rabbit with E.C

Question
Dear Dana,

I have just read your help with the rabbit called Dinky who had E.C.

The reason I am emailing you is to ask your advice on this condition with regards to my own rabbit Hobbit.

He started to fall ill on 30th December and we rushed him straight to the vets. He had a slight head tilt, a waxy ear, and was stumbling around and seemed disorientated. He was pescribed Baytril (2.5% for 10 days) and Panacur(1ml for 2 weeks), together with 5 days of Bio-Lapis (2g) and Epi-Otic ear drops.

We noticed an improvement 2 days into taking this treatment. However, on the 6th day the baytril finished even though it said 10 days on the bottle. We called the vets and they said it was a "mistake" and that 6 days was the right amount.

By this time, Hobbit was fine and running around, eating better and his passing of waste materials was fine. He has been back to normal. SO we were just continued giving him the panacur and ear drops.

Today is the 5th January and Hobbit started to head tilt again. I called the vet and they said they can give him a repeat percription for Baytril. They gave me 2 weeks supply.

I would sincerely like to know what advice you could give me regarding what I have told you. My own judgement has made me think that the 6 days of antibiotics was not enough and I do not feel that Hobbit's new vet is giving me enough information regarding the treatment of him. What is the correct length of time for this treatment? and what would you suggest for the treatment of my rabbit?

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Kind Regards,

Candida  

Answer
Dear Candida,

Six days of antibiotics is almost never long enough to cure an inner ear infection causing torticollis (head tilt).  The Panacur is a good idea, in case it's Encephalitozoon cuniculi, and this treatment must be continued for a full 28 days at a dosage of 15mg/kg once per day.

You can read more information about the causes and treatment of head tilt here:

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

Note that if the Baytril was effective, it's quite possible that this is due to an inner ear infection, not E. cuniculi, though it's not a bad idea to treat for both.  If there is pus in the ear, it's a good idea to culture it so you'll know what species of bacteria are causing the problem, as well as which antibiotics are effective against them.  You can read about this here:

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

(Complete with pictures!)

In general, we treat head tilt bunnies for a *minimum* of two weeks after all symptoms have disappeared.  There's still no guarantee that the condition won't recur, but really blasting the infection with a high dose of (rabbit safe) antibiotics is key to the best chance of long-term success.

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana