If you do / did what was the treatment and results? How long did your bunny have to suffer? My lop is suffering from it right now and we went to the vet, he gave him meds and told me to call him back in one week. However the bunny seems to be getting worse, and it is breaking my heart, thanks for any help.
2006-06-18 12:02:18 · 7 answers · asked by artisticdesigner30 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
It takes long-term antibiotics, usually over a period of several months, but take heart - it CAN be cured. The reason I know a bit about it, is because we suspected our first rabbit of having it, so I researched it. Because this is such a common condition, it is fortunately well-recognised and well-understood, and so can readily be treated. As long as your bunn is eating and drinking - eating and drinking are the key signs of wellbeing in a rabbit - she's not suffering as much as you are with your seeing her this way.
I've personally known several people whose bunns had wry neck, and they are each better now. One of them had such severe head tilt that her head was sideways and her eye was literally touching the ground, and she couldn't stand up at all without falling over - she needed intensive nursing for a couple of months, during which her humans kept her in her hutch/cage surrounded by towels so that she wouldn't fall over as easily ... and now she's cured, and since then has been healthy enough to become a mother bunn.
I'll quote to you from one of my favoured rabbit health books, "Rabbitlopaedia: A Complete Guide to Rabbit Care" by Meg Brown and Virginia Richardson:
"HEAD TILT or WRY NECK
"The sudden onset of a head tilt is a quite common occurrence in rabbits.
"Signs: The rabbit suddenly develops a tilt of its head to one side. The twist may be so dramatic that the eye on the downward side might touch the ground. The rabbit will lose its sense of balance and may twist and spin if picked up.
"Cause: There are various causes, but infections of the middle and inner ear are most common. Head trauma from a fight or fall can also cause a head tilt. Bacteria or a parasite "Encephalitozoon cuniculi" can migrate from the inner ear to the brain and cause various neurological symptoms.
"Treatment: Whatever the cause, treatment is symptomatic. This usually involves a long course of antibiotics if infection is suspected, and corticosteroids if swelling of the brain is suspected. Recovery is slow, but if the rabbit is able to eat and drink, it should be given plenty of time to recover with long-term antibiotics. The rabbit should be kept in a confined and comfortable area and handled as little as possible, because as soon as it is picked up and its feet leave the floor, it will lose its balance and start spinning. The down-side eye may need special care, bathing and eye cream, if it is touching the ground."
The good news is that, because this is such a common condition, it is well-recognised and well-understood, and so can readily be treated. Very very best of luck to you and your bunn, and don't hesitate to email me if you want to talk more.
2006-06-18 19:13:35 · answer #1 · answered by Lea 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Wry Neck In Rabbits
2016-10-06 01:24:24 · answer #2 · answered by liebermann 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wry neck is usually caused by the build up of too much ammonia around the rabbit, especially when the rabbit is young. This can be caused by poor ventilation and not cleaning pen out frequently enough.
Wry neck can sometimes be confused with an inner ear infection. Inner ear infections often occur after the rabbit has had a cold (this is why it is important to treat colds quickly). The infection in the ear can cause the rabbit to tilt its head to the side, similar to the manner of wry neck. An inner ear infection can be treated with antibiotics and the rabbit may get better over time. Often, improvements will be seen with the tilting on an inner ear infection, but the rabbit doesn't fully recover.
If the rabbit actually suffers from wry neck, it will probably never recover. If the rabbit instead has an inner ear infection then it may get better, possibly to the point that you don't notice the head tilting.
This comes from 24 years of experience of raising rabbits.
2006-06-19 05:35:03 · answer #3 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Does anyone have a bunny that has or had wry neck?
If you do / did what was the treatment and results? How long did your bunny have to suffer? My lop is suffering from it right now and we went to the vet, he gave him meds and told me to call him back in one week. However the bunny seems to be getting worse, and it is breaking my heart, thanks...
2015-08-18 18:23:27 · answer #4 · answered by Lowell 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a professional rabbit breeder, it is probably best to put him down. He is probably suffering, and there is no known cure. There are some medications, but they VERY seldom work and out of probably 50 wry neck cases I have heard of, I have only heard of one surviving. I'm sorry for your loss.
2006-06-18 19:16:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
im afraid you will have to put him down, he will start getting to the point were he will start doing *flips* wry neck is something you have to cure At the first signs of head shakeing i know its hard to deal with but i have lost a few good show bunnys to wry neck becuse they didnt show signs fast enough
2006-06-18 18:07:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know in guinea pigs there is nothing that can be done. Look on google...
check here...www.lionheadbreeder.com/health.html.
www.RabbitSecrets.com
2006-06-18 12:10:50 · answer #7 · answered by Who am I? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a case where many veterinarians don't know what to do. Many just don't know rabbits - and won't tell you that. Caught early and treated aggressively there IS hope. It doesnt save every one but is better than doing nothing. Doing nothing they won't make it :-(
2006-06-18 13:12:18 · answer #8 · answered by Jan H 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋