Arrg Her eye is infected…again!

[ubergoober]

So a month ago we had an issue with Miffy’s eye.  The vet checked her out and gave us some ointment for her eye..checked her teeth to make sure they werent the problem and causing the infection.

Anyhow the ointment cleared it up…for a month and now the eye issue is back.  Thank goodness I still have half the tube left or it would have cost me another 90 dollars for another vet visit.  May end up that way anyhow…thinking she might need an antibiotic or something stronger than just the ointment (we shall see).

Have you guys ever had a bunn with eye problems?  If so, any advice is welcome.

Its the skin surrounding the eye that is irritated and slightly weepy.  It looks like crap right now because the ointment is matting her fur on that side of her face.  And she’s MAD at me for pinning her down to put the gunk in her eye.  Poor thing….she snorts at me when I go anywhere near her now.  She still puts her nose out for a rub tho so she still "kinda" loves me lol  We are not happy in Miffyland lately.

 

[MooBunnay]

Juli my girl had a clogged tear duct, and all I did was get her some saline solution eye wash to put in her eye to clean it out. Do you know what is wrong with Miffy’s eye? If its just a clogged tear duct, you could try some saline solution eye wash before going to the vet again.

[ubergoober]

Well the vet said it was a slight infection. I dont think she even thought about a clogged duct. I will try the saline anyhow though just to clean out the area if anything. it seems to clear up with the ointment but apparently didnt totally clear up since its back again.

Here is a picture of the first time it got infected a few weeks ago. Her actual eyeball doesnt seem to be red its the skin surrounding it (the red in the pic on the actual eyeball is just the flash obviously)

[BinkyBunny]

How is she doing today? If it happens again in the future, you can try and prevent some of the irritation around her eyes as the chemicals in tears can really irritate the skin. Use a soft warm wet clotth to wipe off her tears.

[ubergoober]

Well it cleared up with ointment the vet prescribed. It then returned again…good thing I still had ointment left. I dont know….I read that some bunns have eye issues in reaction to the ammonia in their urine being overly strong. So I am now changing her box every two days to see if it helps.

[Gravehearted]

that’s no fun, i really hope that cleaning her cage will help. keep us updated

[ubergoober]

I am at my wits end here….I have been cleaning her cage out every two days to see if it helps.  So far its still irritated. 

I am getting worried that its something else.  The vet checked her teeth at our last visit and all was well.  I was initially worried it was a tooth problem manefesting itself in her eye or behind it.  Now I am worried that it might be an absess or cyst behind her eye.  Her eyebrow (I know she doesnt have eyebrows lol  but that area) area seems to be a bit swollen today.

She is eating very well…allows me to give her scratches/rubs around that area so it doesnt seem to hurt her.  She is peeing and pooing fine.  Its just that freaking eye. 

I cant afford 100 dollars for every vet trip if this is going to be a chronic problem.  yargggg

 

 

[MooBunnay]

Hello – did you try the saline eye wash? If its something that is routinely bothering her eye, maybe just washing it daily could help. The eye wash I got was from the pharmacy, I made sure that it was just an “eye wash” and just contained saline. I would buy some to see if having a litle routine of washing her eye out daily can help at all.

[MooBunnay]

I found this online about clogged ducts, it sounds ike maybe using a warm cloth to wipe the area will help. It says that it takes vet visits for it to become unclogged – but the lady i worked with just told me to wash her eye with the “eye wash” and then gently wipe the tears away. Maybe the reason it keeps coming back is the duct has not yet unclogged. Can you just call the vet and ask for more ointment without a re-visit? Then ask about the cloged duct as well?

Blocked tear ducts: Dental problems, inflammation, and other sources can clog your bunny’s tear (nasolacrimal) ducts. The ducts run from the inner corner of the eye to the nose and drain the liquid tear film that is constantly formed to protect the eye (this is why when you cry, your nose gets runny). Rabbits only have one duct opening in the eye, and thus are more susceptible to blocks. The tears, instead of draining out, then overflow and leave wet areas around the eye. The condition itself is not painful, but constant tears on the face will cause skin irritation. Without care, the fur becomes soggy and matted around the eye, and the underlying skin will become so irritated that eventually the fur just peels off- events should never get to this point. Until the duct opens, which may take several visits to the vet, gently wipe your bunny’s affected eye several times a day to remove the sticky salty tears (try cotton wipes and water), then dry carefully.

[MooBunnay]

Found this online too – has anyone else used NFZ powder?

NFZ Powder -Nitrofurazone Powder is a pink eye medicine for use in dogs, cats, sheep, goats and cattle that is the best treatment I have found for eye infections. Ointments and creams seem to attract more dust and dirt to the irritated eye but this powder seems to offer almost instant relief. It is available at pet and feed stores and is cheap insurance. It can also be used for treatment of open wounds.

[BinkyBunny]

MooBunnay has really given tons of great advice. I know the woman that recommended the NFZ powder and she’s extremely knowledgable, but I don’t know enough to safely recommend it.

Also, the fact that there is a part that looks swollen concerns me. It might be just her irritated skin, and I know you don’t want to spend another 100 bucks, but unless this goes away soon, I don’t know of any other solution that is the safest except for to have a rabbit savvy vet check it.

Some bunnies do have chronic clogged tearducts (my Rucy is one of them due ot her surgeries). Jack actually keeps her eye clean and dry for her, but if I notice he’s missed a spot, then I have to wipe the fur around her eye with a warm damp cloth. Then I usually take cool cloth and finish it off, just to make the irritated area feel better.

But again, if she does have a clogged ducts, then you need to make sure that there isn’t something serious going on behind it that could infect other parts of her head.

[ubergoober]

I checked her again this morning and the “swelling” that I thought I saw was actually her fur just poofed up. The eye area is still a bit red and watery….man she is going to hate me for getting the ointment out again. I am off to the pharmacy later today to get some saline. She is going to hate me again……yarrg. Poor thing!

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