Rabbit Missing Eye (RIP)

[kkbug22127]

I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, I apologize if it’s not. I’m just looking for some advice.

My pet rabbit Callie lives outside and often likes to burrow under ground so sometimes she will not been seen for days at a time. Today, I saw her and as I went to greet her I noticed she was missing one of her eyes. There is like a grey scab like thing where it would be, and her ears usually stand up straight but that ear is pinned back and she wouldn’t move it.
I am not sure what to do, I don’t know how much the vet would charge to look at her and I don’t really have the money at the moment. I’m also worried of her attacking the vet because she is scared of humans (even me sometimes) and recently my neighbors boyfriend went to pet her and she bit him. I’m worried with her being injured that she might be more likely to scratch and not me or the vet if I try to take her as well as not being able to afford it.

Please don’t come at me about her living outside. She absolutely hates it indoors and has been living outside for years with no problems until now. She knows her safe place outside and she has some cats, dogs, horses, and goats around her throughout the night and day. She use to live with chickens until recently (don’t have chickens anymore) so I don’t know if maybe she got too close to a random bird and it plucked her eye or what.

Either way, thank you for reading my long message, and if you have any suggestions at all I would appreciate them. Thank you!

 

[JBun]

It sounds like it may have become infected and it destroyed the eye, or that it's dried pus(dried rabbit pus looks gray) over the eye slit sealing it shut and the eye may still be functional under it. Though not for long if the eye is infected . The ear is likely pinned back due to it being painful to move it because of the infection.

So with there very likely being an infection and your rabbit being in pain, she needs to be seen by a knowledgeable rabbit vet right away. If being in pain has affected her appetite and she's not eating well or not eating at all, then she needs to be seen immediately, so she doesn't also develop GI stasis.

In the very least she will need an appropriate rabbit safe antibiotic and meloxicam (NSAID, dosage 0.3-0.6mg/kg twice a day) for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. If she's not eating well she'll need regular syringe feeds until she's eating well on her own. She may also need sub q fluids as well as having a head xray done, possibly under sedation. If the eye is still present but so badly infected it needs removal, a surgery will be necessary. I had a rabbit that had eye removal surgery, and the cost was $600.

So it just depends on what exactly is going on with the eye, that will determine the overall cost. Ask the vet up front, what the cost will be before anything is done. One way to reduce some of the cost, is getting your prescriptions online instead of buying them from the vet.. If your rabbit is suffering and in pain, and treatment isn't affordable for you, the kindest thing would be to euthanize.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
Medirabbit: infection

 

[kkbug22127]

It sounds like it may have become infected and it destroyed the eye, or that it's dried pus(dried rabbit pus looks gray) over the eye slit sealing it shut and the eye may still be functional under it. Though not for long if the eye is infected . The ear is likely pinned back due to it being painful to move it because of the infection.

So with there very likely being an infection and your rabbit being in pain, she needs to be seen by a knowledgeable rabbit vet right away. If being in pain has affected her appetite and she's not eating well or not eating at all, then she needs to be seen immediately, so she doesn't also develop GI stasis.

In the very least she will need an appropriate rabbit safe antibiotic and meloxicam (NSAID, dosage 0.3-0.6mg/kg twice a day) for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. If she's not eating well she'll need regular syringe feeds until she's eating well on her own. She may also need sub q fluids as well as having a head xray done, possibly under sedation. If the eye is still present but so badly infected it needs removal, a surgery will be necessary. I had a rabbit that had eye removal surgery, and the cost was $600.

So it just depends on what exactly is going on with the eye, that will determine the overall cost. Ask the vet up front, what the cost will be before anything is done. One way to reduce some of the cost, is getting your prescriptions online instead of buying them from the vet.. If your rabbit is suffering and in pain, and treatment isn't affordable for you, the kindest thing would be to euthanize.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
Medirabbit: infection

Thank you so much for all of this. I am hoping it doesn’t come to euthanasia and want to do whatever I can to prevent that.
I did not know about the pus being grey, so that very well could be what it is. Also thank you for letting me know about the price of the eye removal surgery your pet had, hopefully it won’t come to that and they can clean it up and she will be fine, but we will see. It’s the middle of the night now and was too late to contact then vet already when I saw her which is why I posted on here to get some advice, but I will try calling the vet in the morning and see what they say.
With the antibiotics, would the best way to give it to her be with a syringe? I have never had to give any rabbits medicine so I am not sure much about how to.

I got my baby In 2017 from someone who was giving her away and didn’t get much information about her past at all, but she has been scratching and biting people since I got her so I assume she didn’t exactly have the best life with people before.

Do you think I should try to bring her inside for a while until she gets better? I’m just mainly worried that it will stress her out because she really hates being inside the house and around humans constantly.
Thank you so much for your reply and advice!

 

[JBun]

With the antibiotics, orally by syringe(as opposed to daily injection), may be the less stressful route,, when giving at home by you. But oral antibiotics are limited to a few options because certain antibiotics are dangerous to be given orally to rabbits(eg penicillins). There are some long acting injection antibiotics that the vet could give(eg Convenia lasts 2 weeks) that may be the least stressful option. And one antibiotic may be more expensive than the other, so you would need to see about that as well.

Medirabbit: dangerous antibiotics

Medirabbit: safe antibiotics

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Medicating_your_rabbit
If she wasn't used to being around people and is scared of them, that could be a reason for the scratching and biting. It can also have to do with if anyone tries picking her up. Rabbits usually hate being picked up, so much so that if it's done it can affect their ability to trust being around people. Hormones in unfixed rabbits can affect their behavior as well. So it could be one specific thing or a combination.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html
https://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm
If she's unspayed, it might be something to consider having done. To possibly help with her behavior (though no guarantees it will), but also due to uterine cancer risks in aging unspayed does. If she has to have surgery on her eye, it might be worth getting the spay done too. There is some minor risk with any surgery though, so just be aware. But having a really experienced rabbit vet doing it will help minimize those risks.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits
If she has surgery, or if you have to medicate and/or syringe feed her daily, she will need to be kept indoors. Plus being outdoors in the dirt will make it very difficult getting the infection cleared up. Maybe an option can be to have her outdoors in a secure pen for part of the day, if she can't dig down into the dirt at all. Though this would need to be only in the cooler hours, since she won't be able to go in a tunnel to keep cool when it's hot.

 

[kkbug22127]

With the antibiotics, orally by syringe(as opposed to daily injection), may be the less stressful route,, when giving at home by you. But oral antibiotics are limited to a few options because certain antibiotics are dangerous to be given orally to rabbits(eg penicillins). There are some long acting injection antibiotics that the vet could give(eg Convenia lasts 2 weeks) that may be the least stressful option. And one antibiotic may be more expensive than the other, so you would need to see about that as well.

Medirabbit: dangerous antibiotics

Medirabbit: safe antibiotics

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Medicating_your_rabbit
If she wasn't used to being around people and is scared of them, that could be a reason for the scratching and biting. It can also have to do with if anyone tries picking her up. Rabbits usually hate being picked up, so much so that if it's done it can affect their ability to trust being around people. Hormones in unfixed rabbits can affect their behavior as well. So it could be one specific thing or a combination.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html
https://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm
If she's unspayed, it might be something to consider having done. To possibly help with her behavior (though no guarantees it will), but also due to uterine cancer risks in aging unspayed does. If she has to have surgery on her eye, it might be worth getting the spay done too. There is some minor risk with any surgery though, so just be aware. But having a really experienced rabbit vet doing it will help minimize those risks.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Spaying_and_neutering_rabbits
If she has surgery, or if you have to medicate and/or syringe feed her daily, she will need to be kept indoors. Plus being outdoors in the dirt will make it very difficult getting the infection cleared up. Maybe an option can be to have her outdoors in a secure pen for part of the day, if she can't dig down into the dirt at all. Though this would need to be only in the cooler hours, since she won't be able to go in a tunnel to keep cool when it's hot.

Thank you so much for all of the advice. Unfortunately, the closest vet that will see rabbits is an hour away from me, so if possible I would like to avoid having to take her there. (Obviously if she seems to get worse I will take her there, but since she doesn’t seem as bad today I’m going to try to wait if possible.) I managed to get some help catching her and cleaning her wound and giving her an antibiotic this morning and she was also eating well. She didn’t seem to be in as much pain either because she moved her ear a little bit.

I have thought about getting her spayed more recently but now that she is at an older age (they said she was 2 when we got her so that would put her at around 7 years old) I am worried that if she had to be put under there might be complications. I’m not exactly sure how that works with rabbits, but I think 7 is considered at least somewhat old, and I know for other animals when they are older it’s not always super safe to put them under.

I will try to set up her old cage and bring her in if I can catch her again. I bought her some treats today to hopefully make uno be mad at me for cleaning the wound earlier this morning.

Thank you again for all the advice, I sincerely appreciate it!

 

[Catlyn]

Unfortunately, the closest vet that will see rabbits is an hour away from me, so if possible I would like to avoid having to take her there.

Welcome to the forum!
I would still try to get her to the vet even if they're further away.
I've seen quite a number of posts where people are thinking about going to the vet or not, then end up calling and having to wait a week or two to or even more to get seen, by which something might've turned even worse.
I had that with my first bunny boy-when i finally got a number to a good vet and a person willing to drive 1.5hrs away to get there, i had to wait for two weeks for the appointment even though he was very sickly and immobile just because there wasn't a vet avaliable before that time. Little could be done for him at that point. Something might've been saved if we'd called for a number earlier, but we'll never know and i've stopped beating myself up about it.
Rabbit infections suck and are very hard to treat. Even more so if it's got anything to do with the head region. It's better to get to those earlier even if funds are a little scarce.
If it turns into a bigger bill, most vets are open to figuring out a payment plan for you. After all, as far as i'm aware, good rabbit vets have learned most of their rabbit knowledge outside of the vet school through other means, out of their own free time and will, so i'm sure they're there because they want to help your pets and figure something out.
Also, it might be a dumb question, but have you tried actively bonding with your rabbit? Like chilling in her enclosure waiting for her to come and explore you, reading her a book, offering a treat from your hand? Has it worked over a longer time?

 

[CuppyND]

You might also need to put a cone on her for a month so she doesn’t scratch that eye and make it worse. That’s what the vet had me do with my bunny after he had his eye removed due to infection, but then the suture site got infected again. We had to administrate antibiotics and keep him in a cone most of the day. We take it off to clean it and let him eat and drink.
You can order such a cone from Amazon. Search for “medical cone for kittens” for the most suitable size. She is going to hate it at first but will probably get used to it. Good luck.

 

[kkbug22127]

Thank you all for you advice!

 

[kkbug22127]

You might also need to put a cone on her for a month so she doesn’t scratch that eye and make it worse. That’s what the vet had me do with my bunny after he had his eye removed due to infection, but then the suture site got infected again. We had to administrate antibiotics and keep him in a cone most of the day. We take it off to clean it and let him eat and drink.
You can order such a cone from Amazon. Search for “medical cone for kittens” for the most suitable size. She is going to hate it at first but will probably get used to it. Good luck.

I didn’t even think about a cone for her, I believe I have one from when I got my kitten spayed a year ago so I will try to find it for Callie. I haven’t seen her scratch at it at all, but still is a good idea just incase.
Thank you!

 

[kkbug22127]

Welcome to the forum!
I would still try to get her to the vet even if they're further away.
I've seen quite a number of posts where people are thinking about going to the vet or not, then end up calling and having to wait a week or two to or even more to get seen, by which something might've turned even worse.
I had that with my first bunny boy-when i finally got a number to a good vet and a person willing to drive 1.5hrs away to get there, i had to wait for two weeks for the appointment even though he was very sickly and immobile just because there wasn't a vet avaliable before that time. Little could be done for him at that point. Something might've been saved if we'd called for a number earlier, but we'll never know and i've stopped beating myself up about it.
Rabbit infections suck and are very hard to treat. Even more so if it's got anything to do with the head region. It's better to get to those earlier even if funds are a little scarce.
If it turns into a bigger bill, most vets are open to figuring out a payment plan for you. After all, as far as i'm aware, good rabbit vets have learned most of their rabbit knowledge outside of the vet school through other means, out of their own free time and will, so i'm sure they're there because they want to help your pets and figure something out.
Also, it might be a dumb question, but have you tried actively bonding with your rabbit? Like chilling in her enclosure waiting for her to come and explore you, reading her a book, offering a treat from your hand? Has it worked over a longer time?

Thank you for the advice!

I will see about calling the vet then and try to get an appointment, I didn’t think about there possibly being a long wait for one.

For the most part she is alright with me and my mother, only sometimes scratching at us. Everyone else though she isn’t a fan of, and she does this thing where she will charge at the person and making growling like noises trying to scare them away as well as scratching them and it almost always works, if you don’t get scared away from her then she will usually just sit in front of you unless you try to touch her.

 

[kkbug22127]

Thank you all for the help and advice for everything. Unfortunately, she did not make it. I just finished burying her so she can lay at rest. Thank you all for helping me try. I hope you each have a better day that I am.

 

[White Rabbit]

Sorry to read this happened. RIP Callie. Hope she is eating all the treats she wants over the rainbow bridge.
If you can in the future if you end up getting another pet rabbit or have more, try something like this to help keep predators out, this way any of your future rabbits can still dig but be safe. I made this out of cheap fencing to make a 10Lx10W playpen with a cover so birds can't attack. It's 4 feet high. It took 7 pieces. 4 on the sides 3 on top and the 3 connectors for the sides of the fence to link together. One is missing a connector as it acts like a door that swings open. Depending where you live, it could be made for around 200-300 bucks. I also have a smaller cage(not pictured) inside covered with a towel incase mine want to go in it. You could also add a hutch inside. Great way to keep them safe will still giving them a large enough area to dig and have fun with. You could sink it into the ground or add chicken mesh underground if you are afraid they will dig out. Once again sorry this happened to you and your bun.

 

[BunLover]

Awww, RIP. And binky free

 

[Nancy McClelland]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[kkbug22127]

Sorry to read this happened. RIP Callie. Hope she is eating all the treats she wants over the rainbow bridge.
If you can in the future if you end up getting another pet rabbit or have more, try something like this to help keep predators out, this way any of your future rabbits can still dig but be safe. I made this out of cheap fencing to make a 10Lx10W playpen with a cover so birds can't attack. It's 4 feet high. It took 7 pieces. 4 on the sides 3 on top and the 3 connectors for the sides of the fence to link together. One is missing a connector as it acts like a door that swings open. Depending where you live, it could be made for around 200-300 bucks. I also have a smaller cage(not pictured) inside covered with a towel incase mine want to go in it. You could also add a hutch inside. Great way to keep them safe will still giving them a large enough area to dig and have fun with. You could sink it into the ground or add chicken mesh underground if you are afraid they will dig out. Once again sorry this happened to you and your bun.
View attachment 61022

Thank you so much for all of these ideas. She use to live with chickens who kept her safe but after they passed away, she would just wander around with the goat and dog freely. I don’t think I am going to get another bun for now because I don’t want them to be lonely. Callie was an impulse get because it was near my birthday and my aunt who runs a rescue got her so she gave her to me (I’ve loved rabbits since I was little) and if a situation like that were to come where they were a rescue then I might take another, but I don’t think I’m going to actively look for one right now. Maybe in a few years when I’m a little more financially stable. I’m only 19 and have a horse, a cat, and a dog (with bad anxiety and expensive meds) that I pay to take care of, as well as let my mother use my money for bills (she eventually pays me back but takes a while) so I just don’t think it is fair for me to get another bun right now when I might not be able to afford what they need (mostly vet).
Thank you for all of this though, I will take it into consideration when I eventually get another bun. I’m sure I will in a few years, I’ve always loved buns so it wouldn’t be surprising. I hope you have an amazing day!

 

[White Rabbit]

Thank you so much for all of these ideas. She use to live with chickens who kept her safe but after they passed away, she would just wander around with the goat and dog freely. I don’t think I am going to get another bun for now because I don’t want them to be lonely. Callie was an impulse get because it was near my birthday and my aunt who runs a rescue got her so she gave her to me (I’ve loved rabbits since I was little) and if a situation like that were to come where they were a rescue then I might take another, but I don’t think I’m going to actively look for one right now. Maybe in a few years when I’m a little more financially stable. I’m only 19 and have a horse, a cat, and a dog (with bad anxiety and expensive meds) that I pay to take care of, as well as let my mother use my money for bills (she eventually pays me back but takes a while) so I just don’t think it is fair for me to get another bun right now when I might not be able to afford what they need (mostly vet).
Thank you for all of this though, I will take it into consideration when I eventually get another bun. I’m sure I will in a few years, I’ve always loved buns so it wouldn’t be surprising. I hope you have an amazing day!

Anytime, we are all here to help and im sorry you had to go through this. If you do choose to rescue another one(that's how I ended up getting mine too haha, i found mine in my yard) in the future we hope to see you back Have a great day as well.