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Help with bunny going blind

HoppingBinky

Mama Doe
Hi, It's been many years since I last posted but I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with a rabbit having glaucoma? My girl has lost one eye due to increased pressure from the disease and it now looks as if the other eye is going the same way. I want to do what I can for her.
 
Bumping up for you, hopefully someone can advise. Sending lots of vibes for her.
 
Hi

Has your bunny seen a Veterinary ophthalmic soecialist - rsbbits can sometimes cope with much higher eye pressures than other species such as cats and dogs.

My elder Bun had chronic glaucoma to both eyes - we lost him before Christmas to an unrelated health problem.


I was lucky to have insurance and specialist vet advice for his glaucoma- it was no easy task keeping on top of his meds and most importantly eye lubrication but for him it was the right decision to medicate rather than remove his eye - any drugs proved ineffective during the later stages of the disease but with good quality eye drops and antibiotic eye drops his eyes were kept comfortable.

There are so many factors I was again lucky my bunny was very easy to handle as added stress is also a consideration.

On the plus side I enjoyed an amazing bond with my bunny as his nurse and carer- he also had a bunny friend for extra guidance around his indoor bunny palace which gave him added confidence.

I hope this helps in some small sway and wish you well with your bunny.
 
My bridge bun Cody also had glaucoma in both eyes and this was managed with azopt drops to bring the pressure down and metacam for any imflamation. He had seen a specialist eye vet also. Cody was so so good with his eye drops, even when in loaf position I told him eye drops and ge never moved just let me lift his eye lid and drop them on. Gosh I miss him :( yes I agree with Fillygall, the bond between me and Code as his carer was very very close as he had head tilt also which he recovered from too.
 
Hi, It's been many years since I last posted but I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with a rabbit having glaucoma? My girl has lost one eye due to increased pressure from the disease and it now looks as if the other eye is going the same way. I want to do what I can for her.

I am sorry to hear that your Bunny is now having problems with her remaining eye. What treatment is she currently on to try to manage the condition ? Enucleation only usually becomes necessary when the Glaucoma ceases to be responsive to treatment.

These links may be useful to take a look at :

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/GlaucomaRabbit.htm

http://mohrs.org/rabbit-eye-health/

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?200884-Glaucoma-Treatment-remove-eye-or-drops

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/blindness.html
 
Hi, It's been many years since I last posted but I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with a rabbit having glaucoma? My girl has lost one eye due to increased pressure from the disease and it now looks as if the other eye is going the same way. I want to do what I can for her.


I'm so sorry to read this :(

Fillygal and Nickybunny have give you very good advice and I would concur with what both of them have said.

What are the pressures in the eye? How old is she?


Enucleation, as of course you know, is a serious operation and if it looks like it's going that way and she's fit and healthy at the moment, then I would probably opt for it sooner rather than later. Yours and your vets call - not an easy decision.

However, blind rabbits can manage extremely well! I have looked after many and all have a good time :)

Does she have a partner? This can make life significantly better for a blind rabbit. Also, their sense of hearing and smell are very strong and they can do all sorts of things that we couldn't imagine they would be able to do - it's very hopeful and not depressing for them.

Some info on blind rabbits here:

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/blindness.html
 
as an owner of a blind bun, I can say you wouldn't know any different! it took us quite a while to figure out she even was blind to begin with.

the general thing is to keep things the same. try not to move around her house too much, keep the house, bowls, water in the same place. it confuses them a lot when its moved and just seems to upset them. if they are free roam / live in a house try to keep the overall house the same. Luna used to throw temper-tantrums and attack me when I moved things in my room. even if it was something 5cm to the left, she knew. changes are super hard on them which I guess makes sense given they can't see.

when I set up my new desk, the best thing was to rub a blanket of hers over the desk so she could transition easier. she ran into it a few times but seemed to map it fine after that.

try not to place her into any new places. Luna often freezes when taken to a new place, whether thats a new part of the house or the vet as she isn't aware of where she is. its a very difficult time for her and incredibly stressful.

having a companion does wonders, they do seem to know. Snoopy was Luna's blind bunny, she followed him everywhere. that's how she knew she was safe, where food was, where to go etc. if Snoopy didn't get up, she didn't. if Snoopy started digging up the carpet, she did. if Snoopy chewed my iphone wire, she did :lol: without Snoopy, she became very reclusive and still. she didn't run around nor binky as much, mostly took to "snaking" along the carpet and just flopping near me. now having Orion, she's a changed girl. back to running around, binkying, exploring. Orion seems to know too, he always approaches her from the front very slowly, stretches forward and gives her a little boop to show where he is.

I guess the top and bottom of it is to just keeps things the same as before. she'll navigate just fine, but may bump into a few things.
 
Hello :) I had a rabbit with cataracts in both eyes. I had a quote of £2000 per eye to remove. This was caused by EC. I obviously opted not to have them removed as I thought it's a lot for a bunny to go through. He coped well blind - he was happier in a cage where he knew where everything was. I never moved anything like his water, food etc. He enjoyed toys and chewing willow balls so he still had fun and a nice life. I'm sorry I'm not as informative as others just sharing my experience xx

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk
 
as an owner of a blind bun, I can say you wouldn't know any different! it took us quite a while to figure out she even was blind to begin with.

the general thing is to keep things the same. try not to move around her house too much, keep the house, bowls, water in the same place. it confuses them a lot when its moved and just seems to upset them. if they are free roam / live in a house try to keep the overall house the same. Luna used to throw temper-tantrums and attack me when I moved things in my room. even if it was something 5cm to the left, she knew. changes are super hard on them which I guess makes sense given they can't see.

when I set up my new desk, the best thing was to rub a blanket of hers over the desk so she could transition easier. she ran into it a few times but seemed to map it fine after that.

try not to place her into any new places. Luna often freezes when taken to a new place, whether thats a new part of the house or the vet as she isn't aware of where she is. its a very difficult time for her and incredibly stressful.

having a companion does wonders, they do seem to know. Snoopy was Luna's blind bunny, she followed him everywhere. that's how she knew she was safe, where food was, where to go etc. if Snoopy didn't get up, she didn't. if Snoopy started digging up the carpet, she did. if Snoopy chewed my iphone wire, she did :lol: without Snoopy, she became very reclusive and still. she didn't run around nor binky as much, mostly took to "snaking" along the carpet and just flopping near me. now having Orion, she's a changed girl. back to running around, binkying, exploring. Orion seems to know too, he always approaches her from the front very slowly, stretches forward and gives her a little boop to show where he is.

I guess the top and bottom of it is to just keeps things the same as before. she'll navigate just fine, but may bump into a few things.

What a lovely post. Lucky Luna to have had Snoopy and now to have Orion.
 
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