Rachel is moving her head from side to side

[melbunny]

 Hi,

Rachel bunny has been making me nervous. As i said in my last post she is recovering in my room for some fly strike. She is now constantly moving her head from side to side. She was just doing it pretty badly. I was watching a movie on my laptop and when to check on her and saw her doing so. It’s a bit warm in my room (even with air condition and my fan on high *the joys of modern builders who don’t know how to put air ducts in right*) and so i’ve been a bit reluctant to cover her cage completely. I put some thin towels over her cage, put my head phones in, and she is not doing it as much, but she been.

Should i be freaking out or is this some type of new bunny behavior i’ve never experienced…..

 

Melissa

[inspiring]

It could be nothing but I’ve heard that moving head side to side can be an early symptom of head tilt. If it contiues don’t take it lightly and take your bunny to the vet … has your bunny ever had an ear infection?

[melbunny]

 Rachel had a very small when when she was a little bunny. Only Leah has ever had a bad one. She was literally falling over. 

She seemed really nervous when i went to try and sooth her and give her some food. I saw something called “scanning behavior” mentioned on a few pages. Have you ever heard of it?

 

[inspiring]

Actually I have… does your bunny have red eyes?

[inspiring]

or even like a reddish tint in her eyes?

[melbunny]

 Her eyes are red when she gets her picture taken. She has brown/black eyes otherwise…… 

[inspiring]

I’ve read that the scanning is common for bunnies with red eyes.. if she’s never done this before and just started there is a chance she might have an ear infection… I tried to google it and that’s what I read… I hope she’s just looking around and its nothing to worry about but you should most def take her to the vet.. just in case..

[Tate]

It can indicate an infection… Pretty sure a bacterial one? If that’s the case, it’s treatable if caught early enough. Set up a vet appointment ASAP. I also wouldn’t hesitate to tell your vet she should be seen soon. A lot of vets have emergency openings throughout the day and they can squeeze you in. Good luck! Let us know how it goes! ((((big vibes))))

[melbunny]

I’m definitely going to call monday morning. I’m just worried since she is already on baytril from her fly strike. I would think that would keep away the infection in her ears. I’ve just never seen her do it…. I called the vet yesterday and mentioned it and they said she might just be stressed from what she’s gone through the last couple days……

I think my little girl is seeing whether she can give mommy a ulcer or not from worry…..

[inspiring]

aw feel better! The sooner you get her into the vet the better! It could be from stress, don’t think negative!

[jerseygirl]

When you called the vet, did you talk to the vet themselves, the one who treated her? I’m sorry if I’m making you worry more but as you know, flystrike is serious serious stuff. Call again if you didn’t speak to that vet.

[melbunny]

I’m hoping it’s just stress. She is still doing it this morning though. Not as crazy like like last night though. I stuck her mate Essy in her cage with her and she seems to be calming down, but she is still moving her head back and forth. She didn’t even seem to notice Essy was there at first so attent she was on moving her head back and forth. She really freaked me out then. She’s like stuck in auto mode and i can’t get her to shut off. Even when i place my hand on her head i can still feel/see her eyes & head move and bit. I’m going to take her out to let her run around (or rather like yesterday find a spot and plop) on my floor after i run to the grocery store to get her more of the veggies she likes…..

Rachel has pretty much seen every single vet there. Dr.Brady, Dr. Don, and Dr. Jeanne. I talked to Dr. Brady on friday. Dr. Jeanne is her normal vet though and she wasn’t there. The vet that she used to see all the time, Dr. Carrie, who was there all the time unfortunately left in October. She told me to bring her in monday if she wasn’t eating and drinking normally. She had some poo balls in her cage this morning, but i haven’t seen her eat or drink at all. I have no idea if it’s from the critical care i’ve been giving her or she is eating/drinking of her own free will.

I just check on her and her head seemed a bit more steady with Essy. I’m going to leave her with Essy today and hope that makes her better. Should i place her cage within her pen downstairs tonight do you think?

If i’m babbling here it’s because the vet is closed today and not open till tomorrow at 8am; And Rachel is really making her mommy freak out. Dr. Carrie used to tell me i’m a bit over sensitive when it comes to my animals since i watch them so closely….. I might be a bit more here since Brighton has only been gone for a month and a half (ironically i have Rachel’s cage set up on a table which is right next to his Urn that has his picture on it).

[Tate]

When I worked at a pet store, I remember a guinea pig that was doing this same thing and it wasn’t stress. Is it possible to see an emergency vet today?
I would honestly separate them soon, rather than putting them together to minimize the risk of spreading whatever infection is causing this.

[melbunny]

 No. I tried the place they say to call for emergencies and they don’t see rabbits. So they gave me the number to call in gathersburg, MD (about   and   min away) and their exotic vet isn;t on call. They gave me the number of a place in Baltimore to try, They refuse to give medical advice over the phone.  I’m in Chambersburg, PA. If anyone knows of a place nearby that I could call…. 

Right now Rachel is chilling on some blankets on the floor right next to the bag of books i have stored under my bed. I saw her ate a piece of hay and a bit of the lettuce mix i put in front of her. Her head isn’t moving as much, but i can see her eyes moving around…..

[Tate]

Gotta love emergency vets, huh?
I would take her to your vet when they open tomorrow. Don’t even call, just bring her in! Of course, it would be best to get her treatment right away, but just try and keep her comfortable right now. Ideally, it wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow, but I think it CAN wait until tomorrow.
Do you have any vet schools around you? I live near one and they are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not sure if there’s anything near you, though.

[melbunny]

 Yep. Wonderful arn’t they. I did find one in York PA, but it’s almost 2 hours away. They did talk to me. They said they couldn’t say unless they saw her, but they don’t believe the behavior is normal. *sarcastic ya*. My parents and sister said “i’m not running the bunny all the way there for something like this. She sits in a box most of the day. How do i know she doesn;t do this more often or when she gets the meds.”  Real help there…..

I called my normal vet and there is a doctor on call till 10pm, but in the message they stressed that it’s only for “real emergencies”. Somehow i don’t believe they would constitute Rachel moving her head/eyes as one….Since my last type i’ve seen her eat some more lettuce and she’s pooed some. I made a little tent out of the tablet and she’s currently under it. She’s defentely not moving her head aroudn crazy like like last night.  She is going to see a vet tomorrow. Even if i have to use their drop off service and have my mother/sister pick her up later (for once i’m glad i work the 12:30-9pm shift since i might be able to get her in the morning). I’m just hoping that Dr. Jeanne is there. She is the one with the most exotic animal experience. 

 

[melbunny]

I just found a video of a bunny that has head tilt doing the exact thing as Rachel. She is going to be seeing one of the good vets at Best Friends Animal hospital tomorrow for sure.

I do have a question. I did some research and they said that Baytril doesn’t always for for head tilt. I don’t believe my normal bunny vet Dr. Jeanne is going to be there tomorrow and so i was wondering if i got one of the other two what types of medicines should i be looking for in their prescription? The only time i know Rachel is going to be seeing Dr. Jeanne for sure is this friday which was supposed to be her check up for the fly strike.

[KatnipCrzy]

any update on what the vet said when Rachel was seen?  Sounds like head tilt to me which IS an emergency and will require different meds than just an antibiotic.

[melbunny]

Yep. I meant to update yesterday but i had worked a 12:30-9pm shift and was at the vet all morning and so i was pretty much exhausted.

Right now they don’t know 100% what is wrong with her. Dr. Brady doesn’t believe it’s head tilt. Or so what i got. No Rachel has to go beyond that. She has to have someone that she’s never seen in a rabbit and said it’s rare. I don’t know how to spell it exactly, but it sounds like “Nerosis??? “. It’s something more common in dogs or cats apparently. They don’t know for sure yet. She had blood tests to check some type of count and to rule out that it’s some type of bacteria that can come in the brain. Rachel has to stay away from all animals till then so she is pretty much quarantined with me. She and Essy are missing each other. I’m trying to win their happiness with treats, but no avail…..

If those test come back negative she is going to do x-rays of her ears.( Looking inside she said they were just fine, but she can’t tell about inner ear infections that way). She was going to call some specialists who have seen this symptom in rabbits more often after i left. I ended up having to leave Rachel there because i had to get to work and they were still doing the tests. My mother had to get her later for me.

All Dr. Brady said that something in her brain is making her eyes not focus. She is on a anti-nausea med and de-wormer. She see’s Dr. Jeanne this Friday. They’re hoping the test result will be in then. She said if they can’t find anything she might have to be referred to an exotic neurologist. She told me that whatever it is she believed it can be cured even though she can’t guarantee that Rachel will stop her “noing” for good. She said she should be able to leave a healthy happy life though.

Has anyone heard of this???

[melbunny]

Yep. I meant to update yesterday but i had worked a 12:30-9pm shift and was at the vet all morning and so i was pretty much exhausted.

Right now they don’t know 100% what is wrong with her. Dr. Brady doesn’t believe it’s head tilt. Or so what i got. No Rachel has to go beyond that. She has to have someone that she’s never seen in a rabbit and said it’s rare. I don’t know how to spell it exactly, but it sounds like “Nerosis??? “. It’s something more common in dogs or cats apparently. They don’t know for sure yet. She had blood tests to check some type of count and to rule out that it’s some type of bacteria that can come in the brain. Rachel has to stay away from all animals till then so she is pretty much quarantined with me. She and Essy are missing each other. I’m trying to win their happiness with treats, but no avail…..

If those test come back negative she is going to do x-rays of her ears.( Looking inside she said they were just fine, but she can’t tell about inner ear infections that way). She was going to call some specialists who have seen this symptom in rabbits more often after i left. I ended up having to leave Rachel there because i had to get to work and they were still doing the tests. My mother had to get her later for me.

All Dr. Brady said that something in her brain is making her eyes not focus. She is on a anti-nausea med and de-wormer. She see’s Dr. Jeanne this Friday. They’re hoping the test result will be in then. She said if they can’t find anything she might have to be referred to an exotic neurologist. She told me that whatever it is she believed it can be cured even though she can’t guarantee that Rachel will stop her “noing” for good. She said she should be able to leave a healthy happy life though.

Has anyone heard of this???

[Tate]

Mmmm… yes, but totally fuzzy on what it actually was. I’ll look through as much research as I can decipher… Hehe.
The guinea pig at the pet store I worked at had this and lived. I really want to say that it was a bacterial infection that reached his brain… Same symptoms as Rachel, though! As far as we knew, he had as good of a chance as any other guinea pig at a really good, quality life.

[melbunny]

 Thanks. ^^  Rachel sees Dr. Jeanne friday morning and we’ll get another update then. The good thing to say is that she seems to have a healthy appetite through it all. Course she is getting spoiled silly. All she wants to eat is her veggies and daily cranberry.  As long as she eats though i;ll give her anything she wants ^o~ I think she knows it now too.

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