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HELP with head-tilt. What to do next??

Hi everyone,
I have a 14 week old dwarf lop called Yoda. He's been stuck with a head-tilt since he was 9 1/2 weeks old. I'd like some advice on his treatment as I'm from Australia and head-tilts are really unknown here.

Currently he's on;
Panacur at a 0.8ml dose twice daily
Enrotil oral solution 0.4mls once daily
Predmix 0.1 twice daily for 3 days, then 0.1 once daily for 3 days.
He has also been treated with Chloront opthalmic ointment and Maxidex for his eyes.
He has had 1 steriod injection.

Currently he's extremely disorientated with slight eye flicking. He had previously been treated with Baytril and panacur from 9 weeks. He was very mobile (no eye flicking, limited rolling), and the doses were then dropped back to just panacur 0.2mls once daily for the past week and half. Last night he got way worse than he has ever been and that's when he started his current medication (listed above). I'm honestly not sure what else to do, and if his current treatment is on the right track. I've also seen some people mention boiling/sanitising things to help get rid of EC. Does anyone have any advice on whether it's a good idea, and if it is, what is the best way to go about it?
 
I don't have any advice I'm afraid but just bumping & hoping someone will be along soon.

Big hugs & hope Yoda begins to feel better soon xx
 
I don't know what some of those meds are, but it sounds like when he came off the Baytril (i.e. the antibiotic) he deteriorated which indicates it is an infection. I have different beliefs from others about EC, so will ignore that component of it.

Google is telling me that the Entoril Oral Solution is an anti bacterial and that predmix is a steroid.

I don't know what can be used in a 14 weeks old bunny but I would be wanting some antibiotics (orally or injectable, depending on what it is) to try and beat the ear infection. I would also suggest a swab of the 'down' ear and run a culture and sensitivity test on it because that would likely give you an indication of what antibiotics would be safe and effective to use against it.

The older your bunny gets the wider the variety of antibiotics that can be useful on him, so it's positive that you have been fighting this for so long and he is still fighting.

I would also wonder about something with the active ingredient of Meclizine in it (over here the product is called Stemetil) which is an anti disorientation drug which can help if he is rolling, but doesn't help all bunnies.

Good luck! Sounds like you and he are fighting really hard together and I so hope it pays off for you :)
 
Ive no experience with head tilt but i just wanted to wish you luck, i hope your bunny recovers quickly
 
Would agree with Sky-O re the antibiotics ( or at least make a quick call to the vets for options).

As for the practicalities, just making him feel secure will help with the disorientation. Soft surroundings and support, but I'm sure you're doing that anyway. :) Good luck and I hope he starts to feel better soon.
 
i also have a 13wk old mini lop with suspected e c,today i went to see a exotic vet (marie) recommended by a rabbit welfare specialist she has advised me against steriods they help rabbits feel better but dont fight the spores,she has put coco on 28 day course panacur,0.4ml baytril,0.8 metacam daily and 0.25 stemcil twice a day,coco has severe head tilt,darting eyes,rolling over uncontrollably and difficulty getting around marie took a blood sample to rule out menningtitis and postarella(not sure of spelling) but asured me she has treated alot worse rabbits that have made a full recovery but it is vital to get the e c treated no matter what the age of the rabbit ,2 other vets wanted to put her down so glad i didnt listen,speak with your vet about the medication my bun is on and good luck
 
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Hi,

It does sound as though your bun has EC. You must give the panacur for 28 days as it takes that long to kill the parasite. You must also completely clean out the hutch with good pet safe disinfectant on days 21 and 28 of the treatment.
If your rabbit has had EC for a long time you may now need to give the panacur every day for the rest of it's life (I have this with one of my own buns) you should see that the head tilt will be practically gone by the middle of the treatment. If however it comes back after the 28 days are up you MUST put them back on it straight away as each time the parasite gets the chance to attack it can cause further irreversible damage.

Good Luck :)
 
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