Head tilt with severe loss of balance advice

[Pudgeyjoe]

Greetings to my fellow rabbit lovers and friends. I am a proud parent to 2 dwarf hotots, Cocopuff and Peppermint. It is a nightmare for me and my wife to see one of them suffer.

Peppermint got the head tilt manifestation just this Tuesday. It is about a 5° tilt and it drifts from mid to left side with him stopping it and returning midline. Then we got appointment to the vet and tok him the next day. The vet is 30mins away and gave him Orbax only. From then on, his condition is worsening and now he has severe tilt and loss of balance. He is now in a laundry basket with absorbent pad and rolls of towels on the side supported by pillow pets. He keeps rolling and tucking his head between gaps of towels.

He had not peed but has small poos. I was successful in giving him about 3cc of mashed oxbow pellets and quite a few pure apple juice.

Is there anything else to do to help him? I am buying apple sauce, vege baby food and pedialite. I also got benebac plus. I actually put him in my lap and feed him. I read we must not handle rabbits with head tilt as much but itn8s the only safe way to feed him. Any advice and tips will do. He was eatimg hay in small increments but I did nit put it in his basket fearing abrasion of the down eye. I am giving him celery slices too.

 

[JBun]

I'm very sorry this has happened to your rabbit. It's not an easy illness to deal with, but if treated correctly it is possible for the rabbit to recover from fully, though sometimes there can be some residual tilt that remains.

Head tilt in rabbits is most commonly caused by either an inner ear infection or the parasite e. cuniculi affecting the nervous system. Your vet is treating for the ear infection, but was e. cuniculi ruled out as a possible cause? How did your vet determine that it was an ear infection causing the tilt? Because it can very often be difficult to determine which of the two is causing the head tilt, most vets will treat for both with an antibiotic for the ear infection, fenbendazole which is an antiparasitic to treat the e. cuniculi, and meloxicam to reduce inflammation and help with any pain. The meloxicam is very important as both illnesses cause inflammation which can result in cell damage and the symptoms you are seeing. The cell damage can result in permanent damage occurring, which is why it's important to try and bring the inflammation down. If your vet didn't prescribe meloxicam or fenbendazole with the antibiotic you were given, you may want to discuss adding these to your rabbits treatment.

Another medication that some people have found helpful with head tilt bunnies, is meclizine to help with the dizziness. So may be worth asking about that as well. You may also want to ask about drops for your rabbits eyes to help protect them. The down eye can sometimes get scratched and the up eye can sometimes get dry. So you may need a lubricating eye drop. If the down eye gets ulcerated and infected, you will need an antibiotic eye drop to treat it.

Handling rabbits with head tilt can sometimes be difficult because moving them around can make some feel very dizzy, which can temporarily worsen the tilt or cause rolling. It really just depends on each individual rabbit. If you notice your bunny worsening when you pick up your bun to put on your lap, you may want to try and figure out a way to feed where you don't have to pick your bunny up.

It's important to keep up the feedings and keeping your rabbit hydrated if he is having difficulty eating and drinking on his own. The small poop can be because he hasn't been able to eat enough on his own so his digestion is slowing down. You'll want to make sure to feed enough to keep his digestion moving normally and also so he doesn't lose any weight. If you need a food you can syringe feed, Oxbow Critical Care is one that is commonly used for feeding sick rabbits. You also need to be careful about adding too many sugars into the diet as this can also be causing the poops to get smaller as it slows down the digestive system and can sometimes lead to other more serious digestive problems occurring from the excess sugars.

Here's some info regarding head tilt in rabbits, treatment, and care. Best wishes for your bunny and I hope he is feeling better soon.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HeadTiltVestibularRabbit.htm
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

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/head-tilt.html
http://mohrs.org/index.php?id=palliative-care
http://www.specialbunny.org/special-needs-housing/

 

[flemishwhite]

About giving your bunn medicine. Our last rabbit, and our now two rabbits, expect a slice of banana in the morning. For our last rabbit, we'd cut a little conical depression in the banana slice and put in her liquid medicine. We'd give her the banana slice and she'd lick the medicine and then eat the banana. Soooo much easier than syringing the medicine into her mouth. Liquid medicine for bunnies is usually flavored with a sweet fruity taste, so it's a nice banana topping.

 

[Pudgeyjoe]

Thank you for your advices. He is eating and drinking better now but output is still an issue. He still has bad balance issues. Hopefully the vet calls fir the culture results soon. He is drinking off a water bottle now but I have not permanently attached it to his basket out of fear of him hitting it while rolling. I will be calling the vet for Metacam and eye drops as per Jbun. The banana is a wonderful idea Flemishwhite. I will try that now.