Animals: Jeff

Jeff had been receiving treatment for a month for a chronic tear duct infection when he suddenly developed severe neurological signs consistent with either a middle ear infection, or vestibular disease. This sort of infection in rabbits typically results in the poor animal constantly spinning like a top while they are lay on the ground as they try to gain some sort of relief from the dizziness or pain that results from the inflammation of nerves. It is very distressing to see a rabbit like this and the prognosis for a recovery is so slim that euthanasia is usually recommended

Jeff's owners wanted to try everything that could be done for him and so he was hospitalised and treated with antibiotics and steroids, which brought the violent spinning and contorting of his head under control. Considering the very poor long-term outlook for this condition, EFT was carried out to improve his chances.

Four days after the course of EFT Jeff was discharged. Although at this stage his head was still severely tilted he was able to eat and drink unaided and had even started to groom himself. By the time of his second course of EFT he was able to hop around the kitchen without difficulty as well as feed and groom normally. He was still holding his head in a vertical rather than a horizontal position, but this didn't seem to bother him! Since then his improvement has stabilised at this level with no deterioration or signs of a relapse. This is remarkable achievement given the severity of his neurological signs when they were at their worst.