Bunny stopped using an ear...

Matthew Hart said:

Hi Folks,

I'm looking for a little advice or to see if anyone else has experienced the same issue?

My little Dwarf Rabbit Bourbon who has been treated for pasturella in the past. Not had any active signs for 6 months+ was taken to vet because I noticed a slight head tilt while she was snoozing. No sign of which could be seen by the following morning before going to the vet. The vet checked her over but could only see a bit of wax in the left ear suggested a week of antibiotics and 28 days of Panacur in case of parasites.

Antibiotics done panacur on going, no signs of head tilt. However she seems to have stopped using her left ear? For a day or two after starting anti's she had her left ear (ear with the wax and side tilting to floor) flat on her back now it's back up but not doing the 'radar' like the other ear, and when she's inside under a chair she flattens the right but not the left.

Bourbons booked in to see the vet on Wednesday, however it not the specialist one who helped get her pasturella under control. She seems to have left the practice and I can't find where she went.

Sorry it's a bit of a mammoth first post but if anyone's still reading, and has experienced a bunny stop using an ear any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Matt

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MightyMax said:

Hi Matt and welcome to the forum :wave:

Did the vet clean the wax out at all? No ear drops or anything that could've been put into that left ear?

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Matthew Hart said:

Hi MightyMax,

No, she just said there was a little wax but didn't seem concerned by it, at that point I think she was still using the ear too.

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MightyMax said:

I wonder if it's something to do with what's in the ear then?

You say there was head tilt in the past? This can also be a symptom of an ear infection. Not all ear infections are visible to the eye when a vet looks in the ear.

You might want to check out these links:

http://www.veterinarywebinars.com/m...oads/2016/03/Study_Notes_Ear_Nose_Rabbits.pdf

http://www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html

Disease of the middle ear can cause head shaking, drooping ear and pain as well as deafness but does NOT cause a persistent head tilt. As with external ear disease there may be a temporary head tilt due to discomfort but no loss of balance.


If the branch of the facial nerve that passes through the middle ear is damaged it can cause a drooping lip and ear,


I know this doesn't exactly fit the picture you've described, but it shows that an ear infection of some sort or another *can* affect the use of the ear.

I think it's worth getting the specialist to consider the options - Otitis media is visible on X-rays -

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm

What do you think?

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Matthew Hart said:

Hi Max,

Thanks for finding those.

On a quick read of the first, the otitis media caused but a recurrence of the pasturella in the ear but not her nose fits a bit too well. Also from the issues we had clearing bourbons pasturella previously where my rabbit savvy vet ended up prescribing off book as the Batryil was about as useful as a chocolate Teapot!

Think I'll see was they say tomorrow but if they try offering Batryil again, I'll see if they can tell me where my Rabbit savvy vet moved to or try and find a new one.

Thanks for your help it's much appreciated.

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