Norman is Sick

My sweet Holland Lop, Norman, has come down with "wry neck", a disturbing condition that causes him to be off balance with his head tilted to the side.

On Tuesday night when I was putting the shed barn (I have to get used to this change) animals to bed I noticed that Norm looked crooked. He seemed happy enough, begging for his nighttime treat, but clearly there was something wrong. I picked him up and noticed the eye facing downward was quite gooky and crusty - more so than the usual occasional crust. 'Scary. So I kissed him, put everyone to bed with fresh water and hay and grain, and immediately Googled what I thought was a bunny stroke. What a surprise to see images of sweet buns all crooked and twisted, and to read about the various potential causes! Read more about this condition here: PetEducation.com

The next morning, Bun seemed no better and maybe worse. That's when I decided to call the vet. Well, my small animal vet told me they don't take rabbits, but gave me a number to call. 'Long story short, I ended up at All Creatures in Amherst, and they were wonderful. They flushed his sinuses and explained that we would be treating Norman for the two most common causes.

Norm is now temporarily residing in my half bath off my mudroom where I can easily administer his meds and monitor him more frequently. He gets eye drops twice a day, and three different oral meds once a day - an antibiotic, some kind of anti-inflammatory, and something to treat the potential of the cause being Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a protozoan (single-celled) parasite.

He is still a happy bun, just a more crooked bun! He is eating, drinking, pooping, snuggling with his girlfriend (stuffed animal), and still loves to be held and kissed. I am optimistic that he will fully recover, even if his tilted head never fully resumes its normal position.

Clover is his favorite :)

Norm is unafraid of babies Vincent and Sal!

He loves his basket!

Baby Norman