Rabbit starting to have minor head-tilt, HELP!

[katnanw]

Hi all, I haven't been on in FOREVER. Last time I was, some of you gave pretty good advice so I'm back.

Recently my first boy, Cookie, has been rejecting his food. He'll only eat when he's hand fed, which I thought was a bunny tantrum thing cause he did that a lot when he was little. Two days ago however, I noticed he had the tendency to bump into things eg. sofa legs, sides of playpens, when he's inside a box he kinda hops diagonally etc etc

I got a little worried and posted a video on Facebook for HELP. Many who have commented/pmed me told me to get him to a vet ASAP.

Yesterday at the vet's, he was found to have lots of bacteria in his ear which the vet suspects is E. Cuniculi (aka Head Tilt bacteria, I was told) and his liver/kidney had high concentration of (something, i blanked out coz im not good with medical terms.) Heres his list of meds:

- Appelin Vit B12 Syrup
- Critical Care
- Enrofloxacin 10% (Baytril) Solution
- Ranitidine Syrup 15mg/ml (Zantac)
- Ketoconazole 200mg blister tablets
- Hepavite Liver Capsules
- Metoclopromide Syrup 1mg/1ml

He was also given subcut fluids at the vet's and I was told to force feed him water at regular intervals. He refuses to eat and drink on his own even until now. I was told to force feed critical care every 6 hours but I have decreased the dosage and changed it to 3hr intervals instead. No poo. a little pee.

It's my first time dealing with this and I am freaked out/confused/upset/hopeless all at the same time. Advice?
When will he get better???

 

[katnanw]

I smeared a lil banana over vegetables, placed a bit of grated fresh apple in his water all to no avail. I cant be home 24/7 due to work and I am really worried something may happen to him when I am gone. He is currently separated from his brother to monitor his food/water/pee/poo intake / output...

 

[JBun]

Bacteria in the ear would not be an indication of e. cuniculi, but of an ear infection, which is also a cause of head tilt in rabbits. E. cuniculi is a microsporidian parasite that can also cause head tilt in rabbits, but it sounds like your vet is treating for a bacterial infection. Ear infections can take several weeks to completely clear up. You should start seeing some improvement after a week, though there also can commonly be a downturn as well afterwards, and then improvement again. If you aren't seeing improvement in 1-2 weeks, you will need to discuss with your vet, changing to a different antibiotic, as the one you are using may not be effective against the bacteria present. If you do see improvement on this antibiotic, then it should be continued for several days past the last symptom clearing up. The meds that your rabbit is getting are for an ear infection, as well as gut medications to protect the gut and stimulate appetite. Hopefully you will see improvement soon. The dizziness that the head tilt causes, can sometimes make them not feel like eating. One other med that may help with this dizziness, is Meclizine. If your rabbit is having dizziness and balance problems, you could ask your vet about giving it.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm