Rabbit with Head Tilt

Question
What is the bet way for me to care for a rabbit with head tilt?  It has had this condition for about a week.  Do I need to keep the eye (that is facing towards the ground) lubricated?   Do I need to bath his hind-end every day?  Do rabbits usually like to take a bath?  How do I tell if he is aspiring when trying to help him drink water?  What type of enclosure/cage should I put him in?  Is it better to keep him on a soft cushioned padded type of bed, or in a wire cage so that he won't get soiled?  Is there anything else you can suggest to me that I haven't asked about?  Please get back to me quickly and thank you for your help.

Sincerly,

Mitzi SMith

Answer
Dear Mitzi,

For a good overview of the causes and various treatments of torticollis (head tilt), please see:

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

I think it might help.  If you don't already have a good rabbit vet helping you, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If the eye facing the ground is not actually scraping on the ground, it might not be necessary to protect it.  Lubrication won't do much to prevent corneal scratches if the bunny is actually scraping his eye on the down side.  If this is the case, then he probably should have a temporary eye patch placed over his (closed) eye until his head starts to come up to a more normal position.  A good rabbit vet can check the eye for corneal abrasions, and if he does have them, those need to be treated before they start ulcerating the cornea and causing permanent damage.

If his back end is messy, you can help keep him clean with a safe dry bath:

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

He should be kept as clean as possible at all times, since a messy bottom invites fly strike.  Rabbits do NOT like baths, and they're not really safe to give, so the instructions for the dry bath above should help.

The safest way for you to help him drink is to try to hold his head in a somewhat normal position, and then allow him to sip from a bowl.  Hold him up to it carefully, making sure he doesn't dip into it and snork up water!  If that doesn't work, and you're having to syringe water him, be sure to squirt slowly and *sideways* into the space behind his incisors (diastema).  Squirt only a little at a time so he can swallow without being overwhelmed.  It is wise to allow his head to tilt downwards a bit so that if any water dribbles, it dribbles *out* of his mouth instead of down his throat, where it could be aspirated.

A good type of enclosure is a padded one with plenty of protection against the walls, such as rolled up towels.  A puppy pen carpeted with 100% cotton mats and with rolled up towels along the sides is perfect.  He'll also possibly like some rolled up towels to lean on to help him keep his footing.  The cotton mats and towels should be removed as he soils them (easy to launder!), and replaced with fresh ones.  A wire cage would be about the worst thing for him now, since he could injure himself on it (and it won't make him feel very comfortable or secure).

Hang in there!  This looks bad, but it can be defeated.  Please read the article at the first URL above.  I've dealt with this problem *many* times (I have a head tilt girl now who was so bad a few weeks ago that she couldn't even stand, and whenever anyone moved nearby she'd go into violent rolling spasms!  She's doing *great* now, with the proper antibiotics and plenty of room to run as she recovers.)

As your bunny slowly recovers, allow him to run in large areas that won't confine him to a circle.  This helps the head come up to a normal position.  A small pen will promote the sideways head, because the bunny can run only in relatively small circles.

I hope this helps get you started on the road to recovery. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana