Lopsided face?

[Lady]

Does she react if you touch the whiskers on each side? If there's no swelling, no infection and no problem with her teeth I would think she has facial paralysis if she reacts differently depending on what side you touch. That could be caused by stroke/brain injury, nerve damage, past infection or any number of things.

I'll have to go out and see if she responds to her whiskers being touched. But I've felt all over her face and there's nothing under her skin, it's not swollen over her cheek, even though that's what it looks like. The bone structure feels symmetrical. If it was a stroke and it contorted her face, then the 'swelling' is just her fur sticking up and being fluffed up.

__________ Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:49 am __________

To me, the pictures suggest some kind of pain, either a tooth, ear infection, something of the sort. If you are concerned enough to ask if anyone else has seen it, I would believe you would be concerned enough to take her for a vet visit.

While meat production rabbits may be just that, I'm sure you certainly wouldn't want her in pain all the time. A vet visit is cheap enough, as are antibiotics, and if nothing is found in the way of a bad tooth, an abcess, an infection, etc, then you could look for other reasons behind the oddness.

She is a nice colored rabbit. Good luck, and let us know what you find out from the vet.

A vet is ridiculously expensive. I could buy 40 rabbits for the cost of getting her checked out and some drugs.
I don't think she's in any pain, no teeth grinding, she doesn't mind me touching and rubbing her face or looking into her mouth. She's acting as if I'm the only one who is noticing something weird...She even eats her hay/grass while laying stretched out and relaxed.
If she were flinching or reacting to her head being touched or having issues eating/drinking, I would be more prone to putting her out. But since she's showing me no reason to freak out, I won't.<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:50 am __________<br /><br />I don't see her eyes being runny or wet...

 

[RebelCowboySnB]

I dont know anything about rabbits an my medical training is for humans but the picture along with growing up like that an I think you said the bone structure feeling normal... To me it sounds like the rabbit had Encephalitis as a newborn an survived it.

 

[Bad Habit]

Does she react if you touch the whiskers on each side? If there's no swelling, no infection and no problem with her teeth I would think she has facial paralysis if she reacts differently depending on what side you touch. That could be caused by stroke/brain injury, nerve damage, past infection or any number of things.

I'll have to go out and see if she responds to her whiskers being touched. But I've felt all over her face and there's nothing under her skin, it's not swollen over her cheek, even though that's what it looks like. The bone structure feels symmetrical. If it was a stroke and it contorted her face, then the 'swelling' is just her fur sticking up and being fluffed up.

__________ Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:49 am __________

To me, the pictures suggest some kind of pain, either a tooth, ear infection, something of the sort. If you are concerned enough to ask if anyone else has seen it, I would believe you would be concerned enough to take her for a vet visit.

While meat production rabbits may be just that, I'm sure you certainly wouldn't want her in pain all the time. A vet visit is cheap enough, as are antibiotics, and if nothing is found in the way of a bad tooth, an abcess, an infection, etc, then you could look for other reasons behind the oddness.

She is a nice colored rabbit. Good luck, and let us know what you find out from the vet.

A vet is ridiculously expensive. I could buy 40 rabbits for the cost of getting her checked out and some drugs.
I don't think she's in any pain, no teeth grinding, she doesn't mind me touching and rubbing her face or looking into her mouth. She's acting as if I'm the only one who is noticing something weird...She even eats her hay/grass while laying stretched out and relaxed.
If she were flinching or reacting to her head being touched or having issues eating/drinking, I would be more prone to putting her out. But since she's showing me no reason to freak out, I won't.

__________ Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:50 am __________

I don't see her eyes being runny or wet...

I said her eye looked a little runny. In the photos her squinted eye(the eye itself, not the surrounding area) looks wetter than the other, and there is some noticeable discharge on the squinted side, when compared to the non-squinted side.

As with anyone seeking advice, though, you're going to do what you want, regardless of the advice or suggestions given. You seem very defensive, and unopen to suggestions. I suppose we can all be like that at times. Hopefully everything turns out fine for you, but I feel you had decided initially to do nothing, and were asking the question merely to either be assured it was the correct choice, or that you simply wanted to show off your "defective" rabbit. Just my opinion.

 

[garden lady]

[/quote]


I don't see her eyes being runny or wet...[/quote]

I was thinking more shut, not wet. If that is just hair fluffed out and she stretches out to eat then I would be like you and leave her. I had a dog once that I boarded for somebody. They brought her to me bred and she had a hole on top of her nose and they said they thought she must have got poked with a wire and the hole was starting to have green stuff come out. I took her to the vet and they said it was an infected tooth. I don't remember all of it, but she had 1 puppy and started having seizures. The infection had gone to her brain, but her eye looked funny to me like your rabbit, but your rabbit has no discharge, wound and not showing any pain and this dog did.

 

[Basenji43]

Maybe its just me, and I am not being critical of anyone, but in my honest opinion meat animals should be just as healthy and properly selected for, if not more so, as any show or pet animal.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I agree that vet treatment would be costly and honestly cost you more than the rabbit is worth...however, I would not keep this rabbit. There is *something* wrong with it, and since you don't know if it is an injury, illness, genetic issue, etc....I would be very hesitant to assume she is fine. ESPECIALLY if I was using her to breed for meat for my family....that is just my opinion, though, so take it for whatever it is worth to you.

 

[skysthelimit]

Maybe its just me, and I am not being critical of anyone, but in my honest opinion meat animals should be just as healthy and properly selected for, if not more so, as any show or pet animal.

<br /><br />__________ Thu Nov 08, 2012 3:58 pm __________<br /><br />

I agree that vet treatment would be costly and honestly cost you more than the rabbit is worth...however, I would not keep this rabbit. There is *something* wrong with it, and since you don't know if it is an injury, illness, genetic issue, etc....I would be very hesitant to assume she is fine. ESPECIALLY if I was using her to breed for meat for my family....that is just my opinion, though, so take it for whatever it is worth to you.

I would be more cautious for something I was going to eat than I would for breeding or show.

 

[phillinley]

You seem very defensive, and unopen to suggestions. I suppose we can all be like that at times. Hopefully everything turns out fine for you, but I feel you had decided initially to do nothing, and were asking the question merely to either be assured it was the correct choice, or that you simply wanted to show off your "defective" rabbit. Just my opinion.

I think they're defensive because the question was, "what do you think is up with this rabbit", not "should I cull this rabbit", which is the majority opinion being put out. (I'm not saying it is an incorrect opinion, but it's not what the OP asked) I would be defensive too if that's what I was asking. To me, the stroke suggestion seems the most accurate if you feel there is no pain, swelling or sign of infection. IF that's the case it's definitely not a reason to cull the rabbit due to it posing a danger to the rest of the herd. But as others have said, only a vet in person could tell you for sure.

 

[rawfeeder]

You are right, she didn't ask if she should cull the rabbit or not... but she did ask for diagnosis/opinons and that comes hand in hand with treatment options and thus the option to cull. It can be hard to hear, but IMO it is invaluable information to hear it unsugar coated from experienced rabbit people that have been through similar experiences.

From a meat rabbit point of view... that single rabbit may not be worth the $$ to treat. However we don't know how much $$ or personal time she has invested in that rabbit or line - so its best to present ALL the options she has available. From the information I can find online, I am leaning towards the rabbit having an inner ear infection (view the link I posted in my earlier post, which shows a rabbit with an identical 'lopsided face' and lack of outward/visible symptoms). If that is the case, it wouldn't be considered a hereditary ailment and thus the rabbit could technically be treated and go on to producce healthy offspring. I personally would cull, but that is certainly not your only option here.

 

[skysthelimit]

You are right, she didn't ask if she should cull the rabbit or not... but she did ask for diagnosis/opinons and that comes hand in hand with treatment options and thus the option to cull. It can be hard to hear, but IMO it is invaluable information to hear it unsugar coated from experienced rabbit people that have been through similar experiences.

Perhaps not a reason to cull because of danger, but because whatever caused it could be hereditary, you just don't want it in your herd, no matter what they purpose are for.
If you've ever kept a rabbit you probably should not have, bred it, and it produced something over and over again, and you wind up having to cull a lot of kits, or scrap a program, then you will see the wisdom in culling for pretty much anything out of the ordinary.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Here are my thoughts...if it *is* a stroke, how is it good husbandry to breed that animal? Couldn't the stress of kindling cause another stroke or blow out an aneurysm or something? I just don't see this as being worth it in the long run, for a number of reasons.

 

[MaggieJ]

Rawfeeder, I went back and checked out the link you posted. It has a lot of good information and I want to thank you for posting it. I hope Lady has read it too, so she knows what the possibilties are.