eye proptosis (exophthalmos)? :(

[rabbidu]

I've noticed that my new netherland dwarf bunny has some eye assymetry, the left eye seems like its a little popped out, and the pink flesh in the corner is visible unlike on the other side. Also the white part of the eye (sclera) is not hidden unlike the other eye because of it being a little "popped out".

When I got the bunny it had a collar which seemed pretty tight and I removed it immediately. I'm afraid that might have caused this, which appears to be "eye proptosis". I've heard this happends to dogs a lot and the eye can be pushed back in, but never heard it for rabbits.
What can I do? If its eye proptosis, should I try to move the eye back in so the bunny doesn't suffer anymore, or should I wait and let a vet do it instead?

The bun can close both of his eyes without a problem right now btw.

 

[majorv]

I know that in those breeds with bulging eyes, like dwarfs and Polish, that the eye can pop out. It doesn't sound like it's that bad though. Before you try to do anything it might be a good idea to let a vet look at it since the other eye is okay. There might be something behind the eye applying pressure against it, or it might be nothing.

 

[JBun]

You should take your rabbit to the vet as there is a possibility of an abcess causing the pressure behind the eye. It could be related to a problem with it's molars.

 

[missyscove]

I agree that a vet visit is probably in order to check things out. I would not recommend trying to push the eye in yourself.

 

[rabbidu]

I hope there's nothing serious like an abcess in the back of the eye D:
Poor bun, I'll take her to the vet asap.

 

[tonyshuman]

Like Jbun said, it could be an abscess behind the eye. Bunnies with flat faces are more likely to have tooth problems, and an infected tooth root could abscess and put pressure on the eye. It could also be another issue that I have seen come up a lot in nethies, in fact one of ours had it. This would be thymoma, or cancer of the thymus. It is a tumor that puts pressure on the lungs and heart and sometimes the eyes. It can lead to exopthalmos, or the eyes bulging out. Other symptoms can include respiratory problems. Our Benjamin had sneezing fits and sometimes a clear nasal discharge that would not go away. You may want to look into this. It would be good to get x-rays taken of the bun to look for a thymoma, although they can be hard to see on x-ray. The x-ray can also identify a tooth root abscess.

Thymoma or tooth root abscess can be treated, depending on the degree of discomfort it is causing the bunny, the degree of discomfort the treatment would cause, and the probability of treatment being successful. In our case, we opted not to treat Benjamin with radiation, the best current way to treat thymoma. The stress of repeated anesthesia for the radiation treatments and the stress of the treatments themselves on his body were things we didn't want to put him through. He had already developed a non-bacterial pneumonia due to pressure on the lungs and thus was not a good anesthesia candidate. We treated the pneumonia as we could, and he had several happy months with us and his girlfriend before going into acute respiratory distress. He did not live as long as he deserved to--he was a very special little bunny--but he was happy.

Here are some links on thymoma:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Cancer/Thym/Thymoma_rab.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Cancer/Thymoma_Guzman_et_al.pdf