hyphema

Question
I have taken my daughters 18 month old female rat to the vet for what looks like hyphema. Her right eye has gone blood red and has begun to bulge. It does not weep. This has eventuated over the last month. It has not worsened but it does not look like it is resolving on its own either. She is not displaying any other signs or symptoms. She has a good appetite and has not lost any weight. She has the company of her mother in the cage with her. I use the colored absorbent bedding, not pine. I have not seen her do any injury. The other rat is in good health. We are concerned about the condition, what it is exactly and how to treat it. Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi Michelle!

I am sorry your having problems with your daughters rat.
Sounds to me like the rat is suffering from a chronic case of Uveitis which can for sure cause hyperemia in the conjunctiva.
You did not mention how the vet was treating it so I cant tell you what will work and wont work. What I can tell you is how to treat it.
Treatment starts with oral antibiotics and also optical eye drops that contain corticosteroids. Also, oral steroids such as prednisone may also help with inflammation.
Keep in mind this is a painful condition and rats are great hiding pain but that doesn't mean they don't suffer from it, sometimes severely. I also suggest narcotic pain medication to be given twice daily such as buprenorphine.

Unfortunately, I have seen this all too often and it doesn't always have the outcome that we like. Its ironic actually because I just went through this with my own rat last month and despite aggressive treatment, he ended up losing the eye  and believe it or not, rats do fantastic when they have surgery for enucleation and they heal fast. They also adjust very well to having just one eye. I am sure it feels alot better not to have all of that pressure building up behind the eye causing pain and inflammation along with total buldge of the eye.
Be sure your Vet is skilled at this type of surgery if indeed this is the route he or she decides to take. If not, they can send you out to an exotic specialist, which I recommend anyhow instead of a traditional vet to treat your rat or other exotic pet mainly because they are properly equipped to handle many things that come up when these animals get sick, from proper equipment and small scaled implements to having the proper medications always on hand.

I would not wait too much longer since this has gone on for a month. Secondary complications from prolonged cases of Uveitis can lead to glaucoma, retinal detachment and of course, irreversible blindness which means the eye should be removed anyhow.

Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you need further assistance.

Sandra Todd