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Shadowfax has poorly eyes. (Stray rabbit) U/D Dental issues.

Vegan_Bunny

Warren Veteran
Just went out to check on her and feed her and one of her eyes was really gooed up. :( I cleaned both her eyes and quite a bit of gunk came out of the other one too. There's not much I can do now, she is bouncy and happy and eating so hoping she will be ok. She has had sleep in both eyes since she came to me but I hoped it would just clear up as it hadn't gotten worse.

Can I have vibes that it isn't anything is sinister and that she can wait until Monday to see a vet.

I am so worried.
 
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It sounds like blocked tear duct's so she may have a dental problem or conjunctivitis are her eyelids stuck together if so it's conjunctivitis .

Sending her lots of Vibes that she will be ok xxxx
 
It does sound like it has got an eye infection, which I'm sure will be easily sorted on Monday with some antibiotic eye drops. In the meantime, I would just keep her eyes as clean as possible, maybe bathe them morning and night. I always keep in my bunny first aid kit, the little plastic containers of saline, that you just snap the top of, as I prefer to then use one on each eye, by flushing it out with saline as oppose to wiping it with cotton wool. I do keep in a tube of Golden Eye Ointment as well, as if a poorly eye flares up at the weekend say, then my vet has advised me that this is ok to use until you can see a vet, as will at least offer some pain relief, and if it is just a very mild infection, will actually clear it up. You can buy it from Boots, but you can't tell them you are going to use it on a animal as they will refuse to sell it to you then, something to do with licensing laws, and them not being licensed for Animal drugs. If you do ever do this, it is important to then discard the tube though once you have stopped using it. It's not a good idea to keep half a tube to then use again, because it may well be contaminated, so I always throw out and then replace straight away.

If your vet is good with bunnies he should flush the tear ducts out, when he sees your bun, as if they don't do this, some infection is likely to remain in the tear ducts and it will take forever to clear up.. My vet will always take the bun out to a nurse to help him flush the ducts out, flush the eyes out and then start treatment, but to clear it up fully and quickly, you need a clean slate so to speak with which to start.
 
I will bear the flushing in mind when I see a vet. My vets are good but are not specialists, I have none living nearby, unfortunately. Hopefully they will do this, though. If not, I will ask about it.

She doesn't seem in pain with it at all, this is why I am worried it is not an infection or something easily treatable. I have just checked on her and she only has a little bit of gunk in one of her eyes. I have left her be, as she got very stressed last time I cleaned them and it's very difficult to hold her, wipe her eye and hold a torch. I need another pair of hands! :lol:

Tear duct blockages is what I'm worried about. If she has dental issues then she will be very difficult to rehome. :( I am also fretting that it is a reaction to the vaccine, she was only vaccinated on Monday and was warned that some buns have shown symptoms of myxi afterwards. None of these cases have been confirmed to be linked directly with the vaccine, but I worry that I didn't get to her in time and she was carrying the disease already. I have two of my own house buns and it's pretty impossible not to cross contaminate things. I have been washing my hands and not handling either buns with the same clothes on.
 
I wouldn't overly worry at the moment. Over the years when my buns have had the odd eye infection, it has never been connected to dental problems, but if the eyes are infected, and the tear ducts are obviously part of the eyes, so it does make sense that they are likely to be infected as well. My buns have never appeared to be in pain either, and I'm sure it was mentally more painful for me seeing them mucky I think.
 
I wouldn't overly worry at the moment. Over the years when my buns have had the odd eye infection, it has never been connected to dental problems, but if the eyes are infected, and the tear ducts are obviously part of the eyes, so it does make sense that they are likely to be infected as well. My buns have never appeared to be in pain either, and I'm sure it was mentally more painful for me seeing them mucky I think.

Yes, it is quite upsetting seeing her eyes gooey. I think you are right, and it is an infection. I will try not to worry so much. Easier said than done. :roll:
I have metacam, so if she seems in pain, I can always give her a bit until I can get her to a vet.

Typical this happens now. I am working all day Monday and did not want a trip to the vets afterwards. This passed week has been so stressful. Found Shadowfax and had to make up a wendy house, which took rather a long time, and had to worry about keeping her quarantined yet happy. My dog got fleas, something she has never had a problem with before, so have been worrying about the buns getting them as well. I have also been feeling really ill since Thursday and have barely been able to get through my usual 4 hour shift at work. I'm feeling rather stressed, to say the least.
 
Have you checked her 'bits' to make sure they are not inflamed ?

Myxi is probably NOT the problem, but it cant be totally overlooked as an outside possibility.
 
Have you checked her 'bits' to make sure they are not inflamed ?

Myxi is probably NOT the problem, but it cant be totally overlooked as an outside possibility.

Yes, they seem normal. :) She has no lumps and is active and happy, so I'm starting to think it isn't going to be myxi...phew!

Her eyes were fine this morning. :? I have noticed she has a little bit of a wet nose, I wonder if she has a respiratory infection. She seems fine, however, and her respiration rate doesn't seem increased or anything. There's no discharge as such...just wet. Her chin is not wet, so really hoping it isn't dental! :(
I will get her to the vet tomorrow and get her teeth checked.

If it is an eye or respiratory infection, what is the best antibiotic to treat it? Septrin or baytril? How long should a course be?
 
It's possible that she has had a bit of an underlying issue and the vaccination has just caused a little 'system overload' so that the underlying infection has burst forth, as it were.

I don't think there is such a thing as the 'best' antibiotic for this sort of thing, as it entirely depends on what bacteria are causing it, where it is and how accessible the source of the infection is to antibiotics. Personally I've had good responses using Baytril - but high doses (20mg/kg) via injection, not the often prescribed doses (5 or 10mg/kg) by mouth; I've also had good responses with tetracyclines (engemycin LA injection every 3 days, or doxycycline tablet daily), penicillin injections (penicillin is narrow spectrum so it works very well on the right bacteria or not at all if not), I've also had very good results with metronidazole where the infection has been internal and anaerobic. Personally I've never had success with septrin, which is inactivated by pus, but other people have great results with it.

The only real way to know is to get a swab taken and tested, otherwise it's pretty much trial and error. For respiratory type infections, my vet usually gives at least 2 weeks antibiotics, often much more depending on what and where the issue is, as the external symptoms tend to clear up fairly quickly but it needs a long course to get to the core of the infection without leaving all the more resistant bacteria still there.

Hope you manage to get good success with this little one x x
 
Thank you. :) She still seems fine. I removed some crustiness this morning, but that was just the remains of where I'd cleaned her eyes last night. She is still happy and bouncy and had a run around the garden today. Watching her intently as she eats, I can't see her having dental issues, but who knows.

Hopefully I can get her to the vet tomorrow. I think trying baytril/septrin for now will be ok, since it only seems to be the beginnings of an infection (providing that is what it is). If she has any more problems then I will suggest a swab, and go from there. I do hope she will be ok. She won't have gone to these vets before and they are a good 20 mins away from me.
 
Couldn't get an appointment today so she is booked in for 6pm tomorrow. Her eyes are still clear, so hopefully she will be ok until then.

I was at work 9-5 so she hadn't been out all day...she decided that she would not use her litter tray. :roll: Lovely to come home to! :lol:
 
:( It seems she is on the cusp of needing a dental. The vet is hoping that encouraging her to eat hay and chew things will solve the problem. She doesn't have spurs as such, the vet said her teeth are rounded and slightly pointing inwards. Her tear ducts are not blocked and I asked about flushing them, but she didn't want to cause distress if they didn't need doing. She doesn't think she has an infection and things have just flared up due to stress. I have some loxicom and asked about giving her that and the vet said it would definitely help so going to start her off on 0.2mls twice a day.

I have just bought some readigrass and it seems to be a hit, thank goodness. I have mixed it with her hay and hopefully that will encourage her to eat it. I have also sawed off a branch from my apple tree ad put that in for her to chew. She doesn't seem keen on the kiwi sticks but i her teeth are causing her a bit of discomfort, hopefully the metacam will solve that.

Another set back is that the vet thinks she is an older rabbit, maybe about 5-6 years. :( She needs spaying asap and it's going to cost £90. I asked about her getting a dental at the same time and she said that it depends on how tricky the spay is and how the rabbit reacts with the GA etc.

I am feeling rather upset about this. I highly doubt she will ever get rehomed with her age. I don't think I could afford to keep her, and if I did I would have to bond her to my two and I don't know if a trio is a very good idea.

Stressed. :(
 
Another set back is that the vet thinks she is an older rabbit, maybe about 5-6 years.

I am feeling rather upset about this. I highly doubt she will ever get rehomed with her age.

I wouldn't worry about that to be honest, there are actually very few single older bunnies out there in rescue so they tend to get snapped up pretty quickly as a lot of pro-rescue owners will look for an older bunny when one of a bonded pair dies. I've twice looked for single older buns in rescue and twice had to get much younger bunnies because I couldn't find one! The dental may be more of an issue but it could just be a one off caused by poor previous diet.

Good luck with her x x
 
I wouldn't worry about that to be honest, there are actually very few single older bunnies out there in rescue so they tend to get snapped up pretty quickly as a lot of pro-rescue owners will look for an older bunny when one of a bonded pair dies. I've twice looked for single older buns in rescue and twice had to get much younger bunnies because I couldn't find one! The dental may be more of an issue but it could just be a one off caused by poor previous diet.

Good luck with her x x

I agree, in fact there was somebody on here who posted a few days ago looking for a female rabbit around 5 to bond with her widowed boy bun.
 
I suppose you have a point, I was looking for an older doe last year for my boy just after he lost his wife and had to settle on a young bun.

Having said that, I would never take on a bun that has had dental issues in the past. *Sigh* I hope so much that her teeth will sort themselves out with a proper diet. :(
 
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