My lop-eared bunny falls to left side when trying to hop

Question
I can't find a near-enough vet for a bunny.  This may be an emergency.  I'm not sure what happened...but my bunny takes 1-2 hops then falls to his left side, like his hip is hurt maybe, then gets up and tries again.  He has no external signs of injury.  He came up to the patio for breakfast, like always, but had trouble getting there.  Do you think he got injured somehow or are bunnies prone to some sort of neurological problems?  Please help me!  I want to help Hopscotch.

Answer
Dear Lauri,

First, please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

for emergency instructions.  Next, please use the list linked here to find the nearest rabbit-savvy vet, since you will not be able to deal with this on your own:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The lack of balance could be due to an injury, or it could be a sign of an inner ear infection, which may or may not be manifested as a head tilt.  Please read:

www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html

and

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

Another possibility is hind limb paresis:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html

Rabbits are not prone to neurological problems, but they can get them from any number of things:  infection, renal disease, abscess, tumor, parasites, etc.  And you will need a good vet to help you get this properly diagnosed and treated.

I hope this helps.

Dana