Holding Head Funny?

[Himalayan]

My one Dwarf Doe holds her head to the side all the time. I got her from a farm and they said shes done that since she was little. Shes a little over a year old. Shes 16 months. Black, and weighs about 31/2-4 lbs. (I haven't weighed her lately) She is perfectly normal other wise and is one of the most active bunnies I have. It has not been a problem to her at all for the two months that I've owned her but I swear shes getting worst.My mom says she don't think she is.I called the only vet office I could fine around here that handle rabbitsand they said they would have to see her. The thing is they want $200 just to walk in the vets office, and another $80 to examine her. I was just wondering if anyone had any other advise on this matter before I take her in and spend all that money. I have some bigger problems with my rabbits right now (will be posting a thread about that next) I just want to make sure I need to spend the money before I actually do. I have 16 other rabbits to tend to along with 3 horses and a dog. So if anyone thinks this is something serious and can be treated please let me know. If it's something that theres no chance of improving. . . . . . . . I want the best for my bunnies but I can't spend so much money if it turns out they can't do anything anyway. If there any question then she will go right away. I have a friend not far from me that has a fully grown four year old Flemish that holds her head this way and the vets said she had a spinal injury when she was younger and theres nothing they can do for her. Anyone think thats the case here? Thanks.

 

[Saudade]

Your little bunny is suffering from head tilt.

You can find info on it Here.

 

[Himalayan]

Thank you! The head being sideways is right on but her eyes and her movement is perfectly normal. In fact she can move faster and better than some of my other rabbits.

 

[tonyshuman]

Dave's right, it sounds like head tilt, and that link will help. There are a number of causes, and several bunnies on here have it. Many bunnies get along fine with a tilt.

The most common cause is a bacterial infection of the inner ear, and treating the infection can make the tilt go away, but this isn't always the case. JadeIcing is a head-tilt expert, and her head-tilt foster bunny Gabriel is in the process of being treated for an ear infection of this type. Her own bunny Ringo was treated for his ear infection, but his tilt has remained. Some other bunnies of this sort are: LittleBayPoo's Ronnie, Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears's Fluffy (RIP), and I know there are others that I cannot remember (no offense to the owners). PetBunny's Pebbles was treated for an ear infection and recovered fully from her tilt. There are probably other bunnies on the forum who had this as well, again I can't remember them all. One is named Naomi. This is quite possibly the cause of the tilt in your girl.

Another possibility is trauma to the ear while the bunny was developing. JadeIcing's Apple is tilted for this reason (I believe). The bunny could have been stepped on or pushed roughly by a person or another rabbit. This is possible for your girl, and there would be no treatment.

The least likely possible cause is advanced encephalotozoan cuniculi (EC) infection. This is rather unlikely in a rabbit of your bunny's age, and because she lacks any other symptoms of EC, such as urinary issues, or hind leg immobility, which usually develop first in EC. If you take her to a vet and the vet says it's EC, I wouldn't trust that vet.

The prices you mentioned for a vet are ridiculous. Please check our listing of vets near you that members recommend. (Link) My vet charges less than $40 for just an office appointment, the university vet school charges around $70 for just an appointment, and the emergency vet charges $75 just to see the animal. $280 just to see the rabbit is totally ridiculous.

You want to get a vet off that list. They will hopefully look in the ear, swab for any discharge, and culture the bacteria that are growing in the pus in the ear. They can then test the bacteria to see what antibiotics will kill it. A vet that says your bunny likely has EC, or just prescribes Baytril, is not a good vet. Zithromax (azithromyicin) is a good antibiotic in this situation. If the tilt is caused by trauma, the vet may not see anything in the ear, and/or the course of antibiotics may not work.

Good luck!

 

[Himalayan]

Thank you so much! I will check the vet list out right away! I live in Holtwood Pa. Thanks everyone!