Cloudy eye - ud Questions post 65

:wave: Sorry, I only seem to manage to come on here when something is wrong.

Mr Bubble, who's now 11, has suddenly developed a cloudy eye. I will get him to the vet, but wondered whether he needs seen asap? He's been his usual self, although he has walked into a wire door a couple of times lately.

I would suggest he has cataracts but you said "suddenly." :?
Is this an EC bunny perhaps?My Mimzy has had cloudy eyes for awhile and he is a tilted bun, so we surmised e. cuni caused that, (4years ago), but both eyes have gotten much worse recently despite him not being visibly ill.

I'd get it checked as soon as possible if he were my bun, but I'm a worry wart. Bunny eyes are fairly delicate things. Could he have injured it on the wire door previously?

And it is good to see you. :wave: Albeit I wish it were under better circumstances. ((((Hugs)))) Vibes being sent for Mr. Bubble.

Many thanks MimzMum. I hope all is well with you. I was thinking cataracts too. I could see a greyness to his eyes before, similar to my elderly dog's. I don't think it's an ulcer. It looks different than what Timmy had.

I am also a worry wart and tend to rush my buns and dog to the vet for any little thing. I would prefer him to see the usual vet and she isn't always in.

Thanks, weedug. Still getting used to our new location in Oregon. Mucking through a lot of foul weather so it's been interesting.
My two boys are showing their age, so I'm worried about them. Seems like it's all I ever do.

I never liked having to deal with my best vet being out of the office. I got to know more than a few of them who could handle rabbits well. But now we're in a place with really no real exotics specialists, so I'm flying blind here.

I hope you can get together with a vet you can trust. Good to hear it doesn't appear to be an ulcer, I live in mortal fear of those.

I know what it is like to constantly worry about older pets. Between Bubble and my dog Lucky, who had a stroke in the summer and has had little ones since.

We are just back from the vet. Bubble has a cataract and something else wrong with his left eye, but also something wrong with his right eye. The vet said he will have no or limited sight in his left eye, and possibly no sight in the right. I am devastated. Bubble is my soul bunny.

The vet thought that it might be too much for him and if he can't cope the best choice is pts. I am to see the rabbit specialist on Wednesday.

I am so sorry the Vet said that. Maybe there will be more encouraging news on Wednesday. xx

Does anyone have any advice coping with a blind/partially sighted bun?

Our MJ developed cataracts which turned out to be due to EC, it also was very sudden. From initially noticing a slight wisp in his eye it was only a matter of days until he had a complete cataract.

MJ coped very well with the loss of sight in one eye, really apart from being quite shocking in appearance it didn't affect him much at all.

Is it the D1ck vet you are going to?

Yes, Mimzy is completely blind and has been getting there for a number of years. I think he's adjusted very well. I do keep his space restricted but have done that since he tilted. My greatest concern is in this new place he is having trouble finding his water bottle and as such isn't drinking enough water. But at home he was still a fairly happy wee lad and took each day in stride.
Now he hasn't been a very easily handled bun since losing his equilibrium and I'd say that's worse now that he's sightless. He's also deaf though so I need to gently touch him to let him know I'm there and we need to give medicine or have a wash, etc.
I find myself still talking to him despite him being deaf so I must look a right nutter to some. :?
I also keep his enclosure clutter down so he doesn't stumble over anything. Bunnies mental map really well though so I'm probably being over cautious. He also has no climbable objects but that's because his balance is bad.

Certainly blindness is no reason alone to pts. I hope you get better news from the specialist. ((((((Hugs)))))

Thank you both for replying. We are going to the local vet first on Wednesday. If they feel it is beyond them they will refer him to D1ck vet.

Surprisingly Bubble has done very well tonight. He has been active and is eating fine. I kept the room brightly lit in case he had any sight left. There was only once he strayed off his usual path and looked a bit lost, but I see his whiskers and nose going twenty to the dozen. I will put padding on anything that he seems to walk into as needed. The room floor is fairly clear because my dog Lucky is very wobbly on her feet now after her stroke.

The vet I saw today reckons that rabbits can't live blind because it will panic them. While I agree that may be the case for some, Bubble is indoors and is fairly confident in his surroundings. I am hoping that he will continue to manage. I totally agree that blindness is no reason for pts.

Aw, wee bub, he sounds as if he's doing well despite the new prognosis.
I meant to add that I'm dealing with eyesight problems in my Yorkie too, the new vet we saw here said she was "functionally blind" because her pupil is not contracting as it should when light hits it. (It's adhered to the lens somehow?) This would mean the retina isn't sending the signal that the eye needs to narrow, ergo she believes it's already gone. However, Jenna seems to be the same as always, barring some night vision problems. You wouldn't guess she is blind, even if only in the legal sense. She also has greyness to her pupils that has progressed rather rapidly in the last few months. I do wonder if dogs can get E.C. from rabbits and that maybe this has exacerbated her symptoms, but I think it's unlikely. She sees a doggy ophthalmologist on the 9th.

I'm sorry also to hear of your dog's strokes. These kinds of things are in the back of my mind all the time now as my pets grow older. I think the youngest animal we have currently is Ebon (dog) who is about 5 years old? Everyone else is either in double digits (bunnies and cats) or Jenna, who is 8, but I know this year and the next have or will go fleetingly and before I can breathe, she'll be 10. She seems like she's been with me all my life now, so it's hard to think of her reaching old age.

Mimzy is my first real bunny I've ever been able to care for, so I know how you must feel about Mr. Bubble. He's a beautiful boy, that's for sure (just saw the pic today.)

I was going to upload some pix of Mimzy and how his eye looks now, but Photobucket, true to form, is not even letting me into my account today. If I can manage I'll add some later. ((((Hugs)))) xxxx

Rabbits generally cope well because they can rely on their whiskers, scent and hearing. Rabbits don't rely as much on sight anyway, particularly for fine details - they can't see in front of their nose and their eyesight is designed for seeing movement from a distance. They also have good memories for paths, if your bolting for your warren you don't stop to see where you are going you have the steps mapped in your head. Ditto if you're underground and it's too dark to see anyway.

I'd expect a rabbit to do surprisingly well in familiar surroundings, to the point it might not be obvious they can't see. For something like a wire door the key thing would be to make sure it is always in the same place i.e. always open the same amount. It's fine to have it closed, just make sure it's not half way or open a different amount. The same with everything else really, don't move things about, put things back when cleaning and if you've got random things out, pop him somewhere safe and familiar so he doesn't get disorientated. Keep in mind smell is important too, so swapping out a rug, for example, that looks the same and is the same space but smells different might be unsettling/confusing.

You'll need to judge based on his behaviour, but many rabbits do cope well. From his age, it wouldn't surprise me if his sight hadn't deteriorated gradually and he's adjusted and been coping just fine.

Thank you both for replying. I'm sorry to hear about little Jenna, MimzMum. I have followed your advice about doors Tasmin and it seems to help.

Today Bubble's poops were very small even after gut stimulants. I assume because of the vet visit because the visits tend to affect him quite badly. Other than that, my grave boy is as normal today. He looks a bit confused occasionally, but is fine after I chatter away to him.

I think the eye thing must be fairly new because he had his eyes thoroughly checked a few months ago and they were fine.

Bubble went to see another vet today. He has a cataract in one eye, which I knew about, and has very limited sight out that eye. The vet thinks he can only see light and dark, no details. He also has a slight greying of his eyes, even the one with the cataract, with a clear part in the middle. Does anyone know what that could be?

He was checked for glaucoma and the pressure was 11 in the good eye and 14 in the bad, which the vet said wasn't too bad.

He's had die put in both eyes and he has a pin ***** ulcer in each eye, so he is on drops for that. Thankfully they were really small after seeing Timmy's big ulcers. The wheelbarrow test was negative, his teeth and heart were good.

So the vet is uncertain what is causing the eye problem. He took bloods to check for ec and do a full blood count. Bug has also had problems peeing outside his litter tray, which makes me wonder about ec. Until the results are back, I've to keep giving the panacur.

But has been fine in himself, other than his poops going small as a reaction to going to the vet. At least this time he had gut stimulants injected and so far is doing fine.

It's nice you've got such a thorough vet

Is he going near his tray but not in it? What's his tray like? You could try a shallower one and see if that helps. Some older bunnies have trouble navigating the high sides we usually favour for bunny litter trays.

I agree with Tamsin, I actually managed to reintroduce a tray to Mimzy after years of him not having one (kind of necessary on our new flooring) but he does struggle to get in and out and I need to find one of those with a missing side so he can just walk in and out. But even so, he does better than I expected he would! :shock:

I'm sorry to hear about the ulcers. Hopefully they will clear quickly. But the rest sounds manageable at least. That his pressure is good is excellent as I know when that elevates it's time to start talking surgery. (At least in dogs, not certain when/if it happens in bunnies.)

Pardon me for asking, but, what is the wheelbarrow test, please? (I'd take a guess but I can't imagine it's what I'm thinking.)

I had thought of getting him a shallower try, but he seems is manage to get into it fine. He tends to pee nowhere near the tray. A different tray wouldn't do any harm though.

The vet said he wouldn't be recommending surgery to correct the cataract in a bun Bubbles age.

Mimzmum, the wheelbarrow test is a very rough guide to see if there is possibly a mass in the bun's chest. Their back legs are lifted up higher than their heads, like a wheelbarrow. I thought the vet was joking when he first mentioned it. If the eyes bulge there is possibly a mass. My little boy Fluff had a positive wheelbarrow test and he had a massive thymoma. Obviously it's not accurate but gives some idea without the need for anaesthetic.

Mimz, it's also called ventroflexion, if you want to look into it further. I think you've heard of that? The eyes bulge due to pressure on the major bloodvessels if there is a mass.

Weedug, it's good to hear you got more info from the second vet. Im sort of taken aback that the first vet recommends pts for blind rabbits.

Bubble went to see another vet today. He has a cataract in one eye, which I knew about, and has very limited sight out that eye. The vet thinks he can only see light and dark, no details. He also has a slight greying of his eyes, even the one with the cataract, with a clear part in the middle. Does anyone know what that could be?

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Is the greying you are seeing in the iris?

jerseygirl said:

Mimz, it's also called ventroflexion, if you want to look into it further. I think you've heard of that? The eyes bulge due to pressure on the major bloodvessels if there is a mass.

Weedug, it's good to hear you got more info from the second vet. Im sort of taken aback that the first vet recommends pts for blind rabbits.

Is the greying you are seeing in the iris?

Click to expand...

Thanks for giving the proper name for the wheelbarrow test jerseygirl. I can never remember it, and you explained it much better than me.

I was so busy trying to see the slight clear bit in the middle of the grey that I can't remember how much of the eye the grey covered . The cataract is obvious, but the slight greyness is harder to see. I am worried it is ec, but would it affect the eyes of an 11 year old rabbit?

Haha, no I only partially explained it (lazy me) as you aleady had done so in your post.

My 10 year old rabbit has some smokey swirly-like parts in his eye that the vet just said was aging. So it's not a cataract, but what I'd imagine the beginnings of a cataract might look like? :? For him, it's looks more like it's in front of the iris, in the cornea.

If you were seeing changes in the actual iris, I'd be more inclined to think it was something like uveitis due to e.c.