SOMETHING IS WRONG!

[Deleted User]

 Well, earlier this morning (5/27/11) I noticed that Domino was tilting his head to my left (his right). He was also very lethargic. I left for school while my dad was home to take care of him. When I came home, the side that his head was tilting to, was swollen and he had a runny nose. His energy level hasn’t changed either. What do I do?

[Sarita]

Get him to a vet! That’s the best thing you can do to help him.

[Elrohwen]

Definitely a vet! Healing vibes for Domino. I hope the vet is able to fix it.

[Monkeybun]

Agreed! He needs to see a vet ASAP.

[LoveChaCha]

Vet. This is not good

[lynnbunn]

Oh my. Vet ASAP, just like the others said.
For now, make sure he’s comfortable as can be.
Head tilt can be a symptom of many serious issues like inner-ear infection or advanced ear mites.
It can cause permanent trauma if it goes untreated for too long.

I hope he gets better soon. All the luck to you guys! <3

[BinkyBunny]

any updates? I hope he’s okay!

[Beka27]

How scary! Head tilt can be caused by parasites or an ear infection like the others said. The vet will have to do some testing to determine what the cause is and prescribe the appropriate meds. FORTUNATELY, when caught and treated early, there is a very high rate of recovery. Please keep us posted!!!

(((Healing vibes for Domino!)))

[Deleted User]

as an update:
well, his face isn’t as swollen and his head isn’t as tilted. he has more energy and his nose is still runny but i’m still concerned. I checked his ears and do not see any signs of infection. He had ear mites in the past and i remember how they looked like, his ears are very clean so im not concerned about any ear infection. My dad and I are going to see if any more improvements occur before we take him to a vet. He seems to be coping well but we are going to wait just a little. Thanks everyone for being so concerned.

[jerseygirl]

Oh please don’t wait hon. Encourage your Dad to take him in sooner rather then later. You wouldn’t be able to see an inner ear infection. It could be something completely different causing his symptoms also. It’s just not worth the risk to wait.
Hope your boy will come good!

[Deleted User]

Thanks, I have been trying to convince my dad to take him but my dad is just bent on waiting a little.
Update:
He seems to be constipated, and isn’t really eating much however he is drinking a lot of water.

[Michelle&Lolli]

YOU NEED TO GET HIM TO A VET. Sorry to yell, but with rabbits you simply cannot wait. They are not like dogs or cats. If he’s not eating or pooping, that is a sign that there is something wrong with his digestive system. Once the digestive system starts shutting down, it’s very difficult to get it working again and this is VERY CRITICAL.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Here are some articles you could have your dad read.  They are good at explaining exactly what’s happening and what treatments are needed.  I know you can’t do much and are worried too.  It’s just that rabbits are different than cats or dogs.  Because they are a prey animal, they do not show illness or pain until it’s sometimes too late.  That’s why it’s so important to monitor their eating and pooping. 

Here is a site that has articles by a rabbit vet. 

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/rabbithealth.html

Rabbit.org also has a lot of good information too.  Perhaps you and your dad can look through both and maybe he’ll see that he needs to be taken to the vet. 

[Deleted User]

My mom has finally intervened and we are taking him to a vet. We are taking him tuesday or tomorrow.

[Beka27]

Thank goodness your mom is stepping in! Let us know what the vet does during the exam (any cultures or tests) and prescribes for meds.

(For the record, my dad was the same way when I was growing up… the dog’s leg could fall off and he’d still say, “Well, we’ll see how he does…” It’s a very common, old-school way of thinking that pets don’t require vet care.)

(((Domino!)))

[Deleted User]

Yes, so true with my dada as well. What’s strange is that he absolutely ADORES Domino. His appointment is today and what’s ironic is it’s not my mom who is taking him, but my dad and I are taking him. Go figure.

Update:
His symptoms have improved, he is eating the vegetables now but still avoiding his pellets, his water intake isn’t quite as much as when this whole event started. His face isn’t as swollen but his neck is now larger as in there is a fold on his neck that has never happened to him before. He was eating his cage bedding so I moved him to the x-pen and put a heating pad (set on low) with him because our house is very cold right now. He is still lethargic and VERY constipated. His nose is still runny but not as much as before. He seems to be improving but we are still taking him to the vet.

[Michelle&Lolli]

***Hugs*** And healing vibes!

My parents were the same way growing up. Wait and see. Of course, every time something seemed off with my dog or cat, I was rushing to one of my parents and telling them we need to go to the vet. And of course, by the next day (if not sooner) the dog or cat was fine. lol So I understand that whole philosophy cause dogs and cats will take care of certain ailments themselves. But rabbits are totally different. Even with Lolli, sometimes my parents would still tell me to wait and see and I’d have to explain that you can’t do that with rabbits. Side note – my dad whistles at Lolli likes she’s a dog. Yeah, that’s what I’m dealing with. LOL

[Deleted User]

lol, yeah we have a dog who has had practically NO health issues so when this happened with Domino, he naturally assumed it would get better…

[Deleted User]

As an update:

The vet appointment was okay, they found an abscess somewhere around his jaw bone and the swelling is his face was due to puss accumulating. They removed the puss and the vet prescribed a feeding supplement (to be syringe fed), an antibiotic (to be syringe fed), and a pain medication (to be syringe fed). The vet showed me how to feed him and well…. this is going to be an interesting “roller coaster ride” as some would call it…

[jerseygirl]

Poor Domino. The pain med might get him eating well again. What about his pooping, did they do anything to help him start toileting again?

[Deleted User]

Well, the feeding supplement is high in fiber and in protein to bulk him up and get his bowel movements going again, but as far as it’s gone so far, there has been little improvement in his pooping. But hey, it’s at least some improvement. We scheduled another vet check-up, however, this time it’s with his original vet. We have been carefully recording all that he is eating (including the times that we give him his medications), so we are going to take that to the vet.

[jerseygirl]

That sounds a bit like Oxbow Critical Care.

Is he pooping at all?

[Author]

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