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  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

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Please help bunny head moving side to side

*** UPDATE****
Day 3
So yesterday Norma perked up a little bit the rapid eye and head movement movement slowed right down a lot and has periods of not doing it at all, she's still off her food and isn't eating properly I'm syringe feeding and mixed a bit of Banana and strawberry in the recovery mix food for her but she did eat a bit of parsley, a little bit of hay, some Dandilion root and fenugreek crunchies so she's being very selective of what she's eating I don't know if this is normal symptom with E.C but I think she seems to be improving little by little.
 
rockabillyriri said:
*** UPDATE****
Day 3
So yesterday Norma perked up a little bit the rapid eye and head movement movement slowed right down a lot and has periods of not doing it at all, she's still off her food and isn't eating properly I'm syringe feeding and mixed a bit of Banana and strawberry in the recovery mix food for her but she did eat a bit of parsley, a little bit of hay, some Dandilion root and fenugreek crunchies so she's being very selective of what she's eating I don't know if this is normal symptom with E.C but I think she seems to be improving little by little.
Click to expand...

I am glad to hear that Norma is showing some signs of improvement, that is very encouraging news at such an early stage of treatment :)

It is not at all unusual for a Rabbit with any type of vestibular disease to be reluctant to eat much. Whilst Rabbits cannot vomit the Central Nervous System disturbance can cause marked dizziness and possibly a feeling of nausea. There are medications that a Vet could prescribe to address this if he/she deemed it to be necessary :

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Cyclizine.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Meclizine.htm

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Procloperazine.htm
 
I am pleased that Norma is improving slightly and hope that this continues. It's encouraging that she is eating a little by herself.
 
I'm pleased Norma is doing ok. Yes its normal for appetite to be reduced, its a good time to spoil them with whatever they fancy.
 
Whenever my rabbits have gone off their food I have found that brambles tempt them. Frosty has had a few episodes of statis and they have always helped (the whole thing, leaves, stalk and thorns).

Hope she continues to improve.
 
rockabillyriri said:
*** UPDATE****
Day 3
So yesterday Norma perked up a little bit the rapid eye and head movement movement slowed right down a lot and has periods of not doing it at all, she's still off her food and isn't eating properly I'm syringe feeding and mixed a bit of Banana and strawberry in the recovery mix food for her but she did eat a bit of parsley, a little bit of hay, some Dandilion root and fenugreek crunchies so she's being very selective of what she's eating I don't know if this is normal symptom with E.C but I think she seems to be improving little by little.
Click to expand...


Hi there and I am glad to see that Norma is hanging in there!

As Joey&Boo says, it's normal for appetite to be a bit reduced, and anything she likes to stimulate it would be a good idea. Within reason of course :)

There are several, anti-nausea medications out there, none licensed for rabbits, and the jury is out as to whether rabbits actually *do* feel nauseous. You could see what your vet thinks and be guided by him/her?

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

The use of anti-nausea drugs is controversial, as there is no clear evidence that rabbits experience feelings of nausea. They have a different physiology than humans in that they physically do not have the capacity to vomit, so we do not know if motion sickness plays a role in rabbits with vestibular disease, and there is no substantiated evidence that the use of anti-nausea drugs helps improve the condition of rabbits with head tilt. Although there is probably no harm (although this has not been examined, either), these drugs are probably not necessary and it might be best to avoid too many pharmaceuticals given to the rabbit at one time. Some veterinarians feel anti-nausea drugs, like diphenhydramine or meclizine, are useful in the rolling rabbit or one who is not eating.
 
Thanks for the added additional information I'll see if I can find any brambles! She's continued to eat small amounts included butterhead lettuce leaves, a strawberry, and I've put down some dried leaves and flower mix and she seems to be having a little nibble on those every now and then just struggling to get her to eat any hay or pellets so will have to continue with the recovery liquid feed, but hopefully she will continue to make little improvements
 
You could try moistening her pellets, or mixing them with some puree baby food to make them more appealing.
Grass may go down better than hay (if you can find any).
Dandelion leaves are always popular with my poorly bunnies.
 
I'll try moistening her pellets i never thought of that as she really isn't liking the syringe stuff!
I'll try grass, she ate the dandilions I gave her but there were only a couple in the garden :(
Thanks for your help
 
rockabillyriri said:
I'll try moistening her pellets i never thought of that as she really isn't liking the syringe stuff!
I'll try grass, she ate the dandilions I gave her but there were only a couple in the garden :(
Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

If she doesn't like moistened pellets then try crushing them. Some Rabbits will eat them dry crushed. Also, if there is any actual ear pain going on this can be exacerbated by having to crunch up hard food. That has been my experience anyway, having had a Rabbit with chronic ear disease.
 
My honey also struggled to eat pellets when she had her ear infection but was happy to nibble on forage and veg. It's great you can see an improvement but did the vet say that it could be an ear infection? Also is she a lop? As ear infections can be more prone in lop bunnies! It might be worth asking if she can have some anti-biotics to just to cover this basis maybe?

Also the drug my bunny had to help with the nausea was called stemitil and really helped honey with her balance!

Topping up the vibes for her xx
 
Ruthyjones89 said:
My honey also struggled to eat pellets when she had her ear infection but was happy to nibble on forage and veg. It's great you can see an improvement but did the vet say that it could be an ear infection? Also is she a lop? As ear infections can be more prone in lop bunnies! It might be worth asking if she can have some anti-biotics to just to cover this basis maybe?

Also the drug my bunny had to help with the nausea was called stemitil and really helped honey with her balance!

Topping up the vibes for her xx
Click to expand...


I agree wth Ruth - forage and veg are sometimes better options for a bunny who may have an ear infection. I haven't a rabbit who likes moistened pellets!

I would also ask the question, did the vet actually say that it's an ear infection? Good to know what you're treating!
 
No she is being treated for E.C so on panacur for 28 days, metacam twice a day and Zantac also.
She seems interested in things when you go to show her but doesn't seem to want them she's had her recovery liquid feed and I mixed an organic baby food that had spinach, apples and swede in i also mixed some banana in there too and it went down better. She's just ate a strawberry I don't usually give her this much fruit at all but if it gets her eating a bit.
The rapid eye movement seems to have completely stopped but seems to be a more of a tilt today than previously and little bit wobbly when moving around at times.
 
I'm not sure what breed she is, I believe she is a lion head cross she has a little main and big fluffy cheeks she has her ears up a lot of time unless she's sat down relaxing then her ears go down like a lop.
 
Update on Norma's E.C

Update ( day 5 of medication)

She's still not eating properly :( but I'll keep going her poops still aren't back to normal either but they are a bit bigger than they were. She was quite off balance yesterday shes a little Perkier in herself. I slept downstairs to keep an eye on her and i could hear her chewing one of her toys.
I think I'm nearly out of Metacam so I'll phone the vets today to see if she needs any more!
She seemed to be improving Thursday but yesterday was a little set back but I've read this can happen so hopefully she will start to pick up again
 
I would expect the metacam and panacur to go together for the whole 28 day course of treatment for EC, so I would definitely be asking for more. EC can be a long, slow recovery with some ups and downs.

Just one other thing - due to the lifecycle of the EC parasite, you need to do a full clean and disinfect (eg 10% bleach) of anything she's had contact with, on days 21 and 28 of the treatment. This helps to prevent reinfection from spores shed in the urine.
 
Ok I've phoned vet and they have given me more metacam so will be collecting that shortly.
Oh ok thank you for that information I didn't realise I had to do a deep clean I'll make sure I do that then when the time comes.
Do you know if it's normal for them to be off eating for so long when they have E.C? She's drinking and eating some things mainly fruit (which I don't usually let her have as much) and dried flower and leaves mix along with parsley and the odd butterhead leaf
 
Have you been able to find any bramble leaves? They will improve the fibre content of her diet and get her guts working more normally. They grow all over the place but the leaves are spikey, so take some small scissors and a tough bag. Anything above knee height should be clean enough to use without worry.

Otherwise, cabbages or similar are useful winter veg, along with any fresh herbs (except chives). Mine also like the leafy bits of celery (but they can eat it all). Things that smell more strongly tend to be more popular with poorly bunnies.
 
I have not found any bramble yet I'm taking the dog to the woods tomorrow so will have a look there sure to be some there!
Ok great I'll try cabbage, she has had some spinach and came running to that not long ago so hopefully she is slowly regaining appetite. I'll pop to the shops and get some cabbage, some additional herbs and celery!
Thanks for your help I really appreciate it.
 
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