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Floppy rabbit syndrome?

fiona0529

fiona0529

Alpha Buck
My rabbit Daisy is 6 and a half and is usually a happy, healthy girl. She was out enjoying the sun yesterday and seemed fine. Last night she didn't eat her dinner and this morning she doesn't seem right. She is quite floppy and her seems very slightly tilted but not all the time. She just wants to sit bunched up. She did eat a little bit of hay but when she was sitting in her litter tray she tumbled and fell. I googled the symptoms and floppy rabbit syndrome came up as a possibility so I syringed some tomatoes for vitamin e and water into her mouth which she took fine, she was lapping it up. When I put her back in her hutch she was shaking her head so now think maybe an ear infection?

Any ideas on how to keep her comfortable until I can get to vet tomorrow?
 
fiona0529 said:
My rabbit Daisy is 6 and a half and is usually a happy, healthy girl. She was out enjoying the sun yesterday and seemed fine. Last night she didn't eat her dinner and this morning she doesn't seem right. She is quite floppy and her seems very slightly tilted but not all the time. She just wants to sit bunched up. She did eat a little bit of hay but when she was sitting in her litter tray she tumbled and fell. I googled the symptoms and floppy rabbit syndrome came up as a possibility so I syringed some tomatoes for vitamin e and water into her mouth which she took fine, she was lapping it up. When I put her back in her hutch she was shaking her head so now think maybe an ear infection?

Any ideas on how to keep her comfortable until I can get to vet tomorrow?
Click to expand...

Poor Daisy :cry: Her symptoms sound to be far more like those of an ear infection than to FRS. EC is another possibility.


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

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

She really needs to be seen by a Vet today, so I'd try to get in touch with your Vet's out of hours cover. The symptoms that Daisy is exhibiting do need to be acted on immediately and it really is not something that can wait until tomorrow.
 
Thank you. I've checked in her ears and nothing obvious. I'll keep giving her food and water through a syringe to keep her hydrated.
 
fiona0529 said:
My rabbit Daisy is 6 and a half and is usually a happy, healthy girl. She was out enjoying the sun yesterday and seemed fine. Last night she didn't eat her dinner and this morning she doesn't seem right. She is quite floppy and her seems very slightly tilted but not all the time. She just wants to sit bunched up. She did eat a little bit of hay but when she was sitting in her litter tray she tumbled and fell. I googled the symptoms and floppy rabbit syndrome came up as a possibility so I syringed some tomatoes for vitamin e and water into her mouth which she took fine, she was lapping it up. When I put her back in her hutch she was shaking her head so now think maybe an ear infection?

Any ideas on how to keep her comfortable until I can get to vet tomorrow?
Click to expand...


Hi Fiona

I'm sorry to hear about Daisy. There are several causes of what you describe. This article describes some of the diagnoses associated with that condition:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-8/head-tilt.html

I should keep doing what you're doing until you can get to see a vet. I understand an out of hours vet isn't a possibility for everyone but if she stops eating then it should be treated as an emergency.


Here's a post I wrote recently to someone who felt their rabbit was pretty much the same as yours:



There's a couple of other avenues I can think of to explore ... One being something called Floppy Rabbit Syndrome:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/clinical-research/floppy-rabbit-syndrome-1

hhttps://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/case-of-the-month/floppy-rabbit-syndrome

Frances Harcourt Brown is a respected (retired) rabbit specialist vet, so it may be worth looking at her articles and indeed her website for clues.


The other possibility is E.C. (encephalitozoon cuniculi). You could speak to your vet about this, as it would mean a 28 day course of Panacur. It would also mean cleaning the litter trays and if possible the accommodation on days 21 and 28 to break the life cycle of this parasite.

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/case-of-the-month/floppy-rabbit-syndrome

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-2/e-cuniculi.html
(please be aware there may be some distressing photos in these links)
 
Hope that you managed to access a Vet today and that Daisy has been started on treatment which will prove to be effective xx
 
Sorry meant to reply. Vet not overly concerned. Her gut is making good noises so she must be eating. She's got a course of panacur to take as well but to take her back if she stops eating or head tilt gets worse.
 
fiona0529 said:
Sorry meant to reply. Vet not overly concerned. Her gut is making good noises so she must be eating. She's got a course of panacur to take as well but to take her back if she stops eating or head tilt gets worse.
Click to expand...

Oh :? So the Vet did not prescribe anything but Panacur ? Not wishing to cast doubt in your mind, but I am wondering how 'Rabbit Savvy' your Vet is ? Obviously if you trust their judgement and you are happy with their 'diagnosis' and treatment then great. But IME cases of head tilt need more than just Panacur as treatment and it needs to be established as to whether the cause is EC or a bacterial middle ear infection (which cannot always be diagnosed just by looking into the ear canals).

I hope everything works out OK for Daisy xx
 
fiona0529 said:
Sorry meant to reply. Vet not overly concerned. Her gut is making good noises so she must be eating. She's got a course of panacur to take as well but to take her back if she stops eating or head tilt gets worse.
Click to expand...


I hope she goes on OK. Please keep us updated :D
 
Like others have said, personally I would be quite concerned if my vet had just said that.

How is she eating? has she gone off her pellets at all? and guessing she passing poo okay?

I have had 2 rabbits now with bad ear infections and they are very painful... and they started off with head shaking and scratching their ears so please if she does show signs of discomfort, please take her back and get her some metacam?
 
Thanks. I've taken all your comments on board. She is still eating, was eating hay while being examined. She doesn't seem to be in discomfort, she's still full of attitude and inquisitive. I've started the panacur and will keep an eye on her for a couple of days. how long after starting panacur should I expect to see a difference?
 
fiona0529 said:
Thanks. I've taken all your comments on board. She is still eating, was eating hay while being examined. She doesn't seem to be in discomfort, she's still full of attitude and inquisitive. I've started the panacur and will keep an eye on her for a couple of days. how long after starting panacur should I expect to see a difference?
Click to expand...


There is a school of thought that maintains that damage that has been done to a rabbit's nervous system cannot be reversed. I myself have not found this to be the case. Panacur, if the cause of the problem is E.C., can work in a day or several days. Or you may not see any difference at all - it's impossible to say.
 
fiona0529 said:
Thanks. I've taken all your comments on board. She is still eating, was eating hay while being examined. She doesn't seem to be in discomfort, she's still full of attitude and inquisitive. I've started the panacur and will keep an eye on her for a couple of days. how long after starting panacur should I expect to see a difference?
Click to expand...

Panacur does not 'cure' the damage done by EC, it simply reduces the number of EC spores circulating in the bloodstream to try to reduce further cellular damage in various organs (usually the brain, kidneys and lenses of the eyes). Whilst Panacur may be an important part of the treatment of EC (although you dont know for sure that it is EC), equally important is giving a non steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) such as Metacam. It is inflammation caused by erupting EC spores that causes the clinical symptoms (eg head tilt) and long term cellular damage. Hence the importance of reducing the inflammatory response.

In the absence of a definitive diagnosis some Vets will also prescribe a covering antibiotic as many cases presenting with head tilt/other vestibular symptoms are associated with otitis media (middle ear infection).

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

http://www.dechra.co.uk/therapy-are...cs-antifungals/disease-information/e-cuniculi

https://www.dovepress.com/encephali...-manageme-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-VMRR

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

You'll need to download this pdf file to read it and it does contain some images of surgical procedures

file:///C:/Users/USER/Downloads/treatment-of-otitis-externa-media-and-interna-in-rabbits.pdf
 
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Please please please get some antibiotics to cover the possibility of inner ear infection. My vet only prescribed Panacur for my boy and it turned out to be a deep inner ear infection and by the time it was properly diagnosed by a rabbit specialist it was too late and we were left with surgery as our only option. It's worth noting that my boys tilt was only minimal and my original vet wasn't overly concerned either :roll:
It is pretty much impossible to correctly diagnose an inner ear infection without an xray/ct scan so it's always best to treat for both. Especially with the ear shaking being present.
Metacam should also be given for both causes so I'm surprised that your vet has only given you Panacur (but not that surprised because it happened to me too!).
There is a group on fb called help for head tilt hoppers which I found really helpful :)
X
 
Last edited:
roxyroller88 said:
Please please please get some antibiotics to cover the possibility of inner ear infection. My vet only prescribed Panacur for my boy and it turned out to be a deep inner ear infection and by the time it was properly diagnosed by a rabbit specialist it was too late and we were left with surgery as our only option. It's worth noting that my boys tilt was only minimal and my original vet wasn't overly concerned either :roll:
It is pretty much impossible to correctly diagnose an inner ear infection without an xray/ct scan so it's always best to treat for both. Especially with the ear shaking being present.
Metacam should also be given for both causes so I'm surprised that your vet has only given you Panacur (but not that surprised because it happened to me too!).
There is a group on fb called help for head tilt hoppers which I found really helpful :)
X
Click to expand...


Roxy has had extensive experience of ear infections in rabbits, as has Ruthyjones. Their posts are worth reading and something I definitely would be thinking about, in your shoes :)

Good luck xx
 
Back at vet tonight and turns out she has a bad ear infection in both ears. Vet found swelling on both side of her face. When she squeezed one lots of pus was pushed up into her ear. She's on baytril and metacam. She's to go back on Monday. Vet took a swab of pus and is sending it off to lab in case baytril doesn't work. If meds don't work next step is surgery but not to enter into surgery lightly.
 
fiona0529 said:
Back at vet tonight and turns out she has a bad ear infection in both ears. Vet found swelling on both side of her face. When she squeezed one lots of pus was pushed up into her ear. She's on baytril and metacam. She's to go back on Monday. Vet took a swab of pus and is sending it off to lab in case baytril doesn't work. If meds don't work next step is surgery but not to enter into surgery lightly.
Click to expand...


I am so glad your vet is working with you and has found the infection.

I have found these links useful:

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

http://www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html


Also the posts on this thread may be useful:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...lfie-needs-specialist-vet-treatment-😥


Ruthyjones and Roxyroller88 have loads of experience of ear infections, and I know they will help you out :D
 
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