8 week old with bad eye!!!. UPDATE...

[jollysrabbits]

my turn to ask a health question. I have a 8 week old Flemish with and eyelid that is very inflamed and red, it almost looks like the top is "pinched" together a little bit and I see a little bit of a gooey substance. nestbox eye??? except their eyes have been open for 6 weeks, although I did have to wipe a couple of their eyes when they were around 10-16 days to help free up crust. any thoughts. I might be able to snap a picture later. She is definitely not blind or anything like that. let me know any thoughts please. added 2 pictures!!

The rabbit was culled, eye was looking worse and nothing else could be done on my end. Thanks for everyone's help in trying to fix her eye.

 

[ladysown]

that bun looks like he injured his eye.

I'd clean it up very carefully and give it a thorough going over.

Look for puncture wounds, scratches, abscess, etc.

 

[jollysrabbits]

I looked at it pretty close I will double check clean up and put some triple antibiotic ointment on it.

 

[Marinea]

Can rabbits get that inverted eyelash thing where their eyelashes are inside?

I hope it's not that. It just made me think of that question.

*fingers crossed for a quick resolution*

 

[ladysown]

the dirtiness is in the wrong spot to be pasturella related.

Just the location makes me think damage.

things it could be
1. something stuck way up under the eye lid
2. a scratch, bite, wound of some sort just above the eye
3. an infection caused by something unusual.
4. fly damage? (not sure if flies would be a problem this time of year in South CA)

Doesn't look right be nestbox eye and if eyes were clear prior to this mostly likely isn't that.

 

[jollysrabbits]

we cleaned it up and the eyelid almost looks to big for the eye? Kind of weird if it does not get better in a couple of days, she will be culled. Thanks for the help.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The upper and lower eyelids look swollen, especially the right rear portion on the upper lid. :hmm: The picture isn't very clear- but does the upper lid really have that large bulge?

If so, I would suspect a bite or sting from an animal if there isn't a foreign body involved.

Perhaps you could give it some Benadryl. My late dog Chase suffered from seasonal allergies, and the Vet prescribed one or two tabs daily for a 20lb dog. Based on that, I think about 1/4 capsule would be safe. You can open a capsule and mix it with water in a small syringe to split the dosage easily.

Another option that I recently learned about from a speaker at the CA Convention is to put a drop of injectable penicillin in the eye. I have never tried it, but the speaker used that protocol to treat problems in her herd.

 

[jollysrabbits]

yes it is that big, its weird, like its too big and folded over on itself. I am hoping it will get better, she does not seem to be in pain and is eating well. We will see how she does. Thanks msd I will dry benadryl.

 

[Marinea]

Folded over on itself- again, I ask about the inverted eyelash thing I know dogs can get, but I don't know if rabbits can. I know the dog thing can be fixed by a vet.

*fingers still crossed for it to get better soon*

 

[SashaMolly]

I wouldn't cull it just yet! Separate it away from everybody else, and watch it carefully. I would agree that it is a bite, sting, or another rabbit being mean. I have Dutch and my does tend to go for the eyes, as a main target. I put two babies in with one, and that happened. Their eyes looked pretty bad for a couple days, but cleared up very nicely. I have no worms or health problems, so I'm pretty sure it was bite.

Hope this helps!

 

[MaggieJ]

I've got 3 one-month-old rabbits with goopy eyes. Took them out of the colony and they are in a cage in the mudroom for the moment. I've been thinking for a long while that I've got a strain of Pasteurella in my herd and that the ones with weaker immune systems show these symptoms. Since my rabbitry is entirely closed, the healthy ones can carry on without risk to other rabbits. I've been doing the chamomile tea and antibiotic ointment treatment, and they are improving and are eating well and growing... so unless things get worse I will raise them until they are ready for camp.

 

[AnnClaire]

Maggie, do you find this "runs" in litters from particular does? I also think that with one of my angora does ... just about every litter, one kit has a goopy eye for a couple of days ... a bit of triple antibiotic ointment clears it up, but still ... Until I get to the bottom of this (it is not the nest box), I simply cannot sell any of her kits ... and that is a lot of "money" going into the freezer!