Help diagnose my bun?

Hey, all. New here. Hoping to get some help.

We have four buns. The one I'm posting about, Atticus, is a 4-yr-old mini lop. He is neutered.

Atticus has always had good health, and this is the first time he's been sick.

Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that he just didn't seem right. He was pretty still and not running to the gate to greet me, as he typically does. I tried giving him a treat, some pellets, and some greens, and he refused to eat. He's usually a piggy. (He ate breakfast that morning.)

He also has peed outside of the litter box a few time, which isn't like him.

He pooped a good bit as I rubbed him and later in his carrier on the way to the vet. Normal poops.

Immediately, I gave him some belly rubs, a dropper of gas drops, and called the vet.

Took him to our vet at 6:00 last night. She did a thorough exam but not bloodwork or X-ray (yet).

Said everything seemed normal, but it looked like he had a bit of an ear infection.

She sent us home with pain meds, probiotic, ear drops with antibiotics in them, and Reglan.

We gave him all of the above last night, and he ate a couple handfuls of greens and a papaya tablet for dinner.

We had hoped he'd turn a corner over night, but this morning, he hardly ate any of his pellets.

I gave him his meds again, fed him a large syringe full of critical care, and gave him romaine. He ate a handful.

Now, I've just noticed that he's scanning quite a bit. Never saw him do that before.

Any ideas of what may be going on? Will call vet this morning and update her. May take him back for X-ray and bloodwork, but it causes him SO much stress.

Hoping you bun experts can help. Thanks in advance!

I should add--he hasn't eaten any hay. Doesn't seem to have an interest.

Uncharacteristic neurological problems like scanning, can be caused by an ear infection. The parasite e. cuniculi is also a common cause, but I think the ear infection is a more likely in your rabbits case since the vet has already found evidence of this. If EC is a concern at all, it may be good to just go ahead and treat with panacur.

With definite signs of an ear infection, your rabbit should also be on antibioitcs, not just ear drops, and in cases of eardrum rupture ear drops with antibiotics may not be appropriate and could be harmful. A common oral antibiotic that vets start out with is either septrin or baytril, though if these don't show as being effective, something like azithromycin, chloramphenicol, or injectable penicillin may be needed. But it really depends on the type of bacteria involved as to what antibiotic will be effective. Your vet may be able to take a swab of the infection and have a culture and sensitivity done, to find out the bacteria and antibiotics that would treat it.

If the pain medication isn't an anti inflammatory, you will also need that, usually meloxicam. If that was given and doesn't seem to be helping with the pain, you may need to discuss a higher dose with your vet And if your rabbit is showing signs of disorientation, the motion sickness med meclizine, may be helpful.

The lack of appetite will be due to pain. If you can get the pain meds to where they are controlling the pain, this should help get your bun eating again on his own. Until then you will need to regularly supplement his feeding, and water as well if needed. Getting him on the right antibiotic may help with this lack of appetite as well, though in some cases antibiotics can also result in lack of appetite, in which the probiotics will sometimes help with this.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm
http://www.gwexotics.com/wccms-resources/a/5/0/e/77554b90-a660-11e0-a685-0050568626ea.pdf

JBun has given some great advice.

I just want to ask, what is scanning?

Okay, went to vet and got antibiotics. Now, he's on:

Metronidazole, Enrofloxacin, Probi, Metoclopramide, Synotic/Baytril/Banamine ear drops, Meloxicam, and gas drops.

Between all that and giving him Critical Care a couple times a day, it's A LOT. He's not happy about it.

Is this normal?

Fingers crossed!