Lionhead bulging red eye

Hello, please help me I already took him to a vet and they said his teeth were fine and said all he had was a cornia ulceration. We got baytril for once a day orally and terramycin ointment to put in his eye 2-4 times a day. This is the second day and now it seems to be getting worse and I am very worried for him. He is a lionhead and is almost 2 years old.

Thank you

Sometimes medications can take a few days to show improvement. It is the same for when you need antibiotics. You don't take them for one or two days and expect an improvement. Give the medicine a chance to do it's work.

What you can do is take anything dusty away, so that's any dusty litter, hay or food. Shake out his hay and put him on some newspaper for now. Also, keep watch on his eye, but only touch it when putting his ointment on. Otherwise, leave it be, so it doesn't become sore and irritated from over handling.

If you're still very concerned in a few days,or if you notice a change in his behavior, lack of appetite, or change in his washroom activities, call the vet. Only you know your rabbit and you should be able to tell if he's not himself.

The thing that worries me most is that his eye is bulging and he hasn't really been himself. He usually greets me when I get up in the morning and follows me around a lot if he is not napping. He still eats and drinks but not as much as he used to. I will wait a few more days, thank you for your quick response!

Also the vet recommended getting some dry eye drops from Walmart. Is there a specific kind to get or just a general dry eye drop?

I'm curious, does this vet deal with rabbits often, or what he just the best choice for an emergency?

Human eye drops are not reallypreferred for any animal, and I don't think they're or necessary for a cornia ulceration, either. If they were really that necessary to the healing of your rabbit, I'd think he would have suggested you purchase cat drops from his office. I would skip the drops completely.

One thing you can do is apply a cool (not ice) compress for a couple of minutes a few time a day. This will help with pain and should help to bring down the swelling. The best way is to wet a small cloth, put it in a ziploc bag and stick it in the freezer until it's cold but not frozen.

I actually went to two vets, the first one I just left because he said he didn't want me writing a check, he was the one that said his teeth were good and he had an cornia ulceration. The second one agreed with the ulcer and also said there was some kind of trauma that occurred that was swelling behind the eye that was pushing it out. He just drank quite a bit of water from his bowl when i put it in front of him and also ate a couple carrot chips, I hope that means he is feeling better. He moved slightly funny after he was done drinking, it might be due to the fact there is an ulceration on his eye I hope. I did a warm compress on his eye when I first noticed it and also used that to wipe the film of cornia that was left after the first vet said he "removed the diseased layers of cornia".

I will try a cool compress and hope it helps, I feel as though he is in pain and I really hope he isn't. I hate seeing him like this.

To answer the experience with rabbits question, I called up there and asked the second vet place if they dealt with rabbits and they said they have. The main vet had a student helper with him that she called the "rabbit expert" since I live in a college town with one of the best vet schools in the country, so I trusted him. He also seemed to think everything was treatable, I hope he is right.

ray:

I called my colleges' vet hospital and they have eye specialists and a rabbit expert as well. If he doesn't improve by Sunday I will call first thing Monday morning to make an appointment. They said they will work as a team to help us!

I`m so glad. You`re doing a great job dealing with this. I`m sure he will be just fine...he`s probably a bit uncomfortable, but I`m sure he`s not in that much pain. Be patient with his recovery, it may take a few days to see a noteable difference. Keep us posted!

I just got back from work and it looks even worse. I have an appointment at the exotic pet section of the vet center at my college tomorrow afternoon, I don't think he can wait till Monday. They also said they will have an eye specialist come look at him and only charge us for the exotic pet exam and whatever else needs done. I feel awful that this happened him, he looks so bad and I don't want to loose my best friend

No, he can't wait. Did anybody do an x-ray? The bulging eye is a sign of an abscess behind it and he needs immediate and strong antibiotics and quite possibly surgery.

The ulcer is also quite painful, he needs pain killers. Metacam can help if you have any, or baby Motrin in a pinch. (Just make sure he's eating and drinking).



sas ray:

dwkirch wrote:

I just got back from work and it looks even worse. I have an appointment at the exotic pet section of the vet center at my college tomorrow afternoon, I don't think he can wait till Monday. They also said they will have an eye specialist come look at him and only charge us for the exotic pet exam and whatever else needs done. I feel awful that this happened him, he looks so bad and I don't want to loose my best friend

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I never knew that lionheads can get a bulging eye problem.

I hope that you bunny feels better soon. You are doing everything you can for your little lionhead.

Oh btw, I have a lionhead mix female named Sweetie. She is the black rabbit in my avatar(picture).

ray: Waiting for news.

I'm sorry for the wait. We took him in, and his eye was even worse. During the exam by the eye specialist and rabbit specialist his heart stopped I feel so bad that he was scared and stressed all alone when I told him he was going to be okay before he went in for the exam :'(. I also feel bad Me and my Girlfriend were not with him, she is taking it a lot harder than me because he was her everything. The vet thinks it was a molar that was growing up into his eye socket, but they are going to do an autopsy(I know that is not what it is called but I can't remember what he said it was). They are doing it for free and letting us know what really happened since it is a vet school, I hope the students and vets there learn what happened and are able to save other bunnies before it happens to them. I know he was in pain, but I am glad that he is in a better place now. I just don't know what to do without him now, my life seems so incomplete without him and so lonely when i walk into my room and he isn't there to greet me like he always did. I will let you all know what exactly happened when I get the results. We are getting him cremated and getting a paw-print made. They tried resuscitation on him for 15min but the vet who has had rabbits before explained that we did all we could to help him, and that rabbits are very fragile and once they get infections that there is usually not much you can do. Thank you for all your help, please keep my girlfriend in your prayers now, she really needs it.

ray:

So sorry for your loss. Every loss we have is devastating, but we can't imagine life without our bunnies, it would leave such an empty hole. Rest in peace little man and binky free. You are loved and greatly missed. ray:ray:

I am so sorry for your loss! It is always hard to lose a bunny, especially one that you love very much.

Binky Free little guy!