bulging eye

Question
Hi, my son has a pet rabbit which is 8 years old.  She has suddenly developed a bulging eye, appears to be blind in that eye and does not blink.  She is not eating well and we suspect dental problems, but our vet tells us it would be extremely risky to anesthetize her at her age. Is there anything we can try?

Answer
Dear Francina,

Yes.  You should try to find another vet who will be more helpful.  :(

This condition can be treated medically, and might not require surgery or anesthesia.  It sounds like a retrobulbar abscess (an abscess behind the eye), which is usually based in the molar roots.  Many rabbit expert vets will treat this with bicillin injections every 48 hours, and it can take several weeks for resolution of the problem, if the antibiotic is going to work.

In the meantime, she will need pain medication, such as metacam and tramadol.  This condition hurts, and if the vet did nothing more than take a look and say "I'm not touching it!" then it's time to find a vet who will:

www.rabbit.org/vets

It might be risky to anesthetize her (no surgery or anesthesia is 100% risk-free), but at 8 she's not that old.  Our Maggie had a horrific retrobulbar abscess when she was 8, and our vet put her under anesthesia repeatedly during her treatment, which finally involved removing the eye (this was in the days before bicillin) and packing it twice a day with gauze soaked in 50% dextrose--an osmotic bacteriocidal treatment).  The abscess resolved, and Maggie lived to be 14.

I would try to find a vet who's willing to be a bit more aggressive than the vet you're seeing.  This condition cannot be left untreated, and though there is a risk with anesthesia, there are worse ways to pass from this world than under anesthesia.  

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana