Bulgy Eyed Lethargic Doe -- Wry Neck?

OMG, what is up with this month??????

Within the last 24 hours my doe, Rainey, has become really lethargic, one eye has become bulgy to the point where she doesn't blink it completely and the membrane is partially covering it, but the lens seems is drying out a little, and her lack of reaction makes me think she can't see out of it. The ear above that eye is also very limp. Mostly she sleeps and isn't terribly concerned when I open the cage door, which not like her at all. When she does fall asleep her head tilts to one side. There is no cloudiness to the affected eye. There isn't a wound that I can see indicating she hurt her eye on anything.

The weather has been hot, but it's cooler today than the last few days. This doe has access to an ice bottle, which she's not interested in either. There has been nothing unusual in her diet the last few days.

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I just brought her in the house and this is one really tense rabbit. I don't hear any teeth grinding. Her nose is clear and no malocclusions in her teeth. The eye is really bulgy!! I've only seen a bulgier one when I delivered a second death blow (just to make sure). The ear is rather unresponsive above that eye--could it have been a stroke?? She's drooling from the mouth on the affected side of the head. She doesn't seem to have any limb weakness or paralysis, but she's not "hoppy" either, just kind of "shuffle-y".

Should I put something on her lens since she can't seem to close her eyelid over it?

She's been nibbling at flake oatmeal but not really eating. I have a bowl of water for her.

One of her five week old kits still has an eye infection from NBE; it's going into the growout with the meat bunnies.

I have no personal experience with wry neck but Barbi Brown's website has a lot of information and seems to be highly regarded.
https://barbibrownsbunnies.com/wryneck/

I would use sterile saline drops for the eye, just to keep it lubricated. Poor girl! She must be very uncomfortable. I hope she makes it through . . . she has the prettiest markings!

:good-luck:

I've bathed her eye in saline solution and gave her plenty of willow to nosh on. I hope the swelling goes down soon! I've read on wry neck and I don't think this is wry neck, I think she hurt herself somehow.

If it's an injury, I'd say her chances are better than if it is illness. Keep on with the saline as needed. The willow was a great idea--it is high protein as well as being an effective analgesic. (I know this from personal experience . . . I chewed some inner bark of willow once when we were out of aspirin and the car was in the shop.)

I wonder if a cold compress would help. If you decide to try it and use an ice pack, be sure that it wrapped in cloth to keep it from being too cold.

Someone suggested that maybe it's a spider bite to the face, which could account for the ear laziness. She is housed outside, I'll have to scan the cages for any 8 legged residents. She seemed much less tense in the house, cooled off and in a darkened cage. I hope the next 24 hrs sees vast improvements. Is it possible to give an antihistimine?

A spider or wasp bite is a definite possibility. Why didn't I think of that? :doh: It is definitely worth trying a google search for something like rabbit with spider bite. Also carefully examine the swelling to see if you can see a bite mark.

I googled antihistamines for rabbits and found a lot of sites that address the subject, but I don't know which ones I would trust. I think you'll have decide that for yourself, English Spot.

I should find some marigolds and make an eye wash.

-- Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:13 pm --

Her eye is so swollen she can't blink it. Any suggestions for some sort of patch to keep the eye from drying out??

She's become more and more lethargic, won't eat. I've started to hear teeth grinding. If anything her eye has become more swollen from drying out. Dear lord, I don't want to cull this rabbit, but if she's not improving that's exactly what I'll do.


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It doesn't matter now, she died. Her eye swelled so much that it split her eyelid at the corner and after that she was not long for the world, despite my best care. She's buried in the back yard. Rainey was three days shy of one year old.

Thanks for the help, Maggie.

So sorry. She was beautiful.

So sorry, English Spot. At least you did everything you could for her.

I'm so sorry for your loss

I'm so sorry, English Spot.

I'm still not sure what was causing the problem. If it was a spider bite, it must have been a particularly nasty type. She went downhill so quickly.

I don't know either. The reading I did perhaps indicated a molar issue since there were reports of drooling prior to a bulging eye. If it was an infectious abscess in the bulbarwhateveritscalled area, then I've never seen something develop so fast that in the end it was mere millimeters from popping her eye out. Poor girl, she's no longer suffering and her eye isn't drying out.

On a happy note, Marinea is going to get two of Rainey's kits from her last litter this August!! <br /><br /> -- Sat Jun 04, 2016 10:45 pm -- <br /><br /> ****UPDATE******

For anyone researching this thread, I want you to know that I spoke with a vet tech. She said that it was probable that Rainey damaged her eye somehow in a way I was unable to detect, and that over the course of the day infection grew to massive proportions behind the eye to the point where it was going to pop her eyeball out no matter what. There are two ways to deal with this--eye removal or culling. Depending on finances and the value of the rabbit, either course is fine. She said that the eye removal would have run $500 or more with no guarantee the doe would have survived the whole ordeal.

I hope you don't have to deal with this scenario. The pictures I posted on this thread were Rainey at the very beginning of the swelling, and not at the end. It literally looked as if her eye was about to fall out of her head by that night. If this is the case with your rabbit, know that my hand is stretched to you in commiseration and you do what you need to for yourself and your rabbit.

All Things Bright and Beautiful
All Creatures Great and Small
All Things Wise and Wonderful
The Lord God Made Them All
--Mrs. Cecil Alexander

Thank you for the update. I'm sorry it turned out the way it did.