My Blind Bunny—No Longer Blind! How can I keep his sight intact?

[The Rabbit]

I’ve written about him before. My wonderful Foster Bunny (now my adopted bunny!) was diagnosed with E. Cunniculi, and Pasteurellosis. He was on medecine for a couple of weeks. He was also diagnosed as Blind (and I had been  certain he must be). The vet said he was definitely blind, but it wasn’t due to any eye injury. The eye was in good health, he just could not see.

He had a lot of issues and it seemed like there was no hope that he’d become a “normal” Bunny. Last month we moved him out of my bedroom, where my other two live. He’s now in the living area outside my bedroom, and has become the family Bunny.

 

At first we saw his personality start changing. He became open and more friendly. Then we started noticing that it seemed he was “watching” us. Then I saw him run across the cage to greet me, when i was across the room. Now he’s just like any bunny. He isn’t relying on his sence of smell and touch as much, and he can definitely see.

 

I’m so proud of him. He was even confident enough to spar with the cat a bit.(just light boxing). He can tell where the dog is now and he’ll greet her! Every time he wants attention, he flips over his carrier which is inside his cage. He did it before, but now he does it with more purpose. His pupils are clear and I can see the blue in his eye again.

 

He’s a very happy boy. He’s gained weight and muscle tone. How can I help keep his eyesight up? Is there a supplement I can feed him, or a specific food?

 

 

I’m so excited about this!

[Sarita]

Gosh, I really do not know…I would definitely seek the advise of a vet on this one.

[Ms-Read-A-Lot]

I would also call a vet. I would assume that the foods that bring our eyesight up would be the same or similar but you cant know without asking someone who is trained. My guess would be rabbit friendly foods with carotene. I know that these foods have the highest amount of carotene but if they are all bunny safe, i’m not sure.

-sweet potato ( read that bunny’s shouldn’t)
-kale (sparingly)
-carrots (ok)
– turnip greens
-mustard greens (ok)
-spinach (sparingly)
-dried herbs…coriander leaf, parsley, oregano, basil, sage… not sure if all rabbit friendly if dried. I feed BonBon semi dried oregano all the time and she begs for it. ( all are ok fresh, but not sure if dried for all-or fully so)
– fresh herbs such as: basil, thyme, parsley. cilantro (all ok)
– romaine lettuce (ok)
-dandelion greens (ok)
– raw swiss chard (ok)
– collard greens (ok)
– pumpkin and squash (pretty sure its a nono)
– Endive (ok)
-arugula  (ok)
– broccoli (ok for leaves and stems)
-asparagus
-celery (ok)
– water cress (ok)-brussel sprouts (ok)

* vit A and carotene are often together. They are linked nutrients*

 

Look for things your bunny is already eating, which is high in vit A. Continue.

some of these are higher in carotene than others. I am sure some of these rabbits don’t eat. I’ll look everything up to see. You SHOULD call the vet though and ask, you should also mention that he may have regained his sight. I am on a high carotene diet. (eyesight is 900/20 left eye – 950/20 right eye).

[Hokankai]

I don’t know if it would make a difference, but Vit A (retinol) is important in vision. i wonder if you could get a supplement and crush it into powder and add it to his food if it would help at all? Don’t give him too much though, I would get his weight and calculate how much to give.

[LBJ10]

I would caution against this. Rabbits are able to convert carotenoids into active vitamin A pretty efficiently, which can lead to an overdose in vitamin A if they are also receiving synthetic vitamin A supplementation.

[Hokankai]

Well there ya go, haha. Just make sure he gets his Vit A then

[RabbitPam]

This is a wonderful story!
I’d venture to say that he is already eating something right since his eyesight is clearly returning. My suggestion would be to continue doing exactly what you have been, describe it to the vet and ask if there is anything more you could or should to to continue the progress. But you’re doing something right!

[jerseygirl]

That’s wonderful you’re seeing such positive changes in him! Also wonderful you’ve officially adopted him. Congrats 

Was his blindness due to the E.C. do you know? Was it cataracts he had?   What meds was he on? 
 

His pupils are clear and I can see the blue in his eye again

He is a blue-eyed bunny?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Hmmmm if his blindness was not due to vitamin deficiency then there is nothing you could do dietary wise… I would think it wasn’t, or the vet would have found it and suggested feeding something containing x substance. Blindness from vitamin deficiency…never heard of it in animals, only extreme deficient people. I’ve never heard of spontaneous recovery from blindness, in anyone unless it was hysterical blindness which I don’t think affects rabbits

For the record-pumpkin and squash are fine for bunnies

I would see the vet, I would think either the bunny wasn’t blind or still cannot see and is adjusting-I would see the vet either way That’s great news no matter what it is!

[LBJ10]

Cats can go blind from a taurine deficiency. I’ve never really heard of a rabbit going blind from some sort of deficiency. Then again, I don’t know much about blindness in rabbits either. LOL

John Muir went blind from an accident, but somehow regained his sight over time (thought I’d throw that in there as a fun fact). Could your bunny have been hurt which caused the blindness?

[The Rabbit]

Yes. I’m very glad, because he was going to have a hard time getting adopted, and he decided this was his family.

 

 

The Vet said it was neurological, he had nothing physically wrong with the eye. Probably brought on by the E.C.  The medecine was panacur.

 

He does have blue eyes. he’s a big fluffy, white bun with blue eyes.

 

I’ll have to find one of my good photos of him, but here is one I took of his eye in spring, he was still yellow from being peed on by the other buns back then.

 

[The Rabbit]

 

 

Posted By RabbitPam on 10/25/2011 05:47 AM
This is a wonderful story!
I’d venture to say that he is already eating something right since his eyesight is clearly returning. My suggestion would be to continue doing exactly what you have been, describe it to the vet and ask if there is anything more you could or should to to continue the progress. But you’re doing something right!

 

 

 

He had been in the “wild” (IE dumped at a college with a bunch of other rabbits) for some time. He was rescued back in december, though. I wonder if anything he ate then could have affected his eyes? maybe a plant.

[The Rabbit]

LBJ10:

Quite possibly. I met him back in March, and the shelter people refused to believe it when I suggested he was blind. He did have an abcess on his leg that was removed in early march. That was either due to the E.C. or another bunny biting him, I was told.

[Sarita]

I think it was most likely the EC that affected the eyesight because it is neurological. That being said, I don’t think it’s a matter of eye health and that the only cure was the panacur.

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