• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • 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.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Please help bunny head moving side to side

Hi,
A little bit of background yesterday morning my bunny was acting off not eating much, sat in a corner not wanting to come out ect also noticed her poops were really small. She's off her main food with will have a pick at treats. I noticed later on that she seems to be scanning with her head and eyes as almost as if she is reading with a very slight tilt of the head to the left. Over the day her poops got bigger and she is drinking. This morning she still isn't right I took her to the vet and he reckons that she could have E.C and has prescribed me panucur for the next 28 days. And a 9 treatment for my other bun.
I'm not totally convinced that this is E.C just by what I've read but I have no experience with this before so I'm reaching out as I'm really worried with the head moving side to side and with the eyes I feel so bad for her!
 
Hi,
A little bit of background yesterday morning my bunny was acting off not eating much, sat in a corner not wanting to come out ect also noticed her poops were really small. She's off her main food with will have a pick at treats. I noticed later on that she seems to be scanning with her head and eyes as almost as if she is reading with a very slight tilt of the head to the left. Over the day her poops got bigger and she is drinking. This morning she still isn't right I took her to the vet and he reckons that she could have E.C and has prescribed me panucur for the next 28 days. And a 9 treatment for my other bun.
I'm not totally convinced that this is E.C just by what I've read but I have no experience with this before so I'm reaching out as I'm really worried with the head moving side to side and with the eyes I feel so bad for her!
I'm no expert but there's a Facebook group help for head tilt hoppers - post on there they're fantastic for this kinda thing, they'll probably say about it could be an ear infection and to treat for both ec and ear infection. But honestly join and post on there :) hopefully someone on here with more knowledge will respond on here also xx

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
It sounds like EC to me :( I'm sorry your bun is poorly. Did you get metacam too? The anti inflammatory role of metacam is important if it is EC (& just as important if its an ear infection which produces similar symptoms). Is the scanning vertical or horizontal ?
 
I didn't get prescribed anything else other than the panacur. The scanning is horizontal.
Up and down is normally ec - side to side is ear infection - I THINK.. Sorry I can't be more helpful xx


I'd still treat for both ec and ear infection tho

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
My best advice would be call your vet & see if they are willing to put metacam & possibly antibiotics in to the mix - you shouldn't necessarily need to take your rabbit (travel is disorientating for a head tilt bun). Lots of herbs might wet the appetite. I know from experience how stressful this can be so do keep posting here for support & advice.
 
I would definitely ask for anti-inflammatory (eg Metacam). Metacam is part of the routine treatment for EC to reduce symptoms like head tilt and hind leg weakness. It will will reduce the neurological damage done by the EC parasite, and will help with pain etc from possible ear infection and stasis.

It is often difficult to have a definitive diagnosis with these symptoms so Baytril (oral antibiotic) is often prescribed as well just to cover all possibilities.

Were her ears checked and her guts? She may need additional treatment for stasis if she isn't eating normally. Again, pain relief may help.

You have caught things early and I hope she feels better soon.
 
Has she lop or uppy ears? Its not conclusive but a lop earred bun is much more likely to have an ear infection compared to an uppy earred bun, I imagine both equally susceptible to EC though
 
Thanks for your help guys I've phoned another vet up to get a second opinion and I'll ask about the metcam and baytril while I'm there.

They checked her ears and guts but I'm more concerned about the condition progressing if she hasn't been given the correct treatment. She's a lop earned bun, I've noticed that's she's been scratching it a bit since getting back
 
Thanks for your help guys I've phoned another vet up to get a second opinion and I'll ask about the metcam and baytril while I'm there.

They checked her ears and guts but I'm more concerned about the condition progressing if she hasn't been given the correct treatment. She's a lop earned bun, I've noticed that's she's been scratching it a bit since getting back
I think it's hard to tell if there's an ear infection just from looking, I think xray is only way to tell. But sometimes it's better to just treat for both - I think it can also take a while for things to improve and you treat them for quite a while. You might want to look at where your bunny is housed - smaller is better especially if the bunny starts rolling xx

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
Hi,
A little bit of background yesterday morning my bunny was acting off not eating much, sat in a corner not wanting to come out ect also noticed her poops were really small. She's off her main food with will have a pick at treats. I noticed later on that she seems to be scanning with her head and eyes as almost as if she is reading with a very slight tilt of the head to the left. Over the day her poops got bigger and she is drinking. This morning she still isn't right I took her to the vet and he reckons that she could have E.C and has prescribed me panucur for the next 28 days. And a 9 treatment for my other bun.
I'm not totally convinced that this is E.C just by what I've read but I have no experience with this before so I'm reaching out as I'm really worried with the head moving side to side and with the eyes I feel so bad for her!


Hi there :)

Sorry to hear about our rabbit. It sounds like you're really worried and I wonder if your vet is covering all bases here?


From what you say, it really could be either E.C. or an inner ear infection. Ear infection isn't always conclusive without a CT scan (or X-ray in some cases).

Some info on both conditions here:

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


If an inner ear infection is suspected, antibiotic cover would usually be given, and there’s some info here:

**please note there are some very graphic images on this link**
http://www.exoticpetmedicine.com/article/S1557-5063(16)30173-2/pdf

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


For the parasite E.C. you will need a 28 day course of Panacur. This also applies to the companion rabbit, as a 9 day course does not eradicate E.C. and the partner could re-infect your rabbit through spores shed in the urine. Then you are back to square one!

28 days has been shown to be the optimum level of treatment. Throughout the treatment, Metacam should be given as it is an anti-inflammatory and will help to mitigate any spores from the E.C. that erupt in organs such as the brain and kidneys. If it's a painful ear infection, it will help with that too, as if a rabbit is in pain they often don't want to eat.

With an ear infection, Baytril has shown to be effective in some cases but there are other antibiotics and you should discuss this with your vet.


Wishing you all the very best at this worrying time x
 
Thank you, I've been back to the vets and they have given me Metacam,Zantac and some recovery plus liquid feed. Vet seems to think could be E.C or could be something neurological like a brain lesion. If she's not perked up and eating by tomorrow she has to go stay at the vets.
 
Thank you, I've been back to the vets and they have given me Metacam,Zantac and some recovery plus liquid feed. Vet seems to think could be E.C or could be something neurological like a brain lesion. If she's not perked up and eating by tomorrow she has to go stay at the vets.
Is this a rabbit savvy vets?

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
Thank you, I've been back to the vets and they have given me Metacam,Zantac and some recovery plus liquid feed. Vet seems to think could be E.C or could be something neurological like a brain lesion. If she's not perked up and eating by tomorrow she has to go stay at the vets.


I am glad your vet is helping you and your rabbit :)

It's very difficult to know what's going on in a lot of cases of rabbit illnesses. I agree, a lot of it has to be guess work, as so many diagnostics are expensive or sometimes invasive or risky for a rabbit.

However, I agree with Grace about wonder whether at the end of the day you might consider a second opinion if you feel the need. If that were to be the case, you can always post here for recommendations, without obligation :)

You can start another thread in Rabbit Chat with the header:


Rabbit Savvy Vet needed in (your location)

...and members will help you out with their recommendations.

Alternatively you could look here:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/vetfinder/vets-owners-recommendations


http://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/rabbit-friendly-vet-list/
 
Thank you, I've been back to the vets and they have given me Metacam,Zantac and some recovery plus liquid feed. Vet seems to think could be E.C or could be something neurological like a brain lesion. If she's not perked up and eating by tomorrow she has to go stay at the vets.

Is she on antibiotics? I had a head tilt bun and I’m sure it was the abx which cleared it up, it took a couple of months but he more or less completely recovered and he was so bad he couldn’t stand. He was also on metacam to reduce inflammation and help with any pain and panacur in case it was EC but everything pointed to a very bad ear infection.

Hope she starts feeling better soon.
 
Yeah supposed to be rabbit savvy as they are on the rabbit welfare site. I've been to 2 different vets today as the first one I went to where I take my dog and cat only prescribed panacur and felt this wasn't sufficient.
I've got the metacam but no antibiotics I'll get this liquid feed in her and the Matacam and Zantac. I've got to phone them tomorrow as they want to know how she's doing as if there is no improvement with eating she will have to go stay at the vets so I will mention the antibiotics to them. This vet seemed more compitent than the first so hopefully will get my little Norma on the road to recovery!
Been a very stressful day! I've cried to much as I feel helpless she's now snuggled with her husbun!
Thank you again for all your help and advice
 
Yeah supposed to be rabbit savvy as they are on the rabbit welfare site. I've been to 2 different vets today as the first one I went to where I take my dog and cat only prescribed panacur and felt this wasn't sufficient.
I've got the metacam but no antibiotics I'll get this liquid feed in her and the Matacam and Zantac. I've got to phone them tomorrow as they want to know how she's doing as if there is no improvement with eating she will have to go stay at the vets so I will mention the antibiotics to them. This vet seemed more compitent than the first so hopefully will get my little Norma on the road to recovery!
Been a very stressful day! I've cried to much as I feel helpless she's now snuggled with her husbun!
Thank you again for all your help and advice

You are obviously doing your best to get good Veterinary care for Norma and it sounds as though the second Vet you have seen today has more experience with treating Rabbits. You are wise to ask him/her about whether antibiotics may also be needed, in the absence of a definitive diagnosis of EC.

If you are on Facebook I'd suggest that you join this group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HelpforHeadTiltHoppers/

I do hope that Norma will start to respond to treatment and that she will eventually make a good recovery .
 
Yeah supposed to be rabbit savvy as they are on the rabbit welfare site. I've been to 2 different vets today as the first one I went to where I take my dog and cat only prescribed panacur and felt this wasn't sufficient.
I've got the metacam but no antibiotics I'll get this liquid feed in her and the Matacam and Zantac. I've got to phone them tomorrow as they want to know how she's doing as if there is no improvement with eating she will have to go stay at the vets so I will mention the antibiotics to them. This vet seemed more compitent than the first so hopefully will get my little Norma on the road to recovery!
Been a very stressful day! I've cried to much as I feel helpless she's now snuggled with her husbun!
Thank you again for all your help and advice


I am so sorry it's been such a stressful for day for you. I totally understand the stress looking after a poorly bunny - I am at the vet twice weekly with my bunny and have only just now come off the phone to the vet!

I am so glad you have faith in your vet, it's good to have one to trust.

There's some info here about the condition you're describing:

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/head-tilt.html


And Grace mentioned the Facebook Group - Help for Head Tilt Hoppers (if you're on Facebook). One of our members, Roxyroller88 is active on there and I know she would give you a warm welcome. You could always drop her a line :) Ruthyjones has also got a lot of experience.

Wishing you all the very best of luck with Norma :wave:
 
I am so sorry it's been such a stressful for day for you. I totally understand the stress looking after a poorly bunny - I am at the vet twice weekly with my bunny and have only just now come off the phone to the vet!

I am so glad you have faith in your vet, it's good to have one to trust.

There's some info here about the condition you're describing:

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/head-tilt.html


And Grace mentioned the Facebook Group - Help for Head Tilt Hoppers (if you're on Facebook). One of our members, Roxyroller88 is active on there and I know she would give you a warm welcome. You could always drop her a line :) Ruthyjones has also got a lot of experience.

Wishing you all the very best of luck with Norma :wave:
Yes definitely join that group on Facebook if you can, you'll get so much fantastic info :) don't give up :) x

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top