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10K views 48 replies 8 participants last post by  MeggieQC 
#1 ·
I think my bunny might have wry neck. Anyone have experience with this?

I had a bunny when I was a kid that had it. We took him to the vet and he told us that there wasn't anything he could do to help him. So my bunny just stayed with his head tilted until he passed on. :(

Two days ago, I noticed my bun with his head slightly cocked to the side and I thought, "oh no". It's been 25 years since my first experience with it so I'm curious to know if there is help for this problem now. Poor thing seems like his equilibrium is off too. He has an appointment at the vet tomorrow. I hope he can be helped.
 
#27 ·
So I took my bun to the "rabbit savvy" vet today. I must say she was a LOT more knowledgable than our normal family vet.

She had this fancy camera that she looked in his ear with. Both my hubby and I were able to see the image on the flat screen tv/monitor that was hanging on the wall. Pretty cool! She asked all kinds of questions too.

She recommended doing a blood test so that she could rule out some things plus it would give her a better idea what she was dealing with. We ok-ed the test. Results will be in in 3-5 days. Then she gave him a shot to help with any inflamation.... poor buns head was really leaning to the side. Until the results are back, she gave him baytril... in a liquid! And cherry flavored! (She was horrified that I was given beef flavored in a tablet form.) Plus she gave him abendazole but I forget what it was for. Everythings a blurr really. I think she said that if the result came back a certain way that I would have to continue with the abendazole and also treat his cage mate with it as well. If the result came back another way, I would stop the abendazole and continue with the baytril. Gosh, I hope I got that right!

She suggested that I line cardboard on the bottom of the cage. She is concerned that if he loses balance and rolls that if a toe gets stuck in the wire cage bottom while he rolls, that would be bad. She sees that happen a lot with buns in this condition. So I lined it with cardboard.... problem is that it is kinda slippery. I'm wondering if that slickness will make him fall or roll more?

As for the meds... they gave him his first dose while we were there. They gave us this skinny little syringe.... and oh my gosh... they gave him the meds soooo easily! Just one squirt! No chin dribble! It was awesome! I hope it will be as easy as they made it look. I get to give him his next dose tomorrow morning... I hope I can be that successful!

All in all... I felt really good about the appointment. The scary part came as we were leaving. The receptionist gave me the total for the bill. $187! My hubby was so shocked and dumbfounded that he had to leave the building... it's ok... he doesn't like seeing our bun in that condition either. He got over it by the time we got home.

Now I guess we just wait and see... and hope that this baytril and/or abendazole make him better.
 
#28 ·
I was holding my breath reading your post, and let out a big sigh at the end... I'm so happy things went well and that this Vet knew so much more and was able to help you.

Sounds like things are on the up from here :)
Vet bills sure can be nasty sometimes, But with the appointment, med's, blood tests i think you've done pretty normal. I'm sure it'll be all worth it seeing your bunny getting better though.

Give your bun bun <hugs> from me. I wish him a speedy recovery!
 
#29 ·
I agree with the meds and blood test $187 sounds about right to me. May I suggest that you buy a rubber mat for the bottom of his cage. That is what I did for Tabatha. I bought one of those bath mats so you don't slip in the shower. The bottom of her first cage was plastic and she would slip terribly. She is not that coordinated any more. Now she is in a coroplast container that I line with a bath sheet (a really big towel). The container I have her in is way too big to put regular bedding in and the towel is absorbant when she piddles. Unfortunately she only used her litter box briefly. So the towel works well. I use a dust pan and brush on the poopies and then just pick up the towel shake it outside and wash it 2-3 times. Of course I have several of them so I make a load of "Tabby Towels".
I am sure the meds were much easier this morning. Tabatha LOVES hers and looks for more when she is done.
Let us know how it's going.
 
#30 ·
Oh and BTW - the vet visit costs are why I never bring my husband. He would fall over if he knew how much I have spent on her!
If I need help I bring my dad.
 
#31 ·
Thanks Andrea and Kathy for such great support and advice. About the rubber bath mat for the cage.... will my buns chew on it? And if they do, is it safe? And what exactly is coroplast? And is that something I should look into?

Last nite my hubby and I were woken up twice to the sound of them playing/chewing on the cardboard. I could tell that they were grabbing the corner with their teeth and pulling up on it cuz all of a sudden we would hear a LOUD snap from the cardboard slapping down on the cage bottom. Ugh! I just got up and haven't checked on them yet but I'm afraid to see what they did thru the nite. Will the cardboard be in shreds? LOL

Guess I better go check in on them and give that first dose of what I'm hoping will be yummy, easy to administer, cherry flavored baytril. <crossing fingers>
 
#32 ·
I guess if they are chewers it's not a good idea. Tabby won't even chew on her toys so I never had a problem with that.
Coroplast is corrogated plastic it is really smooth and slick. Lining it with a towel solves the problem of her slipping on it. Coroplast is just like a plastic verison of cardboard. I purchased a large sheet of it at the local Sign-A-Rama and scored it to be able to make a box out of it. In my case the sides are all about 8 inches high. Tabby cannot get over them so now I don't have anything surrounding it.

I had read about it for making waterproof case bottoms for guinea pigs mostly. They combined it with Neat Idea Cubes to create cages. Now I would think it would be more resistant to chewing than cardboard but it sounds like you have a couple of crazy buns so I am not sure. If they use thier litter boxes what about a piece of wood? It may last longer than the cardboard. I am not sure what kind of wood is good for buns to chew on but I am sure that would not be hard to find out.

Good luck with the Baytril but I am sure he will love it. What kid doesn't like cherry?
 
#33 ·
my buns love their cardboard! we even made a maze for Charlie...

but yeah, they will shread cardboard... plastic? as long as they aren't eating it, they'll be ok to tear it up
 
#34 ·
Yeah I have to be careful with plastic. My buns ruin all the toys I buy for them really fast! They love baby keys but chew right through them... same with small slinkys. Once this piece of cardboard is history, I might try a piece of wood to cover the wire bottom and see how that works.

I am so pleased at how easy it is to administer the new meds to my bun! I am now super sure that he is getting the recommended dosage since none of it is landing on his chin! Yippee!

I wish I knew when I should start seeing some response from the meds. I want him to get better soooo bad! Everytime I look at him or pick him up, he just seems worse. The head tilt is not slight anymore... sometimes his head looks almost horizontal now. That's how my bun from 25 years ago looked. :( I know I won't see an automatic fix from the meds... I just want to see him not so tilty... know what I mean? This waiting game sure is tough.

Guess who I got a call from tonite? My normal vet who I went to first with him! The one who gave me the beef flavored tablets! She wanted to know how he was doing! I thought it really nice of her to call and check in with us but on the other hand... I felt so uncomfortable telling her that I took him somewhere else. Oy! I am not one for confrontation so man, was I super uncomfy with that! I think I explained it well to her. I just told her that administering the beef baytril was a nightmare like she said it would be. She seemed happy that I found someone who had a yummy liquid so I guess that was good. It was just a way wierd conversation!
 
#35 ·
I know what you mean about wanting them not to be so tilty. Tabatha is really bad. She can only look at you with one eye because the other one is always looking down. I think she would be a helicopter lop ear if she didn't have the tilt. Now she is a lop on one side and the other ear sticks straight up on good days - on bad days she is so tilty that is falls to the wrong side. Sometimes I gently pull on the "up" ear just to see what she would look like if her head were straight. She is so laid back she never cares. When she is cleaning her face her head seems pretty straight. My husband spotted her cleaning up the other night and got excited but once she is done it's back to tilty girl!

Don't feel too bad about telling the other vet you went to a bunny vet. Maybe next time they will recommend the vet you found instead of trying to treat bunnies with beef flavored baytril. My regular vet that I use for my puppies and kitties has sent me to other vets a number of times. Just last month he couldn't remove my Franks abscessed tooth b/c it was a thursday and friday he was off (he had a doctors appointment himself). He told me not to wait and to take him elsewhere. I took him to Tabby's vet.
I have to admit I did blow off the first vet that I took Tabby to. I wasn't really crazy about him and he wanted to do acupuncture on her for 75.00 per visit and wanted to see her a "couple of times a week" for how long??!!! Oh and he said it "sometimes" helped! For that amount of money I want to be sure it would work! It's not like she is in pain!! He also didn't even do any blood work on her. I am just so glad I found a vet I am comfortable with for her.
Hey I found out this vet even does fish! Which is a good thing b/c right now we have a little fishie that is full of parasites!
 
#36 ·
A fish doctor? Wow! Those have got to be hard to find! Unless you live next to Sea World, I guess. That's cool! The parasite thing... not so cool though. Poor thing!

Your description of your tilty head bun sounds just like mine. He's a lop too with that one ear straight up in the air. The vet told us to be careful with what is in the cage... almost have to bunny proof it. Since his one eye is down, we don't want him to fall or roll onto anything that would scratch that eye. I really hate when I have to pick him up, his head seems to twist even more... that's when the whole thing really makes me sad. But I still can't help but pick him up... he's such a cuddle bun.
 
#37 ·
Oh I pick up Tabby all the time. But I didn't know her before her head tilt. Actually she is my first bun so I don't know any better. Is his down eye open or closed? Tabby's is closed. I don't think she has anything that she could hurt herself on. And she doesn't have any levels to her enclosure. So she cannot fall far. She does sleep with her head resting on her water dish. I keep telling her not to b/c I am afraid she will drown but she doesn't listen. I cannot do a water bottle b/c she hates them. I have a pillow in with her but she doesn't use it - the cat does. I also have a stuffed rabbit (Quentin) in there with her and sometimes she lays her head on his back - which is just adorable!
It's so hard b/c I just want to be sure I am doing everything right for her. She is a wonderful bun!
 
#38 ·
Sounds to me like you are making her quite comfortable. :)

My buns down eye is still open.... hopefully it will stay that way. There isn't much for me to take out of their cage for bunny proofing. I took out the slinky they like to play with and that was about it. My buns have both a bowl for water and a bottle... but he has always been the only one to use the bottle. Since this happened though, I've noticed he hasn't been using it. It's probably more difficult to drink from with his head tilted like it is.

I found this website...
Click here: The Missouri House Rabbit Society
They offer a lot of info on dealing with this condition.
 
#39 ·
Oh my life is completely turned upside down from this little bun. And I would have it no other way. She is a happy little girl. I really don't think she minds the head tilt as much as we do. She hops slowly but she is an old girl so it may be more her age then the head tilt.
I hope his head goes back but don't stress over it - they really can be happy with it! It's like a 3 legged dog they don't realize they are different.
It is strange I look at her and it is never the first thing I notice. I just see my sweet bun looking up at me.
 
#40 ·
Yeah I totally see what your saying. But I think the thing that bugs me most about this condition is the lack of balance my bun has. I just hate seeing him so tipsy. I think the worst is when I go to put him down after holding him. I lend my support the best I can while he struggles to get his bearing... but boy, that just kills me. It's such a difficult task for him now.
 
#41 ·
I admit that was hard for me at first but then I had thought maybe it was b/c I really didn't know how to handle a bunny. I guess it was both of us.
I have learned how to put her down better and she has learned how to get her footing. She still falls over sometimes but usually she gets right back up. It seems like if she is excited she falls over a bit more but I am not sure why.
Her biggest problem is if she falls over in her carrier (on the way to the vets) she doesn't typically get back up herself. It's hard to drive and keep an eye on her. But she is getting better with that too.
I am guessing it is much easier for me to accept b/c I cannot say "remember" when.... I never knew her before the head tilt. But I am sure you caught your little guys head tilt early enough. The baytril should help. Is he now looking forward to medicene time? Tabatha comes over for it and bites so hard on the syringe I am afraid she is going to bite a piece off!
 
#42 ·
This medicine is definitely easier to give that is for sure. I still can't just give it to him though. I need to pick him up and secure his head, otherwise he just moves his head back and forth where I can't get the syringe in his mouth at all. The little bugger...
 
#43 ·
Sounds like he needs to get the hang of it too! I bet in no time he will be like Tabatha and hop over to you for it!
Keep me posted on his progress.
 
#44 ·
Oh my gosh... I have typed what happened today twice now and everytime I go to submit it, it disappears on me! So forgive me if I post this in stages cuz I don't want to retype the whole thing again only to have it disappear yet again! EEK!

Here we go... first part....

The vet called today and my bun's blood test came back positive for e-cuniculi... :( She asked how he was doing and wasn't happy to hear that I have seen no improvement. But he is still eating and that is good...

(to be continued...)
 
#45 ·
So I asked her how he got this and she said that he most likely got it when he was a baby. He just wasn't showing any symptoms until now. Since he has a cagemate, and they have been together for almost ever (we bought them as a pair... he was 10 weeks old and she was 6 weeks old), she wants to treat her as well. Good chance that she has it too, just isn't showing symptoms yet.

So the vet needed to know her weight. By the way, let me introduce you to my buns. I don't think I ever said their names yet. My bun is the tilty head one. He is a holland lop and his name is Dude. The other bun is my daughter's. She is a mini rex and her name is Pipsqueak.... but we call her Pip.

So yeah... I didn't know her weight so I called my hubby who was at home (I was at work) to see if he could weigh her and then call the vet and let them know so they could mix up her meds.

(to be continued...)
 
#46 ·
So then my hubby called me at work to tell me that Dude fell out of the hutch! WHAT??? My daughter went to go get Pip for him so he could weigh her and Dude being the door greeter that he is, came circling clumsily toward the door. Pip got squirmy on her and Dude came toward the open door while she was trying to get a better hold on her and he fell out of the hutch ONTO THE GROUND. Luckily he is ok.... but man, that wasn't a good thing that happened. That definitely served as a HUGE reminder to ALL of us on how much more careful we need to be with him.

So after he told me that horrible happening... he told me to go to the vets after work to pick up Pip's meds. He called them and told them that she weighed 12 pounds. I was like, "WHAT? 12 lbs? NO WAY! Our fattest cat doesn't even weigh 12 lbs!"

Dude weighs 3.4 lbs.... and yes he is a thin thing. Pip is a porker and I can barely gets my hands around her tummy... but 12 lbs? I think NOT!

(to be continued...)
 
#47 ·
So needless to say... we ended up taking her to the vet when I got off work so they could weigh her and yeah, she weighed 6.4 lbs. Half of what he said she weighed! Yikes! Good thing I listened to my intuition or else we would have been giving her doses for a 12 lb bunny!

(to be continued...)
 
#48 ·
I was quite upset over the blood test result and asked the vet if he would get better. She said she could only tell me what she has experienced with this condition. She has treated bunnies who have made full recoveries including their heads going back to normal. She has seen some bunnies recover but the head tilt remained. And she has had one case where the meds didn't help at all and the bunny died.

So now I guess I just continue to give the albendazole for the next 60 days and hope for the best.

Sorry about all the posts... but at least it finally posted for me!
 
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