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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Zeus has an inner ear infection.

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    • bunnnnnnie!
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        Last night Zeus really scared us, he suddenly began losing his balance and was moving his head and eyes side to side rapidly. I brought him into the vet first thing this morning and he was diagnosed with an inner ear infection.

        He’s on Baytril tablets twice daily. I tried to make a paste with a tablet and syringe it into his mouth but it just made him upset and triggered more head/eye movements. I’m going to try sprinkling it on his kale and hope he eats it.

        He’s still eating and drinking and pooping, but his appetite is a little diminished. I feel so bad for him, especially because it sounds like I won’t even begin to see improvement for at least a few weeks.

        I love him so much and it’s hard to see him struggle. I’m just glad it’s not something untreatable like a neurological disorder.


      • Cottontail
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          Poor Zeus!
          I’ve never dealt with an ear infection, but I’m quickly learning about bunnies with temporary special needs. Sending lots of healing/feel-better vibes to you and your bunnies!
          {{{ZEUS}}}


        • bunnnnnnie!
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            Posted By Cottontail on 3/12/2015 11:30 AM

            Poor Zeus!
            I’ve never dealt with an ear infection, but I’m quickly learning about bunnies with temporary special needs. Sending lots of healing/feel-better vibes to you and your bunnies!
            {{{ZEUS}}}

            Thank you.  I did rearrange his cage a bit to minimize him running into things, and I also added a few more of his coconut fiber rugs so that he can just hop from rug to rug and not slip.


          • Sarita
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              Can you ask the vet if they can compound the baytril into a liquid? That is much easier to administer.

              Vibes to Zeus.


            • tobyluv
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                Liquid Baytril would definitely be easier to administer. The vet may even give you some syrup to add to the syringe to combat the bitter taste. When a rabbit is on an antibiotic, it is also good to give them a probiotic, like Bene-Bac, to keep their intestinal tract in balance.

                I had a bunny with an ear infection and he would lose his balance too. I hope that Zeus will respond quickly to the antibiotic and feel better very soon.


              • bunnnnnnie!
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                  Posted By Sarita on 3/12/2015 1:49 PM

                  Can you ask the vet if they can compound the baytril into a liquid? That is much easier to administer.

                  Vibes to Zeus.

                  I actually had to bring him to the very small local vet because my normal vet is 45+ minutes away and I worried a long car ride would be too hard on his balance.  They don’t do any compounding.  I wonder if I contacted my normal vet if they’d get the prescription from the other clinic and I could get the compounded liquid from them?


                • bunnnnnnie!
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                    Posted By tobyluv on 3/12/2015 2:15 PM

                    Liquid Baytril would definitely be easier to administer. The vet may even give you some syrup to add to the syringe to combat the bitter taste. When a rabbit is on an antibiotic, it is also good to give them a probiotic, like Bene-Bac, to keep their intestinal tract in balance.

                    I had a bunny with an ear infection and he would lose his balance too. I hope that Zeus will respond quickly to the antibiotic and feel better very soon.

                    If Zeus won’t eat the crushed tablets on his greens, I think I’ll definitely ask if I can get the Rx compounded somewhere.  Can I get Bene-bac from the vet’s office?

                    Thank you for the well wishes.  The vet said there’s 2 or 3 antibiotics that are all suggested for inner ear infections but he wanted to start with trying Baytril.  I hope he responds to it, and soon.


                  • bunnnnnnie!
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                      So I spoke with Zeus’s main vet, not the one I brought him to this morning. She was in complete agreement with the Baytril and said to give it anywhere between 2-4 weeks before seeing if we need to try a different antibiotic. She also agreed to compound me some flavored liquid Baytril, yay.

                      She did say if the bacteria is causing pus/buildup that’s extremely thick, it may not be able to be treated with antibiotics. In that case, the only option is surgically going in and clearing it out. I really don’t think it would be in his best interest to put him through surgery.

                      Lots of prayers/positive vibes that a good round of antibiotics will kick this. I’m encouraged that we caught it before he began developing an actual head tilt, his only symptoms are loss of balance, head moving side to side, and eyes scrolling side to side.


                    • LongEaredLions
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                        (((((((((((vibes))))))))))))) for Zeus that this can be cleared up easily.


                      • bunnnnnnie!
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                          Thanks LEL! I just got home from work and he was napping quietly. I let him out and he was eager to do a quick loop around the room and check out the hallway. I trimmed down his litterbox so he can just walk into it. He hasn’t hardly pooped in the past 24 hours but Im hoping fixing his litterbox will encourage him to go. He’s eaten a decent amount today too.


                        • bunnnnnnie!
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                            I got the new liquid Baytril from the vet – it smells like cherry candy and he’ll only have to take 1 mL morning and 1 mL evening. Hopefully it’ll go much smoother than the tablets – they didn’t dissolve very well and smelled terrible!


                          • Megabunny
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                              Baytril is the worst. I’m not an expert, but I have had considerable experience lately with ear infections and ear surgery. You may very likely find Baytril doesn’t do a blasted thing. I could go on for an hour, but unless you aren’t getting results or want to hear about it, I’m not going to get into all of it. Maybe you will have better luck. If so, I’d still have those ears kept track of and not assume it’s a one-time thing. I’ll stop here unless you want more. I could also refer you to a thread I had going several months ago.


                            • JackRabbit
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                                Megabunny would be the first person I’d look for if the Baytril doesn’t help. She could definitely arm you with great questions for your vet too.


                              • Monkeybun
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                                  When Smudge was having her head tilt episode, she ended up on a stronger antibiotic, because Baytril just wasn’t helping. So if theres no change, look into that before surgery


                                • bunnnnnnie!
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                                    Hi Megabunny, thanks for the input. We will try the Baytril for now and switch to something else if it isn’t effective.

                                    Monkey, how long did you stay on Baytril before switching? I’d love to hear the whole story.


                                  • bunnnnnnie!
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                                      He’s eating the kale sprinkled with liquid Baytril, so yay for that. His activity level is pretty decreased but I guess that’s to be expected if he’s dizzy? He still comes over for pets and treats and rotates between a few napping spots in his cage. Amazingly he can still eat Cecals, groom himself, even sit on his hind feet and groom his face with his front paws very well.


                                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                                        Just want to send some ((((((Healing Vibes)))) for little Zeus.


                                      • bunnnnnnie!
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                                          Thanks LPT. We had to start giving him his meds on a little piece of bread because he stopped eating the kale. I know bread isn’t the best thig for him, but if it gets him to eat his meds Im okay with it.

                                          He was pretty active so far today, hopping around his room and the hallway. Digging the carpet too, LOL.


                                        • Monkeybun
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                                            She was on it for a couple of weeks with no effect, so we took her back in and got the stronger stuff. I wish I could remember the name of the other stuff


                                          • bunnnnnnie!
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                                              Posted By Monkeybun on 3/15/2015 11:37 PM

                                              She was on it for a couple of weeks with no effect, so we took her back in and got the stronger stuff. I wish I could remember the name of the other stuff

                                              Did she get any worse in those two weeks or just stayed the same?  Once you switched to the stronger antibiotic, how long before you noticed an improvement?

                                               

                                              Zeus’s appetite has increased drastically, yay.  He’s eating kale, treats, hay, and baby carrots with gusto.  He’s also beginning to lay “superman style” again which he hadn’t done in a few days.

                                               

                                              I’m not sure if he’s actually improving, or just getting used to being dizzy.  In either case, he had a very good day yesterday and a great morning this morning.  It made my heart smile seeing him happy (and hungry, LOL!).


                                            • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                I don’t know if Zeus is actually beginning to improve, or he’s just adapting to the wobbliness. He’s been very active the last 3ish days, and has gone from barely leaving his cage to roaming around the entire house. This morning for the first time I saw him hop in a straight line (versus an arc) – he was still wobbly but maybe that’s improvement that he was going straight?

                                                His appetite is doing better (not to jinx it, knock on wood), and he’s drinking, pooping, and peeing well. He’s also started running up to see me when I get home again.


                                              • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                  Zeus continues to show some small signs of improvement. He’s eating with gusto and he’s beginning to use his litterbox again. He also loves to dig and throw his hay in his litterbox, LOL. He even went into the kitchen this morning – he has been avoiding slick flooring, but was hopping around on the vinyl kitchen floor with ease. He even sat up like a little meerkat and periscoped without falling over.


                                                • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                    Sounds promising. ((((((Continued Healing Vibes)))))


                                                  • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                      Thanks LPT.


                                                    • Megabunny
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                                                        Fantastic!


                                                      • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                          Thanks Megabunny. He was chewing on my boyfriend’s shoes this morning and last night was loitering around the fridge waiting for carrots… so most definitely starting to act like his normal self again, LOL.

                                                          I was telling him last night the fur on his head sure is extra shiny – I think all the extra petting is polishing him up like a copper penny!


                                                        • Megabunny
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                                                            That’s interesting, and I’m thinking it could very well be your hands are stimulating his hair follicles….or whatever it is!


                                                          • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                              Yeah I’m not sure if it’s stimulating the follicles or just the natural oils in my hand making him shiny while petting him!

                                                              Zeus was rattling his door at 5:20 this morning wanting to be let out and fed breakfast. Made me so happy to wake up to a spunky bunny!


                                                            • Monkeybun
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                                                                Sounds like he is doing awesome!


                                                              • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                  Posted By Monkeybun on 3/21/2015 5:04 PM
                                                                  Sounds like he is doing awesome!

                                                                  Yea, I’m so grateful and blessed he’s doing well and is a happy guy! . I’d say he’s about 90% better – the only things I still notice are when he takes a turn too fast he wobbles, and when he tries to lay on his side he rolls too far and ends up laying superman style instead. But otherwise he’s zooming around the house, begging for treats, and pestering Hera, LOL.


                                                                • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                    Does anyone know how long it’s suggested to keep them on antibiotics, minimum? I’m reading some articles saying you should always do 3-4 weeks, others saying 2-3 weeks… some articles say it’s important to not keep them on it for too overly long as it causes resistant bacteria… and other articles say it’s important to keep them on it for as long as possible to avoid the resistant bacteria. Conflicting info!

                                                                    I just want to make sure to do the right thing with the meds, whatever that is.


                                                                  • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                      Oh, and of course an update – he’s doing great. Eating well, running around the house like a crazy man, begging for treats. I haven’t seen an episode of eye scrolling for at least 3+ days now, and I’ve only seen him do just a few seconds of extremely mild head scrolling once within the past 3 days. It was minimal enough where I had to really stare at him to see it.

                                                                      He’s also not itching/grooming his ears constantly anymore like he was 4-5 days ago.


                                                                    • Megabunny
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                                                                        Well, Veterinary work is an art not a science and I’m sure everyone has been on varying doses and lengths of time, so I suspect we’d all give a different answer to that. Gus was on for weeks and weeks with no improvement. But then he never showed any trouble. It was a lucky find. I’d have no clue how to answer that, personally, but we’ll see if anyone else can give you their experience


                                                                      • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                          Thanks Megabunny. I think I’ll call the vet after he’s been on it for at least 14 days and see what he suggests.

                                                                          He’s still doing great, I’m so blessed and grateful. His litterbox habits are continuing to improve, which I’m pleasantly surprised about. I don’t even mind if he made a mess of his cage, but he seems happier using the litterbox than not using it.


                                                                        • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                            So Zeus has been on the meds for 14 days! He’s doing great, and I’d say is about 95% better. His hind end is just the tiniest bit wobbly when making sharp turns, but other than that he’s a happy, normal guy.

                                                                            I did call the vet, and they said to keep him on it for at least 21 days (3 weeks). So he’ll have his last dose on April 1st, and then I’m supposed to monitor him. If he begins to show symptoms again, he’ll go back on the Baytril.


                                                                          • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                              I’d say Zeus is about 98% improved now. Last night he went running out of the bunny room and even hopped over a box I had on the floor. This morning, he did a little half-binky while zooming from the living room into the bunny room. Knock on wood, not to jinx anything, but he has not had an episode of head or eye scrolling in 4-5+ days.

                                                                              He also is back to harassing me while I try to clean his cage, LOL. He grabbed the dust pan full of hay last night and threw it, then was trying to flip it over, push it around, etc.


                                                                            • Megabunny
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                                                                                Are you scheduled for a recheck?


                                                                              • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                                  No, the vet clinic said to keep him on it for 3 weeks, then if he begins to show symptoms again, to schedule another exam.


                                                                                • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                    I’m glad he’s doing so well.


                                                                                  • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                                      Thanks LPT, me too. I’m admittedly nervous to take him off the meds next week – but I’m hoping the drastic and also very quick improvement means the antibiotics have done their job and it’ll be safe to take him off of them.


                                                                                    • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                                        Just thought I’d post another update – Zeus is still doing really well, and his last dose is in a few days. Luckily my boyfriend will be working from home the second half of this week so he can help me keep an eye on him to make sure his symptoms don’t return. He had a great morning this morning, we were rearranging furniture because we’re getting new flooring. He lovessss when we rearrange – he went running into the (now empty) living room and just did a big loop around the perimeter of the room, then had to sit where all the furniture normally is. LOL.


                                                                                      • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                                          Another little update – Zeus has been off meds for 5 days now and so far no symptoms popping back up. He was running all over the house last night and was even digging the carpet to demand my attention and get more pets.

                                                                                          I’m not really sure how long to wait after he’s been off meds to feel confident the infection is gone? I feel like I’m overthinking every little move he makes – OMG he itched his ear, OMG he just slipped, OMG he didn’t eat his kale as quickly as he did yesterday. He’s probably getting tired of me obsessing over him!


                                                                                        • Megabunny
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                                                                                            Honestly, it’s probably something you’ll always want to keep an eye out for, though just add it to the list of things to worry about, right?


                                                                                          • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                                              Yeah, at least I know what the symptoms are now so I can identify it right away.

                                                                                              Being a worrywart comes with the bunny parent territory, right? LOL.


                                                                                            • bunnnnnnie!
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                                                                                                Oh, and thank you Megabunny for all of your responses – I really appreciate you listening and adding input.


                                                                                              • Megabunny
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                                                                                                  Most definitely!

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                                                                                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Zeus has an inner ear infection.