Confused bunny, leaning to the left

Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS. SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED. We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best.

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 11sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 2 months ago by Bam.

Viewing 11 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 02/15/2016 at 2:17 PM
  OliverBun
  Participant
  284 posts
  Olive has two rooms that he spends time in that are connected by a hallway. Starting yesterday he seemed confused by the hallway and can’t really move down it. He’ll start to go through the hallway the then veer off to one side, eventually turning around. Although he can make it through the hallway and has a handful of times, it seems really difficult for him. When in either room he seems fine.
  I’ve also noticed he’s hopping/turning to the left when he moves. He’s sleeping now and is leaning to his left. He’s isn’t tilting his head.
  And ideas? I’m hoping he just got a bit confused or scared and that’s all but I really don’t know what’s going on.
  Relevant info:
  He’s blind
  He’s 10.5yrs old
  I have not changed anything in the hallway
  He had an inner ear infection 2 years ago that has not returned.
  Please help
- 02/15/2016 at 2:29 PM
  Auburnie
  Participant
  88 posts
  if he isn’t tilting his head, maybe he’s having vision problems? I just got my first bun, so I can’t be much help in that area, but most of my family is in the medical field and I do know that balance issues can be a result of vision loss.
  
  i wish i could be of more help. i have heard that strokes can cause tilting, so maybe it could be possible that he had a problem with one, it just wasn’t as big to cause the head tilt. But like i said, I’m not experienced with bunnies or their behavior, just some things that came to mind based off previous knowledge.
  
  When in doubt, get it checked out! There is only so much people can suggest over the internet, but you might have more luck getting answers from someone who can examine him in person.
- 02/15/2016 at 3:46 PM
  OliverBun
  Participant
  284 posts
  Yes I will definitely get him checked out if necessary. He’s got a lovely vet who we see on a regular basis. I just can’t call her and speak to her over the phone so my options are take him to see the vet or wait and see if anything changes.
  I’ve posted here to get some opinions on what it may be so I can make a decision about the vet using more than just my own opinion. It’s difficult to make big decisions about my bun without any input from others.
- 02/15/2016 at 4:45 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16999 posts
  Balance issues as you know indicates an ear-problem, middle or inner ear. Imp that would be the most plausible explanation.
  You can’t do a culture if it’s a contained ear infection, so it’s ofte treated empirically with Baytril first of all.
  These are just my thoughts, I hope others will join in and offer their ideas.
- 02/15/2016 at 5:08 PM
  ergodic
  Participant
  123 posts
  Another thing it could be is e. cuniculi. Has Oliver been tested for it?
  
  But since he has had a ear infection before it sound like an ear infection.
- 02/15/2016 at 6:53 PM
  OliverBun
  Participant
  284 posts
  He has been tested for EC and does not have it. He’s moving around a lot this evening and seems just fine.
  Thank you for all the input. I really appreciate it. I’m going to continue to keep an eye on him. If I see any balance issues I’ll take him in immediately.
- 02/15/2016 at 9:56 PM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  Given his age I’d be inclined to take him in just in case. It does sound like something is causes tilting/balance issues, early signs of infection or E.c. etc. Hope he doesn’t show symptoms again.
- 02/16/2016 at 1:59 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  I’ve heard that EC tests results can be very inconclusive. Bindi started showing symptoms and my vet went ahead and started treatment (which worked!) without testing for that reason.
- 02/16/2016 at 6:29 PM
  OliverBun
  Participant
  284 posts
  But he’s not having balance problems and not twisting his head. He’s just leaning a bit left when he loafs. Could that still be ec?
- 02/17/2016 at 1:20 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  A slight lean to the left can be the beginning of tilt, all of the symptoms: veering, leaning, turning to the left could be because of an ear infection, E.c., or neurological problems. It may not be blatant balance issues or tilt, but the signs are still there if you ask me and if me rabbit was leaning to the left, or constantly turning in one direction it would concern me very much. Even on the slim chance it’s not a tilt caused by E.c. or an infection, tilts caught early are often quite manageable, but if you let them go sometimes they can’t be completely corrected.
- 02/18/2016 at 10:35 PM
  OliverBun
  Participant
  284 posts
  Well since I posted this Olive has gone through a lot of changes. He stopped eating hay and pellets, was only eating greens and was quite lethargic. So I set up a vet appointment. But by the time I had left work early and come to pick him up for the appointment, he has eaten all his pellets and some hay so I held off on taking him in.
  He has since become extremely active, eating pellets again and some hay (yet a little less than normal). He’s also pooping less than normal but they look good.
  He’s now scratching his ears a lot so I’ve started him on clotramizole drops in case of a reoccurrence of yeast.
  His regular vet is out until the 25th but I’ve called a different vet that’s rabbit savvy and they’ll see him if needed.
  Right now I’m going to stick with the ear drops and continue to monitor him.
  
  Bunnies man, they sure like to be stressful, adorable mysteries
- 02/19/2016 at 2:23 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16999 posts
  Yes, they are mysterious little creatures and they sure know how to make a human worried. I know you are keeping such a close eye on him always, he won’t get away with being ill without you noticing it.
  
  Appetite + active sounds great. And yeast infections really are notorious for recurring.
Author

Messages

Viewing 11 reply threads

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.