Ronnie has head tilt

[MyLOVEABLES!!]

oh my... I just saw this thread... i cant believe imissed t!


but anyways im glad taht ronnie is doing better!

he's so adorabl!

make sure you keep us updated.

xx

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Poor little Ronnie At least his head isn't as tilted as some bunnies... I really hope the infection is gone now! Thanks for updating us. How is Billy?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

head tilt breaks my heart. Ronnie is doing really well but I wish his head would be normal Poor thing.

We're thinking of you guys ray:

 

[Flashy]

I think its so sad that Ronnie is still tilted. Tilly was tilted for far longer without treatment and she is now less tilted than Ronnie because she is getting successful treatment. I hope that if it gets worse that your vet can help you find and try a different drug/combo to try and combat it.

He is coping well though, which is lovely to see, just sad that he has to see the world from that angle.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

SnowyShiloh wrote:

Poor little Ronnie At least his head isn't as tilted as some bunnies... I really hope the infection is gone now! Thanks for updating us. How is Billy?

Billy is the same spoiled little troublemaker he always is

He gets jealous of the extra attention that I'm giving Ronnie.

Billy notices Ronnie's scent on my jeans and seems fascinated by it:

He also likes to keep an eye on Ronnie, although I don't think Billy understands that anything is wrong with him:

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I know it's hard to tell from the pictures and the video (they look the same to me if I compare them to the ones I posted a few weeks ago) but Ronnie has made vast improvements:

• I was not able to see his down eye before because his head was almost always near a 90 degree angle, with one eye pointing directly at the ceiling. Now I have no trouble seeing his down eye and his head appears almost normal at times.

• Ronnie used to creep around to maintain balance, he doesn't do this anymore because he doesn't have any balance problems.

• Ronnie used to have one nonfunctional ear. He can now move both of his ears independently like he did before he got sick.
• Ronnie's eye used to twitch back and forth because he had nystagmus (sp?). It no longer does this unless he has not had his Meclizine for the day and is in a stressful situation (like the vets office). We can usually pick him up for meds and his eye will be still.
• Ronnie would get really bad when we put him in his cage and fall over because he did not like confined spaces...they made him dizzy. Now he sits up in his cage like a normal bunny and does not fall.
• Ronnie would refuse to groom me, instead shoving his head under my hand. It was as if he knew that he was sick, and it was my duty to take care of him. Now he grooms me if I put my hand near his face.

His tilt has gotten better, but it's happening so slowly that it's difficult to tell. I'm still hoping that it will gradually improve over time and get back to normal. Ronnie doesn't seem to mind though, and acts as if nothing is wrong.

Ronnie's specialty is looking pathetic. I can't explain it other than to say that Ronnie can turn on the sympathy button at the drop of a hat, and get people who hate animals (like my dad) to feel sorry for him. To see Ronnie in person, and to know how he really is, is totally different than to see him in pictures. Often times I burst out laughing when I take pictures of him because he couldn't look any more pathetic...and he's running happy circles around me while doing this! He's a very talented bunny.

I've typed all this because I don't want people to look at the pictures and feel bad for him. Although his tilt may be a lifelong battle, and we may have to try other antibiotics if the infection comes back, right now Ronnie is doing great!


Robin

 

[Maureen Las]

:highfive:Good forRonnie That's great...!!

 

[mouse_chalk]

I know I haven't commented in this thread for ages but I've been following it the whole way and I just wanted to say that I'm SO pleased he's doing better! He's such a fighter

The video of him running around bought a little tear to my eye. It's so great to see him looking so happy! I hope he continues improving...

 

[JadeIcing]

I was wondering how he is doing. Give him a treat from Ringo, Apple and me.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

JadeIcing wrote:

I was wondering how he is doing. Give him a treat from Ringo, Apple and me.

Ronnie is doing well. Today is his 9th day without antibiotics and he is not showing any signs of relapse. It looks like he will always have a slightly crooked head but he gets around really well and doesn't have any balance issues. The only thing that has changed is that he doesn't hump things anymore.

We finally bought a baking pan and attached it to our letter scale with that foam double stick tape that you use to stick things to walls (can't remember the name of it offhand). I'm going to weigh Ronnie once a week. A couple of days ago he weighed in at 2 pounds 2 ounces, but I would like to see him get back to his previous weight which was around 2 pounds 5 ounces. We noticed he is making a good sized dent in his pellet bowl these days but putting on weight is a slow process even with the help of Critical Care. Ronnie's not too big on treats so we can only try to fatten him up with a pinch of oats daily. As he gets closer to his goal weight we will wean him off of the Critical Care.

I think Ronnie's issue has resolved itself for now, but being a bacterial infection I have a feeling that it can come back at any point in the future. If I'm not mistaken, animals cannot build up immunities to bacteria (feel free to correct me if this is wrong). I'm thinking of how some children get chronic ear infections, and assuming it is similar in rabbits. I guess we'll just have to be on high alert for signs of the infection coming back in the future.

I wonder if Ronnie still carries Pasteurella. I'm not sure if it is gone or if his immune system is just keeping it in check right now. It is worrisome that the vet said that Billy is now a carrier of Pasteurella (even though he shows no symptoms) because Billy will perpetually expose Ronnie (who is known sensitive to the bacteria). I also wonder what the chances are of head tilt bunnies having recurring infections for the rest of their lives.

 

[Raspberry82]

I hope Ronnie is doing better also. Sorry I didn't post any comments on here in so long! Things got so busy, but now I'm all caught up. I'm so glad he's improving!! And I have to say, in case a head-tilt problem ever pops up for me, it's really reassuring to know I can look up what you did with Ronnie to know how to handle to situation asap and what to expect.

Ok, so it's the millionth time but.. you're bunny boys are so addictively cute and entertaining! I always have to catch up on Billy & Ronnie news.

Best wishes for Ronnie.

:hug1

 

[JadeIcing]

Little Bay Poo wrote:

JadeIcing wrote:

I was wondering how he is doing. Give him a treat from Ringo, Apple and me.

Ronnie is doing well. Today is his 9th day without antibiotics and he is not showing any signs of relapse. It looks like he will always have a slightly crooked head but he gets around really well and doesn't have any balance issues. The only thing that has changed is that he doesn't hump things anymore.

Yea well Ringo eventually started mounting things again. Also some bunnies have after a year or two randomly the head will be straight again.

We finally bought a baking pan and attached it to our letter scale with that foam double stick tape that you use to stick things to walls (can't remember the name of it offhand). I'm going to weigh Ronnie once a week. A couple of days ago he weighed in at 2 pounds 2 ounces, but I would like to see him get back to his previous weight which was around 2 pounds 5 ounces. We noticed he is making a good sized dent in his pellet bowl these days but putting on weight is a slow process even with the help of Critical Care. Ronnie's not too big on treats so we can only try to fatten him up with a pinch of oats daily. As he gets closer to his goal weight we will wean him off of the Critical Care.

For Ringo I feed him oats,pellets (tim and alf) and other little things. When his weight is an issue.

I think Ronnie's issue has resolved itself for now, but being a bacterial infection I have a feeling that it can come back at any point in the future. If I'm not mistaken, animals cannot build up immunities to bacteria (feel free to correct me if this is wrong). I'm thinking of how some children get chronic ear infections, and assuming it is similar in rabbits. I guess we'll just have to be on high alert for signs of the infection coming back in the future.

No idea.

I wonder if Ronnie still carries Pasteurella. I'm not sure if it is gone or if his immune system is just keeping it in check right now. It is worrisome that the vet said that Billy is now a carrier of Pasteurella (even though he shows no symptoms) because Billy will perpetually expose Ronnie (who is known sensitive to the bacteria). I also wonder what the chances are of head tilt bunnies having recurring infections for the rest of their lives.

Pasteurella is something they alway have. Just sometimes they have too much and that is what causes the illness.

 

[kherrmann3]

Aww, Ronnie looks so much better! It's great to see him hopping around in that video clip! He has a cute little tail! In Ronnie's eyes, he probably sees the head tilt as a way to get more attention, now lol I'm so happy to see that he is doing well without medicine!

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm glad that Ronnie is doing better although I don't know if a head tilt rabbit is prone to infections the rest of his life. I think if he has other issues (like EC) ) may be prone to other problems but I hope not.