Tilted head, pregnant doe - Update

[MamaMandy]

I have a little Siamese sable Netherland doe expecting her second litter on the 21st. I noticed the other day that she looks and feels a bit thin. She's a feed scratcher so I don't keep a lot of food in her feeder but she gets plenty. Then I noticed that her head is cocked to the side! She's moving around fine, she is still eating well, but her little head just stays tilted! This is my doe that won BOB this summer. Her condition seems a little poor now. Is there anything I can do for her? What is going on? Will her babies be alright? Thanks in advance.

Oh, and I checked her for ear mites and her ears look totally clean.

 

[Disney]

I'm sorry..

It's a parasite that many rabbits carry and stays in a inactive state without any symptomps, until something changes that makes the rabbit vulnerable.. there can be many things.. stress, surgery, pregnancy, old age, environmental factors, just anything.
When the parasite become active, it effects the rabbit in a drastic way in just a very short time.
I believe there are 5 symptomps, head tilt is the most obvious and common sign of E.cuniculi. Also drinking and peeing more.

My friends rabbit was healthy a few weeks ago until he broke down and started showing all the symptomps in 24 hours, he was found dead the next day. It is a deadly diseas and wil be passed on to the kits. However they can stay alive with treatment. The symptomps and disease will never go away, only improve a little.


I suggest you read about it on here..
http://www.petcarevb.com/wordpress/rabb ... n-rabbits/

 

[MamaMandy]

Thanks Disney! The article was very informative. I'm really not sure what to do with her now though...

 

[WildWolf]

so sorry to hear that!

Will it pass on to her kits?

 

[MamaMandy]

I don't know...sounds like it may. Weird thing is she's been exactly the same for about a week now. No improvement, but hasn't gotten any worse at all. I'm confused...

 

[Disney]

It is heritable and will be passed on. It is also contagious and can inffect a neighbouring rabbit through their pee.
Make sure to clean and rinse her toilet well and keep the cage away from from other rabbits.

A doe of my friend produced 2 kits that both died to e.cuniculi.. both kits were from different litters and had different sires.
I have a daughter of that doe and i'm wary that she might become ill one day.

 

[Frecs]

I'm am far from an expert but did lose 3 rabbits earlier this year to wryneck. Each one was fine one hour, Doing flips the next. From my understanding, there can be multiple causes and can be very difficult to ascertain the cause which makes treatment difficult at best. Some swear by possible cures that are long and complex and, in my opinion, hard on the rabbit. I opted to put mine down (and was criticized by some for doing so) but it seemed the most humane in my view and situation.

You ultimately must do what you feel is right. Read the literature and suggestions and then, do what you are comfortable with.

Sorry you are having to make this difficult decision. (((hugs)))

 

[Miss M]

It is widely believed that over half, and possibly up to 80%, of rabbits carry E. cuniculi.

It is usually spread when rabbits lick the urine of other rabbits. This is extremely common behavior, and will occur with a doe and her litter, as there will be urine residue on the cage wire. It can also spread this way if either a doe or buck urinates while they are together for breeding.

Head tilt can be caused by other things besides E. cuniculi. Since your rabbit has not gotten any worse, she may have one of the other causes... like an inner ear issue or infection.

I have a rabbit now with wry neck. He was our herd sire, but also my son's pet. For this reason, he is now an inside pet bunny. His head is still tilted 90* from vertical, but he's learning how to make do. He's had a long road, and we almost lost him a couple of times. Once early on to the wry neck, once just a week or two ago to moldy feed. He can't hop yet, but he can move around, eat and drink on his own. He flops over for you to pick him up, and loves to sleep in your lap. He keeps himself clean, too.

The only reason we have worked so hard to save him, though, is that it was my fault -- I changed his water bottle, and he got dehydrated as a result. This gives E. cuniculi a favorable environment to become active. Also, because this was my son's other pet rabbit. The first died of wool block. Both of my daughter's bunnies are still alive. I really didn't want him to lose his other bun. And he's having a marvelous time holding his bunny all the time now.

I would not recommend such a course of treatment for any but a cherished pet, though, and even then it may be better to put the rabbit down.

In your case, I really wonder if it is E. cuniculi, though.

 

[MamaMandy]

I'm tending to agree with Miss M. I really don't think it's E. cuniculi. It just isn't matching up. If it is an ear infection...could I treat her with PenG?<br /><br />__________ Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:32 pm __________<br /><br />Well, I went out today and found 4 underdeveloped babies under Georgia's cage on the slant board. She just feels so thin. Still no worse as far as her head tilt or how she's moving around.

 

[Miss M]

It is of course preferable to find out what is causing the problem before you treat, but sometimes it isn't possible.

You could try the PenG, and maybe some pumpkin seeds or ivermectin.

Her being thin is a concern. Antibiotics will probably cause her to lose her appetite. I actually just lost a doe to gut stasis due to antibiotics making her stop eating. Make sure you keep a sharp eye on her, make sure she's eating. Maybe give her some oats and sunflower seeds to tempt her.

I'm shooting in the dark here, though...

 

[MamaMandy]

Thanks Miss M. I'm concerned because she does seem to be eating. And she loves her oats. So, I don't get why she is so thin. She's not even quite 6 months old.

 

[Miss M]

I would definitely do the pumpkin seeds or ivermectin. If she's eating well, something else may be stealing her nutrients.