Help! Eye lid bit!

[Rebelbun]

Diesel and Dozer decided to have a fight last night and Dozer got his eye lid bit. I couldn’t take him anywhere cause it was too late and now today is a holiday so nothing is open. It doesn’t look like his eye was hurt at all cause it wasn’t seeping last night. This morning it’s all swollen and it looks like his eye has been watering like crazy. What can I do until tomorrow? None of the animal hospitals take rabbits.

[jerseygirl]

Maybe bathe it with salted, boiled water that has cooled. Or you can use a human eye wash from a store.  It will definitely need to be checked out soon. Bites can turn to abscess quickly, unfortunately. I hope all will be well.

ETA: I think there is a neosporin ophthalmic solution available but Im uncertain if appropriate to use. Hopefully someone else can advise on that. 

[Rebelbun]

I’m wondering if I should go home and take care of it cause I’m at work now and really don’t want him to lose his eye. I’ll try the salt water that you said and hopefully someone else knows anything else I can do. I hope after 8 I might find a vet that’s open today

[Bam]

Fucidine cream can be used for eye-problems in buns, so can chloramphenicol drops/cream. Fucidine can be bought OTC in many countries.

Saline eye wash for human is suitable for wound cleaning. If you see pus, try to remove it with the broad end of a plastic tooth pick or sth like that, very very gently, then rinse again with saline and put on antibiotic cream.
My Bam once got his eyelid bit by my other bun. It took quite some time for it to heal. The wound was about 5 mm wide so my vet didn’t deam it necessary to stitch it, but for a wound bigger than that stitches/glue might be required.

[Bam]

You should of course contact a vet about this as soon as you can get hold of one, but cleaning the wound is always a good thing to start with.

[jerseygirl]

Oh good to know about fucidine, Bam. Ill have to look out for that here.
Rebelbun, don’t think the worst about him losing an eye. It sounds as if just the lid has been injured. One thing to watch for after healing is if his eyelashes are sitting correctly. Sometimes a wound to the lid can change their angle, causing them to poke into to eye and irritating it.

[jerseygirl]

Vetericyn looks like another that might be worthwhile having in a first aid kit. For washing wound and there is an eye wash also. 

[Rebelbun]

Thanks so much for your guys help. I hate that vets are closed on holidays. He kept leaning his head to the side the injury is. Is that bad or just him being uncomfortable?

[jerseygirl]

It might be because of some obscured vision. But sometimes a trauma or stress can cause some head tilt. Is it a lot?

It’s very frustrating when emergency clinics wont take rabbits. Surely they can give some sort of basic care!

[Rebelbun]

I tried asking the one I found that was open if they could even just help with the wound and they said no. It’s just a slight tilt to the side but hes keeping it like that even when he was eating so I don’t know

[Rebelbun]

Ugh so I’ve called all the emergency vets in my state and all of their exotic vets are out today! This is so irritating!!! I can’t help him cause I’m at work and I can’t just leave if I don’t get him an appointment Dx I’ll clean it with the stuff you guys suggested and hopefully tomorrow I can get into my vet early.
Of course I talked to a vet that probably knows nothing about rabbits and when I told her bout the head tilt all she could say was “take him to an emergency” and hung up. That’s the problem though! No one that works with exotic pets is working today!
Kimber was licking his wound before the Bf left for work according to him will that help or make it worse?

[Bam]

I don’t know if another bun licking the wound is bad. You might have to separate them, but they’ll need to still be close, a poorly bun heals better if it has a friend.
Honestly a smallish wound can readily wait until tomorrow if you just clean it. That he’s eating is great. The head tilt is of course worrisome. I’m not sure what it signifies. Head tilt from an infection or e cuniculi affects balance and appetite in the acute stage, so It doesn’t really sound like that (those problems can lie dormant and break out when the bun gets stressed out). But I’m not sure.
I hope you can make him comfy until tomorrow.

[Rebelbun]

Thank you everyone! The saline solution worked wonders! When I got home his eye was super red and swollen but I cleaned it with the saline and not even an hour later it’s wasn’t red anymore! It’s been about 6 hours and the redness is all gone and the swelling is starting to go down. I haven’t seen his head tilt either!

[Bam]

I’m glad it’s looking so much better already. And that the head tilt is gone is just great.

[Author]

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