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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny Eye Injuries :(

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    • rissacaitlynnn
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        My cat stuck his claw into my lion head rabbit, Meatball’s, eye. I had brought him to a vet and she told me that she couldn’t tell if the whole eye was punctured or if it was just a surface injury because there was a piece of the eye blocking the hole. She gave me eye drops and told me to give them to him 3 times a day, and if his eye were to look worse to bring him back and have her look at it. It started to look a lot better, almost normal – the only thing that was wrong was that you could still see where the claw went in. His eye started to get worse after that, but I didn’t notice until he hopped in my lap one day because he wasn’t scratching at it or showing that it was bothering him in any way. He started to keep his eye shut and it would water like crazy. It started to look worse. Now, before whoever is reading this starts to think I’m a careless bunny owner for not bringing him to the vet at THIS point – not only does my family not have the money, but even if we did, he’s still “just a rabbit” to my dad. I finally convinced him to let me bring him to the vet and the prescribed him Beytrol (or however it’s spelled) for swelling and pain. They gave me 5 pre-filled syringes and told me to mix it with pineapple to juice to help him digest it better and so the taste wasn’t so harsh. When I finished that medicine up, they told me to give him 7 more days of Beytrol. At this point they had already sucked at least $200 dollars out of my parents pocket that they didn’t really have in the first place. They told me to come back 5 days into his second batch of Beytrol and prescribed him Panacur-C, which is canine dewormer, and Metacat, which is an anti-inflammatory. The dewormer packages were to be split into quarters and give him a quarter of it a day, with pineapple juice. I didn’t feel comfortable giving him canine dewormer, it was just a gut feeling that told me not to give it to him. But, I proceeded to give him to the Metacam. Forums online told me that Metacam was an opiate, so when my rabbit became more lethargic and didn’t eat much, it didn’t seem weird to me since I’ve learned that opiates kind of take away your appetite. I took him back to vet and they looked at his eye and we talked about what had been going on and not only did she say to stop giving him the medicine, but she also said that the eye needed to come out. As of right now, there is puss and bacteria under the first layer of his eye and you can’t see is pupil or iris. The puss becomes more visible every day. I’m afraid it will pop and kill him  I need to know if there is anything I can do to make him more comfortable, or even make it better. And I’m also worried because they said it would be $600-1,000 to take his eye out. I don’t have that kind of money! HELP!



      • Monkeybun
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        10479 posts Send Private Message

          Best thing, only thing, is to get that eye taken care of. It’s got to be incredibly painful for him

          If you can’t afford it, maybe check and see if any rescues around can assist?


        • peppypoo
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            I agree with Monkeybun…this is absolutely something that needs to be taken care of and won’t go away on it’s own. Also, it seems quite likely that the eye will need to come out. Is your vet familiar with rabbit medicine specifically? Many veterinary practices will allow you to pay in installments if that is an easier option for you.


          • Sarita
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              Firs ot fall Metacam is NOT an OPIATE, it is a non- steroid anti-inflammatory drug. She needs some pain medication as you can imagine her eye must hurt quite a bit.

              And I totally agree with MB and Peppypoo – this is not something you can cure at home and it needs further treatment perhaps with a more rabbit experienced vet. I don’t understand why she prescribed panacur.


            • RabbitPam
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                I’m inclined to try a second opinion with a more rabbit savvy vet. I like the suggestion of asking at a shelter or rescue that may be near you to either get their experienced vet to see her, possibly at a reduced rate, or to get a vet recommended by them. You need a vet who will work with you on a payment plan so you can pay in installments, and possibly have financial assistance through working with a rescue. Discuss your dilemma with them and see if they know a vet who will be good for your bunny and work well with you. Also, vets are listed under Exotics, so you may just have her in the hands of a vet with cat/dog experience when you need someone else.


              • rissacaitlynnn
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                  The vet that I brought him to was straight out of college and literally did not sound sure about anything she was say or anything she was prescribing him. I mean, it wasn’t even entirely her fault because my rabbit was confusing to deal with, considering he showed and is showing no signs of pain. Normally a rabbit would scratch at their eye, or even keep it shut for the majority of the time. My rabbit on the other hand has been eating and drinking fine, hasn’t scratched at it, and keeps it open for the most part. So I can see how that might have been confusing for her. I wouldn’t say that she is specifically a pro with exotics. And like I said in my earlier post, Sarita, everything I searched online told me that Metacam was an opiate. I know it is not an opiate now, the vet clarified this with me. Anyways- Thank you all for your your suggestions! I’m gonna contact my local rescue center and see if they can help me with anything.


                • littlemissflip
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                    I would also recommend finding a more rabbit-savvy vet. It seems a little odd to me that they wouldn’t be able more fully diagnose the extent of the injury… the visual exam should be able to provide more information, regardless of whether the rabbit is showing signs of pain. Did the vet use a fluorescein dye test to evaluate the abrasion? You might check to see if there’s a veterinary opthamologist nearby who specializes in pet eye issues. 

                    My bunny had both an eye injury (possibly cat-related) and cataract formation due to E. cuniculi infection.  My vets are quite thorough, but they referred us to the veterinary opthamologist for a second opinion, and both vets worked in coordination to diagnose and treat my bunny.  We treated the eye injury with flurbiprofin drops and gentocin ointment (an antibiotic), and later treated the E. cuniculi with fenbendazole–aka Panacur, and we were able to save the eye.  However, there was the very real possibility that he might need to have his eye removed, and my vets and several websites assured me that rabbits actually manage really well with one eye and can have a high quality of life after the problematic eye is removed. So that was reassuring! 

                    It sounds like treating the infection and pain are both really critical right now, but if they’re recommending eye removal, it’s likely because the infection has gotten too bad and the damage is too severe (although it would be worth getting that second opinion!).  The sooner you can have it removed, the better his chances will be of recovering.  Infections aside, when bunnies are in pain, they often stop eating, and… that’s bad news  

                    Sending healthy-eye vibes to poor little Meatball!!  


                  • BinkyBunny
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                    8776 posts Send Private Message

                      So that you do not waste any further $$, check around and find a rabbit-savvy vet. I know that it’s very hard to keep spending money on a vet that may or may not know what they are doing.

                      Please see https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/116849/afnp/293613/Default.aspx as this thread gives many rabbit-savvy vet resources where hopefully you can locate one near you.

                      I wish there was some solution for you that would be as a replacement for a vet, but I do not know of any. Sometimes that really is the only answer even if we wish there were other solutions for you.

                      Healing vibes for Meatball!

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                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny Eye Injuries :(