bunny head tilt.

Question
Hi there just looking for advice. My 3month old mini lop was in the vets for 4days just home a day ago she got took in with a severe head tilt she couldnt walk and was just turning. She has returned home with anti biotics and is eating and drinking on her own. Was just wondering does this hurt her? And is there anything we can do to support her.
any advice would be great thanks.

Answer
Dear Laura,

While the condition can be distressing to look at, it doesn't seem to be painful.  That your bunny is eating and acting fine tells us that she's dealing with the situation well.

You can read about supportive care and ideas for physical therapy here:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html

and also a more technical article about the possible causes of head tilt here:

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

A bunny this young is likely to have either an inner ear infection (lops are prone to this with their mutant ear morphology), or possibly suffered trauma.  But I'm glad your vet is treating the problem and not assuming that torticollis is a death sentence (as some vets inexperienced with this problem do).  Time and patience, and bun will carry on.

Hope this helps.

Dana