Red, swollen and watering eye

[Toki]

Just as the title says, one of my rabbits has a single eye that is swollen, red and watering (no discharge or runny nose). I've been dabbing it with warm water / gently pressing every other hour or so. He was completely fine last night.

I did some research, and it could be something (dust, hay, etc) stuck in the tear duct? Some say if it doesn't clear up in a few days to take him to the vet. Is this true? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JBun]

Could you post a close up picture of it?

 

[Toki]

Could you post a close up picture of it?

Yup, I’ll attach a few photos!

 

[JBun]

He could have gotten some debris in it and that has irritated the eye, or it's possible he scratched it. If it's just debris it should be looking better by tomorrow. A few drops of plain saline eye drops(natural tears) could help flush any debris out. If it's not any better tomorrow, it could be a scratch and if so he'll likely need a vet visit and eye drops. Just keep a look out for white discharge and/or white cloudiness in the eye. If you see either of those get him to a rabbit savvy vet asap as it indicates infection/inflammation.

 

[Toki]

He could have gotten some debris in it and that has irritated the eye, or it's possible he scratched it. If it's just debris it should be looking better by tomorrow. A few drops of plain saline eye drops(natural tears) could help flush any debris out. If it's not any better tomorrow, it could be a scratch and if so he'll likely need a vet visit and eye drops. Just keep a look out for white discharge and/or white cloudiness in the eye. If you see either of those get him to a rabbit savvy vet asap as it indicates infection/inflammation.

Thank you so much! This is super helpful. I’ll definitely keep a close eye on him for the next few days. I’ll call my local rabbit savvy vet if it doesn’t clear up by tomorrow either way.

Should I continue dabbing his eye with a warm, wet cloth every so often in the mean time?

EDIT: I just went to check on him before bed, and he now has white discharge coming out of that one eye. I’ll be contacting the vet asap.

 

[Toki]

Another update:

It seems like the closest rabbit savvy vet is all booked up for the next few days (and they're an hour away). I'm calling around to see if there's anyone else willing to see him; however, so far, none have any experience with rabbits.

 

[Nina789]

Hi Toki,

I would book an appointment with your closest rabbit savvy vet for the first available time slot. In the mean time, please continue to monitor his eye and I would also use saline drops as recommended by JBun. If the eye gets drastically worse before the appointment, you could try calling the clinic back and asking if they could squeeze you in for an emergency visit.

 

[Toki]

Hi Toki,

I would book an appointment with your closest rabbit savvy vet for the first available time slot. In the mean time, please continue to monitor his eye and I would also use saline drops as recommended by JBun. If the eye gets drastically worse before the appointment, you could try calling the clinic back and asking if they could squeeze you in for an emergency visit.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to squeeze me in. They don't have a slot available until Wednesday, but I'm worried that's too long of a wait. I'll see if I can get my hands on some saline drops and continue looking around. Thank you!

 

[JBun]

Just try and get in as soon as you can and continue to monitor it. When you talk to the vet office, make sure to mention there is white discharge and the possibility of infection, and the vet may try and squeeze you in sooner.

 

[Nina789]

Unfortunately, they weren't able to squeeze me in. They don't have a slot available until Wednesday, but I'm worried that's too long of a wait. I'll see if I can get my hands on some saline drops and continue looking around. Thank you!

Saline drops are widely available and you should be able to get them from any drugstore, Walmart, etc. Large grocery stores can also carry them in their drug section. Good luck, I hope bunny's eye gets better soon.