Runny eyes- infection

[Snowballbun]

Hi all, I have a 20 week old baby dwarf hotot bunny named Snowball. I am in Arizona right now on vacation but I will be back tomorrow. (I live in Michigan.) My mom is taking care of my bunny and had to take him to the vet yesterday because her eye was red and runny. The bunny also kept closing her eye. It really scared me when my mom told me she had to take her to the vet.

They diagnosed her with an eye infection and prescribed eye drops and oral antibiotics. The vet also did a thorough exam and my mom said she was impressed with where she took her. Thiswas bun bun's first visit to the vet. She weighs a little over 2 pounds, and they checked her ears, eyes, lungs, teeth, etc. Her lungs were clear so that is a good thing. Also she has been sneezing a bit, which was a concern that we told the vet. The antibiotics prescribed were to help make sure the infection didn't spread. Bunny is eating normally, playing and jumping. It was neat because the vet asked what her fav treat was and she said apples...and gave her apple flavored antibiotics.

The name of the antibiotics are baytril suspension and the eye drops are neo poly gram ...is what my mom texted me. The doctor is listed on the house rabbit society's website, and she really appears to be a rabbit savvy doctor. Does anyone know anything about these medicines? She also did a smear on bunny's eye to make sure there was not an abrasion. The vet spent about an hour with my mom and was very thorough. Snowball needs to go back for a checkup in 7-10 days I have to take her.

Does anyone know what this could possible be, if the drugs are safe, and do you think bunny will be okay? She hasn't been around any other rabbits, but the doctor said that it could have been laying dormant in her and then just surfaced itself. I have been really worried about her while I've been gone.

 

[tonyshuman]

Hi, the vet sounds good but maybe a bit too cautious with her prescriptions. The ointment is the opthalmic equivalent of neosporin. The liquid is an antibiotic similar to the human drug cipro. It's ok but some bacteria are resistant to it. If there isn't any improvement within a few days, you may want to ask for a culture of the eye/nose discharge and have them determine from that what the best antibiotic is. On a scale of weakest to strongest antibiotics, Baytril is at the bottom, and there are a lot of stronger ones that bunnies can have.

Another possible reason her eye could be runny and she could have sneezes is from tooth root issues. She's a bit young for them, but it can happen in the dwarf breeds. The roots of the teeth are below the gum and can't be seen without doing a dental x-ray. Sometimes the roots grow out of control and impede the other structures of the face, like the sinuses, nasal passages, and eye ducts. It's worth looking into if the drainage is all clear, and if the antibiotics don't seem to work.

But, it sounds like the vet knows what they're doing for the most part. It's good that she gave oral as well as eye drop antibiotics, and did the test to make sure there isn't an abrasion. She's right about why the infection cropped up--the bacteria that cause these infections are usually always present in the rabbit's system, but during times of stress their immune system is impaired a little bit and doesn't fight off these bacteria to the extent that it should, leading to an infection. That's why rabbits can be so sensitive to stressful situations.

 

[Pipp]

Eye infections are pretty common at that age, dental issues are not. Dwarfs are pretty bug-eyed to begin with, and without a mate to keep her eyes clean, she's more prone to them.

Your vet sounds good. Great that she tested for an ulcer.

I had to experiment with several kinds of ointments to clear up my bunnies' conjunctivitis, two out of the three I tried didn't work, although I forget which were which. (The type of bacteria may be different with your bunny, anyway).

She should be fine.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Snowballbun]

Thank you...I've been trying to read stuff and I've heard about pasteurella? Not very familiar with it, or some of those more severe diseases and I started to get more worried. But hopefully if this kind of thing is common, it will clear up.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

Snowballbun wrote:

Hi all, I have a 20 week old baby dwarf hotot bunny named Snowball. I am in Arizona right now on vacation but I will be back tomorrow. (I live in Michigan.) My mom is taking care of my bunny and had to take him to the vet yesterday because her eye was red and runny. The bunny also kept closing her eye. It really scared me when my mom told me she had to take her to the vet.

They diagnosed her with an eye infection and prescribed eye drops and oral antibiotics. The vet also did a thorough exam and my mom said she was impressed with where she took her. Thiswas bun bun's first visit to the vet. She weighs a little over 2 pounds, and they checked her ears, eyes, lungs, teeth, etc. Her lungs were clear so that is a good thing. Also she has been sneezing a bit, which was a concern that we told the vet. The antibiotics prescribed were to help make sure the infection didn't spread. Bunny is eating normally, playing and jumping. It was neat because the vet asked what her fav treat was and she said apples...and gave her apple flavored antibiotics.

The name of the antibiotics are baytril suspension and the eye drops are neo poly gram ...is what my mom texted me. The doctor is listed on the house rabbit society's website, and she really appears to be a rabbit savvy doctor. Does anyone know anything about these medicines? She also did a smear on bunny's eye to make sure there was not an abrasion. The vet spent about an hour with my mom and was very thorough. Snowball needs to go back for a checkup in 7-10 days I have to take her.

Does anyone know what this could possible be, if the drugs are safe, and do you think bunny will be okay? She hasn't been around any other rabbits, but the doctor said that it could have been laying dormant in her and then just surfaced itself. I have been really worried about her while I've been gone.

good job...when administering oral antibiotics,,offer aprobiotic-(benebac)-the antibiotic will do its job but it does-not differentiate good flora from bad(infection)--did your culture come back yet.//.upper respiratory infection,,generally give an antibiotic called trimethoprim for u.r.i.-enterococcus.//.this could be stress related,,you might be bonded at not know it--good job.//.generally by the time we see a problem it has been set in motion for awhile,,-prey animals refuse to show weakness-to the point of dying--it is sad,but at least some of us top predatory carnivores--do care for these little guys,,but the fear in the wild means survival,--at any cost....sincerely james waller:wave:ink iris:inkbouce::bunnydance:

 

[ra7751]

I also agree with Claire that the drugs are a bit conservative....but honestly this has been standard protocol for years. We have beenfinding that Baytril has become increasingly ineffective, especially against Pasteurella, and I tend to use a bit more aggressive ocular drops....usually Tobramycin, Terramycin or Gentamicin depending on the situation. But, Baytril will sometimes work a time or two before the bacteria becomes resistant. In the rare cases we use Baytril here, we dose it quite differently than standard protocols. Since you are using Baytril, make sure you complete the full dosing even if the symptoms resolve. This will help prevent potential resistance problems down the road. Just for information, our preferred drug to fight Pasteurella is Azithromycin (Zithromax).

Randy

 

[Snowballbun]

James, I don't think she tested to see what kind of bacteria it was. Should she have sent it away? I think she was just checking to make sure bunny did not have an abrasion in her eye.
ra7751: Do you think it is pasteurella? I think I read that once bunnies get this they always have it? Also, should I find another vet that uses different medications or ask her about using different ones? I have to go back in 7-10 days. I am also looking to where I am going to take her to get fixed.

 

[Snowballbun]

Update on bunny: Last nite I just got home from Arizona. I had her out this morning, and her eye seems to be getting worse. It was red and started running again with bunny wanting to close her eye. It seems to get better, than worse--seems to be the pattern. Also, I've noticed a lot of sneezing, which concerns me. I got her into the vet tomorrow, although it's not the same vet that my mom took her to. (But it's the same place.)I am VERY worried!

 

[Pipp]

You should keep a journal of when its better and when its worse.

It may be just a matter of finding the right drug and staying on it for a long enough period of time. I may be wrong, but rabbits seem to need longer treatment periods. You continue the antibiotic for at least a week or more after all the symptoms disappear. Or even longer. I've had bunnies on them for months.

But you have to see what works and what doesn't. Keep her stress-free, let her build up her immune system. If she has no gut issues, I find a little dab of Nutri-Cal does wonders. Its a vitamin paste meant for cats and dogs but it works for rabbits.


sas :clover: