
Jump to section
Unfortunately, neurological disorders are very common among rabbits and there are a variety of causes for nerve damage. Some of the conditions are caused by exposure to infections, parasites and more. Other causes can be medical issues, injury, environmental factors and even nutrition.
Due to nerve damage being such a broad diagnosis, it may be difficult to identify what is causing your rabbit’s symptoms. The symptoms can often mimic other conditions. Some of the things your veterinarian may have to differentiate are infections, parasites, injuries and other underlying conditions that have similar symptoms.
Nerve damage in your rabbit is any condition that impacts your rabbit’s nervous system, and is commonly referred to as a neurological disorder. This condition can be due to medical disorders, hereditary conditions and environmental variables.
Nerve Damage Average Cost
From 245 quotes ranging from $500 - $1,500
Average Cost
$800
Symptoms can be generalized for nerve damage, however, there are also more specific symptoms depending on the cause of your rabbit’s nerve damage.
Top
Pasteurella
Encephalitozoonosis
Overheating
Nutrition
Top
To determine if your rabbit is suffering from nerve damage, a visit to his veterinarian will be necessary. Once there, the veterinarian will want to perform a full physical and get a history of your rabbit. A neurological exam may be necessary as well to determine what is causing your rabbit’s symptoms.
Blood tests may be done to identify what if any parasite, bacteria or infection he is being impacted by. X-rays, CT scans, MRI and other imaging testing may be done to see what type of nerve damage or neurological damage has been done.
Top
Treatment will be specific to the underlying cause of your rabbit’s nerve damage.
Pasteurella
This bacterium will be treated with antibiotics. Some of the antibiotics used are enrofloxacin, trimethoprim sulfa, chloramphenicol, penicillin G, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin. Regrettably your rabbit’s head tilt, caused by this bacterium may not be corrected even with treatment.
Encephalitozoonosis
If this infection is found to be the underlying cause of nerve damage, the treatment options are limited. This is due to there not being any medications that can treat the infection. In the event no medications work and your rabbit’s condition continues to worsen, euthanizing him may be discussed.
Overheating
The immediate response for overheating is to cool your rabbit’s temperature down as quickly as possible. This can be done several ways including spraying him with slightly cool water, wrapping him in a wet towel or putting him in water. If for whatever reason these tactics do not work, your veterinarian may suggest IV fluids that will help to rehydrate him and also cool his temperature.
Nutrition
If nutritional deficiencies are found to be the culprit for your rabbit’s symptoms, a change in diet may be needed. First and foremost, your veterinarian will want to stabilize any seizures or other symptoms he is experiencing and then move on to diet changes.
Top
Recovery will be largely dependent on what the cause of your rabbit’s nerve damage is. If he has been diagnosed with pasteurella, antibiotics can clear the bacteria up quickly. If his symptoms do not decrease quickly enough, long term antibiotics can be used.
If the cause of symptoms is encephalitozoonosis the prognosis is dependent on how your rabbit does over time due to there being no standard treatment currently. Euthanizing your rabbit may be suggested if his health continues to decline.
If his symptoms are due to nutrition concerns and those issues are corrected his prognosis is good. If heat stroke is caught quickly the prognosis is good and he should be monitored closely for the days following his heat stroke.
Top
*Wag! may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Items are sold by the retailer, not Wag!.
Nerve Damage Average Cost
From 245 quotes ranging from $500 - $1,500
Average Cost
$800
Top
Ask a Vet
Fluffy
Mini lop
8 Years
Serious severity
0 found helpful
Serious severity
Has Symptoms
8 year old mini lop suddenly has an an ulcer on her eye. Looks sore and swollen with clear discharge. Reflexes not responding as she cannot close her eye. Vet has given her oral antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotic drops and fake tear drops. Not sure of cause. Ulcer perhaps because not closing eye but don't know why. Seen ulcers before but not with eye not closing. No other symptoms. Ideas?
Sept. 13, 2018
Fluffy's Owner
Was this experience helpful?
Bo
Opal Miniture Lop
5 Years
Serious severity
0 found helpful
Serious severity
Has Symptoms
Bo has many medical issues including the right side of his face drooping, often runs in circles, excess growth of his molars, and now he has had food impaction in the mouth. He had to have his teeth filed down but still doesn't seem to be able to swallow all his food. Weight loss had became a serious issue last week as he was not able to get the nutrients from his food. Per our vets instruction we have been feeding him Ox Bow Critical Care and baby food through a syringe. He seems to be doing better and gaining weight. We tried giving him kale today and once again the food seems to be getting caught up and impacted in his mouth. Is there information that you have concerning this issue? Thank you!
July 30, 2018
Bo's Owner
0 Recommendations
Dental issues can be a pain for rabbits and rabbit owners since their teeth continue to grow to can cause a variety of issues not just in the mouth but throughout the gastrointestinal tract. It is important that Bo’s teeth are brought down to reasonable levels and are checked regularly, I would recommend that you visit a Veterinarian which is familiar with rabbits especially with dental issues to be on the safe side. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM https://rabbit.org/dental-disorders-in-rabbits/ https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
July 31, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Beef
Agouti mix
2 Months
Serious severity
1 found helpful
Serious severity
Has Symptoms
My baby rabbit suffered an accident falling from a flight of stairs twice. There were no signs of broken bones but were on shock, as she showed signs like being steady in one place for a long time, not cleaning her butt, and most especially, it seems like she forgot how to eat. I literally have to put food on her mouth. Without me telling it’s time to eat, she will never drink or eat. I suspect neurological damage but it’s also weird that whenever I’m not looking/asleep/away, my bunny just act normal (run, jump, play, etc.) except eat. Please help. Availability of rabbit expert in my country is almost 0. Even exotic vets are hard to find. Thanks in advance for the reply.
June 11, 2018
Beef's Owner
1 Recommendations
Falling down a flight of stairs is traumatic enough but twice is a lot for a bunny, but without being able to examine Beef it is difficult to determine the extent of any injury or a recommendation for treatment. Also, without examining Beef I wouldn’t be comfortable recommending any specific treatment as injuries can vary in severity; you should visit a local Veterinarian regardless of your feelings about their rabbit knowledge as they will be able to help more than me. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
June 12, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Chao
Mini lop
3 Years
Fair severity
0 found helpful
Fair severity
Has Symptoms
This month I notice that my bunny (Cho) has an uneven face. His right side seems to tight up and right eye gets smaller that the left eye. His behavior is totally normal. Eat, poop, play, and sleep well. He eats a lot of hay, dreads salad, and 1/4 cup of pallets daily. I took him to see a vet and she did through physical exam. She couldn’t figure out about Chao’s facial and eye. She said it might be nerve damage but don’t know the cause. I am so concerned and wonder what I should do at this time. Thanks, Mew
June 6, 2018
Chao's Owner
Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Without seeing Cho, I'm not able to comment on what might be going on with him, but if your veterinarian thinks that he may have had nerve damage, this may not be a problem for him, as long as he can function normally. It might be a good idea to call your veterinarian, as they have seen him, and ask for more specific information on what might be done for him, or if anything needs to be done.
June 6, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Poppy
Miniature Lop
4 Years
Serious severity
0 found helpful
Serious severity
Has Symptoms
Our rabbit is a 4 year old female mini lop and has been suffering from head tilt for almost a month now. She is a house rabbit and has been perfectly healthy up until recently. She has been diagnosed by a rabbit specialist with nerve damage in her ears since having a CT scan and ear flushing several weeks ago. Up until a few days ago she had been coping well with the tilt and was on painkillers to keep any discomfort at bay. Now her eating has slowed right down apart from taking fresh veg and she drinks barely anything. Also the eye which is facing away from the floor has started to weep moisture and looks sore in the corner by her eyelid and appears like a contact lense but with erosion in the centre of the eye on the surface. There is also some yellowish discharge forming beside her eye which is supposedly from the eye itself. We have been given two forms of eye drops plus an antibiotic to add to the painkiller to clear up whatever seems to be going on with her eye. Since the problems with her eye her balance and sense of where things are around her has been very poor which makes handling her difficult especially when administering the drops and medication. The specialist did say there was a possibility that her vision is either impaired or perhaps going entirely. Is there anything else we should be doing? Or is there anything else you can suggest her symptoms are leading to? Also her ear keeps flipping over head which does not help her balance issue.
Jan. 24, 2018
Poppy's Owner
0 Recommendations
In these cases of nerve damage it is really just a case of offering supportive and symptomatic care; the eye which is pointing upwards would be prone to infection where the eye pointing down will be prone to drying out. You should consult further with the Rabbit Specialist as they will be more knowledgeable on this than myself. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Jan. 25, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Nerve Damage Average Cost
From 245 quotes ranging from $500 - $1,500
Average Cost
$800
About Wag!
© 2020 Wag Labs, Inc. All rights reserved.
About Wag!
© 2020 Wag Labs, Inc. All rights reserved.
Security