Finnegan Eye Injury, with photos *GRAPHIC*

[Danielle]

I am putting this here partly to help myself track our progress, as well as the hope that sharing can help someone else. I will be sharing periodic photo updates, probably not daily, but they may be a bit graphic so I included that in the subject line.  I find that following along with a timeline from others dealing with a particular injury or illness helps to provide kind of a benchmark of what you might expect. Just like each animal is different, a similar injury or condition or shared diagnosis will follow their own path to healing depending on many factors, including your animal’s overall health and your veterinarian’s preferred methods of treatment. 

While this is my first time treating a rabbit for an eye injury, I have nursed two pugs through corneal injuries. The first pug made it through without a need for surgery and was managed with medication, kennel rest and prompt medical attention. The second pug received significant occular trauma from our cat, a piece of his nail was actually lodged in her eye. She required two surgeries, and six weeks of medication and kennel rest. I suspect Finn’s treatment will follow a similar path, although my hope is that at the end of the 10 days of medication I will have nothing left to report other than good health. The big thing I find with eye injuries, is that they tend to look a lot worse before they get better, even when they aren’t actually getting worse, The first time I dealt with one, when the body’s inflammatory response kicked in and the entire cornea turned white I’m pretty sure my first thought was “omg she has cataracts and is blind!” It never hurts to keep in contact with your veterinarian through the process if you have questions. 

Day 0 – 18 Feb 17 : Came home from the grocery store about 5 in the evening and noticed Finn was squinting left eye, having issues keeping it open. Suspecting a piece of hay in the eye, I managed to get him to let me look and I thought I saw the culprit. I had my husband help hold Finn, flushed him with saline and very…very…VERY gently touched the tip of a q-tip to what I thought was the hay. I can’t stress this enough, if you’ve never done this before and are even the tiniest bit uncomfortable, you don’t have a second set of hands, or your rabbit is particularly agitated and kicky…DO NOT attempt this. It’s worth learning basic supportive care, especially having animals who live with their face in hay, but just…don’t attempt if not comfortable. I have 6 guinea pigs and I’ve done this a few times successfully. Could not get suspected hay out, discontinued this method and re-flushed with saline. No visible trauma to the eye, and being that it was a Saturday night and nothing was open save for the 24 hour emergency care clinic, which I didn’t feel we needed, my plan was to see how we looked in the morning with the hope he’d be able to naturally flush it himself.

Day 1- 19 Feb 27 :  Woke up and checked on Finn to discover a goopy, weeping eye, closed shut. Wiped with a warm compress to remove the yuck. Conjunctiva (membrane that covers the front of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids) is bright pink, swollen and inflamed. Still no visible trauma to the cornea at this point, so my original thought we were dealing with a hay poke turned to possible Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye). Since I have other animals, and Conjunctivitis is often contagious, Finn was confined to his pen for kennel rest. I picked up a bottle of Vetericyn Eye Wash, designed to treat eye irritations and wounds. If nothing else, it’s antimicrobial and would help keep the eye lubricated. I contacted the 24 Emergency clinic for advice, they said since I already had him confined, and he was eating/drinking/pooping/peeing and responsive to food and to me, they felt that he would be alright for me to continue providing supportive care at home (warm compresses), and since I have supplies and knowledge to hand feed if he stops eating until I could get him to my vet Monday. If I couldn’t get him an appointment, or he got worse, to bring him to them. My goal was to not have to use emergency services unless absolutely necessary due to the way they treated me for an issue with another animal. Obviously though Finn’s well being comes first, and if he needed their services he’d go. I also called the local Banfield clinics, as they sometimes see exotics. Unfortunately their exotics vets weren’t working Sunday. I slept downstairs in the family room where the animals are housed, getting up periodically though the night to check on him and apply warm compresses. 

Day 2 – Still a goopy, weepy eye. By now I can see the small white area forming where the trauma or ulcer started. Starting to lean head toward the left, more than likely in response to pain. Still interested in veggies and pellets, hay intake has decreased a bit and poops were a bit smaller than normal. Contacted our vet as soon as they opened and managed to get an appointment. Dye was applied to the eye, and very clearly you could see the area of trauma. By this point the entire cornea has started to turn white, which is scary to look at if you’ve never seen it before, but is a pretty standard biological response to eye trauma. The blood vessels to the eye go into overdrive as the body starts pumping more blood to the area to help protect and heal the eye. It’s decided at this point instead of doing an antibiotic in the eye, to do an oral antibiotic and pain killer. We’re given a 10 day script for Baytril (antibiotic) and Metacam (pain). This is my first time using Baytril, so I’m a bit nervous as there has been some severe issues with it in the piggy communities, so discussed my concerns about this medication’s propensity to cause inappetance. We’re doing a probiotic(Bene Bac) through the course of treatment. Got home and gave first dose. We like the Metacam, but the Baytril not so much. Lots of angry bun grunts followed by pouting in his cardboard camper. By evening he’s a bit more perky, I find him tearing at the hay in his litterbox and he is allowed to come out for a bit of free time. 

Day 3 – Second day into medication. Eye is completely white, almost zero discharged, still swollen but conjunctiva not nearly as pink. Holding the eye open much better today. Joked with a friend his nickname could be Bionic Bunny.  Still eating, pooping, peeing. None to happy with me though. Every time I come by the pen, he hides. I suspect I’ll have to work extra hard to earn his trust back after this is said and done. I’m sure the extra treats are enjoyed, despite being growled at 3 times this morning trying to give him his medicine. 

This is our first photo. You can’t actually see the “poke” mark in this photo. I was trying not to bother him any more than I already have. Trust me when I say it looked much worse the past couple of days. 

[pinknfwuffy]

Awe, I’m sorry to hear about Finn. So glad you were able to provide such vigilant care and have him treated. I don’t have any experience with this type of injury so I don’t have any practical advice but I know others on here will chime in. I hope Finn gets well soon and thank you for sharing your story and updating us on his progress. Lots of good vibes and well wishes.

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