Rabbits are furry animals with long ears and perky sparkling eyes. However, very often the organs of vision of these animals are exposed to various diseases, which is why they turn red, become covered with purulent crusts and do not seem playful at all. Why does the rabbit have a festering eye, what to do with it and how to prevent the recurrence of the problem? To have an answer to these questions, it is worth considering the especially common causes of suppuration.
Causes
There are not so many of them. As a rule, the following factors contribute to the development of inflammation.
Drafts
A warm coat perfectly protects these animals from frost, but no wool can save from drafts. It is “thanks to” the wind blowing into the cage that the rabbit's eyes fester. What to do to avoid this? First of all, the cells should be placed so that the animals are protected from the wind. In closed rabbits, the occurrence of drafts should be excluded.
Mechanical damage, infection
Bruises, wounds, and dirt in the cells are a very common reason that the rabbit's eyes are festering. What to do to minimize this probability? Of course, remove sharp objects and monitor the purity of rabbitry. Young animals often begin to get sick from a lack of vitamin A.
Symptoms
When rabbits have festering eyes, treatment must be started immediately, otherwise the disease can cause complications. With the advanced form of purulent conjunctivitis, a thorn can appear on the cornea, and the cheeks and eyelids will be covered with ulcers.
If the disease is caused by a small amount of vitamin A, animals have difficulty breathing, coordination is disturbed, convulsions and fever are common. If in this situation (at a time when the rabbits' eyes are festering) there is no treatment, the likelihood of death of the young.
Treatment
And yet, what to do when the rabbit's eyes are festering? What to treat? Ideally, the veterinarian should give answers to the questions posed, since the reason may not be the one the owner is thinking about. However, if there is no opportunity to call a specialist, or if the origin of suppuration is obvious, it is worth starting to rinse your eyes with furacilin. To do this, in 100 milliliters of hot water, it is necessary to dissolve one tablet of the drug. After cooling, the solution can be used. In addition, 2-3 times a day you need to drip into the eyes of Tsipromed.
There is another treatment option when the rabbit's eyes are festering. What to do? It is necessary to brew chamomile flowers and rinse eyes with this solution. Immediately after the procedure, lay the tetracycline ointment behind the lower eyelid. You need to do this three times a day.
If the disease has become chronic, use a 2 percent yellow mercury ointment.
With both treatment options, it is worth remembering that if improvement does not occur after 3-4 days of treatment, a specialist is needed.
In addition, it must be borne in mind that it is difficult to process the eyes of this animal alone. For this reason, it is best to carry out the procedures together.
Warning
As you know, any disease is easier to prevent, therefore, in order not to further ask the question "why do rabbits have festering eyes", it is necessary to minimize the risks for animals. To achieve this goal, you need to regularly clean the cages and rabbits, disinfect the premises and equipment, eliminate the occurrence of drafts and make sure that there is a sufficient amount of vitamin A.
Myxomatosis
You need to know that these reasons do not always explain why the rabbit has a festering eye. What if the usual treatment does not help? Be sure to call a veterinarian. Unfortunately, myxomatosis epidemics happen regularly enough, and only a specialist can diagnose an ailment. Only a doctor can fight this disease. However, often this battle does not make sense.
Myxomatosis is a very dangerous disease for these rodents. Only regular vaccination can prevent it.
The disease spreads rapidly, is almost asymptomatic. Just once, just yesterday, a seemingly healthy rabbit suddenly dies. The infection is transmitted by bloodsucking, sick animals, equipment. Even the food that the sick rabbit ate can become a source of infection for the entire livestock.
There are two forms of the disease. At the first - edematous - treatment does not exist. Sick animals die after a maximum of 7 days. All infected livestock are discarded. The first sign of illness is watery eyes. Spots appear, conjunctivitis and a runny nose develop. The breathing is heavy, hoarse. Cones with liquid contents form on the body.
Less dangerous is the nodular form of the disease. In this case, only half the herd perishes. In such a situation, nodules on the skin first appear and disappear, then the eyes begin to fester. This stage lasts up to 11 days. After this, appetite disappears and apathy sets in. Sometimes the nodules swell so much that the animal’s head resembles a big ball.
However, these changes are reversible. If treatment is started in a timely manner, they won’t even get to it. But even with a running illness, the rabbit has a great chance of recovery.
To date, the only way to avoid infection is vaccination.