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I'm pretty sure Mouse is deaf now - or maybe not

joey&boo

Wise Old Thumper
A few months ago I posted that Mouse was either deaf or ignoring me. She used to come running when I called. The vet found nothing in a physical exam of her ears & concluded "she's ignoring you". I now think that is incorrect, I've been testing her regularly. Her ears don't so much twitch & at loud or shrill noises. She takes all her cues from Joe so doesn't miss out on much & unlike Boo I've never had to poke her awake at meal times.

They are having vacs next week so I'll discuss with the vet again.

What I'm wondering is would there be any diagnostic tests to check her ears & would there be any value to exploring it further? I definitely wouldn't put her under GA just to do this as she is happy & seems otherwise healthy. It would more be information for my memory bank should she ever need GA for something else I could look in to this at the same time.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom
 
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Poor Mouse [emoji17] I don't have any experience with deafness in rabbits but I'm just going to throw some thoughts out in case they might help!

Am I right in thinking that Mouse is still quite a young rabbit? Can deafness develop in young rabbits, i.e. no external cause? I've found that my rabbits are very reactive to noise so if Mouse doesn't react even involuntarily to loud noises I'd also be inclined to think deafness rather than ignoring you.

As far as external causes are concerned, is she showing any signs that her ears are bothering her? Any excessive head shaking or scratching? Can you feel any lumps around the base of her ears? Not to alarm you but for my own peace of mind I would want to make sure abscesses can be ruled out.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along soon to give you something more concrete to go on. Good luck at the vet's. I hope you can get some answers x


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I also have no experience of deafness in rabbits. I do know though that all three of my rabbits will occasionally appear not to hear and do not react to sounds. However, if an unexpected noise startles them, all three will fly to the safety of their shed.

I think it's sensible to ask your vet again next week. I would be interested to know how the vet will test hearing.
 
It may well be that Mouse is deaf if she never reacts to sudden noise. Has she ever had 'Snuffles' or 'active' EC ? In cases of Snuffles caused by Pasteurella the tympanic bullae can be full of pus as a result of the bacteria tracking up from the nasal cavity. EC can also cause deafness.

Your Vet has obviously excluded a build up of wax/debris in the outer ear canal which can cause hearing loss, especially in Lops.

My Lord H is deaf and Inspector Morse was too x
 
Thank You for your replies

Scrappy I think she is 6 years or more, she was rescued the first time as an adult & then sadly again a year or so later (well 2nd time she was returned to rescue). The return must have been stressful for her & she developed head tilt. Obviously I didn't have her then but she was treated for head tilt (anti biotics, metacam, panacur). I was told head tilt was her only clinical sign back then & she ate & functioned well. She had a past positive EC diagnosis & is still a tad tilty. She has no lumps or bumps I can feel . Bright eyes & silky coat :)

Thanks Omi. When I discussed Boo's deafness at Crab Lane Vets they said they'd test pretty much as you'd test for it at home. I will raise it with my vet again. Always good to get ideas on here prior to consult so I know what to discuss & my vet is a pain in the bum to get to & co-ordinate lift to

Jane that is really interesting. I didn't know EC could cause deafness. Would this be rapid onset or progressive? I have wondered about getting them all EC tested - Joey's first wife had high viral load EC & Boo does drink a lot. I'm kicking myself as I've forgotten most of the content of FHB lectures on EC
 
Would you be able to seperate her for 5 minutes and get say a whistle? rustle a bag of treats? see if she reacts without another rabbit there to give her cues and where she cant see you.. Facing another direction?
 
Would you be able to seperate her for 5 minutes and get say a whistle? rustle a bag of treats? see if she reacts without another rabbit there to give her cues and where she cant see you.. Facing another direction?

Yes we've done that ...she doesn't respond
 
Mimzy's head tilt is, we believe, related to e.c. He's never been properly tested, but my ex once revved a chainsaw right outside my open bedroom window and, while Fiver was off like a shot, Mimzy just sat there.
He does get terrible wax plugs in his ears too, but I don't think it's the cause of his troubles. I think the virus just ruined his eardrums as well as his inner ear.

He does seem to get on just fine without it. I still talk to him like he can hear me, but I gently touch him if I need his attention, or wave food in front of his nose. That usually works. ;)
 
Thanks MM. She doesn't really suffer from much wax. I think maybe it could be EC but as she wasn't deaf until a few months ago does that mean she has had a relapse & I've not known.

Annoyingly OH booked his car in for MOT on monday morning - it will prob need work so I wasn't confident of getting to vets in time so cancelled their app. Been stressing about it since as the only app to see my bunny friendly vet was when I'm working so OH taking them by himself. I'm worried. I'm not confident he'll ask the right questions, take in everything that's said. Mouse is very nippy in the vets & I'm worried he won't be able to hold her right. I think i should have gone for morning app with less bunny savvy vet at the practice :( I have trust issues letting anyone take on these kind of duties but if it goes well I guess I'll be reassurred. I can't leave it as already a few days late .

Does anyone have any thoughts about whether I should give my buns a 28 day course of panacur due to EC history? Would I need to wait til post vacs?
 
Sorry I missed this & sorry I can't offer any help/info but sending lots of vibes to them all :love: :love: :love: And you of course xx :love:

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Well OH's seemed to manage ok though said they were much more stressy than normal. No blood loss (Mousey did try to bite the vet but didn't quite manage it). She has a little "white gunk" in her ear but the vet didn't feel it needed treatment. She gave the OK for 28 day panacur treatment so I'll order some & start them on that shortly. Joeys spurs were noted but he always has them & they don't affect him. RHVD2 was recommended every 6 months - unsure what I'll do yet.
 
Did the vet say anything about hearing loss apart from noticing the white gunk in the ear?

Good luck with the Panacur. I know when I had to do all of them for 28 days it seemed like forever.

I share your indecision about 6 monthly RHD2. For what it's worth, my vet's not sure either which way to go.
 
Well OH's seemed to manage ok though said they were much more stressy than normal. No blood loss (Mousey did try to bite the vet but didn't quite manage it). She has a little "white gunk" in her ear but the vet didn't feel it needed treatment. She gave the OK for 28 day panacur treatment so I'll order some & start them on that shortly. Joeys spurs were noted but he always has them & they don't affect him. RHVD2 was recommended every 6 months - unsure what I'll do yet.


Did the vet agree with you about Mouse's deafness? Or a cause?
 
I don't know how far his discussions went re: hearing, other than she didn't think her small amount of wax was significant enough to cause any problems. I don't think vets are better able to test than we are, its probably harder out of natural environment? She is deaf though, I don't need a vet to tell me that. The cause is the mystery. I'd been wanting to panacur them for a while so will do that. I was thinking about EC tests first but FHB said they are unreliable so maybe not a great benefit of doing this in my situation
 
I don't know how far his discussions went re: hearing, other than she didn't think her small amount of wax was significant enough to cause any problems. I don't think vets are better able to test than we are, its probably harder out of natural environment? She is deaf though, I don't need a vet to tell me that. The cause is the mystery. I'd been wanting to panacur them for a while so will do that. I was thinking about EC tests first but FHB said they are unreliable so maybe not a great benefit of doing this in my situation


How does EC cause deafness?
 
How does EC cause deafness?

Thats what I want to know. I've googled like crazy & it is listed on many sites as a possible symptom but I can't find more detail. Where is FHB when we need her. Prior to this I was contemplating treating them properly just in case Boo's mega thirst worries me a tad & Mouseypie is positive anyway
 
Thats what I want to know. I've googled like crazy & it is listed on many sites as a possible symptom but I can't find more detail. Where is FHB when we need her. Prior to this I was contemplating treating them properly just in case Boo's mega thirst worries me a tad & Mouseypie is positive anyway

Ah!

I read someone on this thread said EC causes deafness - do they have an answer for you maybe? :)
 
I dunno. If the vet thinks her ears aren't the issue its a fairly simple thing to try ...though I also know not whether it would be irreversible..I think most EC damage is? I'm not overly worried as it doesn't feel like there is much I can do. She is otherwise very happy & appears well
 
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