• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Face paralysis

Hills

Hills

Young Bun
Hi all,

I really need some advice. Louis has recently had his 2nd ear infection, he’s doing well now but he has nerve damage around his mouth, the last few days I’ve noticed that he is eating really slowly and the food falls out of his mouth (the side that has the nerve damage), I then noticed today that his normal side was wet, like he’s drooling. He’s still eating but I’m just so worried that he’s going to have teeth problems etc. Has anyone else experienced this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you x


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don’t have any experience of this so I can’t advise, but I’m sending lots of vibes to him xx
 
I'm sorry to hear this, poor Louis. I've no experience of this either, I'm sure that there will be others on here, who will have some advice to offer xxx
 
Hills said:
Hi all,

I really need some advice. Louis has recently had his 2nd ear infection, he’s doing well now but he has nerve damage around his mouth, the last few days I’ve noticed that he is eating really slowly and the food falls out of his mouth (the side that has the nerve damage), I then noticed today that his normal side was wet, like he’s drooling. He’s still eating but I’m just so worried that he’s going to have teeth problems etc. Has anyone else experienced this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you x


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I have experienced just this with Teddy, the left side of his face suffers with some paralysis following an ear infection. It has unfortunately changed the way he eats and he does have dental problems now. I don't know if he's blind in his left eye but he can't open or close his eyelid, so I use an ointment twice a day to keep it moist. What I will say is he's adapted remarkably well to it all, he can eat pretty quickly and it doesn't bother him, although I do make some adjustments to make his life easier. His physiotherapist recommended stroking/massaging both sides of the face gently a couple of times a day to help stimulate blood flow and relax the muscles on the side he uses more, so you could try that and see if he likes it. Always worth speaking to your vet to find out how bad the paralysis is if possible as well. I hope Louis makes a swift recovery!
 
Orenoko said:
I have experienced just this with Teddy, the left side of his face suffers with some paralysis following an ear infection. It has unfortunately changed the way he eats and he does have dental problems now. I don't know if he's blind in his left eye but he can't open or close his eyelid, so I use an ointment twice a day to keep it moist. What I will say is he's adapted remarkably well to it all, he can eat pretty quickly and it doesn't bother him, although I do make some adjustments to make his life easier. His physiotherapist recommended stroking/massaging both sides of the face gently a couple of times a day to help stimulate blood flow and relax the muscles on the side he uses more, so you could try that and see if he likes it. Always worth speaking to your vet to find out how bad the paralysis is if possible as well. I hope Louis makes a swift recovery!
Click to expand...


Oh poor Teddy! It’s so sad to see them go through it. Did it take him a while to adjust? He’s still eating and very happy so I’m thinking I’m worrying a bit too much. But I’ve booked an app with the vets anyway xx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hills said:
Oh poor Teddy! It’s so sad to see them go through it. Did it take him a while to adjust? He’s still eating and very happy so I’m thinking I’m worrying a bit too much. But I’ve booked an app with the vets anyway xx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
It did take a while, he was quite dribbly at times so I had to clip all the hair on that side of his face until he stopped dribbling. Now he only dribbles if he needs a dental so at least I get a bit of an indication. I may be wrong but Louis' paralysis doesn't sound quite as bad, hopefully he can adjust quickly to his new normal! I don't think much can be done once it's happened sadly but your vet will be able to tell you for sure.

Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk
 
Orenoko said:
It did take a while, he was quite dribbly at times so I had to clip all the hair on that side of his face until he stopped dribbling. Now he only dribbles if he needs a dental so at least I get a bit of an indication. I may be wrong but Louis' paralysis doesn't sound quite as bad, hopefully he can adjust quickly to his new normal! I don't think much can be done once it's happened sadly but your vet will be able to tell you for sure.

Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I’m going to give his face a bit of tlc this afternoon and really see what it’s like. How often does Teddy need dentals?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hills said:
I’m going to give his face a bit of tlc this afternoon and really see what it’s like. How often does Teddy need dentals?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
It varies, he just had one but before that it was 8 weeks between dentals, but before that he only managed 4 weeks between, so it's very hard to tell with him. But he also refuses his hay a lot of the time too which doesn't help. If only a small bit of Louis' face is paralysed hopefully he can adapt and won't need dentals.

Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk
 
Hills said:
Hi all,

I really need some advice. Louis has recently had his 2nd ear infection, he’s doing well now but he has nerve damage around his mouth, the last few days I’ve noticed that he is eating really slowly and the food falls out of his mouth (the side that has the nerve damage), I then noticed today that his normal side was wet, like he’s drooling. He’s still eating but I’m just so worried that he’s going to have teeth problems etc. Has anyone else experienced this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you x


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I have experience with this.
My bunny has left side facial paralysis.
She is eating okay and has also adapted.
Shes keeping weight which is good.
She has been lucky and hasnt experienced any dental problems and shes had this paralysis for over a year and a half.
Not sure how she keeps her teeth from growing lol

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
neutered rabbit is super stinky
Replies
3
Views
885
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Loula
Stasis medication query
Replies
8
Views
1K
Omi
O
Alicia
Injury from another rabbit
Replies
4
Views
980
Zoobec
Zoobec
Back
Top