Very poorly bunny

Question
Hi Dana,

I would be suprised if you remember me but I contacted you about 4 year ago regarding Mo a bunny who constantly got GI Statis and stopped eating. Well thanks to your advice we are now well in control of his little episodes.

I am contacting you tonight regarding Lola, my dear, dear rescue bun with more bunnytude the I have ever seen before. About 2 hours ago my husband went to the bunny shed to take them their veggies and timothy hay to find lola flat out on her side looking like she had had a stroke. I called the emergency vet who has been out and given an antibiotic and a vitamin injection but said it was not a stroke but may be pasturella. I was suprised to hear that the antibiotic was not baytril but they only have it in surgery.

She does not have a head tilt but is 'weaving' side to side, she cannot stand and if paniced she rolls over and over. She has eaten a couple of grapes and take water from a syringe happily so is showing a fight. Have you got any tips for me tomorrow when I see my vet? I am not totally convinced they are totally bunny savy as we live in a very rural area where most bunnies are either in pots or being taken in to be PTS due to the dreaded mixi!! Lets just say my passion for cotton tails is laughed at.

I hope this makes sense as I am in floods of tears and frankly not at all with it.... god they get to you!!! never knew I could love a bunny so much!!

Many, many thanks in advance.

Sally  

Answer
Dear Sally,

If the vet proclaimed "Pasteurella" without a culture and sensitivity test, then it's just a wild guess.  But please read this right away so you can at least get her temperature and stabilize her 'til morning:

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

What type of antibiotic did they give her?  If it was anything ending in "-cillin" that was oral, then DO NOT give any more, and tell the new vet what happened.  

It's hard to say whether she has an inner ear infection or incipient head tilt (which may not present with torticollis), but here is some additional information I hope will help:

www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html

This is an *EXCELLENT* article by a rabbit-expert vet on all the possible causes of symptoms similar to what Lola is showing.

It might not hurt to put her on Panacur (fenbendazole) in case E. cuniculi is contributing to this problem.  If you haven't already read this one, I hope it will help, too:

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

But the main thing is to get her body temperature taken and stabilized, and to keep her hydrated and comfortable until you can get her to a good rabbit vet ASAP.  

I hope this helps. I'm sending many healing thoughts.

Dana