My rabbit has a swollen eye. What are the causes and what should I do?

Hi, and thanks for your question. That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Yes, it is likely to be myxomatosis, extremely common in wild rabbits in the UK. If you call the RSPCA they should be able to help you, there is a 24 hours helpline and the telephone number is 03001234999.

It looks like Nezzi has some swelling, redness, and inflammation around his eyes. I would be concerned about an infectious cause that needs treatment with some sort of antibiotics. Rabbits also get a lot of structural disease in their nasal sinuses and teeth that can cause other facial problems. I'd recommend getting Nezzi to his veterinarian for a physical exam. They can guide you best on diagnostics or treatment after seeing him.

Thank you for the picture, and I hope that we can get Sophie feeling better soon! I like your idea of taking her into the vet on Monday when they open, as swollen eyes can be painful, and eye injuries can be serious. Until then, I would recommend keeping the area clean, and trying to keep hair from going into the eye, as it can scratch the cornea (front of the eye). You can also apply an over the counter tear gel (such as GenTeal or Optixcare) 3-4 times daily. Please try to get one of these two brands, and make sure they are just the year gel without any additives in them. This will help to keep the eye lubricated until Monday. Please do not apply any other medications to the eye, and don’t give any human medications to your rabbit, as many of them are harmful to them. If you feel that the eye is worsening tonight or tomorrow, I would recommend trying to find an emergency clinic that see rabbits.

Hello, sorry to hear about Artemis. He could indeed have an infection on that eye, or he could have an ulcer since his eye appears to be shut. You can continue to clean the eye and apply the drops, but make sure the drops do not contain any steroids (dexamethasone, etc.). If this does not improve within 5 days, then Artemis may need to ultimately eye evaluated by his veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I am so sorry to hear that Blanco isn't feeling well! With what you are describing, I would be concerned about a few things with Blanco's eye. When the third eyelid is protruding and if the eye seems to be pushing out of the skull more than on the other side, this can mean that either the eye itself is big (and therefore sticking out more from the skull) or that there is something pushing the eye out (such as a mass behind the eye). Rabbits can get diseases within the eye that make them bigger than normal. They also can get abscesses (mostly related to their teeth), cancers, and other diseases that can grow behind the eye. There is also a cancer in their chest that they can develop, called thymoma, that also can result in the eyes being pushed further out than normal, but that usually affects both eyes, and not just one. I would recommend getting Blanco seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. The reason for this is that I don't want his eye to dry out, as sometimes it can be hard for them to blink when their eye is protruding more than normal. You can purchase an over-the-counter tear gel to help with this until you can get to the vet. A couple of brands that I recommend are Optixcare and GenTeal. Please ensure that it is the gel only, with no additives for allergy relief or anything else as these can be irritating to rabbits' eyes. When at the veterinarian, they will evaluate the eye to ensure that it hasn't gotten too dry. They will assess it to see if there are excessively high pressures, and check to see if it is indeed too large. If they suspect that it may be something behind the eye, they may recommend diagnostics, such as imaging to look at the area and blood work to evaluate for systemic health and infections. I hope this gives you a place to start, and I hope Blanco feels better soon!

The best thing is to gently feel the lump and figure out how big it is ( for example, as big as a cherry pit, or measure it if you can. Write this down and then measure it again a week later. If it has grown, you should take your rabbit to a veterinarian as it could be a tumor or a cyst or an abscess. If it does not grow and does not ooze nor the skin starts to turn red, then I would not worry about it, and only show it to your vet the next time you take Albie in for an exam or vaccinations.