK you can get a prescription for Stemetil which may help.

There is absolutely no need to PTS with head tilt, especially not after 4 days. It does take time for them to start showing improvement so it's important to have a good support network. I highly recommend joining the Help for head tilt hoppers group on facebook. The link is www.facebook.com/groups/helpforheadtilthoppers :) You will get some great advice and lots of support!

Now back to the surgery! We have had great success with it and our boy is thriving. It's something that you need to consider carefully though and it depends on the individual bun. Hiro (my baby) was only 18 months, he bounced back from anaesthetic well and he was otherwise completely healthy so he was an ideal candidate. We also had an excellent vet on board which is something that you will need to research before going ahead. This is all easy to say in hindsight but at the time it was incredibly difficult, there were some bad times along the way so it wasn't all plain sailing. There is a chance of reinfection which is something that happened to us and a second operation was needed. There were definitely times when we didn't think that he would make it. It's not an easy decision to make but if you want any more advice then I will offer as much as I can.

Feel free to inbox me at any time and please join the head tilt group, i'll be looking out for you!

Holly

xxxx

This is great advice for head tilt bunnies. I had several and all but one could be treated medically and with supportive care (fluids and syringe feeding). Some head tilt may remain, yet the bunny can adjust and live a long life. One of my bunnies improved when she was managed medically and with supportive care, but her condition degraded again as we tried different abx and medications. She was not a candidate for surgery (she was almost 13 years).

In regards to your question on feedings, I have syringe feed bunnies for many weeks and even months, and in my experience a couple actually enjoyed the syringe feedings. The first few days of feedings are the most difficult, especially when the bunny is ill. Once they feel a bit better they are more accepting.

Sending you, Ginger and her sister some positive vibes for a full recovery.
 
Thank you so much! Very helpful indeed.

Ginger is back home with Algy now. They are getting along- he is cleaning her! But she really can't walk, is wobbling about all over the place.

Im praying the antibiotics do work, because I don't want to go down the operation route really. She isn't eating properly, so still syringe feeding along with lots of meds (anti nausea, metacam, and some emerprid depending on if she has ileus).

Ginger is only 2 so I am hoping she is strong and recovers.

Should I still keep the bunnies separate at night? As Algy is trying to take advantage a little bit of the opportunity to be in charge/superior!!

She hasn't really moved/hopped/walked around. I want to try and encourage this.

Anything you can recommend to speed recover would be fab.

Thanks for all the advice!!
 
Thank you so much! Very helpful indeed.

Ginger is back home with Algy now. They are getting along- he is cleaning her! But she really can't walk, is wobbling about all over the place.

Im praying the antibiotics do work, because I don't want to go down the operation route really. She isn't eating properly, so still syringe feeding along with lots of meds (anti nausea, metacam, and some emerprid depending on if she has ileus).

Ginger is only 2 so I am hoping she is strong and recovers.

Should I still keep the bunnies separate at night? As Algy is trying to take advantage a little bit of the opportunity to be in charge/superior!!

She hasn't really moved/hopped/walked around. I want to try and encourage this.

Anything you can recommend to speed recover would be fab.

Thanks for all the advice!!

Personally I would keep them together. If you separate them it might cause problems between them and Ginger probably needs the support from her friend.
Have you joined the head tilt group? If so then start a post and maybe add some photos too so they know what you are dealing with. You'll get a lot of help and advice :)

She likely isn't hopping/moving around because she is dizzy. She needs to figure it out for herself and apart from housing her in the right setup (flooring, bumpers etc) there isn't really much else you can do. If you start moving or lifting her then it will make her feel worse. It will come in time :)


Xx
 
Personally I would keep them together. If you separate them it might cause problems between them and Ginger probably needs the support from her friend.
Have you joined the head tilt group? If so then start a post and maybe add some photos too so they know what you are dealing with. You'll get a lot of help and advice :)

She likely isn't hopping/moving around because she is dizzy. She needs to figure it out for herself and apart from housing her in the right setup (flooring, bumpers etc) there isn't really much else you can do. If you start moving or lifting her then it will make her feel worse. It will come in time :)


Xx


I can't add to this really good advice :)

Ginger is still really young and I hope she recovers completely xx
 
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