Steroid injections - how quickly do they work?

As you know Teddy has head tilt and my two treatment options were an operation with no guarantee of success, or steroid injections on an as and when needed basis. I picked the steroid as although it's not ideal, he has good quality of life and doesn't need it regularly.

He managed 7 weeks since his last injection but had to have another yesterday as he has been falling over again.

I noticed that a few hours after the injection he had a good sploof, something he hadn't done for a week or so since he began falling over again, so in my head I figured he must've been feeling more comfortable and relaxed. He is still falling over a little but from memory it has taken about 48 hours for that to completely stop in the past. I should've asked my vet this, but does anyone know roughly how long it takes for steroids to kick in? This is more to satisfy my curiosity than anything else, I was just surprised at how much more comfortable he seemed within a few hours of having the injection.

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No experiance of steroids in rabbits but I hope teddy continues to improve on them and that it’s a good while till he needs his next one xx

Lisa1981 said:

No experiance of steroids in rabbits but I hope teddy continues to improve on them and that it’s a good while till he needs his next one xx

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Thank you [emoji846]

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What is the actual name of the corticosteroid given and is he also on a covering abx longterm ?

Jack's-Jane said:

What is the actual name of the corticosteroid given and is he also on a covering abx longterm ?

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Sorry, it is Depomedrol. He has been on baytril previously for months but isn't at present at vets found it wasn't making much difference for his particular case (long story).

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Its a long time since I had a bunny on steroids & mine was on pills but I do remember him presenting better very quickly and his appetitie went through the roof. Loads of vibes for little Ted, I hope he goes from strength to strength

joey&boo said:

Its a long time since I had a bunny on steroids & mine was on pills but I do remember him presenting better very quickly and his appetitie went through the roof. Loads of vibes for little Ted, I hope he goes from strength to strength

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He has always had a good appetite but I noticed he was eating like a horse when he first had the injection! [emoji1787] He's always on the hunt for food even after he's just been fed!

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Orenoko said:

Sorry, it is Depomedrol. He has been on baytril previously for months but isn't at present at vets found it wasn't making much difference for his particular case (long story).

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As you probably know, the corticosteroid may have a negative impact on his immune system, so predicting time scales for signs of improvement for a Rabbit with a known chronic bacterial infection is not going to be possible. When I have had Rabbits on corticosteroid 'palliative care' due to chronic ear disease my Vet has always given longterm abx- Depocillin usually, given by injection every other day.

No experience in rabbits, but on one occasion when I had a steroid injection, it gave me immediate relief...

Jack's-Jane said:

As you probably know, the corticosteroid may have a negative impact on his immune system, so predicting time scales for signs of improvement for a Rabbit with a known chronic bacterial infection is not going to be possible. When I have had Rabbits on corticosteroid 'palliative care' due to chronic ear disease my Vet has always given longterm abx- Depocillin usually, given by injection every other day.

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Because he's not having the steroid on a regular basis, would it still have the same impact on his immune system? I think the steroid wears off after a couple of weeks so does the immune system recover after that? Also does this take a toll on him if his immune system is up and down every couple of months? I just want to do what's best for him, he seems like a happy boy overall but if I can do more to help him then I will.

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Orenoko said:

Because he's not having the steroid on a regular basis, would it still have the same impact on his immune system? I think the steroid wears off after a couple of weeks so does the immune system recover after that? Also does this take a toll on him if his immune system is up and down every couple of months? I just want to do what's best for him, he seems like a happy boy overall but if I can do more to help him then I will.

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I would discuss it all with your Vet. Ongoing use of a corticosteroid will have a cumulative effect on the immune system, amongst other things. But with palliative care there are so many variants and only the Rabbit Savvy(hopefully) Vet treating the individual Rabbit will be able to say what is the best treatment protocol. I am glad that he is still a happy Bunny within himself, that counts for a lot xx

Jack's-Jane said:

I would discuss it all with your Vet. Ongoing use of a corticosteroid will have a cumulative effect on the immune system, amongst other things. But with palliative care there are so many variants and only the Rabbit Savvy(hopefully) Vet treating the individual Rabbit will be able to say what is the best treatment protocol. I am glad that he is still a happy Bunny within himself, that counts for a lot xx

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Thank you, unfortunately my regular vet just moved to a new practice which is too far away for us, so I may look at the RWAF list and see if there's anyone else near me who I can speak to. He is definitely a happy boy, just gave him a treat of some banana baby food and he wolfed it down!

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