My rabbit has a head tilt and heavy breathing. What should I do?

Question

I noticed my rabbit was jerking its head to the side every so often this evening. It slowly progressed into a constant slight tilt to the side. Her ear ear on the side that is lower in the tilt seems to be dropping a bit. She's also breathing fairly heavy, I can hear her from across the room. I don't live near a vet that works on rabbits, so I'm not sure what to do. I did some research but I don't want to diagnose her myself. She also had a huge apetite today, if that changes anything. Pet's info: Small Animal | Rabbit | Female

Mallori Kaminski, BVSc · Accepted Answer

Head tilts in rabbits can be caused by an inner ear infection, trauma, a brain tumor, or the protozoan parasite E cuniculi. If she's breathing heavily and you can hear her, then she may also have an upper respiratory infection or pneumonia. There may be one type of bacteria causing both infections. She will need to see a veterinarian for an exam and diagnostics. You may need to ring a few clinics to find a veterinarian who will see rabbits, and often if the clinic won't then they can recommend someone who does. It's a good sign that she is still eating, but she still needs to be seen soon as she can develop other complications such as gastric stasis if she stops eating.

My rabbit has a head tilt and heavy breathing. What should I do?

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