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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Head tilt

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    • Jessica
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        Well we had our first adventure to an emergency vet tonight

        Story starts yesterday when I noticed while Amelia was playing with Zilla the dog, she seemed to stumble a bit when his little nub of a tail bummed her nose while it was wagging. I didn’t really think twice about it, figured she just got startled. Today she seemed rather chill, no binkies and was more interested in her hay then pellets. Amelia is a horrible hay eater and usually only pigs out on it when we first get to my moms or someplace new. I noticed what seemed to be her footing slipping occasionally when she would be part on the carpet and part on the wood or tile floors. By this evening I noticed her lose her footing and stumble like she was drunk every so often if she moved her head quickly. When she shook her head and fell to her side I decided we were going to the vet now and not waiting until the morning.

        Luckily I found an emergency vet who is experienced with rabbits. The vet was very surprised that we were I tune with our bun enough to catch the symptoms as quickly as we did. By the end of the exam Amelia was showing the very slightest head tip, consistently the same way. She checked Amelia’s ears and saw no sign of any kind of infection. We did talk about the possibility of EC, she was willing to run the test but felt we would likely get a negative result, and if she continues to have symptoms to work with my regular vet. She did prescribe Meclizine and will be forwarding everything to her vet in the morning. I’ve left a message for her vet and expect to hear back in the morning.

        Sorry for the long rambling story. Has anyone else dealt with a similar situation?


      • Bam
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          I know our leader LittlePuffyTail had a somewhat similar experience with her bunny Bindi once. She brought him in at first signs, the vet put him on fenbendazole (Panacur) right away and Bindi recovered very rapidly.

          Didn’t your vet mention Panacur?


        • Jessica
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            The Emergency vet did not, but did suggest EC screening with my regular vet. Her balance has gotten worse through the night, she is now having trouble washing her face with both front feet, she is leaning against a wall when she is grooming. She has an appointment with her regular vet at 2:45 and I’m going to ask about doing a run of panacur.

            I’m so worried and scared, I love her so much and I’m so scared I could lose her


          • Bam
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              It is very scary. I hope you can get her on panacur empirically, ie without waiting for test results. It’s a comparatively mild drug with few side-effects. You can read about it here, scroll down to Fenbendazole: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/cuniculi/pyrimethamine.htm

              Some vets )f ex the British rabbit vet Molly Varga) suggests co-treatment with Baytril also, because Baytril seems to have some effect on the e.c microorganisms. Metacam is sometimes also prescribed because of its anti-inflammatory properties.


            • Luna's Mom
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                That is so scary how a totally healthy bun can just fall ill so quick. It sounds like what ever it is you caught it right away. We will be thinking of her and hoping she makes a quick recovery. Wishing you better ??Amelia??


              • Jessica
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                  Thank you so much everyone!

                  Thank you for the info Bam. I presented everything to the vet and she agrees that doing panacure and and antibiotic is the right route to go for her.


                • Kate
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                    I had a bunny years ago that had this issue- and unfortunately never resolved.   Was called “wry neck” – ended up getting worse as he got older and he eventually died at only 5 years old.  So sad


                  • jerseygirl
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                      {{{Vibes}}} for Amelia! So glad you caught this early Jessica.

                      Anti inflammatories can be beneficial in both inner ear infection and EC infection. It’s inflammation that causes the symptoms.
                      And as Bam commented, baytril can be useful too in both cases. It can suppress spore formation if EC and also help prevent secondary bacterial infections where there is inflammation.


                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                        Sorry your bunny is unwell. How is she doing now?

                        Like Bam mentioned, I dealt with a similar situation with my Bindi. I brought him to the vet the same day I noticed symptoms (wobbliness, slight head tilt and nystagmus). My vet didn’t bother with the EC test as she said the results are often unreliable. We started the 30 day treatment and he was back to himself in less than a week. I really think the key is early detection and treatment.


                      • Jessica
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                          Hey everyone,

                          Amelia is starting to improve, her drunken swagger is now only the a tipsy trip, that’s pretty well gone when the dizziness meds kick in.

                          @littlepuffytail my vet has said pretty much the same. They were very impressed with how quickly I spotted her slight symptoms. She is on 14 days of an antibiotic (I can check which one when I’m home) and then 28-30 days of panacure. She has about 10 days of an anti dizziness Med. My vet also opted to not actually blood test her for EC. She didn’t believe that we would get an accurate result


                        • Deleted User
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                            {{{Amelia}}} Get well soon! {{{Bunny Hugs}}}


                          • Bam
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                              Get well soon, Amelia!!! Glad to hear she’s already shown improvement!


                            • Jessica
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                                Thank you guys so much!

                                She is getting better ? I can tell being on meds is catching up with her, she’s been a bit down today, but was better after a good tummy massage. She is still dizzy and as soon as she get tired her head starts to to tip slightly. She is also getting upset about being confined more then she likes. Luckily everything was caught very early so the recovery should be a bit easier


                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                  ((((((Continued Recovery Vibes))))


                                • Jessica
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                                    Thank you!

                                    @littlepuffytail when did you start to see improvement with Bindi? Did he get over all of his symptoms? We saw decent approvement pretty quick but it hasn’t been 100%. She is still getting wobbly as soon as her dizziness meds wear off, and her head starts to tip a bit as she gets tired


                                  • Jessica
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                                      And we are headed back to the vet ? Amelia is now showing horizontal eye darting when she got stressed and she is more tilted then yesterday


                                    • Bam
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                                        I’m sorry to hear it. Please update us on what the vet says.


                                      • Jessica
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                                          Vet update!

                                          At today’s appointment we saw the vet who we usually see, last week we had to see his associate who is also rabbit savvy, but I prefer Dr Snider. Anyways he did see they eye darting and decided that she should also be on metacam. He said that we are likely in that spot where she is gonna get a bit worse before getting better. He is currently leaning more towards inner ear infection then EC, since horizontal eye movement is more common with inner ear infections. But he is keeping her on the course of panacure. We also had a talk about the fact that she may not recover to wear she was originally, that she may ways have a bit of head tilt and mild balance issues. He did reassure me that even if that happens she will still be a happy girl.

                                          It’s been about a week since she has binkied, and I’m missing her nightly bunny 500s, followed by cuddles and kisses. I’m still getting lots of cuddles and kisses, but I miss my wild girl

                                          Thank you all for all of your support, you never plan to go through this. You also never really plan to be trying to wrap your head around the fact that your 7 month old bun may now be mildly disabled. Not that it changes how much I love her, nor does it change that I will do everything I can for her to have long and happy life. I just wasn’t ready for all this ?


                                        • jerseygirl
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                                            He is currently leaning more towards inner ear infection then EC, since horizontal eye movement is more common with inner ear infections.

                                            That’s right. There *can* be horizontal nystagmus with EC but it’s more common for inner ear infection.

                                            Glad she’s on metacam. Hopefully that will help.

                                            {{{Amelia}}} !


                                          • Bam
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                                              You seem to have very good vets. I hope the Metacam will help. Feel better (((((Amelia)))))


                                            • Jessica
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                                                Thanks guys! I’m very lucky to have access to a very good vet, 15 years as a professional dog groomer gave me the low down on all the vets and clinics in the area. I was so happy when I learned how rabbit savvy this vet is since he was in my top 2 for dogs.

                                                Anyways I gave Amelia a second dose of her meclizine last night before bed as the vet recommended, and when I got up this morning she was honking at me to be cuddled, she hasn’t done that in a week! About half an hour after her metacam this morning she was exploring a little bit. She now sitting next to me on her spot on the couch. Her head tilt seems a bit less today. I’m now hoping that we may be starting the up swing.


                                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                  Sounds like she’s improving. Keep it up, Amelia!!


                                                • Jessica
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                                                    Looks like week one was the worst (fingers crossed). Amelia has been drastically better the last two days, her head tilt is minimal, her balance is much better and she is able to sit in a bunny loaf again and yesterday she even flopped out on her left side. Previously she was only floppin on her right side, the same direction her head was tilted. She still has a way to go but hopefully she is now moving in the right direction

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                                                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Head tilt