“Sudden” Deafness

[BelarusianBunny]

Hi again!

A small strange question. 

I took my senior citizen bunny Dima to the vet to have his ears cleaned out and check to see if he had an ear infection starting.  (He was shaking his head.)  Thankfully, he does not have an ear infection!  But the vet scooped some large balls of goo out.  He used one of those veterinary “long” cotton swabs.

Since we have been home, I have noticed that Dima is deaf.  Up until a few days prior, I would call his name and he would look.  I’d clap my hands and he would look.  Now, I shake the treat bag, shake the food bag, shake his food dish: nothing. 

I’ve gone through all the sounds on my phone: nothing.
I’ve played two different car alarm sounds: nothing!
I’ve banged a metal spoon against a metal pot: nothing.

Thank goodness my husband has gone home to Belarus for the ice hockey tournament / vacation or he would put me in an insane asylum.  I’m yelling, “DIMA!”, banging pots, clapping my hands and playing strange sounds. 

Could it be possible that cleaning out the ears damaged something? Or is it that his chronic upper respiratory infections finally caught up with him and he lost his hearing?  Or does old age hearing loss come on so quickly?

He still “follows” where I walk with his ears but that is his sight and vibrations.  I don’t mind living with a deaf bunny but I just find this rapid loss of hearing peculiar.  

I’ve head the other threads on here about deaf bunnies so I know bunnies can live well enough without hearing. 

[Sarita]

That is odd – I do wonder if it is due to the cleaning – maybe the vet got some goop stuck down in the ear by accident.

Or he’s just ignoring you….my rabbit does this all the time.

[BelarusianBunny]

Sometimes I wonder, like you said, if he is ignoring me.    It wouldn’t be the first time but it would be the longest time.  I do believe he is angry at me and holding a grudge.  I’ve had our carpets cleaned, so for now, he is not allowed in his favorite “den area” under a certain table.  Anytime I shoo him away, he gives me a very mean glare.  

However, I am going to keep an eye on him and his ears.  Perhaps, for now, due to the cleaning, like you said, something could be blocked or disturbed.  I know those Dwarf heads are so compact that anything is possible.  

Thank you for your reply!

[jerseygirl]

Maybe some temporary swelling in the ears from the cleaning??

[manic_muncher]

I think you should go back to have them clean the ears again. If the vet got a lot of gunk out, there is a good chance, like you said, that more just got pushed down and blocked her ears off. Probably needs another flushing.

[LongEaredLions]

I think he might be angry that you subjected him to the torture that is the vets.

[BelarusianBunny]

I do think it was a mix of him ignoring me/being angry at me.  He seems to be more “alert” to sounds.  But (there is always a but) when I was combing his coat today (something he loves like a massage), I saw in his ear, there was a “ball of goo” sitting there.  Waiting to come out.  I took a tissue and gently picked it up.  It was sitting in the fur before the ears start to get long. That furry part.  There is obviously some goo still in there or some has “loosened up” more.

Really dumb question: The vet said my bunny doesn’t have ear mites or an ear infection.  However, he takes Baytril ear drops to deal with his snuffles from time to time.  Could this be causing the sludge in his ears?  Is it simply ear wax?  I am just wondering what the goo is knowing that he doesn’t have ear mites.

[Whobott]

Is your rabbit white? What color is his eyes? I highly doubt this is the cause but if it is white it could be deaf. Deafness is more common in white animals due to a loss in cochlear blood cells because of white pigments. I don’t wanna get too technical but if it’s white it could be going deaf.

[BelarusianBunny]

Thanks for your reply.

But no, my rabbit is not white.  He’s chinchilla gray with brown eyes.

I rang the vet today as there is more ooze / goo balls so I think some got shifted and needs to come out. 

[LongEaredLions]

Baytril ear drops for snuffles? I have never heard of this-usually you would give it orally. I think this is likely the cause. I would ask the vet.

[manic_muncher]

About 15 yrs ago my husband began getting dizzy one day. The next day he couldn’t even walk straight, completely off-balanced. He would use a qtip a day to clean out the water in his ears after washing his hair. After this dizzy thing, the qtip came out with a LOT of stuff on it. That’s when it clicked for me and we did an ear flush. A HUGE wad of wax came out and he was instantly better. Did both of his ears, and then a few days later he did it again and got more.

I’m betting the next time will likely be the last time you will need to get it done.

[BelarusianBunny]

LongEarLions: Hi there. We have a standing prescription for oral Baytril for my little guy. However, the vet said to keep the oral, or stronger Baytril, for when my rabbit has a more serious infection. Such as like last year when his low immune system had a flare up of snuffles (my guess) and he got hind end paralysis. The ear drops weren’t strong enough to care for it but the oral took care of it in a couple days. So, long story short: “chronic” snuffles when they flare up, he gets ear drops. Bad, bad, bad cases: oral.

Well, I came with the update that the deafness was temporary. He is back to showing reactions to sounds. After another ear cleaning, he’s been fine. However, he absolutely hates having his ears cleaned and I can’t blame him!

[BinkyBunny]

Glad to know his deafness was temporary. My senior bunny is blind and becoming harder of hearing (she can hear, but she tell where it’s coming from, when she is near a wall, she instantly focuses her ears there when I talk to her or shake a treat bag as she must be hearing the sound bounce of the wall).

One thing I know most bunnies will respond to, is crinkling a treat bag as they relate that to Noms of course. I could snap my fingers, knock on the wall…nothing…but crinkle a treat bag and it’s all over! LOL. So the fact you did that and nothing happened probably meant he had lost his hearing).  Again, though, glad he’s fine now. 

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