Suspected stroke or inner ear infection

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This topic has 6sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 4 months ago by alexandra.

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- 03/05/2018 at 5:17 AM
  jaspersmom
  Participant
  2 posts
  My 8 year old bunny started having his head tilt and very uncoordinated when he walked last night so we brought him to the emergency vet who said it could be an inner ear infection or a stroke. So he gave him antibiotics, and antiinflammatories, and something similar to crictical care for me to syringe him. Ive given him some critical care and hes eaten a couple lettuce leaves and piece of apple but wont touch hay, pellets, or anything else. He hasnt peed or pooed since last night. So i phoned the vet to ask if i should bring him in but he said no, just keep giving him the critical care and its not even been 24hrs so give the antibiotics time to work. However Im still quite concerned because of course GI stasis. He isnt super lethargic, he still moves about a bit, but definitely not himself and still has the uncoordination and head tilt. Im supposed to bring him intomorrow night to the vet for another antibiotic, if this seems to be helping. Im just worried hes suffering and he really doesnt like being held and syringe fed either. Do antibiotics really take this long to show any sign of helping? And will he be ok until tomorrow night if i keep up as much critical care as i can?
- 03/05/2018 at 7:31 AM
  Luna
  Participant
  2219 posts
  Hi! I would consider taking him to a different vet immediately for the possible stasis. I think the current vet is automatically assuming that the decreased eating/not pooping is due to your bun being sick, as opposed to checking him to make sure it isn’t the onset of stasis. Antibiotics can upset the natural gut flora, which can lead to stasis.
  
  As for the head tilt, antibiotics can take a while to show improvement. Below is a recent thread where some members were discussing how long it took for their bun to recover from an inner ear infection:
  https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/165076/Default.aspx
- 03/05/2018 at 10:23 AM
  Sirius&Luna
  Participant
  2320 posts
  Hi jaspersmom,
  
  I agree with Luna, I think it’s worth seeking a second opinion. If he hasn’t pooped, then GI Stasis is probably already underway, which means he probably needs subQ fluids, and to be checked that there isn’t a physical blockage. It’s worrying that your vet doesn’t know that not pooping for 12 hours is serious for a bunny.
  
  Did your vet also mention EC as a possible cause of head tilt and wobbliness?
- 03/07/2018 at 4:16 AM
  jaspersmom
  Participant
  2 posts
  thanks for the replies! well i brought him to a new vet two days ago and they kept him in overnight to monitor him and said he was eating and seemed fine. Brought him home last night and he has still not eaten any hay or pellets. He did some tiny poops when he first came home but nothing since. He will eat lettuce or apple but thats it, doesnt even want the critical care but i have to force feed him now. apart from this he is not hunched up or looking particularly lethargic, still moves around ok, and his previous head tilt is gone. If i call the vet again they will just think im being overdramatic but this really isnt normal.. im not sure what to do
- 03/07/2018 at 4:31 AM
  Sirius&Luna
  Participant
  2320 posts
  Please don’t worry about the vet thinking you’re overdramatic! You’re being a good owner.
  
  That said, when Luna was admitted to the vet for 24 hours with GI stasis, when I brought her home I was really disappointed by the state she was still in, and I thought I would end up having to take her back in in the morning. But then she did start eating and pooping a few hours later, and slowly got back to normal over the next few days. It can be a slow process.
  
  I would keep force feeding him the critical care for a bit longer before going back to the vet. It could be that the antibiotics unsettled his tummy a bit. It’s also good that he’s eating lettuce by himself, as a sick bunny often won’t eat anything voluntarily.
  
  However, if you do think he takes a turn for the worse, please don’t worry that you’re bothering the vet. It’s their job!
- 03/07/2018 at 4:53 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17007 posts
  Completely agree with S&L. Keep trying to get Critical Care in him, even if he isn’t super-pleased with it, hopefully he’ll start eating voluntarily. Fresh herbs, if he’s liked that before, can entice a bun to eat, especially if you break the twigs (tip from BB!) so the fragrance really reaches the bun. Cilantro, parsley and dill are often popular, some buns like basil and mint too.
  
  You can also try a very light tummy massage like in this excellent Mary S Cotter video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M
- 03/08/2018 at 4:01 PM
  alexandra
  Participant
  23 posts
  Im sorry to hear about your bun being sick. I just went through this with my bunny and he is still recovering from the head tilt. The thread that Luna posted was started by me when Blu started to show signs of something being wrong.
  
  Don’t be afraid to question your vet. I did with mine and also brought up ideas of meds to give him from reading people’s post. As far as the not eating much, I am not sure because Blu never really lost his appetite except one time when I doubled dosed his medicine on accident.
  
  I can tell you that Baytril did not work for Blu and it was SMZ TMP, and Panacur that showed signs of improvement. My problem was just being patient because I wanted results right away but it does take time. Blu is back to normal now, other than his head tilt but he has adapted to it very well (its slowwwwlly getting better).
  
  Is your vet rabbit savvy or do they just see them every once in a while. Is it the same vet from when you took him to the ER? Because I have noticed when I called around for a 24 hour – ER clinic (when Blu gave me a scare after my vet closed) that those vets see rabbits but do not specialize in them. Also, you said that he is on something similar to critical care – if that isn’t working you could try the actual critical care brand. They make a banana flavored one that Blu could not get enough of.
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