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Conjunctivitus and IMPACTION

T

TheoBailey

Young Bun
Hello,

Wee Theo is not well again. Vet diagnosed him with conjunctivitus on thursday and has been given eye drops for one week. He also has a poor appetite which vet says may be because he is sore/unwell due to conjunctivitus and we have a medicine to give him to help the pain. I'm wondering if any of you have been in same situation and have any tips that helped you out on feeding?

Theo is eating very small portions of hay and treats, but not his nuggets. Most importantly, he is not drinking much water. He is urinating, although not much, so must be getting just enough water. Vet has given us a liquid feed to syringe into his mouth but it does not go down well with the bunny!!! He completely refuses it. Is it possible to change his diet and give him different food?

Any tips is appreciated. Thanks
 
Last edited:
Are the eye drops starting to help? Did you vet do a thorough check of his teeth?

I ask this as one of mine was diagnosed with conjunctivitis years ago and it turned out to be teeth issues and you also mention that he is not eating which can also be a sign of teeth.
 
yeah the vet checked his teeth. Although i noticed this morning that he was grining his teeth, but this was before his medicine so may have been a sign of pain?

The eyes drops do seem to be helping, there isnt as much discharge coming out anymore.
 
It sounds like he is in pain with the teeth grinding. Did they give you metacam for the pain?

I would try him with some other food such as herbs, grass, dandilion leaves, brambles, hawthorne etc. Also listen for his tummy making gurgling noises. If he hasnt been eating well he could have gas which could be causing him pain.

If you get no change soon I would take him back as it sounds like there is something else going on.
 
I agree that you should take him back to the vet as grinding teeth is a sign of pain and it does sound like there could be more going on than just conjunctivitis.

Is he pooping?
 
Thanks.

In the past few days we have given him watercress and carrots which he ate all of eventually. Really seems to be the nuggets that is the issue, he is always usually excited about them.
 
When my rabbits are ill they won't eat pellets either. One of mine will only eat dandilions, hawthorn and herbs when she is ill! Give him what he wants to eat and if you can collect some dandilions and fresh grass or if you can't then pickup some parsley from the shop. I think he may eat his pellets in time. As long he is eating something and pooping, if he isnt then I would ring the vet.
 
Do you have any critical care you could give to him to help supplement his intake? I use Oxbow Critical Care fine blend which they can either take from a syringe or lap up and is a good consistency. You can get it from VetsUK
 
Only the supreme science recovery sachet which the vet gave us. That too is fed through a syringe but as i said he is not accepting it at all!
 
I wonder if it could be his teeth, but the roots. The vet would not be able to tell this without an x ray but it does affect the eyes. When the roots grow too long they can block the tear ducts causing the eyes to run and makes them more likely to become infected. It can make it very painful for them to eat hard food.

Try making up the recovery food and leaving it in a bowl for him. Also try soaking his pellets in water so they swell up. Grim has elongated roots and this is what I do for him. He is able to eat the soft pellets. There's nothing you or the vet can really do to help elongated roots if they are the problem, other than painkillers. What pain medicine have they given you? Is it metacam or loxicom? Do you know if it's the one for dogs or cats? And how much are you giving him a day?

The other way to help is to keep his teeth as short as possible, the best way is by him eating as much has as possible, but obviously it's a catch 22 situation as he won't want to eat if in pain. :(
 
Jenova said:
I wonder if it could be his teeth, but the roots. The vet would not be able to tell this without an x ray but it does affect the eyes. When the roots grow too long they can block the tear ducts causing the eyes to run and makes them more likely to become infected. It can make it very painful for them to eat hard food.

Try making up the recovery food and leaving it in a bowl for him. Also try soaking his pellets in water so they swell up. Grim has elongated roots and this is what I do for him. He is able to eat the soft pellets. There's nothing you or the vet can really do to help elongated roots if they are the problem, other than painkillers. What pain medicine have they given you? Is it metacam or loxicom? Do you know if it's the one for dogs or cats? And how much are you giving him a day?

The other way to help is to keep his teeth as short as possible, the best way is by him eating as much has as possible, but obviously it's a catch 22 situation as he won't want to eat if in pain. :(
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking too.

Also agree that if he is teeth grinding he needs some painkiller and ask the vet again re possible teeth and if it is teeth to get x-rays done. My bun who recently passed away had elongated tooth roots and it was managed by regular dentals and he was very happy.
 
Yeah baytril is an antibiotic. I would ring them up and say he's in pain and not eating much and ask if he can have some pain relief. I think he'll eat a lot more if he's not in pain and it will reduce any swelling in his eyes as well. :wave:
 
My rabbit loved this when he wasn't eating well after his neutering operation, it also hydrates them very well:

- 1/2 tablespoon of their pellets
- 3 tablespoons of warm drinking water
- 2 tablespoons of hay (the powdery particles at the bottom of the bags are best)

Mix it all together and wait 2 minutes. Then take the water part and feed it to them on a spoon or with a syringe.

Hope it helps! If my rabbit still didn't like it, I added a bit of pineapple juice or some of his treats.
 
Update: I took Theo to vet and he was given a pain killer and an injection to try and get the guts moving again. Vet thinks the problem is either in his gut or his teeth although he could not see anything abnormal from his examination (he was very thorough to be fair). So he is booked back in tomorrow morning and if he hasnt got any better they are going to need to knock him out so they can get a got look at his teeth and take his blood glucose level. Could be a number of things right now so only time will tell! Poor wee fella!
 
TheoBailey said:
Update: I took Theo to vet and he was given a pain killer and an injection to try and get the guts moving again. Vet thinks the problem is either in his gut or his teeth although he could not see anything abnormal from his examination (he was very thorough to be fair). So he is booked back in tomorrow morning and if he hasnt got any better they are going to need to knock him out so they can get a got look at his teeth and take his blood glucose level. Could be a number of things right now so only time will tell! Poor wee fella!
Click to expand...

Perfect. I really hope he starts to eat overnight and it's not his teeth, but your vet sounded very thorough.
Try soft food for him, softened pellets, the recovery food in a dish, even porridge oats soaked in water.
 
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