Giant lop rabbit loosing balance plz advise?

Question

he is 2 years and looks healthy,however yesterday we noticed his balance is off.acting like he is drunk.last incident he went to sit up,fell backwards.he lives free in a large garden,not hiding away,still returning at night on own to hutch for food.appetite same.

Answer 1

look in his ears sounds like there somethin wrong there. lop ear rabbits have problems with that. u need to clean them and they can even get canker ear. go to the store and get mineral oil or sweet oil and pour it in there take a que tip and carefully clean it out. he will probelly fightn you so to keep you and the rabbitt from getting hurt wrap him up in a towle.

Answer 2

What country are you in.  If the USA, it's not Myxomatosis.  Probably 'head tilt', which has a few causes, most notably an inner ear infection or E. Cuniculi infection.  Get bunny in to the vet to get checked out and treated.  Heat tilt is usually very treatable if caught early, but it's best to catch it early, otherwise there can be lasting effects.

Answer 3

take him to the vet. he could have gotten into an insecticide, or worse.

Answer 4

balance is often related to the ears i suggest you take the rabbit to the vets, it may have ear mite or and ear infection

Answer 5

the rabbit could be experiencing ear trouble, you should take the rabbit to a veterinarian as soon as possible

Answer 6

ear infection or brain problem see a vet.

Answer 7

Take it to the vet as rabbits can die very quickly if they are sick.  At least call a vet if you can't get there to ask for their advise.

Answer 8

Loss of balance in rabbit may be associated with 2 major conditions:

- middle ear infection (usually a bacteria named pasteurella)

- a parasite called encephalitozoon cuniculi

I recommend close inspection of both ear. If they look clear, then you are probably dealing with the parasite. Definitive diagnosis would be reached with blood test (serology) for the parasite.

Treatment is long and sometime frustrating. The product of choice is panacur:

http://www.vetstoria.co.uk/templates/pan...

Best wishes, Julien

Answer 9

Take your rabbit to the vet and have his ears checked out. It may be a problem with his inner ear, that's what gives us all a sense of balance. Also check around the garden for poisonus/toxic plants - you can find a list of them on google, and pics too if you don't know what they look like. Keep an eye on where he wanders in the garden; also if there's mulch it could be bad for him.

Answer 10

he might have brocken his back legs take him to a vet

Answer 11

It sounds like a virus called myxoma virus which causes myxomatosis.  It is a lethal disease existing in 2 forms, one of which sounds just like your rabbit.  Usually the disease is lethal, and cause of death is from a secondary infection such as pneumonia.  In these cases, there's not much you can do for the rabbit.  They reccomend putting them down.