Hiya,
My poor rabbit is ill his right eye is all enflamed and he keeps it shut and also his head above it is really swollen! i feel really bad cos i noticed his eye was weepy about 5 days ago but didnt think anything of it, thought it was just an allergy or something!
I took him to the vet today and shes stumped, has given me some eye drops, but she specifically asked me to remove the mucus away from his eye as it occured, and i know this is going to sound awful, but i cant bring myself to do it! im so worried about hurting him and it makes me feel ill everytime i see his poor eye, i just dont know what to do! my partner suggested using a small amount of cotton wool or tissue to wipe it away but im worried that might aggrevate his eye even more, what do you think?

Thank you XxXxX

Cotton wool dipped in cooled boiled water and wipe gently. He`ll feel better

Use a cotton wool ball steeped in warm fresh water, just gently dab away. If bunny objects have your partner hold him gently. You can do it - it will really ease his eyes.

I have a cat who suffered from something similar - it did turn out to be allergy. Her eyes would swell and so did the area above the 'brow'. She would scratch her eyes until they bled. Now her diet is altered to suit, but every so often it does flare up (probably from something outside) and we have found gently smearing pure Aloe Gel (tube from Holland and Barratt) soothes her.

Use the drops and cleanse his eyes with warm water - if nothing improves over the weekend then back to the vet.

Thank you Moomsie and Magsy for your replies, ill certainly try my best to do that cos i cant stand to see him looking so upset, its the most upsetting thing ive seen for a while! he's about 5-6 years old and doesnt deserve this as he goes into his older years!
Ill grit my teeth and do it and hopefully it will help him.

Thank you both XxXxX

P.S. i hope your poor kitty is ok xxxx

Let us know how you get on Butterfly. xx

Hi Magsy,
I did it for the first time this morning and managed not to be ill! He was shaking though and i felt really bad, shame you cant explain to them that you are actually trying to help sometimes isnt it?
One more dosage tonight and then he's done for today, extra carrots tonight i think!

Take Care XxXxX

Well done Butterfly. Keep us posted as to how he is getting on.

It awful havent to help your animals. I am glad i can do it but i realy understand why you are uneasy to do it. Did the vet check his teeth. Please let us know how your bunny gets on.

Hi Maisey Moo,
Thank you for your kind reply, yes she checked his teeth, saying something about if they arent kept down properly they can sometimes put pressure on the eye, but she said they looked perfect to her. I think shes quite worried about him actually, and to be honest so am i! It just looks so painful for him, i cant bare to think of him in pain, but on the plus side, hes just as friendly and hes eating and drinking well so im pleased about that.
Btw just to let you know his name is Bailey, and hes a white lop eared bunny with a small 'dusting' of black on his back and a small black spot on his head. Everyone says hes the most gorgeous rabbit they've ever seen

Take Care XxXxX

Vet was stumped? Change Practices then for a start.

It's not mucous. Is it sticky/white or just wet? Are the inside of his front paws dirty & the fur clumped together? Is the underside of his chin dry? Is he eating hay?

Any issues with his top teeth can compress & block the tear ducts leading to tears running out of the eye/eyes.

What drops did the vet give you?

Hi Rubus Roo,
To start with it was just wet, then it was sticky and white and now its turning wet again. No his paws arent dirty, and seeing as he's white id notice and his chin is bone dry! She's given me Fucithalmic to put in his eye.
And we rarely give him hay to be honest, every couple of months or so.
Why did you ask all this? What are you thinking?

Take Care xxx

I would say change vets for Bailey. He needs a vet that understands rabbits some vets dont know how. Try a site called Rabbit United i used to belong to it when i had rabbits

Oh dear.

Rabbits need fresh hay every single day of their lives. Their teeth constantly grow without the hay grinding them down. So many dental problems are caused by them not eating hay. We feed our 4 house rabbits exclusively hay, nothing else apart from vegetables as a treat.

Please get your bunster some nice hay, start reducing the amount of other foods you feed the wee fella, like 10% a day, until you get down to about a 1/4 of what you are feeding him now. The hay is essential as it moves through the gut taking any fur he has ingested with it. They can get gut stasis so easily & quickly.

You will need to change the hay daily, even if he hasn't eaten it. It loses its fragrance quickly & they lose interest in it unless it smells fresh.

Check his droppings, they should ideally be a nice sandy/light green colour & very easy to squish between your fingers. Examine them, break them open, they should have small amounts of fur (from grooming) & the rest will be tiny particles of hay.

Rabbits are very tender creatures, they can get ill very fast. You need to be totally aware of everything about them, they are so delicate. Handle him daily, feel under his chin & jaw line for bumps or swelling. Make note of all his behaviors else you won't pick up on things until it is too late.

Keep up with the drops, doing as the instructions say, twice a day? use warm salty water & cotton wool to remove any of the exudate from around his eyes before applying the drops. Soak the cotton wool in the salty water, wipe once & discard. Keep doing this with fresh pieces. It does sound like an infection, the fact that it is sticky & he is reinfecting himself via his cleaning.

I hope this is helpful.

That's very good advice!

My rabbits have ALWAYS got hay and we're aways sticking more in!

Hiya,
Ive kept rabbits for most of my childhood and have never heard of this, all my rabbits have been very healthy and exceeded their life expectancy. Whenever we give him hay hes not interested in it, which is why we dont give it to him very often, and the food we give him is a complete food that is crunchy which keeps his teeth down, aswell as carrots, and hes got a chew block to knaw on, which he does, and the vet says his teeth are fine.
Hes 5/6 years old and has never had a problem before so i really dont know what to say.

Take Care xx

I always gave my rabbits hay but as yours hasnt realy touched it i dont think he can like it. Have you tried different types of it. I never realy gave my rabbits anything other than rabbit food, carrots and Hay. A friend once pulled a clump of dandilions out of the garden and fed them i went up the wall as they wernt use too it. Is he any better today.

He's not any better today, i took him back to the vet and she stuck a needle in the lump and discovered its an absess. She's told me to carry on with the ointment and eye bathing and shes given me anti biotics to give him. She said that cos its in such an awkward place surgery isnt really an option so shes going to try this and then if that doesnt work shes going to have to drain it!

Let's hope the antibiotics work. Keep us posted Butterfly.