Head Tilt (RIP)

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littlemisslacie

littlemisslacie

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, Ontario, Canada
Hey guys!


So my bunny developed head tilt on Friday. We went to vet emerge and the vet put her on Baytril (we've been crushing it into a 3ml syringe of apple juice) and said it was an ear infection and that there was a little bit of puss in the ear.
She said she wasnt worried and expected her to get better no problem.
She seemed to be getting better until today. She can't stand up and the vet said her ear drum might have burst?
Just wondering if anyone has experienced this, what was done (medications), and how the bunny is doing now.
Thanks!


--Lyss, Lacie & Reese.
 
No true first hand exp. but I would get her back to a vet asap. We have only had one head tilt that bad, and it didn't end well, but the rabbit was right at 8 years old and had been sick other wise for a well. I would go back to the vet and ask for stronger AB or a redosing. It sounds like a ER sit to me. If she is not getting up, the vet needs to figure out asap what is wrong.
 
Hi,

Head tilt, as you have found, is many times caused by a bacterial infection in the ear. Baytril, while usually considered the "go to" antibiotic for rabbits....is probably not the best choice. Most vets use it because it is considered "safe". But, most of the pathogens we are finding in rabbits are becoming resistant to Baytril. I would suggest getting a culture done to determine exactly what pathogen is involved. It is usually Pasteurella but can be several others. A few drugs that are more effective against Pasteurella are Zithromax, Zeniquin, Penicillin (safe only as an injectable) and Convenia (again, safe only as an injectable). I do use Baytril Otic (ear drops). An anti-inflammatory (such as Metacam) can reduce any swelling or discomfort. Supplemental fluids are helpful especially to control fever....and the highest body temps we have ever see were with vestibular infections. If she starts to spin, some rabbits respond well to Meclizine....some not so much. And it is important to keep the "down" eye lubricated.

Most vets are far too conservative in treating ear infections in rabbits.....and I think the protocol needs to be bumped up a bit here. We fire the big guns with ear infections.

Randy
 
The head tilt probably advanced further into the inner ear to cause your bunny to lose a sense of balance. it would be great if your vet would consider some of the meds suggested by Randy as baytril mayclear up a very mild ear infection but adeeper infection is more difficult to treat.
There are many members on this forumwho have been through cases of head tilt with their bunnies and have first hand advice ..hopefully they willsee this thread.

here is the library section on head tilt but not all of it is as current as Randy in terms of choice of medication.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11840&forum_id=10
 
Although I do have first hand experience, I am obviously not as qualified as Randy to give out medical advice. I can say that we were using a combination of Pen G, Baytril, Panacur, Meloxicam, and Meclizine, as well as daily feedings of Critical Care due to loss of appetite. I do think that Baytril alone will not cut it, and that you should consider going back to the vet or finding a new vet who will do a culture and prescribe stronger antibiotics.

With ours, we started treatment with various medications at the first signs of head tilt. Still, we had a long road ahead of us and there were a lot of ups and downs. The good news is that Ronnie has been cured for almost a year now, and has not had any signs of recurrence. So it is very treatable.

I encourage you to continue posting any and all questions that you have about the illness on the forum. I know it helped me immensely when we went through this with Ronnie.
 
Hi
I have first hand experience with Black who had head tilt (medium not too severe) about 3 months ago. One day he was fine but the next morning I noticed he had nystagmus (his eyes were scanning as if reading a book) and his head was tilted about 45 degrees from 90 degrees. One eye looked smaller than the other, he was walking in circles and also falling over, however eating and drinking, but looking obviusly uncomfortable. The vet did not know for sure what it was caused by and gave us: baytril by mouth, "bicillin" (I dont remember the name for sure but it is related to penicilin I think)by injection into his muscle on his back once a day like I mean under the skin tissue, and also Panacur in case it was E cuniculi liquid by mouth. He took it for about 7 to 10 days and his head tilt got better within hours of taking his first dose of all of the above. So if it is not helping it is not the right drug. My vet did a blood test but it was inconclusive so we dont know why, but the vet's guess was some bacterial infection.
 
Hi there... I just went thru this with My Jacub boy... who I did end up putting to sleep as he was just getting worse and worse. However, since then I've learned quite a few things that I wish I had known before making that decision, as I think he could have been treated better. I agree with Randy... get a culture done, so your vet will know exactly what type of infection is present and which drugs will work.

One of my main regrets with Jacub is that I didn't know that in Canada Penicillin G is different than it is in the states. Jacub was getting a shot (which I did) every other day. After he was gone I learned that given the Pen G we have in Canada, he needed to be getting the shot every day.

Meclizine has been discontinued in Canada... you just can't get it anywhere. I'm not sure where you are located, but if you are close to a border you can slip over and pick it up at a pharmacy in the states. PM me if you're not close to a border and would like me to pick some up for you, as I'm going over this weekend.

My vet didn't prescribe anything for Jacub's "down" eye and it got quite bad by the end... so I highly recommend getting some stuff for your buns eye, and keep it lubricated.

Here are a few sites that I found invaluable...
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/OnTheWonk/
 
Just a quick comment on the use of Panacur with head tilt. This is done due to the misinformation that E Cuniculi causes head tilt...it does not. EC compromises the immune system to the point it allows bacterial infections. While I have no problem using Panacur especially when treating most intestinal parasites, it is not very effective against EC (but is the most common treatment) since the drug has a difficult time passing the blood/brain barrier but it also just adds another layer of treatment that may add additional stress.

Randy
 
Quick post here.....referring to the "onthewonk" site. I am all for any site that helps a rabbit. However, they seem to place a lot of emphasis on EC as the cause of head tilt. EC does not cause head tilt. All rabbits with systemic EC do not tilt and all tilt rabbit don't have systemic EC. Again, as I mention often, EC compromises the immune system and allows roving infections....and the ears are a prime target. By treating the ear infection too conservatively based on the incorrect notion that EC is the cause of the tilt will result in a more serious infection in which there might not be full correction. And Panacur, again while the most used treatment, is like many drugs.....unable to penetrate the blood/brain barrier in large enough concentrations to really make a difference in the parasite. Fire the big guns at and intothose ears!

Randy
 
Regardless, the presence of pus in the ear for Lacie makes it clear that this is a bacterial ear infection. The best treatment for this is injectible antibiotics, such as Bicillin, along with Zithromax. Baytril alone, especially oral, will not cut it.

I think something like meclizine for the diziness can help, especially if she's rolling at all.

Artificial tears can help the "down" eye as it can't lubricate itself very well.

And in any situation where antibiotics are being taken, a probiotic should also be used, like Bene-Bac of Probios.

Some pain meds might help as well, and you may have to do some syringe feeding of Critical Care.
 
Reese kept getting worse and worse. They put him on two more meds and had us cleaning the ear out daily and apparently it got a lot worse.
Im at school so I havent seen it and they arent very good at relaying the message.
The vet called them today to see how he was doing and my aunt told them the updates and they said to bring him in for euthanasia. She is throwing herself around and seems to be in a lot of pain and they said she will jut end up killing herself.
Thank you to everyone who tried to help, it was greatly appreciated.
 
I just want to say that the rolling is all part of the ear infection. It's not uncommon at all, and you can take measures to help her be comfortable. What she needs is strong medication like Pen G.

I really would like to encourage you to take her to a rabbit savvy vet, who can help her. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like your vet has much, if any, experience dealing with this.

Can you tell me her current state... is she interested/able to eat? Drink? Try to clean herself?
 
Ear infections can take awhile to treat. It's definitely not too late to get a culture done. She just needs the proper medication to start to fight the infection.
 
I have treated several rabbits for head-tilt. 2 which had severe rolling. Both most would have recommended to be PTS. Gabriel was. It meant special set-ups and LOTS of medication but both boys are awesome now. When they are at the constant rolling stage I give a week on very STRONG meds and see how they are. Usually in a week you see some progress.

My foster http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=45541&forum_id=16&page=3

His set-up during bad rolling

Gabriel's set-up during the bad rolling...

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My Boy Ringo

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=39451&forum_id=16
 
I agree that it may be too soon to have him PTS, but without seeing her I can't tell. Some bunnies can live long, happy lives with chronic tilt, once the infection has cleared up. I agree that the vet doesn't sound too savvy, because cleaning the ear out usually isn't done--you just wipe away any pus that gets in the way, and the oral baytril would not have been enough. It also sounds like this vet only has the dog formulation of Baytril, because I think they make a liquid solution for bunnies, so that you wouldn't have to crush up pills to be able to give her medicine. However, it's your decision and if she's just miserable and has lost her will to live, it may be time. We usually recommend assessing the three A's: appetite, alertness, and affection. If these are lacking, it may be best to PTS. However, rolling is not something that requires you to have the animal euthanized. Ali didn't mention, but she also gives Ringo some human seasickness medicine to help with his balance/rolling. It's called meclizine.
 
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