Head Injury Help?

[ch12123]

I'm sorry if this isn't in the right forum but I don't know whether this is an emergency or not and I'm really worried so I thought I would just post this quickly to get feedback as fast as possible.

This happened twice, the first time around September and just today:

I picked up my bunny to put him to the upper 'floor' of the hut so I could clean the cage but the upper door wasn't opened and he was trying to get out of my grasp. He's always really grumpy and doesn't want to be held in the afternoon so I knew he would fight but I didn't think once I had him in my arms he'd still try to get out. He jumped off my shoulder, thinking he would jump on the top floor like he usually does when the door is opened I think, and ended up banging his head on the door and falling. I was on my knees so it wasn't a huge leap, I don't think the fall did anything since i was right there to catch, but I'm still worried about his head.

After he fell, he could use his hind legs fine, but what's worrying me is that after he fell he tilted his head all the way back, I think his mouth was opened, as though something hurt his neck. He was stuck like that for a moment and my goodness I was so scared. I think his eyes were kind of rolling to the back of his head but I think it seemed more like because his head was back, they just kind of hid under his lids, but I'm not sure. It scared the heck out of me and I tried to stay calm but yeah no that failed, I ran out to get my mom and by the time we both walked back in my room, in the span of 10 seconds, we looked back to see he was literally fine as ever. He seemed to be a bit frightened/bothered though, for obvious reasons. He was just sitting there, just extremely alert to us in the room, you know, his ears up and all.

My mom picked him up and after about a minute, she gave him to me. He started licking me and idk being all snuggly all the while I was the one crying hhahaha; my point is that he was totally fine and normal afterwards, I was more worried than he was.

Now every move he makes I'm paranoid it's a 'symptom' of something being wrong and it's just terrifying. The last time this happened, I was also trying to clean his cage, so after finishing his cage, I let him run around in my room while I watched him for an hour. He showed no odd behavior and I don't know if it's just because bunnies aren't as obvious about their symptoms, or because he was just reacting to getting his head hit. Or if I really hurt him.

I'd really appreciate any tips, maybe anything I should look for; I'm still really worried about my Patch :c I know I won't be picking him up on the bottom floor anymore, but if there is any specific things I should look for/be worried about, please let me know.

Also, when I read a lot about bunnies before getting him, I read that you should really be worried when they 'scream'. But he did not scream? So does that mean it can't be that bad? I can dream.

Also, now as I'm typing this and remembering some things I read, when my mom first gave him to me, I remember being worried at the fact that his back legs were limp as I held him for maybe a minute or two. Than he started walking back and forth on the sofa like nothing was wrong. This didn't happen the first time, the first time he literally tilted his head back like he did before and than ran around my room for an hour like it never happened.

Thanks for any help, I just talked to my mom and she said she might be able to take him to the vet since I'm so worried.

Christe

 

[JBun]

He may have been knocked out or concussed. That may be why his head and eyes were back and why he didn't scream. The thing that is a bit worrying is the hind limb weakness. That could indicate a spinal injury, but without a check over by your vet, it's hard to know how severe it might be, or if medications are needed. I would suggest taking him to see a good rabbit vet. And keep an eye on his eating and pooping, as well as his behavior. If he's in pain he most likely won't eat or poop very much or not at all, and he may start grinding his teeth and not moving around much. If any of this happens, get him to the vet right away.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f28/finding-vet-13366/
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[ch12123]

Thank you so much for your response!

A friend of mine told me to rub around his head/neck to see if it hurts him but all he did was relax even more, like I was just petting him and he liked it. I'm hoping that's a sign that it's not a head trauma.

But I noticed that he was moving his jaw up and down, like he was chewing, but nothing was in his mouth. So I'm guessing maybe he hurt his jaw during the fall? Is this something that can be fixed, or is there a way I can look into this with out going to a vet first? I was told maybe it could just be bruised.

My parents aren't in a situation where they can go to the vet so if I can avoid asking them to take me there I'll do it. But if it's what I need to do, I'll obviously go.

My mom said that when she picked him up first, he wasn't limp. So I'm guessing maybe he was just very relaxed in my arms or I was just being too paranoid. But I'm also going to be checking for that as well.

Thank you very much!

 

[Imbrium]

My lionhead has face-planted into the side of her NIC condo a few times because I was about to have to catch the girls, so I locked the side door (which is to the second floor, one grid off the ground). After the first time, I covered the door with fleece to make it more obvious that the entrance was blocked, but that didn't always stop her from doing a running leap into the closed second floor door. She was always fine, albeit stunned, afterward - rabbits are pretty resilient.

It sounds like your bunny hit his head harder than Nala did, though (or maybe it's just that Nala's so thick-headed, lol). It's possible that he needs to see a vet, but at this point I can't say for sure that it's necessary.

I would keep a close eye on him for the next few days to make sure he doesn't get worse or display any of the signs that Jbun cautioned you to look for. Since it's easy to be a paranoid and over-protective bunny mom or dad, I recommend keeping a little notepad with you whenever you're around him (or keep it near or on top of his cage... outside of chewing reach, of course!). If you see anything that seems unusual, make a note of what it was along with the day and time. This can help you track patterns, frequency with which things occur, etc. and make it easier to determine if he's improving or getting worse. If you do end up going to the vet, the notebook could help them assess the situation better.

Also, I strongly recommend calling your vet (ask to speak to the actual vet if possible) - a vet visit costs money but they can't charge you for a phone call, so it's often possible to get some free advice out of them over the phone .

Explain that your bunny might have gotten injured but that money is very tight for your family right now so you're unable to bring him in for a "just in case" evaluation. Tell the vet exactly what happened to your bunny/what your concerns are and ask them if they think the situation is serious enough that your bunny NEEDS to come in or if it's possible at this point to just monitor him (and if so, what signs to look for to determine if he needs to come in after all and if there's anything specific you should do for him (for example, the vet may tell you to limit his activity for a certain length of time)).

Most veterinarians are understanding about financial difficulties and are more concerned with ensuring the health of their patients than making money off of people (especially those who can't really afford it), so they'll generally be honest and straight-forward in their answers and won't say that you NEED to come in for a visit unless they really feel the rabbit's health could be in jeopardy. If the vet does tell you that you should really bring him in, any good vet will also tell you WHY (ie what they're concerned about). In the event that it sounds like you need to take him to the vet, ask over the phone if it would be possible for your parents to arrange a payment plan so that they didn't have to pay the bill in full immediately - a lot of vets offer this option as long as you ask in advance.

Best wishes for you and your bunn - hopefully he's just fine! Please keep us updated on the situation

 

[Ella]

Hi,
My bunny did the same thing after his fell last night, his head tilted all the way back with his eyes back too. He did that for a few seconds then positioned his head back and kept sticking his tongue in and out about 10 times looking like there was something bothering him in his mouth. He then rested and hopped away and did eat his hay today. I am concerned about the head tilt, I know that happened in 2013, do you recall what happened after? Did your rabbit have any issues after that incident? Has anyone else encountered this with their bun? I am taking him to the vet tomorrow but sometimes they just don't find everything... Any feedback is much appreciated! Thank you very much!!!