Fuzz is scanning

[PamsWarren]

Last night when I got home from work, I noticed that Fuzz was scanning (head tracks to the left). The scanning is not constant, but occurs in somewhat short bursts. He also seems a bit disoriented. He's not rolling, but I've noticed that when he hops around, he acts like he is not quite sure where he is. There is no nystagmus.

We saw the vet this morn. He increased Fuzz's Metacam dosage to .5mg/kg 2x per day hoping to reduce any inflammation in the inner ear, I believe. He also prescribed oxibendazole 1x per day for 2 weeks. Fuzz is currently on long-term Chloremphenicol; we did not change the antibiotic at this point, but we may change to Baytril if no improvement.

I should also mention that Fuzz's weight is down .08kg in the past three weeks (he went from 1.78kg to 1.7kg), despite the fact that he seems to be eating well. He's also been drinking quite a bit in the past couple of days (or at least a lot for him) and I've started finding pee in places it should not be. Not sure if Fuzz is responsible for the pee or if it is his mate, though.

A bit of background - Fuzz is a 13yo neutered male with chronic molar issues and glaucoma. He was previously prescribed long-term Chloremphenicol for recurring URI symptoms (which the Chloremphenicol has kept under control very nicely). So, I have a hopping pharmacy here, but aside from the scanning and frequent molar rasps (without anaesthetic), he seems to be doing ok - he is eating well, grooming himself and doting over his mate.

I had a 13yo girl who met the same sort of fate a year or so ago, so I am not overly hopeful that Fuzz will make it. OTOH, Moccasin's condition progressed much quicker than Fuzz's - by the time I noticed there was anything amiss with her, she was rolling and had severe nystagmus. It seemed to happen overnight. Fuzz is at least still eating and acting pretty much normal.

Of all of the ailments that can afflict these guys, head tilt and spinning have to be the worse. They scare the crap out of me, actually. Fingers crossed that Fuzz does ok for a little while yet. I know he's not going to live forever, but he and Muffy, his 12yo mate, depend on each other so much. I know she will go downhill very quickly without him.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Did the vet do any blood work? I'm wondering about the possibility of diabetes with the increased thirst and potty accidents? That could also make him loose weight and make him disoriented. Then again, I'm not a vet.

Good luck, it is so hard when our loved ones are ill.

 

[tonyshuman]

Diabetes is very rare in rabbits, although it is not totally impossible.

I would ask about adding an anti-seasickness med to the mix. Dramamine can be used sometimes.

 

[PamsWarren]

tonyshuman wrote:

Diabetes is very rare in rabbits, although it is not totally impossible.

I would ask about adding an anti-seasickness med to the mix. Dramamine can be used sometimes.

I thought about asking for an anti-nausea drug. I have personally experienced vertigo and sea-sickness - it is not nice, for sure. I will phone the vet about this tomorrow. Does anyone know if Dramamine is available in Canada?

Have you ever heard of using Gravol for the nausea? We tried Gravol with Moccasin when she was ill, but I don't think it helped her at all.

MiniLopHop, thanks for the good wishes. If that is Rebecca Lynn in your avatar, she's very cute

 

[PamsWarren]

Just want to post an update on Fuzz. Since my original post, Fuzz has developed noticeable nystagmus (horizontal) and his head is almost completely tilted to the left but only when sleeping or eating. Otherwise, he looks and acts pretty normal. He seems to get around well and I’ve not seen him hop in circles in a few days. His appetite is actually quite good at the moment and he’s even eating pellets again. The fact that his head is tilted more and there is now noticeable nystagmus, though, cannot be good signs.

I found liquid Gravol (same drug as Dramamine, I believe) for infants at the grocery, so I gave him some before bed last night. I am not sure if it helped with the dizziness, but he seemed to sleep well and this morn, he was up waiting for breakfast and looking as bright as a rabbit with a tilted head can look.

In the original appointment, the vet mentioned changing the antibiotic to Baytril and administering another med in place of the Metacam (I cannot remember what it is, though – I just remember he said that giving this drug with Metacam can cause ulcers). I followed up with the vet yesterday AM and this morn regarding making changes to the treatment protocol, but I haven’t received a response yet.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has any suggestions or thoughts.

 

[tonyshuman]

Gravol is dimenhydrinate, and it is found in some formulations of Dramamine. It is good that it seemed to work for Fuzz. I forgot at the moment I posted about the sea sickness meds which exact one was typically used, but I now remember it is meclizine. I know Jadeicing has given that to her permanently tilted boy Ringo. However, I can't find the dosing info for either of those two drugs on the usual sites. I would expect that Gravol would work fine, but might make him a bit sleepy as compared to meclizine.

Metacam can be really hard on the stomach like most NSAIDs. You're not supposed to have them on an empty stomach because of the chance of causing bleeding. There may be other drugs that also have the possibility to cause ulcers, or that amplify the ability of Metacam to cause ulcers (by over-acidifying the stomach, for instance), and those would be drugs you wouldn't want to combine. I know Baytril is well known for having GI side effects, but most of those are in the intestines as far as I know. The other pain medication options are a bit more likely to cause a "doped-up" attitude, so keep an eye out for that.

What about a more aggressive antibiotic therapy? Baytril is of a class of drugs that many bacteria have gained resistance to. Penicillin or Zithromax could be better for this ear infection. It is hard to say what to use because he's already on chloramphenicol, but I always thing ear infections should be treated aggressively because they cause so much distress to bunnies (can you imagine feeling like your world was supposed to be sideways?) and are sometimes hard to access from the blood, it seems.

 

[PamsWarren]

Thanks for your help, Tonyshuman. I have found out from another list that I am on that we can get Meclizine here from a compounding pharmacy. I have a call into my vet to inquire.

<<What about a more aggressive antibiotic therapy? Baytril is of a class of drugs that many bacteria have gained resistance to. Penicillin or Zithromax could be better for this ear infection. It is hard to say what to use because he's already on chloramphenicol, but I always thing ear infections should be treated aggressively because they cause so much distress to bunnies (can you imagine feeling like your world was supposed to be sideways?) and are sometimes hard to access from the blood, it seems.>>

Fuzz been on all of the drugs mentioned above at some point in his life for chronic UR issues. Of these drugs, we had the most success with a very high dose of Baytril (20mg/kg 2x per day) and more recently, Chloremphenicol. Zithromax was a disaster – he completely went off of his food and got the runs. I found the penicillin very difficult to administer (Fuzz is, and has always been, a tiny, skinny little bun with leathery tough skin), but I want to give him the best shot I can, so I will ask the vet about this drug.

Fuzz’s demeanour continues to be good. He sleeps ALOT (from my experience, not unusual for a 13yo bun), but his appetite is good. He continues to groom himself and his mate (I’ve even seen him hold his back foot up in the air so that he can clean his heel) and lately, he’s even been trying to hump his mate (and is often succeeding). The nystagmus and scanning seem to come and go.

<<(can you imagine feeling like your world was supposed to be sideways?)>>

He’s not exactly viewing his world sideways. Perhaps ‘tilted’ is not quite an accurate description – it’s more like his head hangs down and is slightly turned or tilted to the left side, but only when he’s sleeping or very relaxed. When he’s sitting up and alert, he may scan, but his head is straight. If I can get a photo tonight, I will post.

A couple of interesting observations – I have seen him suddenly stop scanning and start to groom himself. It’s almost like he can control the scanning when he is concentrating on something else, like grooming. Also, the scanning seems to be at its worse when he’s eating – he always scans when he eats (his head tracks to the left as he chews). He scans at other times, too, but intermittently.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[tonyshuman]

Another possible antibiotic is Convenia, which is a every 5 day injection. It's similar to Baytril but newer so fewer bugs are resistant to it.