Worried and heart broken

[Pippin'sMum]

Thank you so much everyone, I will be ringing the vets in the morning hoping they will let us bring him home for the weekend. I feel he can do this!! I think he needs stronger medication too, I asked the vet to check his ear for possible infection, because when we stroked it the other night he shook his head after like something was irritating him!! She had a look with her Otoscope in his ear and said it was a little waxy and that is all, I want to ask them to xray his head but dont want to come across as pushy

Mojo, two things. Firstly, he is your bunny and you want to do your absolute best for him, so ask for xrays! You don't need to be aggressive or nasty about it, just be calm and say 'I would like his head xrayed to see if there are any changes' ie pus in his middle or inner ear. Hopefully they can do it without anaesthetising him, and again, hopefully the vet can interpret the result. If not then the xray can be sent to a referral vet.

Secondly, if you do decide to get a second opinion, rather than a referral from your vet (which you are entitled to ask for), you MUST tell the second vet that your rabbit has been under the care of another vet. It is only professional courtesy for the second vet to speak to the first and let them know you are asking for a second opinion and to get updated on any treatment you have had.

If I were you I think I would persevere with the treatment for a while, don't give up yet. As can be seen by other posts on here rabbits are amazingly resilient and can be brought round by prolonged treatment. Good luck, we're all with you!:wave:

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Mojo, two things. Firstly, he is your bunny and you want to do your absolute best for him, so ask for xrays! You don't need to be aggressive or nasty about it, just be calm and say 'I would like his head xrayed to see if there are any changes' ie pus in his middle or inner ear. Hopefully they can do it without anaesthetising him, and again, hopefully the vet can interpret the result. If not then the xray can be sent to a referral vet.

Secondly, if you do decide to get a second opinion, rather than a referral from your vet (which you are entitled to ask for), you MUST tell the second vet that your rabbit has been under the care of another vet. It is only professional courtesy for the second vet to speak to the first and let them know you are asking for a second opinion and to get updated on any treatment you have had.

If I were you I think I would persevere with the treatment for a while, don't give up yet. As can be seen by other posts on here rabbits are amazingly resilient and can be brought round by prolonged treatment. Good luck, we're all with you!:wave:

Agree 100 %

 

[MightyMax]

Thank you so much everyone, I will be ringing the vets in the morning hoping they will let us bring him home for the weekend. I feel he can do this!! I think he needs stronger medication too, I asked the vet to check his ear for possible infection, because when we stroked it the other night he shook his head after like something was irritating him!! She had a look with her Otoscope in his ear and said it was a little waxy and that is all, I want to ask them to xray his head but dont want to come across as pushy

How are things today, Mojo?

 

[Mojo]

Nickybunny1, can't thank you enough for giving me the heads up about the Facebook page, they are guiding me through everything, so much experience regarding head tilt from one group, they are keeping me hopeful

 

[Mojo]

Yes I agree, Ive noticed any movement at all if hes not on all 4's sets him back, even taking him out of his cage to medicate him and putting him back sets the falling over and circling again, I am keeping hopeful at the moment, hate seeing him like this, but he is still eating, both my buns are back together now and he seems a lot better with Jo by his side

Sorry I've only just caught up with this thread . I can empathise with how stressful this is & I hope my story gives you hope (although of course all bunnies are different)
About 10 years ago I had a gorgeous wee bunny who developed head tilt that sounds as bad as yours (she only had one eye & that was the one facing the floor too). She couldn't move without rolling & we had to do everything apart from syringe feed her for 5 weeks. It was only after 5 weeks (our vet at the time wanted to pts one week in) that she showed any improvement at all. After that it was slow & steady & although she always looked a tad wonky & ran in circles she had more than 2 more happy years.

It really was a nightmare though & even though we both adjusted work hours she was left for 3 hours twice a day. During Noodles significant recovery period any travel really set her back - I'm imagining car sickness plus vertigo type feeling. All the best with your bun xx

 

[Mojo]

Sorry havent updated for a few days, its been a hectic weekend, well me and my husband went and collected Mo Friday night, I asked the vet if we could try Septrin, the facebook page dedicated to 'head tilt in rabbits only' that Ive joined advised me that if Mo has inner ear infection then Baytril won't help, the vet said I could have it but wouldnt be able to have the Baytril as well, so I opted for the Septrin as the Baytril didnt seem to be having an affect. I took the drive home really really steady (there was a trail of traffic behind me!) my husband held Mo so he that he wasnt being swung about from the car journey, when we got him home we let him out onto the grass and he just spun and spun, we picked him up and settled him in his cage, once he found his balance in his cage, I could tell he was happy to be home, he started sniffing about and scratching the floor, we had sectioned a part of their cage off for him, and I kept checking on him all night, he was settled and had eaten and there was dry poop in there, I kept Mo and Jo seperate for the night but they could sniff each other through the mesh. I checked him Saturday morning and he was pretty much the same, except he is laying in his mess so his coat underneath is really messy. In the afternoon I decided to open up the partition so Mo and Jo could see each other, Jo went over to Mo's section sniffed him then went back to his side, with that Mo stumbled his way over to Jo, and started grooming Jo, I was shocked and delighted and they was side by side all night. This morning when I checked up on him he seemed a little brighter, when I opened their cage his and Jo's ears pricked up, but as the day has gone on, he seems tired, lying down most of the time, but I said to my husband he might need to rest a lot to get better, hes not liking his medication and I'm worried some of it is dribbling out of his mouth, so he might not be getting the full dosage, its hard to say. So all-in-all theres not much change in his well being but I can tell hes happier being home and back with Jo, so its just a matter of time still I think.

 

[bunny momma]

Dear Mojo,

He sounds happy so that is always a reason to continue trying.
It was a good decision to get him home and back with Jo. I could not believe when I read how Mo stumbled over and groomed Jo!
I agree that you should let him rest. With any infection the bacteria produce toxins, I have heard it is worse as the antibiotics kill the bacteria. Plus the antibiotics also break down for his organs to remove the by-products.
If he is dribbling the antibiotics you may want to see if you can mix it with anything to make it a bit thicker so he could not dribble it as easily. Perhaps mixing it with a small amount of recovery food could keep it in his mouth. You can also try to gently rub his neck to encourage him to swallow.

 

[Clarekg]

Poor Mo, sending vibes.

 

[Mojo]

Thank you for the info and advice bunny momma

Dear Mojo,

He sounds happy so that is always a reason to continue trying.
It was a good decision to get him home and back with Jo. I could not believe when I read how Mo stumbled over and groomed Jo!
I agree that you should let him rest. With any infection the bacteria produce toxins, I have heard it is worse as the antibiotics kill the bacteria. Plus the antibiotics also break down for his organs to remove the by-products.
If he is dribbling the antibiotics you may want to see if you can mix it with anything to make it a bit thicker so he could not dribble it as easily. Perhaps mixing it with a small amount of recovery food could keep it in his mouth. You can also try to gently rub his neck to encourage him to swallow.

 

[Mojo]

Well.......... huge improvement today, my husband thought he was looking a lot brighter this morning when he checked him before work, and when I got home from work I thought the same, instead of cowering in a corner he kept coming to the front of the cage where I had opened it, it was like he was trying to get out, so I took him out and tried him on the grass, he fell a couple of times but managed to get himself back on all 4's once he had found his feet on the grass he then started grazing I let him out for about 45 mins, he seemed to relish it, smelling the air and eating grass/weeds, he didnt move very far but its a start, I'm over the moon, lets hope it continues this way Oh he also started struggling when we was giving him his meds, a sign hes getting better and also grunted at us when giving him his meds (which he hates) hes never ever grunted at us!! Think hes fed up with us now but hes got a lot more of us yet lol

 

[MightyMax]

Topping up the vibes from here :wave:

 

[newbabybuns]

I've just read through your thread and am so pleased for you that Mo has improved a little bit xxx

 

[joey&boo]

what a splendid update, I hope he continues to make good progress, it must have been lovely seeing him graze

 

[nickybunny1]

Fantastic update!

 

[Omi]

I'm so pleased to see this update.

 

[Mojo]

Thank you everyone and thank you for all your support and advice x

 

[Pippin'sMum]

Great news, sounds like he's on the mend! Sending vibes xx

 

[MightyMax]

Glad to see a smiley face

 

[bunny momma]

Well.......... huge improvement today, my husband thought he was looking a lot brighter this morning when he checked him before work, and when I got home from work I thought the same, instead of cowering in a corner he kept coming to the front of the cage where I had opened it, it was like he was trying to get out, so I took him out and tried him on the grass, he fell a couple of times but managed to get himself back on all 4's once he had found his feet on the grass he then started grazing I let him out for about 45 mins, he seemed to relish it, smelling the air and eating grass/weeds, he didnt move very far but its a start, I'm over the moon, lets hope it continues this way Oh he also started struggling when we was giving him his meds, a sign hes getting better and also grunted at us when giving him his meds (which he hates) hes never ever grunted at us!! Think hes fed up with us now but hes got a lot more of us yet lol

Hello Mojo,

It is days like this that make you know he wants to continue to fight until he is the victor! Good update. He has come a long way so I am confident that you made the right decisions in regards to his care. Sending more positive vibes to you, your hubby, mo, and jo.

 

[Mojo]

Thank you, he's getting stronger everyday still wobbly but he can get around his hutch with no problem now, my husband let him in the garden again yesterday and he even managed to get around a bit there too, just hoping his head straightens a little more, but with time who knows?

Hello Mojo,

It is days like this that make you know he wants to continue to fight until he is the victor! Good update. He has come a long way so I am confident that you made the right decisions in regards to his care. Sending more positive vibes to you, your hubby, mo, and jo.