Eye drops?

[CaseyGalaxy]

Galaxy has had head tilt for 2 days. Today I noticed that her down eye appears cloudy. After looking online it recommends administrating eye lubricants. Does anyone know what kind of eye ointment is needed and where to find it? Thanks in advance!

 

[Watermelons]

Have you been treating her for the head tilt? Has she been to a vets yet?
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11840&forum_id=10
She needs to see a vet both for the head tilt and eye issues.

 

[pamnock]

You can use over the counter eye drops to moisten the eye.

 

[CaseyGalaxy]

Thank you Watermelons for the link!

She has been to a vet but he is not rabbit savvy. He prescribed amoxicillin to clear up Galaxy's ear infection and from what I've read amoxicillin should never be given to rabbits. He did not mention any precautions we need to take with her eye either. We are now in the process of looking for a vet with more rabbit knowledge but so far the closet we have found is several hours away. Sadly we cannot afford the trip or the office visit to that vet.

We are taking Galaxy back to the vet (it is the only local place willing to even look at her) today to see if we can get her on some rabbit-friendly antibiotics and to look at her eye. Being that neither the vet nor I are as knowledgeable as my sweet Galaxy deserves I am trying to compile all the information that I can in order to get Galaxy the very best treatment I can afford.

 

[Sweetie]

Is there a humane society near you that will see rabbits? I know here in Bremerton there is the Kitsap Humane Society and I know they have rabbits and probably will see them. We also have Rabbit Haven here in Gig Harbor.

 

[plasticbunny]

It sounds like e cuniculi, a parasite that affect the nervous system.

Your rabbit will need a specific blood test to verify the presence of e cuniculi, and then treated with specific de-worming medication.

Left untreated, e cuniculi can spread to the liver and kidneys, cause incontinence, and paralysis. I recommend you revisit the vet with all the relivent literature you can find, or travel to a rabbit-savvy vet. These are just a small sample of information available that you can print out:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/cuniculi/pyrimethamine.htm

http://www.hrschicago.org/cuniculifr.html

 

[Bun Slave]

Here are two things you can use without a prescription:

Refresh eye drops - I am also using the lubricant on the down eye as well as drops

Bonine - meclizine for any dizziness/nausea little bunny might have. My bunny is 1.6kg and he gets 1/2 a tablet twice a day, I crush it up and put it in a leaf, a couple of blueberries or a broccoli crown.

I would print out the links above and take them to the vet along with bunny. If the vet is a good one (s)he'll at least take the time to look at the medical information and follow whatever protocols are included.

Good luck! All paws here are crossed for you.
:brownbunny

 

[tonyshuman]

Amoxicillin is safe to give only if done via injection. If your vet told you to give it orally, do not do so, and look for another vet. Definitely want to treat the primary problem, which is ear infection causing the head tilt. The eye drops and Bonine are also good to use. You may want something stronger for the down eye as it may be ulcerated due to lack of moisture or hitting something. Antibiotic eye drops and ointments exist.

 

[Sweetie]

plasticbunny wrote:

It sounds like e cuniculi, a parasite that affect the nervous system.

Your rabbit will need a specific blood test to verify the presence of e cuniculi, and then treated with specific de-worming medication.

Left untreated, e cuniculi can spread to the liver and kidneys, cause incontinence, and paralysis. I recommend you revisit the vet with all the relivent literature you can find, or travel to a rabbit-savvy vet. These are just a small sample of information available that you can print out:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/cuniculi/pyrimethamine.htm

http://www.hrschicago.org/cuniculifr.html

I don't understand when you say that when e cuniculi is left untreated it spreads to the kidneys and liver. Because I thought that e cuniculi affects the kidneys first and other organs before it affects the brain. To back up my statement here, here is an article I found on e cuniculi: http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-2/e-cuniculi.html

Ear infections of the middle ear cause head tilt; e cuniculi does not cause head tilt.

 

[plasticbunny]

Because e cuniculi attacks the nervous system it can definately cause head tilt, among other things. Cataracts are also a very common side effect.

I say it could spread to the kidneys because the poster's rabbit has already exhibited other symptoms. If the kidney failure came first, then I would say that head tilt could be next. Sorry for not being clear.

As far as I know, ear infection does not cause cloudy eye or cataracts, so I am confused as to why ear infection is assumed? Although head tilt is commonly caused by ear infection, it should not be treated as such before beiing officially diagnosed, and other illnesses are ruled out.

 

[Watermelons]

plasticbunny wrote:

As far as I know, ear infection does not cause cloudy eye or cataracts, so I am confused as to why ear infection is assumed? Although head tilt is commonly caused by ear infection, it should not be treated as such before beiing officially diagnosed, and other illnesses are ruled out.

We dont know what is causing the head tilt, it could be an ear infection it could be e cuniculi. The OP needs to find a rabbit savvy vet for this situation.

In regards to the eye problems, any rabbit with a head tilt can develop issues with the ear/eye that is more towards the ground for various reasons that have NOTHING to do with the cause of the head tilt. Or it could be related to the cause of the tilt. We do not know and can't just assume.

Both options are just as likely and hopefully we can help Galaxy get better
Maybe somebody in the area can help point them to a better vet that may have moreexperience with this?

Vets in SC
Anyone else have anything to add vet wise or literature the OP can take to a non rabbit savvy vet in hopes of better diagnosing this issue?

 

[tonyshuman]

Usually, a head tilt is caused by an ear infection. It is best to treat for the ear infection because it is possible to do that, whereas it is much trickier to treat EC.

This page discusses the various causes of head tilt:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/head_tilt.htm

It is usually best to treat a rabbit with a tilt for an ear infection, along with having a vet take a good look in the ear, before doing other diagnostics to determine if it is EC. The diagnostics for EC are expensive and unreliable.

This page is helpful also in determining whether it is infection or EC based on involuntary movements of the eye (nystagmus) if they are present:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm

It also has a lot of good info on how to treat infection.

Here is some good info on diagnosing and treating EC as well.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/cuniculi/pyrimethamine.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Signs/Cuniculi_signs.html