Floppy ear...

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monis

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May 2, 2006
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Trondheim, , Norway
I almost forgot the main reason why I joined this forum... I've been searching the internet looking for answers to why a rex' ear would suddenly start to hang down. He is now almost 7months old, and I think it's weird that this would happen at such a grown-up age. His right ear became more and more floppy in just two days. He does not seem ill, doesn't scratch the ear more than usual,I've looked into the ear and the skin there has a normal color. I've posted this issue in Norwegian forums, and got the suggestions ear infection and just "bad ear position" making him unable to hold the ear upright. I know that he is not a mix, he is a pure breed rex. I've talked to the breeder, and she had not heard of any siblings having this issue with any of their ears, nor had Balders parents showed any sign of such ears. I called the vet, and he could only think of the same two reasons as mentioned above as an explanation to the floppy ear. He asked me to check out the ear, and asked if he scratched it or shook his head a lot. Everything looked fine, and I had not seen any unusual behavior from Balder, I told the vet. So he told me to wait and see if the situation would change - if worse I was to come over so that he could check him out.

A few days have passed since I called the vet. Balder does not seem ill- he eats and drinks as normal, and is very active when we go outside.He does seem a bit distant and passive when we are inside, but I suspect that this somewhat unusual behavior is a result of missing a companion (he has had a lot of contact with a male rabbit when we've been outside) or he could be longing to spend time outside, eating the green grass and have a much bigger running space,instead of being inside.

So, my conclusion is that he does not seem sick. What could cause the ear to suddenly hang down like this? I read something about heat causing damage to the ear and as a result the ear could start to hangd ownwards... Anyone here who has experienced something like this before, and might have an explanation to what's happened to him? He seem to have some control over it, the ears does stand upright some of the time. I can't figure out what's going on here. I can't think of any accident happening to him which could have caused physical damage toit....

Rex (and mini rex) is a lot more common breed in the States and Great Brittain, as far as i know, so I'm really hoping some of you guys can help me out here.... :D

Here is a picture of the floppy ear:

rart.jpg

 
If health reasons have been ruled out, it could be from a number of factors:

high, steady temperature

injury to the cartilage at the base of the ear, nerve injury (which can also be due to parasites)or loss of muscle control

loss of elasticity in the tissues due to advanced age



Pam


 

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