EYE CARE

The information below regarding eye care is not to diagnose, but to assist in the care of a rabbit who shows signs of eye problems. For an accurate diagnosis please take your bunny to a trusted bunny savvy vet.

Rabbit eye care is important, just like it is with other animals. Unfortunately, as bunnies age, they can get cataracts or have other eye issues. There are a number of other viruses and diseases that can cause eye problems, without knowing the exact cause there is no way to treat the issues. What do you look for?

Some of the common symptoms to look for are swollen eye lids, discharge, swelling of the eye and spasms. You can also see clouding in the eye itself in some cases.

Infection

Bunnies are quite susceptible to eye infections, which cause many of the symptoms above. When it comes to this, medication prescribed by a veterinarian can help. Eye drops are often given and it is also important to check what your bunny may or may not be getting into at home. Make sure you are not lining your bunnies cage or litter tray with bedding that gives off a dust or scent. This kind of bedding can get into your rabbits eyes and nose and cause watery and running eyes.

Ulcer

Ulcers occur when a rabbit gets a something in their eye, whether they get a cut in their eye from fighting, a piece of hay, scratching themselves, it is almost always due to an accident. The damage causes a bacterial infection that can be treated with antibiotics and eye drops. A vet will be able to diagnose the correct treatment for this kind of infection.

Cataracts

As mentioned before, if you see a cloud-like substance over one or both of your bunnies eyes they probably have cataracts. Cataracts can be results from a number of things such as poor genetics, poor diet, or diabetes. Depending on the vet and severity of the cataracts, surgery is an option. Often times this is the way to go though it may cause issues with seeing or even blindness. However, rabbits don’t rely on their sight as much as other animals and adapt well to loss of sight.

Other Issues

Unfortunately there are many other eye issues in rabbits including Pasteurella, which is an immune disease that some rabbits are just born with. In the case of this black lop, Kota, he has a very mild form of the disease and constantly has watery eye discharge. With a daily treatment he is a happy, fulfilled rabbit that takes on the world like any other bunny. If gone untreated the discharge piles up on his face and causes mattes, which take a long time to get off and hurt more than doing eyedrops daily.