ear infection

Question
Hi,
I have a two-year old bunny Juli, who just two days ago began rolling over and stopped eating. We took her to the vet who diagnosed an ear infection and kept her in the hospital due to GI stasis. When we took her in she was able to sit, walk, and her eyes were not rolling. In 10 hours in the hospital and on medication, she was spinning, her eyes were rolling,and she couldn't eat on her own. In another ten hours, she began sitting, walking, and munching on greens all on her own! The vet drew blood to check for Encephalitozoon cuniculi, and in the meantime she is on Baytril, anti-inflammatories, and anti-dizziness medication. It seems that she has declined quickly and then got a whole lot better just as quickly, even though she's got the head tilt. Tonight is her second night in the hospital and it seems that Baytril has really helped, so I would like to ask if you think it sounds like an ear infection due to a bacteria rather than Encephalitozoon cuniculi and whether her prognosis is good. If it is a bacteria, how she could have acquired it and what the chances are of it recurring. And if it is Encephalitozoon cuniculi, how she could have picked it up and what the chances are of it causing more problems. I love this bunny more than I can say and I am terrified that this can happen to her all over again. Is there anything we can do to prevent it in the future? Thank you so much for your help and if there is any advice you can give me beyond my questions, I would appreciate it very much.

Thank you,

Olya

Answer
Dear Olya,

I'm glad you have such a good, attentive vet who knew just what to do.  If the Baytril worked that quickly, then this is most likely an ear infection.  

The bacteria that cause this (various species, identifiable with culture and sensitivity test:  www.bio.miami.edu/hare/culture.html ) and E. cuniculi both generally live in the bunny from very early in life, but don't cause problems unless the bunny is somehow stressed or immunocompromised.  At that point, the immune system "stumbles" and the bacteria or parasite can proliferate and cause disease signs.

It's wise to keep her on Baytril for *at least* two weeks after her symptoms have gone, to be sure to wipe out as much of the causative bacterial population as possible.  There is *always* a chance of recurrence, since it's impossible to kill every single bacterium in most cases.  But the antibiotics knock them back to a level that the bunny's immune system can handle.

Many bunnies recover from this and never show another sign, and let's hope for that!  But in case she ever does have a recurrence, be armed with this information:

www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html

There are other antibiotics to use if the Baytril is no longer effective, such as ciprofloxacin and marbofloxacin, both "cousins" of Baytril.  We've also found that--depending on the bacteria causing the problem--bicillin injections can work very well.  But for now, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Baytril seems to be a good choice in this case.

The sooner she comes home from the hospital to be in her familiar surroundings, the better, of course.  To be sure she's in prime health, be sure she has a healthy diet:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

and has a quiet, stress-free place as a refuge.  

I hope she stays well and lives a long, happy life with you!

Take care,
Dana