Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Is this head tilt?

Viewing 29 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • marinabunny
      Participant
      254 posts Send Private Message

        Yesterday I found Fluffy tilted towards one side like this:

        I think she has head tilt  By this morning it was gone but she’s acting very quiet and not moving much. She still eats when I offer food but doesn’t seem to take an interest in anything and almost seems like she’s in pain, shes been like this for the past week or 2 actually. I read that head tilt can be caused by either an ear infection or E cuniculi… how can we tell which one its being caused by? I’m going to take her to the vet as soon as I can and wanted to make sure she’s treated properly for it.

        Does this look like head tilt to you guys? Also, why was it gone by the next morning


      • Muchelle
        Participant
        1141 posts Send Private Message

          My rabbit kept his head tilted before we found out he had very bad molar spurs that caused him severe pain to one side of his mouth… anyways it’s not a good sign, wheter it may be teeth or E. Cuniculi or ear infection. Do book her up for the vet as fast as you can, time is not to be wasted in either case!


        • Azerane
          Moderator
          4688 posts Send Private Message

            Yes it is head tilt, there is no way to know which is is without being seen by a vet. Treatment for either is very important as even though the tilt is gone for now, I imagine it will probably come back again, and if left too long, even if treatment for E.c. or infection is successful, tilts can become permanent. I don’t know why it went away the next morning.

            If you think she is in pain, I would say that she is. See the vet as soon as you can. Wishing Fluffy the best.


          • marinabunny
            Participant
            254 posts Send Private Message

              Ok I’ll try to get an appointment for tomorrow but do you guys think this can wait till Tuesday or later? Because if I make it for the same day I may get the less saavy vet and I’d rather book with one of the more experienced ones that I’ve already seen.


            • LittlePuffyTail
              Moderator
              18092 posts Send Private Message

                I would say if the Monday vet knows about rabbits at all, have Fluffy seen asap. Head tilt, regardless of the cause, has a much better prognosis if it’s caught early. She looks similar to my Bindi who had suspected E.C. We had him seen right away and started on meds and he made a full recovery.

                (((((Recover Vibes))))) for Fluffy


              • marinabunny
                Participant
                254 posts Send Private Message

                  Thank you guys, I’ll call today then. In case I do get the other vet, what should I expect them to be checking and also what should I expect in terms of treatment if it was one of those (e cuniculi or ear infection)? I haven’t dealt with infections before. I also have bad luck with vets and getting proper diagnoses.


                • marinabunny
                  Participant
                  254 posts Send Private Message

                    So the vet suspects e cuniculi and doesn’t think the head tilt is due to ear infection or other problems. She also said it appears that Fluffy is blind, which really surprised me because it seems like she sees everything normally! This is another reason why the vet suspects EC. Now I have her started on 28 day panacur, however I have read that metacam needs to be given as well for the 28 days to reduce inflammation. My vet didn’t mention anything about this and when I asked about metacam she said she didn’t need it because she doesn’t seem to be in pain. Can anyone advise me on this- do they need metacam along with panacur or can EC be treated with just panacur alone?


                  • Bam
                    Moderator
                    16838 posts Send Private Message

                      I listened to a webinar on e cuniculi by British rabbit vet Molly Varga some months ago. She said that an anti-inflammatory is sometimes used in cases of e cuniculi. She didn’t mention metacam, though, but a more powerful anti-inflammatory med, dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, but the use of corticosteroids in bunnies is not uncontroversial and could do more harm than good. If you ask for Metacam not for pain but for its anti-inflammatory properties, your vet might consider prescribing some.

                      Molly Varga also says that Baytril can be used together with Panacur, because enrofloxacine has some effectiveness against the ec type parasite. She also mentions anti-vertigo meds/ anti-emetics, because a bunny can feel very nauseous from a head tilt.

                      (Here’s some info about Molly Varga: http://mollyvargavet.co.uk/about/)


                    • LittlePuffyTail
                      Moderator
                      18092 posts Send Private Message

                        I’m sorry that I don’t remember if there were other meds when Bindi was treated. It was a few years ago. Want to offer your bun some more ((((Get Well))) vibes.


                      • marinabunny
                        Participant
                        254 posts Send Private Message

                          Thanks for your vibes. Fluffy is actually on antibiotics along with panacur but that’s for her inflamed bottom from the urine scald. I asked the vet tech about anti inflammatories and she said it’s better to wait till the bloodwork results come in before prescribing anything.

                          Speaking of bloodwork, I had to take her back to repeat it because they didn’t take enough blood out the first time. While doing the bloodwork they noticed a wound under Fluffys neck and turned out to be a parasite (which I forget the name of) which had been burrowing in there! So they cut the wound open a little and removed the bug… That thing was not pleasant to look at! :S I hope she feels better now that that parasite is out, i imagine it was causing her discomfort. The blood test results will come back tomorrow.


                        • Bam
                          Moderator
                          16838 posts Send Private Message

                            That would be a botfly. I’m glad they took it out! Nasty, nasty creatures =(

                            E cuniculi can affect the kidneys. So her urine scald could perhaps have been an early symptom of ec. For poor kidney-function due to e cuniculi, in her webbinar Molly Varga suggested ACE inhibitors, anabolic steroids (reduce protein loss through kidneys). Anti fibrotic agents (colchicine, or “Rubenal”), phosphate binders.

                            But your vet seems to be on top of things.

                            Many vibes for (((((Fluffy))))))


                          • jerseygirl
                            Moderator
                            22338 posts Send Private Message

                              Oh wow. Glad they got that out. It will certainly help in her recovery now that it’s gone. Im sure her immune system has enough to deal with.

                              I hope they do give you anti inflammatories after they have the blood results. Ask if they have up to date information on metacam for rabbits as they can have higher doses then used to be recommended and be on it longer. Of course, this may vary depending on the individual rabbit, so I hope the bloodwork looks good.

                              As I understand it, you want to get any areas of inflammation under control. Otherwise conditions are ripe for other bacterial infections to take hold just from opportunistic bacteria that normally inhabits the tissue. So regardless if head tilt is caused by ear infection (painful), parasite or other, anti inflammatory pain meds are useful IMO.

                              Fingers crossed thought that you see a miraculous recovery now that thing from her neck is gone!! {{{Fluffy}}}


                            • marinabunny
                              Participant
                              254 posts Send Private Message

                                The bloodwork results are back and thankfully everything is normal in terms of kidney function. The only thing is her liver values are mildly elevated (which indicates an infection??) which is probably due to the whole parasite thing & other things that were going on. We will recheck the liver values once antibiotics and treatment is done. I spoke to a different vet this time and she didn’t want to give anti inflammatories (I guess she’s talking about metacam) because of the elevated liver enzymes. She said it’s better to give buprenorphine instead for pain. I get why they don’t want to use metacam b/c of its harmful effects on the liver, but isn’t an anti inflammatory med important in this case? Maybe not metacam but another one?

                                Im taking her back tomorrow because I found more of those scabs that look similar to the nasty one that was under her neck Oh and the parasite is called cuterebra.


                              • marinabunny
                                Participant
                                254 posts Send Private Message

                                  The scabs didn’t turn out to be anything, phew. They gave her tramadol for pain.

                                  1 new problem that I noticed today- the entire right side of her face is swollen. Is this an effect of EC?


                                • jerseygirl
                                  Moderator
                                  22338 posts Send Private Message

                                    Was the cuterebra on the right side? On her neck?
                                    Are you able to upload another pic of her face?

                                    {{{Fluffy!}}}

                                    ETA: Im reading that cuterebra (or bot fly warble) can cause some neurological symptoms. Does the now vet think that might be the cause for the head tilt?


                                  • Bam
                                    Moderator
                                    16838 posts Send Private Message

                                      I too would suspect the swelling could be about the cuterebra. 

                                      Actually, as Jersey says, this whole head-tilt thing could have to do with this nasty parasite, I found this : 

                                      cuterebra in small pets

                                      Bupenorphin slows the gut so only use it if you have to. Tramadol slows the gut too, so be cautious. Close eye on poop and all that. 


                                    • marinabunny
                                      Participant
                                      254 posts Send Private Message

                                        The cuterebra was on her left side, the head tilt was also to the left. But this swelling is on the right side so idk what it could be. I’ll upload a pic soon.
                                        Jerseygirl- that’s what I thought too cuz the head tilt was on the same side as the cuterebra, however the vet thinks its just coincidental and wouldn’t cause neurological problems..
                                        Bam- thanks for the link. Actually now that I look at it, Fluffy has been sneezing and had bloody discharge on her nose, and one of the clinical signs listed there is also respiratory problems.

                                        Something just doesn’t seem right. It’s hard to put the pieces together and figure out what’s really causing all this… Poor Fluffy has been through so much ?


                                      • marinabunny
                                        Participant
                                        254 posts Send Private Message

                                           

                                           

                                           

                                           

                                           

                                           

                                           

                                           

                                          The swelling looks worse than in the pic. She now has diarrhea as well. I called the vet and they said we dont know what it could be until we see her and theres no time to see her, and gave me the number of a 24 hour vet. I feel so hopeless, I’ve gone broke and now this place is 1 hour away and dont know if I can get a ride…  Do you guys have any idea what it could be?


                                        • Muchelle
                                          Participant
                                          1141 posts Send Private Message

                                            is it hard? maybe it’s an abscess?

                                            check the leaflet of the medicines she is taking and see if there’s diarrhea in the side effects list, that could be a vital info to give to the vet. I don’t know if I remember right, but tramadol might have it as a side effect.
                                            If she’s interested in food, give her dry food and make sure she drinks. Do try to take her to get visited asap, she’s definitely not good, poor thing


                                          • jerseygirl
                                            Moderator
                                            22338 posts Send Private Message

                                              I agree, possibly abscess. They can swell up very quickly. Can your regular vet put you on a list to be called if they have a cancellation?
                                              How bad is the diarrhoea? Is it just mushy poo or really watery stuff? It could be a bit of a reaction to the meds she is currently on.

                                              Is there any financial aid that you can access, like Care Credit? I remember we looked into different things back when you had to get her spayed. Or maybe you can loan the dollars from a parent??
                                              {{{marinabunny & Fluffy}}}


                                            • marinabunny
                                              Participant
                                              254 posts Send Private Message

                                                It’s hard to the touch, yes. She’s also sneezing along with it and has some bloody looking discharge. She did some diarrhea but I think it’s stopped now and she has pooped some normal but misshapen poops too. She will eat if I feed her. I can’t find any info on if they cause diarrhea but the 3 meds she’s taking are panacur, sulfatrim, and tramadol. I don’t think I can get to the 24 hour vet but I’ll call my regular vet first thing in the morning. Do you guys think Fluffy will be ok until tomorrow? I’m concerned about the diarrhea getting worse overnight cuz I heard its deadly in rabbits.

                                                Edit: Jerseygirl- the poop is mushy not watery so I’m hoping it’s ok to wait until tomorrow. And good thing now I have a credit card I’ll use that if I have to


                                              • marinabunny
                                                Participant
                                                254 posts Send Private Message

                                                  Guys.. It was another cuterebra!!!
                                                  The sneezing might’ve been because it was close to the nose area, either that or there is another one up her nose. The thing with these nasty creatures is you can’t see them until they get bigger and create a hole/swelling in the skin.

                                                  Fingers crossed that this is the last one. My poor lil baby has 2 red holes on her face


                                                • Love4Bunny
                                                  Participant
                                                  878 posts Send Private Message

                                                    I’m so sorry, marinabunny. That must be so awful for Fluffy. I hope the vet can get all of them out, soon!


                                                  • Azerane
                                                    Moderator
                                                    4688 posts Send Private Message

                                                      I’m so sorry to hear all the things that Fluffy is going through. I hope that’s all the cuterebra now and she can just recover from now on. Sending healing vibes.


                                                    • LBJ10
                                                      Moderator
                                                      16870 posts Send Private Message

                                                        That looks like facial paralysis to me. This can happen with head tilt since swelling inside the ear can pinch nerves and cause one side of the face to become paralyzed.

                                                        EDIT: Just read this last page. So there was a larva in her cheek area too?


                                                      • jerseygirl
                                                        Moderator
                                                        22338 posts Send Private Message

                                                          Wowza! In a way, it’s better then having an abscess because they can be tricky to treat sometimes. Glad this one was found. I hope she recovers well and there is not more nasty surprises. Is she still on an antibiotic? Has the swelling reduced?

                                                          @LBJ, that was my thought initially too and why I ask if she could up load photos. But when I saw the swelling I thought uh-oh, abscess. Jelly had a recurring one that swelled up in a day and burst. :/ His cheek looked like that.


                                                        • marinabunny
                                                          Participant
                                                          254 posts Send Private Message

                                                            LBJ- Yes the larva was in her cheek.
                                                            Jersey- She’s on sulfatrim 2x a day. The swelling did reduce once it was out.

                                                            Anddd another one was found in her eye! Regular vet was closed so we went to a different one, he threw some solution all over her eye and out came the bug. Her poor eye is now all red and bulging out. He gave us some eye drops called tobramycin- (anyone heard of this?) to be put in both eyes 3x a day. They are not really rabbit saavy so can anyone tell me if this sounds right. He also applied Revolution on her for some reason.

                                                            God knows how many of them are in her ?


                                                          • LBJ10
                                                            Moderator
                                                            16870 posts Send Private Message

                                                              It’s an antibiotic eye drop. I haven’t used it personally, but have read that it’s OK for use in rabbits in eye drop form.

                                                              Was Fluffy outside? Perhaps the Revolution is to prevent more eggs from being laid? I’ve heard Revolution isn’t very effective against larger larvae already embedded in the skin. My fear would be the Revolution killing an unnoticed larva and it causing an infection from decomposition under the skin. I would examine her very very thoroughly to make sure any remaining larvae are removed.


                                                            • marinabunny
                                                              Participant
                                                              254 posts Send Private Message

                                                                Yeah fluffy was outside either last week or the week before and that’s probably when she picked these up. No more going outside for her. I’m going to keep a close eye on her for any more of them.

                                                                He said to put the eye drops in both eyes but I’ve only been putting it in the affected eye. Is there a reason to put it in the non affected eye?


                                                              • jerseygirl
                                                                Moderator
                                                                22338 posts Send Private Message

                                                                  He said to put the eye drops in both eyes but I’ve only been putting it in the affected eye. Is there a reason to put it in the non affected eye?

                                                                  He might have said that as a precaution. If there is any secondary bacterial infection, it can easily spread from eye to eye when they wash their faces. Also, I know when I use eye drops, after a short time I can taste the medication in the back of my throat. So, I often think if this happens for rabbits, it’s a way of getting antibiotics into other areas, not just the eye. Probably a good thing given where the parasites have been found. Id go ahead and medicate both eyes.

                                                              Viewing 29 reply threads
                                                              • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                                                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Is this head tilt?