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Update 5/12 Gemini head tilt.

Thanks to all.
Regular vet not in today and may not be tomorrow.
I took Gemini to a different vet with her own practice and Gemini got a different abx along with Panacur and some Meclizine.
I am sure I will have more days of worry before I know if this helps. Gemini was so good at the vets. He even kissed the doctor.

I am so relieved to hear that the different Vet agreed on a new treatment protocol and I really hope that Gemini will show some signs of improvement over the next few days xx
 
Gemini and I thank our RU friends for the support and advice.

Gemini began his new antibiotic, panacur, and meclizine at 5pm Monday.
On Tuesday he was even more tilted, almost 90 degrees.
On Wednesday he was tilted the same amount as on Tuesday, and I also thought his spine was curved. He also had a wet behind from peeing on himself. He is now sitting on towels which I change as needed. On Wednesday night, after his Critical Care syringe feed he struggled to wash his face with one paw.

Today, Thursday, he is drinking some water on his own. His head is still tilted the same as before, yet he appears to be moving his neck more. Today I noticed very little eye nystagmus. At this point, I am not sure if the latest changes are the result of him improving or him just becoming more accustomed to the odd position of his head.

Gemini and I would appreciate a few more positive vibes.
 
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Sending loads more vibes for your brave little boy, and some for you too xx really hope the meds help x
 
Gemini and I thank our RU friends for the support and advice.

Gemini began his new antibiotic, panacur, and meclizine at 5pm Monday.
On Tuesday he was even more tilted, almost 90 degrees.
On Wednesday he was tilted the same amount as on Tuesday, and I also thought his spine was curved. He also had a wet behind from peeing on himself. He is now sitting on towels which I change as needed. On Wednesday night, after his Critical Care syringe feed he struggled to wash his face with one paw.

Today, Thursday, he is drinking some water on his own. His head is still tilted the same as before, yet he appears to be moving his neck more. Today I noticed very little eye nystagmus. At this point, I am not sure if the latest changes are the result of him improving or him just becoming more accustomed to the odd position of his head.

Gemini and I would appreciate a few more positive vibes.

Bless him, it can be that symptoms get a lot worse before any improvement starts. You may find that he is also worse after being picked up (to medicate etc), so devising a way to do as much 'hands on care' without having to actually pick him up may help reduce the disorientation.

Some gentle massage of the muscles around his neck would help promote a good blood supply to them and possibly reduce the muscular spasms that can occur with head tilt. You have probably see this info

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...#v=onepage&q=head tilt rabbit massage&f=false

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/massage.html


Sending lots more vibes xx
 
Hello friends,

Gemini is far less tilted than he was on Wednesday and his eyes do not appear to have any Nystagmus. He is also moving his head more and I will touch him on the side of his face/head/body to encourage him to look in the opposite direction from the tilt. He had a slight permanent tilt from his first inner ear infection in March 2018 and his second one in January/Feb 2019 so he may never be symmetrical. Even so, he is very handsome.
I expected he would be more interested in food now that he is less tilted; yet he is actually eating less on his own than he did at his worst. I am wondering if his meds may be causing the lack of appetite. This morning he took the Critical Care fairly well; but this afternoon he was fighting the syringe feeds. He is also eating fewer of his greens, including his favorite carrot top. It is now time for me to give him his third syringe feed of the day.
Yesterday I weighed him and he weighs the same as he did at the vet on Monday 2.5 lbs. While 2.5 lbs is a little below his 2.7 lb regular weight, it is actually closer to what he should weigh as a dwarf bunny. In addition to not eating, he also is not drinking his usual amount. I know that could be the result of his receiving sub Q fluid so I am not too concerned about his fluid intake at this time.
I am pleased with his progress on his head tilt and appreciate all your support. Until his appetite returns I will continue syringe feeds.
Does anyone know if either the Bicillin (penicillin he gets every other day) or the Panacur (in case of EC which is less likely than infection) can cause him to lose his appetite?
 
I’m glad his tilt and nystagmus is better, I hope he starts eating more soon. I don’t know about the meds I’m afraid. I’m sending lots more vibes xx
 
Hello friends,

Gemini is far less tilted than he was on Wednesday and his eyes do not appear to have any Nystagmus. He is also moving his head more and I will touch him on the side of his face/head/body to encourage him to look in the opposite direction from the tilt. He had a slight permanent tilt from his first inner ear infection in March 2018 and his second one in January/Feb 2019 so he may never be symmetrical. Even so, he is very handsome.
I expected he would be more interested in food now that he is less tilted; yet he is actually eating less on his own than he did at his worst. I am wondering if his meds may be causing the lack of appetite. This morning he took the Critical Care fairly well; but this afternoon he was fighting the syringe feeds. He is also eating fewer of his greens, including his favorite carrot top. It is now time for me to give him his third syringe feed of the day.
Yesterday I weighed him and he weighs the same as he did at the vet on Monday 2.5 lbs. While 2.5 lbs is a little below his 2.7 lb regular weight, it is actually closer to what he should weigh as a dwarf bunny. In addition to not eating, he also is not drinking his usual amount. I know that could be the result of his receiving sub Q fluid so I am not too concerned about his fluid intake at this time.
I am pleased with his progress on his head tilt and appreciate all your support. Until his appetite returns I will continue syringe feeds.
Does anyone know if either the Bicillin (penicillin he gets every other day) or the Panacur (in case of EC which is less likely than infection) can cause him to lose his appetite?

Bicillin can cause loss of appetite. Are his poos OK, no signs of mucus/very soft fecal poo/diarrhoea ? Personally I'd give the Vet a call an I'd be minded to ask the Vet about stopping the Panacur for now as Gemini's GI tract is already under considerable challenge as a result of being on a Penicillin abx. Panacur could exacerbate this.

I am glad that his tilt is slightly improved. Sending lots more vibes xx
 
Bicillin can cause loss of appetite. Are his poos OK, no signs of mucus/very soft fecal poo/diarrhoea ? Personally I'd give the Vet a call an I'd be minded to ask the Vet about stopping the Panacur for now as Gemini's GI tract is already under considerable challenge as a result of being on a Penicillin abx. Panacur could exacerbate this.

I am glad that his tilt is slightly improved. Sending lots more vibes xx

Hello and thank you Jane. I thought it was more than a coincidence that the same time the antibiotic began working on the bacteria, he also lost his appetite. His poos are OK, although this morning I saw there were fewer and smaller than they had been. He had only a few soft poos and even a clump of what appeared to be cecals. I thought he was making fewer/smaller poos as the result of him not eating his regular pellets or any hay for several days. I know critical care has some fiber, thought the pieces cannot be very large to fit through the syringe.

I appreciate the information on Panacur. Yesterday I considered stopping his Panacur because he was never confirmed to have EC, just a precaution. His past head tilt episodes responded to antibiotics only, so I truly believe the change in antibiotic is what resulted in his head tilt improving.

He is taking the critical care pretty well, so at least he is getting some nutrition until this can be sorted. Overnight he did eat a couple carrot top greens on his own. Earlier they were wilted and untouched.

I will call the vet tomorrow to see if we should perhaps adjust the dose in his Bicillin.

Could it be that the Bicillin killing the bacteria which then requires Gemini's system to remove all the dead bacteria and toxins be stressing Gemini's system too?

He is such a good bunny.
 
Hello and thank you Jane. I thought it was more than a coincidence that the same time the antibiotic began working on the bacteria, he also lost his appetite. His poos are OK, although this morning I saw there were fewer and smaller than they had been. He had only a few soft poos and even a clump of what appeared to be cecals. I thought he was making fewer/smaller poos as the result of him not eating his regular pellets or any hay for several days. I know critical care has some fiber, thought the pieces cannot be very large to fit through the syringe.

I appreciate the information on Panacur. Yesterday I considered stopping his Panacur because he was never confirmed to have EC, just a precaution. His past head tilt episodes responded to antibiotics only, so I truly believe the change in antibiotic is what resulted in his head tilt improving.

He is taking the critical care pretty well, so at least he is getting some nutrition until this can be sorted. Overnight he did eat a couple carrot top greens on his own. Earlier they were wilted and untouched.

I will call the vet tomorrow to see if we should perhaps adjust the dose in his Bicillin.

Could it be that the Bicillin killing the bacteria which then requires Gemini's system to remove all the dead bacteria and toxins be stressing Gemini's system too?

He is such a good bunny.

I think it more likely that Bicillin can cause dysbiosis and as you no doubt know has the potential of causing enteritis/enterotoxemia.

https://wagwalking.com/rabbit/condition/enterotoxemia
 
I think it more likely that Bicillin can cause dysbiosis and as you no doubt know has the potential of causing enteritis/enterotoxemia.

https://wagwalking.com/rabbit/condition/enterotoxemia

Thanks for the information Jane.

On Monday I called the vet who prescribed Gemini's medications last Monday when I could not see my regular vet. I was advised to monitor his poos and to keep him on both the Bicillin and the Panacur because the vet does not know which one was responsible for his improvement. Most of his poos are normal with just a few softer ones. He is nibbling very few pellets and a few pieces of hay each day; although most of his nutrition is from his syringe feeds. Sometimes he will take the syringe feed very well and other times it takes a bit more effort to get the syringe into his mouth. It has been taking me about half an hour for each of his feeds and he is being syringe fed at least 3 times per day. I take the opportunity to give him plenty of pets and kisses and he is looking bright and happy.
 
Thanks for the information Jane.

On Monday I called the vet who prescribed Gemini's medications last Monday when I could not see my regular vet. I was advised to monitor his poos and to keep him on both the Bicillin and the Panacur because the vet does not know which one was responsible for his improvement. Most of his poos are normal with just a few softer ones. He is nibbling very few pellets and a few pieces of hay each day; although most of his nutrition is from his syringe feeds. Sometimes he will take the syringe feed very well and other times it takes a bit more effort to get the syringe into his mouth. It has been taking me about half an hour for each of his feeds and he is being syringe fed at least 3 times per day. I take the opportunity to give him plenty of pets and kisses and he is looking bright and happy.

You must be worn out with all the ongoing care of both Dash and Gemini. I really hope that Gemini will gradually recover from this relapse. Topping up the vibes for him :love:
 
I hope Gemini will continue to improve, as Jane said, it must be exhausting looking after both Gemini and Dash! Sending lots of vibes and hugs xx
 
Sending a load more vibes for Dash and Gemini, and some for you too. Really hope things improve soon xxxxx
 
Dear Jane, Zoobec, and Pets Mum,

Thank you for your support. Gemini's appetite/lack of appetite is a mystery to me. Sometimes he eats his greens slowly, this morning he ate one organic dandelion leaf very quickly before leaving the rest, and other times he lets some greens wilt uneaten. On Tuesday he did not get any sub Q fluids. On Wednesday morning he drank a moderate amount, ate his greens from the night before, and also ate a few pellets. On Wednesday evening he drank no water and ate nothing more than a few strands of hay. I did notice that Gemini produced more plentiful nice poos.

Gemini is such a nice bunny that I will do what I must to keep him nourished and hydrated while he is on the new med so we can eradicate this issue for good. My fear is his meds will stop working like his last ones.

Dash is very good on taking the strawberry flavored Cisapride I had compounded in almond oil (no refrigeration/good shelf life). Cisapride is not available in the regular pharmacy in the USA. Dash still causes me to worry, yet I am so glad Dash did not suffer the same fate as his brother Evan in December.
 
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