head tilt?

[BenNme]

my rabbit was fine yesterday, then today, he started wanting to lay down alot and he will just lay there for a minute, then his head will slowly start drooping to the side, then it will snap back up again, like he was falling asleep, then was woke up. other than those 2 things he is acting normal, eating, pooping, peeing. i just dont know what is wrong with him, oh, by the way, he is 6 years old. can someone please help?

 

[naturestee]

I can't see your rabbit, but it doesn't sound like head tilt. With head tilt, his head would be twisted sideways and he wouldn't be able to move it back to the normal position.

What's the weather like by you? Maybe he's too hot? Rabbits can get heat stress around 90 F, and I've seen mine nearly go into heat stroke when it was close to 100 F. That was indoor rabbits with fans and frozen water bottles to keep them cool.

 

[BenNme]

ok, well, i am glad that you dont think it is head tilt. the weather here was around 86 degrees most of the day. it actually would make sence that it could be the heat, because it was really nice and cool here yesterday, and today, it was so much hotter. well, he seems to be a little better now, that it has cooled down too. what are the symptoms of heat stroke?

 

[Pipp]

If you suspect he's acting unnaturally, he probably is,I suspect you've had him long enough to know.

Best to get him checked by a vet, it could be a budding ear infection, a bug or something neurological, or nothing at all. Better to be safe than sorry, especially at his age.

If the vet suspects the start of a head tilt, s/he'll probably prescribe something like Baytril for infection and ivermectin for parasites.

Hopefully he's just hot and/or tired.

sas



EDIT: With heat stroke, you'll probably see some dampness around his face (which is serious), lethargy, a few other things. I believe there's a lot of info in the Bunny 101section of the ResourceCenter with symptoms.

 

[Pipp]

Here's a bunch of info on head tilt/wry neck:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11840&forum_id=10

And here's a great 'cooling your rabbit' thread that lists the symptoms.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=864&forum_id=1

Let us know how he is!



sas

 

[BenNme]

thanks for the info you guys. UPDATE: now, Ben is acting very strange. he has stopped doing the head thing, but now he seems to be really unbalanced, like, when he tries to make a sudden movement, he falls. its really scary, i have never seen a rabbit act like this before. this is the rabbit that just pulled through his second bout of GI stasis also. could this maybe be something caused by the use of metoclopramide? i started giving him 1/3 teaspoon of nutri cal every day2 days ago, and the day after i started him on it, he started acting this way. could he maybe be having a reaction to the nutri cal? also, 2 days ago, the day before he started acting this way, i treated his bottom with a dry shampoo, some cornstarch baby powder, and neosporine, as he got a little urine scald from having a really messy bottom when he was sick. could he maybe have injested some of the dry shampoo, powder, or neosporine, and that caused some sort of wierd reaction? i am just so stumped by this whole situation! he was fine , then he was just so... not fine.:sosad:cry1:dunno::bunnybutt:

 

[Pipp]

Was the dry shampoo for pets and approved for rabbits? What was it called?

sas

 

[BenNme]

yes, it was, it is called "Premium dry small animal shampoo" the brand is pet scensations. it says on the back that it is 100% biodegradable and contains no animal by-products. it also says that no laboratory animals are used in testing. if any of that even makes a difference, if you want any more information on it, just ask. is it bad if a rabbit ingests a little bit of neosporin? because after i put some on Ben, he was trying to lick my fingers, so i am thinking that maybe he licked it all off of himself... i didnt think of it at the time, but, i am just trying to think of everything that may have caused this wierd problem.

Pipp wrote:

Was the dry shampoo for pets and approved for rabbits? What was it called?

sas

 

[Pipp]

Neosporin Plus with pain killer in it isn't recommended at all,and may well be your problem if he licked it off. I saw a message board reference (from a good source) to it causing heart problems in rabbits, but haven't found anything official.

I've been trying to find poison info on what to do when it's ingested, but everything just says contact medical emergency personnel.

The pain killer ingredient in Plus is Pramoxine Hydrochloride.

The regular Neosporin can cause problems when ingested as well. (In humans, if can compromise the hearing in rare cases, something to watchfor in Ben?).It's only supposed to be used in very small amounts over small areas.It'sto ward off bacterial infections.



sas

 

[BenNme]

i only used a tiny bit, and covered it in the cornstarch baby powder, and it wasnt the pain reliever kind, does that still count?

 

[Pipp]

I don't think asmall amount of regular Neosporin shouldn't have mattered that much, although they really shouldn't ingest any at all.

I'm certainly no expert, but I'd have his heart checked and see what a vet says about possible neurological problems. A lot of meds affect the liver, but I have no idea what the symptoms would be in that case.

Please keep in touch!

Hope he's okay.

sas

 

[BenNme]

thank you so much for your concern Pipp. Ben is actually getting alot better. i have been letting him out to play in his play yard every couple of hours, and he isnt nearly as wobly as yesterday, he is eating, pooping, peeing fine, and he is attempting to do small binkies, which, yesterday, he couldnt nearly do that, so, i am hoping that this thing will just pass, i am still stumped as to what it could be though. i'll keep you guys updated, thanks soooo much for your tremendous amount of help!



oh, p.s. i have been giving him about 1/3 teaspoon of nutri cal every day. does that sound likethe rightdosage for a 3 lb rabbit?

 

[Pipp]

The usual dose recommended here is just a 'quarter to a half inch ribbon', and he's a pretty small bunny... Sounds like a lot to me, but I don't know what that translates to in teaspoon format.

Glad he's feeling better.

sas