Torticollis is also known commonly as "wry neck." It is a deformity of the neck in which the head tilts toward one shoulder and simultaneously the chin rotates toward the opposite shoulder. Many times we hear suffering bunny owners say "The day before, my bunny was fine....it came on completely by surprise without any early symptoms or warnings." Wry neck symptoms can be swift and devastating, or may slowly develop over time. Effects can be minimal (slight head tilt), or horrific (rolling uncontrollably). The unfortunate thing with Wry Neck... even when cured, 99% of them will suffer a relapse, regardless of the method of treatment.
SYMPTOMS
POSSIBLE CAUSE
Wry neck is a condition that can have several causes, (which explains the confusion), including trauma to the head (damage to the inner ear organ which controls balance), middle or inner ear infection or, infection by a parasite known as Encephalitozoon cuniculi. The specific cause needs to be diagnosed by a vet before proper treatment can be administered. There in lies the problem, since it is almost impossible to access the bacteria in order to do the culture.
TREATMENT
There is much yet to be learned about this devastating condition and research is still on-going. Medications of choice for wry neck treatment include antibiotics and/or steroid medications, Baytril, and Prednisone Tylan 50 (tylosin) . In recent studies a new drug called SMZ, Sulfatrim Pediatric Suspension (Sulfamethoxazole Trimethoprim)has has shown some good results. Many breeders have reported varying success with a wide variety of treatments, including cough medicines, VetRX, Coccidiosis treatments, Terramycin, etc., etc., and some even claiming the condition corrected itself without treatment. The majority of veterinarians will simply "presume" that Pasteurella is the cause and will prescribe Baytril, since they don't know any more about this than we do, and Pasteurella can be difficult to culture.
Copyright © 1995-2003 All rights reserved
Island Gems Rabbitry