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rabbit care - cold in eye

22 11:33:58

Question
my rabbit has a cold in her eye ( or at least that iw what i think it is), it was completely shut this a.m.   i put a warm cotton ball on it and gently wiped away the light green pus that was on it and now it is open but very sore looking.  i was going to put triple antibiotic creme on it (for humans) but don't want to make it worse, etc.  any advice.  she is about four years old, white rex..... a pet only, there are two other rabbits with her any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.thank you

Answer
Dear Diane,

Unless you have *ophthalmic* triple antibiotic ointment, do not use it in the eye.  It could make things worse.  An eye infection should be seen and treated by a good rabbit vet, which you can see here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Is the bunny housed with the others?  If so, is there a possibility that one bit her on the eye and caused this infection?  If so, it's even more important to have a good vet look her over to see if she needs to be sutured, or if any damage has been done to the cornea.

Greenish pus can mean a Pseudomonas infection, a species of bacteria with strains that are resistant to many commonly used antibiotics.  For this reason, it's in your bunny's best interest to ask the vet to take a sample of pus for culture and sensitivity:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/culture.html

An eye infection like this can be caused by trauma, a blocked tear duct, or molar problems (actually very common), so it's *very* important that the vet you choose be able to do a thorough exam deep into the mouth and check the status of the molars.  If there is any swelling along the jawline, there could be osteomyelitis (bone infection) which will require antibiotic therapy.  Head radiographs can tell the vet the extent of the problem.  If this is the case, then I highly recommend you read the following:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html

and particularly share the linked article (by Tyrrell, et al.) with your vet.  It has the latest information on effective non-surgical treatment of head abscesses in rabbits.  

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

Dana