Been to the vet...still need HELP!!

Question
My rabbit has been diagnosed with a corneal ulcer on the left eye. She has had problems with eye drainage over the last 6 months and has been on various antibiotics. The other day I noticed A LOT of drainiage from her eye (I check them everyday) and a small white spot in the center of the eye. I took her to the vet that night and she was given oral and eye antibiotics. The drainage has seem to really subside but it seems like her entire eye is now that white/opaque color that was just one spot earlier. I don't know if I should take her back again...these bills are really adding up but I don't want it to get worse. She is still eating and drinking as usual but she will be 7 years old soon and was also diagnosed with cancer this week too (found a few lumps in her belly). I'm so concerned with her but not sure what to do now.  

Answer
Dear Jen,

I would recommend you get your bunny to a good veterinary ophthalmologist.  There might be a lesion or foreign body in the eye that is giving constant, mechanical damage to the cornea.  Otherwise, I'd think that the treatment should be giving you better results.

A good eye wash with warm, sterile saline will help remove any foreign body that might be causing further damage.

If she's on ophthalmic ointment, that might impede healing.  Drops can be better for a situation like this.  If there is fungal involvement, miconazole cream might need to be added to the mix.  So it's important that you get her to a veterinary ophthalmologist who can do a more thorough exam to find the source of the problem and get her on proper medication.

If you see redness around the lesion, as if growing towards it, that's actually a good sign:  vascularization on the corneal surface growing towards the ulcer means that it is trying to heal.  But a bad corneal ulcer can get worse, and in some cases blood plasma or EDTA (ethylene-diamine tetraacetic acid) must be used to suppress enzymatic action that starts to digest away an already damaged cornea.

Please find an experienced rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can refer you to a good veterinary ophthalmologist.  Hope this helps.

Dana