Conjunctvitis or something else?

PippaC · Oct 14, 2015

Hello!

I'm not having much luck with my poor bunnies at the moment. My newest addition had a massive bleed during her spay and has only just recovered, and now Rupert has conjunctivitis...

So he's has very slight watery eyes for a couple of weeks, but Because he's so fluffy I assumed it was his fur getting in them. I've been brushing it out of his eyes and he's been acting totally normal and his eyes would be watery one second and fine the next...

All of a sudden, I go to put him away in the evening and his left eye is completely sealed shut and swollen. Lots of horrid discharge from both eyes and nose. He was still acting normally (I'm guessing this is him pretending he's fine!)

Thinking the worst; that he had myxy, I rushed him to the vet who diagnosed conjunctivitis and an ulcer on that eye. His other eye is a bit weepy and bloodshot too, but no ulcer. I've got antibiotic drops, which seem to be working, but his eye is still looking very sore. (It's been five days)

I've done a the worst thing and googled it, and have now got myself worried that it's actually myxy. He's had his jabs, but he's been out on the lawn an awful lot and, although I've never seen any wild animals out there, the garden backs onto open fields and woods. My vet isn't particularly rabbit savvy and I've just worried myself into thinking it's something worse than conjunctivitis :-(

I'm also really paranoid about spreading it to my other bunnies...Rupert is in quarantine indoors, and I'm doing lots of hand washing, but does anyone know if conjunctivitis is easy to spread between buns??

sorry for the essay!!

P
x

Jack's-Jane · Oct 14, 2015

PippaC said:
Hello!

I'm not having much luck with my poor bunnies at the moment. My newest addition had a massive bleed during her spay and has only just recovered, and now Rupert has conjunctivitis...

So he's has very slight watery eyes for a couple of weeks, but Because he's so fluffy I assumed it was his fur getting in them. I've been brushing it out of his eyes and he's been acting totally normal and his eyes would be watery one second and fine the next...

All of a sudden, I go to put him away in the evening and his left eye is completely sealed shut and swollen. Lots of horrid discharge from both eyes and nose. He was still acting normally (I'm guessing this is him pretending he's fine!)

Thinking the worst; that he had myxy, I rushed him to the vet who diagnosed conjunctivitis and an ulcer on that eye. His other eye is a bit weepy and bloodshot too, but no ulcer. I've got antibiotic drops, which seem to be working, but his eye is still looking very sore. (It's been five days)

I've done a the worst thing and googled it, and have now got myself worried that it's actually myxy. He's had his jabs, but he's been out on the lawn an awful lot and, although I've never seen any wild animals out there, the garden backs onto open fields and woods. My vet isn't particularly rabbit savvy and I've just worried myself into thinking it's something worse than conjunctivitis :-(

I'm also really paranoid about spreading it to my other bunnies...Rupert is in quarantine indoors, and I'm doing lots of hand washing, but does anyone know if conjunctivitis is easy to spread between buns??

sorry for the essay!!

P
x

Poor Rupert

Conjuctivitis is contageous, so making sure that you wash your hands after treating Rupert's eyes is essential, as you are already doing. You mention that he also has a nasal discharge. Did the Vet prescribe systemic antibiotics as well as the topical eye drops ? Was any anti-inflammatory analgesic prescribed ?

Corneal ulcers can take some time to heal. IME Chloramphenicol works best as far as a topical antibiotic goes as it has good penetration of the cornea.

I very much doubt that it is Myxi, so try not to worry about that xx

PippaC · Oct 14, 2015

Thanks Jack's-Jane!

He is looking so sorry for himself. The dye they used in his eyes at the vets has stained his face yellow so he looks horrible!

I've got metacam to give him for the pain...he HATES it, so I have to squirt it onto a tasty treat for him to take it. I've got Isathal drops for his eyes- thankfully he sits perfectly still and lets me put in without any problems!

I thought they probably should have given me some oral antibiotics for him too, but they haven't :-/

I'm taking him back later this week for a check so maybe I should ask then? It's frustrating because I don't feel I should have to suggest these things. I had to ask for the metacam myself :-| Doesn't fill me with confidence!

P
x

MightyMax · Oct 14, 2015

PippaC said:
Hello!

I'm not having much luck with my poor bunnies at the moment. My newest addition had a massive bleed during her spay and has only just recovered, and now Rupert has conjunctivitis...

So he's has very slight watery eyes for a couple of weeks, but Because he's so fluffy I assumed it was his fur getting in them. I've been brushing it out of his eyes and he's been acting totally normal and his eyes would be watery one second and fine the next...

All of a sudden, I go to put him away in the evening and his left eye is completely sealed shut and swollen. Lots of horrid discharge from both eyes and nose. He was still acting normally (I'm guessing this is him pretending he's fine!)

Thinking the worst; that he had myxy, I rushed him to the vet who diagnosed conjunctivitis and an ulcer on that eye. His other eye is a bit weepy and bloodshot too, but no ulcer. I've got antibiotic drops, which seem to be working, but his eye is still looking very sore. (It's been five days)

I've done a the worst thing and googled it, and have now got myself worried that it's actually myxy. He's had his jabs, but he's been out on the lawn an awful lot and, although I've never seen any wild animals out there, the garden backs onto open fields and woods. My vet isn't particularly rabbit savvy and I've just worried myself into thinking it's something worse than conjunctivitis :-(

I'm also really paranoid about spreading it to my other bunnies...Rupert is in quarantine indoors, and I'm doing lots of hand washing, but does anyone know if conjunctivitis is easy to spread between buns??

sorry for the essay!!

P
x

I think if you keep the eye clean (bathe any gunk away with cooled boiled water) and apply the eye drops, you're doing everything you can to prevent contagion.

I very much doubt it is Myxi, so please don't worry about that! These things often look far worse than they actually are.

Jack's-Jane · Oct 14, 2015

PippaC said:
Thanks Jack's-Jane!

He is looking so sorry for himself. The dye they used in his eyes at the vets has stained his face yellow so he looks horrible!

I've got metacam to give him for the pain...he HATES it, so I have to squirt it onto a tasty treat for him to take it. I've got Isathal drops for his eyes- thankfully he sits perfectly still and lets me put in without any problems!

I thought they probably should have given me some oral antibiotics for him too, but they haven't :-/

I'm taking him back later this week for a check so maybe I should ask then? It's frustrating because I don't feel I should have to suggest these things. I had to ask for the metacam myself :-| Doesn't fill me with confidence!

P
x

Well at least you are on the ball about the importance of pain relief ! I hope that Rupert's check up goes well. Did the Vet listen to his chest during the previous consultation ? If so and all sounded to be OK then maybe he/she wanted to hold off on systemic abx for now, thinking that the nasal discharge may be a direct result of the eye infection. Discharge from the eyes can drain into the nasal passages via the nasolacrimal ducts, as long as the ducts are not blocked. So you may have noticed that the nasal discharge become the colour of the Fluorescein too xx

MightyMax · Oct 14, 2015

PippaC said:
Thanks Jack's-Jane!

He is looking so sorry for himself. The dye they used in his eyes at the vets has stained his face yellow so he looks horrible!

I've got metacam to give him for the pain...he HATES it, so I have to squirt it onto a tasty treat for him to take it. I've got Isathal drops for his eyes- thankfully he sits perfectly still and lets me put in without any problems!

I thought they probably should have given me some oral antibiotics for him too, but they haven't :-/

I'm taking him back later this week for a check so maybe I should ask then? It's frustrating because I don't feel I should have to suggest these things. I had to ask for the metacam myself :-| Doesn't fill me with confidence!

P
x

Just seen your update ... A rabbit that hates Metacam? :shock: What shame - mine bite the end of the syringe off for it :lol:

It sounds like your vet has things covered - even 'good' vets don't prescribe Metacam until I suggest it! You could always query the antibiotics thing over the phone with them and see what their plan is?

PippaC · Oct 14, 2015

Thanks so much for your replies. Rupert is currently destroying a shoebox in the corner of my office so I think he's feeling okay!

The Vet didn't listen to his chest no...just dropped the dye in his eye and looked in it with a bright light and checked his genitals for any swelling (thankfully there was none!) Practically the whole of the front of his left eyeball was an ulcer :-( poor thing...I just can't work out how it got so bad so quick...surely I would have noticed?!

I cant work out why he doesn't like metacam either- my others lap the stuff up. I think he's just a little odd!

I'm definitely going to ask about the other antibiotics/next plan of action when I get him checked over. His nose is stained yellowy orange too so I think maybe it's the eyes draining into the nose. He looks so much worse because he's normally so beautifully pristine white!

Here is the little monster...

Jack's-Jane · Oct 14, 2015

PippaC said:
Thanks so much for your replies. Rupert is currently destroying a shoebox in the corner of my office so I think he's feeling okay!

The Vet didn't listen to his chest no...just dropped the dye in his eye and looked in it with a bright light and checked his genitals for any swelling (thankfully there was none!) Practically the whole of the front of his left eyeball was an ulcer :-( poor thing...I just can't work out how it got so bad so quick...surely I would have noticed?!

I cant work out why he doesn't like metacam either- my others lap the stuff up. I think he's just a little odd!

I'm definitely going to ask about the other antibiotics/next plan of action when I get him checked over. His nose is stained yellowy orange too so I think maybe it's the eyes draining into the nose. He looks so much worse because he's normally so beautifully pristine white!

Here is the little monster...

Oh bless him !!

One possibility is that the ulcer was caused by fur in his eyes. You may need to consider always keeping the fur around his eyes clipped short. I'd ask the Vet about that too.

MightyMax · Oct 14, 2015

PippaC said:
Thanks so much for your replies. Rupert is currently destroying a shoebox in the corner of my office so I think he's feeling okay!

The Vet didn't listen to his chest no...just dropped the dye in his eye and looked in it with a bright light and checked his genitals for any swelling (thankfully there was none!) Practically the whole of the front of his left eyeball was an ulcer :-( poor thing...I just can't work out how it got so bad so quick...surely I would have noticed?!

I cant work out why he doesn't like metacam either- my others lap the stuff up. I think he's just a little odd!

I'm definitely going to ask about the other antibiotics/next plan of action when I get him checked over. His nose is stained yellowy orange too so I think maybe it's the eyes draining into the nose. He looks so much worse because he's normally so beautifully pristine white!

Here is the little monster...

Goodness, look at him!

I'm sorry it's got so bad so quickly ... I hope the antibiotics work fast to help heal his poorly eye.

Good luck xx

bunny momma · Oct 14, 2015

Jack's-Jane said:
Oh bless him !!

One possibility is that the ulcer was caused by fur in his eyes. You may need to consider always keeping the fur around his eyes clipped short. I'd ask the Vet about that too.

I agree with Jane on clipping the fur around his eyes. My Madelyn is almost as fuzzy as your Rupert around her face and she was surrendered at only eight weeks of age because of her eye ulcers which were totally cleared when I adopted her many months later. I suspect the fur around her face irritated the eye and that may have allowed bacteria to make a home.
Even with the yellow stain on his fur Rupert is very cute.

PippaC · Oct 16, 2015

Update on Rupert:

Just had his check up and his ulcer has gotten a lot smaller- hooray! This vet was actually brilliant and checked his teeth and temperature and listened to his chest. She was a little concerned by the nasal discharge so I've got baytril to give him twice a day for a week. He's had two lots so far, and I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it, but he seems a lot brighter. He's still on eye drops for another few days and hopefully he should be back to normal. A massive relief!

I've bought some tiny dog grooming scissors with a blunt end to try and trim his eye/face fur...does anyone have any tips on how to do this safely? He sits quite still sometimes...but does get wriggly when he's excited and I obviously don't want to poke his eye out!

Thanks everyone for you advice so far- it has made me feel a lot calmer about him- I do tend to panic!:roll:

P
x

Shimmer · Oct 16, 2015

It's easier to trim fur around the eyes if there are 2 of you - one to hold bunny, and one to do the haircut. Sharp scissors are essential - you get a nice clean cut first time. I always cut away from the skin rather than towards it - that way you don't slip and cut the wrong thing. Try and keep your hands and the scissors on the fur side - waving things around over the field of vision will make anything a bit jumpy.

MightyMax · Oct 16, 2015

PippaC said:
Update on Rupert:

Just had his check up and his ulcer has gotten a lot smaller- hooray! This vet was actually brilliant and checked his teeth and temperature and listened to his chest. She was a little concerned by the nasal discharge so I've got baytril to give him twice a day for a week. He's had two lots so far, and I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it, but he seems a lot brighter. He's still on eye drops for another few days and hopefully he should be back to normal. A massive relief!

I've bought some tiny dog grooming scissors with a blunt end to try and trim his eye/face fur...does anyone have any tips on how to do this safely? He sits quite still sometimes...but does get wriggly when he's excited and I obviously don't want to poke his eye out!

Thanks everyone for you advice so far- it has made me feel a lot calmer about him- I do tend to panic!:roll:

P
x

To be fair, I have seen so may owners have horrible accidents whilst trying to cut fur, let alone around the eyes, that I would only advise a trained vet nurse does it :thumb:

Jack's-Jane · Oct 16, 2015

PippaC said:
Update on Rupert:

Just had his check up and his ulcer has gotten a lot smaller- hooray! This vet was actually brilliant and checked his teeth and temperature and listened to his chest. She was a little concerned by the nasal discharge so I've got baytril to give him twice a day for a week. He's had two lots so far, and I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it, but he seems a lot brighter. He's still on eye drops for another few days and hopefully he should be back to normal. A massive relief!

I've bought some tiny dog grooming scissors with a blunt end to try and trim his eye/face fur...does anyone have any tips on how to do this safely? He sits quite still sometimes...but does get wriggly when he's excited and I obviously don't want to poke his eye out!

Thanks everyone for you advice so far- it has made me feel a lot calmer about him- I do tend to panic!:roll:

P
x

I'm glad to hear that his eye ulcer is healing. I hope that the antibiotics will clear up his nasal discharge.

With regards to trimming the fur on his face, I would not attempt to do it on your own. A confident handler is needed to hold the Rabbit whilst another person does the trimming. Unless of course you have a Rabbit that is so chilled out they fall asleep during a face fur trim ! My Mr Bean was like that, bless him.

So it might be a good idea to see if one of the Vet Nurses at the Surgery could assist you. Many Practices have VN Only Clinics, my Surgery does. So you just book an appointment with the VN for a time slot appropriate for what is needing to be done.

MightyMax · Oct 16, 2015

PippaC said:
Update on Rupert:

Just had his check up and his ulcer has gotten a lot smaller- hooray! This vet was actually brilliant and checked his teeth and temperature and listened to his chest. She was a little concerned by the nasal discharge so I've got baytril to give him twice a day for a week. He's had two lots so far, and I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it, but he seems a lot brighter. He's still on eye drops for another few days and hopefully he should be back to normal. A massive relief!

I've bought some tiny dog grooming scissors with a blunt end to try and trim his eye/face fur...does anyone have any tips on how to do this safely? He sits quite still sometimes...but does get wriggly when he's excited and I obviously don't want to poke his eye out!

Thanks everyone for you advice so far- it has made me feel a lot calmer about him- I do tend to panic!:roll:

P
x

BTW to answer your post .. I'm so glad the ulcer has got smaller! Sounds like you have a very OK vet :thumb:

And panicking .. well we all do far too much of that!

Conjunctvitis or something else?

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