Holland Lop with a "spot" on her eye

[Frecs]

Mother was given two Holland Lops does today. (One is spayed. Neither has pedigrees.) One of the does has something wrong with one eye. The lady who gave us the buns said a vet tech looked at it and said it was "probably bacterial". It is barely visible -- looks somewhat like the start of cataracts. She was putting "GenTeal" for "severe dry eye" in the rabbit's eye twice daily.

Any chance anyone knows what might be wrong with her eye and what can be done other than just these drops? :ugeek:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I had a house rabbit a long time ago, and she developed what appeared to be a cataract in one eye. She was seen by a vet and diagnosed as having pasteurella. I would be very careful- actually, I wouldn't take any chances- I would return the rabbits, even the one that appears healthy since it has been exposed.

 

[ladysown]

Or try giving her a dose or two of ivermectin? Sometimes that will do the trick in clearing up eyes.

Either way... keep it well away from all other stock and wash your hands/change clothes after handling it.

 

[Frecs]

Mother doesn't want to take them back. While the lady was trying to take good care of her animals, it is clear that she was falling short with the rabbits. Their nails are quite long, they are a bit more on the thin side than I think is good, and this one also has a poopy butt. I tried cleaning her butt and back legs with a cloth...she is going to need a bath...I think this rabbit has gotten used to being in her own feces. The other one had a runny nose and wet eyes but not mucusy when we picked them up. The lady said it was allergy to the Timothy hay (but she kept on giving her timothy hay anyway?)....this morning the nose and eyes are dry.

These are totally away from my SFs. I've told Mother and Son they are to not go near my SFs after handling the lops until we know they are not infectious.

Any and all suggestions for getting these rabbits well will be appreciated. Natural, herbal remedies are especially appreciated. I'll be giving them some dandelion and wild raspberry leaves. They are now on a better quality pellet than they were getting (unfortunately, they did not come with a transition sample of the old stuff--"Food Lion brand"...really? seriously? heavens to betsy sake!).

Help me get them well, ya'll....

 

[ladysown]

runny nose, wet eyes...not a good sign.
dirty butt...also not a good sign.

keep them well isolated.

 

[5dognightfarm]

I agree with ladysown, keep them quarentined. It doesn't sound good...

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It sounds like Mother needs a dose of "Sensible-osis" for her "Rabbitosis"... you're taking a big risk, Frecs. :shock:

 

[curlysue]

Cataracts used too be a big problem with Holland lops.sometimes you still see cases of juvinile cataracts.older ones occaisonally develop cateracts.could also be a leftover scar from injuries or infections.I find Hollands get diahhrea quicker than my other breeds.i watch feeding them greens or vegetables.

 

[Frecs]

I am being very careful. Strict enforcement of "don't handle the lops before handling SFs without a complete change of clothes and washing" and the lops are complete separate from the SFs. I'm not willing to sacrifice my SFs for a couple of rescue bunnies.

On a positive note, the lop with the eye and dirty butt has had no diarrhea today. I gave her a couple small dandelion leaves this morning and oats. The other one with the wet nose/eyes -- completely dry today now that she is away from the timothy hay and in a clean cage. Other than the dandelion to help firm up the poop, I won't be rushing these two into fresh greens or veggies anytime soon. They have been on a inferior feed so I want to be cautious about the diet improvements.

Mother understands that if they show signs of worsening, they will have to be culled. She isn't happy about it but she understands.<br /><br />__________ Tue May 08, 2012 7:30 pm __________<br /><br />Update:

The dandelion leaves cleared up the diarrhea in Brie. We purchased Vetericyn from Tractor Supply. This seems to be helping Brie's eye. I've seen no more moisture out of Jennie's nose but she is losing hair to the front of her eyeduct. I'm hoping the Vetericyn will help whatever is going on with her eye.

Jennie is earning herself a new name -- Thumper. I'm sure it is obvious why she is earning that name. She seems to love my son, tolerates me, but doesn't like Mother much at all. Mother was going to clean out her cage today but Thumper kept slapping her hand with her front paws.

This experience with sick rabbits, and finding that even "floppy eared rabbits" don't always like being held, is helping to calm Mother's Raging Rabbitosis a few degrees.

 

[ladysown]

losing hair in front of the eye is due to dampness causing the hair to fall out.

 

[Frecs]

I wanted to give an update.

Both rabbits were culled this morning. Despite continued treatment and care, they were not getting better and actually seemed worse. Culling seemed the merciful thing to do. Son used the broomstick method and they are now buried under a newly planted gooseberry bush.

Mother is upset but she has learned a valuable lesson -- to listen to my gut feeling. I had said I didn't think we should take the rabbits as they appeared sick. Now she knows to trust me when I say that.

Thanks for the advise.

 

[ladysown]

i was afraid that would be the long term outlook. sorry that your mom needed to learn a hard lesson.

 

[Frecs]

I so wanted to be wrong...for ya'll to be wrong...just this once... but...no so.

Now, Mother heals her wounds and moves on. She still has rabbitosis but it's calmer and wiser now.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I'm sure my popularity rating with Mother fell quite a bit with my previous posts... please give her my condolences. I know how hard it is to lose an animal after trying so hard to save it.

Your current and future herd will be stronger and healthier if you start with seemingly healthy animals, and quarantine them for at least 30 days. Try not to consider them "yours" until the trial period is over, so if they do show signs of disease the decision to cull will come from your head and not your heart.

Be sure to thoroughly disinfect their cages and food and water containers. I like to use vinegar- it kills both bacteria and viruses. After a thorough scrubbing, leave the items in the sun for a few days to a week.

((Hugs)) to you both! I hope Mother finds some nice quality rabbits to love soon!

 

[Frecs]

Thanks for the info on sterilizing the cages. I was thinking bleach but I like vinegar better. I intend to sun bake them for at least a week if not two.

We heard back from a breeder Mother met at the show in Wilson last month...the breeder has some 8 week old AFLs available for purchase. Mother is all excited about getting two from her -- the lady has gorgeous rabbits and handles them a lot so they are quite tame. Between that and the fact that yesterday she had a gentleman flirt with her...she's much better now! ;-)

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Bleach can be used on the cages as long as you rinse it very well- it leaves a salt residue which will rust the cages.

The new bunnies sound ideal! That's the way to start out right! Make sure to post pics- I'm sure they will be super cute.