Raising rabbits is a fascinating activity and with a competent approach is quite profitable. The “big-eared” business makes it possible to earn on the sale of skins, breeding material and carcasses of animals. Rabbit meat contains virtually no fat and cholesterol, is considered an environmentally friendly and dietary product. Its consumption helps to restore strength after injuries, operations, infectious diseases.
Rabbits are unpretentious in home breeding: they do not need a specially equipped room, they do not require free walking; the process of harvesting feed for them saves a lot of time and effort. Caring for such animals is simple and affordable even for a beginner rabbit breeder. However, in this area of animal husbandry, almost like in any other, it cannot do without pitfalls: a big-eared pet can get sick. What to do if the rabbit has swollen eyes? What to treat?
Conjunctivitis: symptoms
The most common disease, manifested by redness, inflammation, swelling of the eyes, is conjunctivitis, which occurs in the mucosa and purulent forms. Why do rabbits have swollen eyes? Inflammation of the organs of vision occurs as a result of irritation with chemicals, the ingress of small particles of feed, sand, dust, or due to a lack of vitamin A.
If the rabbit has swollen eyes, one can assume infection with mucous (catarrhal) conjunctivitis, the signs of which are:
- half-closing or closing of the palpebral fissure,
- redness and swelling of the conjunctiva - the transparent mucous membrane, the outer cover of the eyeball,
- lacrimation
- fear of the light.
Signs of a purulent form of the disease:
- severe swelling of the conjunctiva,
- the allocation of pus from the inner eye angle,
- bonding eyelids
- corneal opacity,
- the appearance of ulcers and thorn,
- sores and erosion at the edges of the eyelids.
How to treat conjunctivitis in rabbits?
If the rabbit has swollen eyes and all signs of conjunctivitis are evident , treatment should be carried out in several stages:
- washing the eyes with a solution of furatsilina weak concentration (1: 5000);
- instillation with zinc drops (2-3 drops each) or 0.5% resorcinol;
- rubbing it with a 3% solution of boric acid with a cotton swab - this allows you to remove the formed crusts and pus;
- laying under the eyelids of boric or iodoform ointment;
- sprinkling formed ulcers with a mixture of powdered sugar and calomel powder in equal proportions.
With untimely treatment, the whole body is drawn into the painful processes: the animal rises in temperature, difficulties arise in coordinating movement, and convulsions appear. As a result, the rabbits go blind, lose weight and die.
Conjunctivitis Prevention
There is an opinion that conjunctivitis in rabbits can be treated with the same drugs as human, but a veterinarian consultation is still necessary. For prevention, it is recommended to keep the cells and equipment clean, and carry out periodic disinfection. Foods containing carotene must be included in the diet: cabbage, carrots with green tops, hay, and legumes at the beginning of the growing season.
Myxomatosis: causes of infection
If the rabbit's eyes and nose are swollen , we can talk about myxomatosis - an infectious, acute disease that has an epidemic nature and is transmitted in several ways, namely through:
- blood-sucking insects that carry the virus on the salivary glands (fleas, mosquitoes, ticks);
- infected animals;
- improvised equipment, drinking bowls, feeders - that is, by domestic means.
Symptoms with edematous form
The edematous form of myxomatosis is incurable, characterized by rapid development (from 2 to 7 days) and a high mortality rate. If the rabbit's eyes and nose are swollen, we can assume this form of the disease, also accompanied by:
- redness and tearing of the organs of vision, subsequently developing into conjunctivitis with the formation of crusts,
- swollen condition of the nasal cavity, accompanied by the release of purulent masses,
- difficulty breathing, often with wheezing,
- inflammation of the external genital organs,
- severe hair loss
- the formation of large cones filled with fluid throughout the body.
In addition to the fact that the rabbit has swollen eyes, there is a general depression of the animal, a dull look, and drooping ears. The pet stops eating. Dies within a week.
If the rabbit's eyes and ears are swollen, this probably confirms infection with myxomatosis. How to cure him? Treatment of the edematous form of myxomatosis is often pointless: it is better to isolate sick individuals from the rest of the herd in order to prevent infection of other rabbits. The disease most actively progresses in the summer-autumn period, so it is necessary to constantly monitor the status of pets: perhaps the rabbits have red swollen eyes, sore eyelids, and a lethargic and sick look.
Features of myxomatosis nodular form
Myxomatosis in nodular form is not so dangerous and is characterized by a smoother development of events: the rabbit does not die immediately, eats well, feels fine. The presence of the disease can be judged by small nodular formations, most often appearing on the head of the animal, in the area of the eyes and ears. The next stage of the disease affects the organs of vision: the eyes swell in rabbits. What to do if dangerous symptoms are detected? How to treat an animal?
You should know that the nodular form of myxomatosis is also characterized by the appearance of a runny nose and hoarse breathing. Nodules increase, the head is covered with edematous areas. The crisis of the disease is observed after 9-11 days. Further, there are all the signs of an acute form of myxomatosis: loss of appetite, wheezing, numerous growths, disfiguring the animal beyond recognition, in some cases the development of pneumonia. The difference between the nodular form of the disease from the acute one lies in its gradual attenuation on the 30-40th day. If the animal is hardy enough, it recovers. The survival rate is 50%. In any case, a pet that poses a danger to brothers should be treated with antibiotics and external antiseptics. Be sure to disinfect rabbitry, deeply bury the litter, and administer the vaccine to the remaining rabbits.
Myxomatosis treatment
The rabbit's eyes were swollen. What to treat? The treatment of myxomatosis is effective at the very early stages and consists in subcutaneous daily injections of "Gamavit" 2 ml and 1 ml of "Fosprenil" until complete recovery. Also, during the week, 2 times a day, it is necessary to give the animal the drug “Baytril” (drinking) at the rate of 1 ml per 10 kg of live weight. The eyes should be instilled with drops, and the wounds should be treated with an alcoholic solution of iodine. In order to prevent infection of healthy individuals, cured rabbits should be quarantined for about 2-3 months.
Preventative measures
It is possible to prevent infection with myxomatosis only by preventive measures, namely vaccination of the entire livestock at a very young age. It is carried out twice: at the age of 28-45 days with repetition after 3 months.
Dosage - 1 ml of the drug subcutaneously. The formation of immunity to myxomatosis occurs on the seventh day from the moment of injection and lasts for 8-9 months. Myxomatosis vaccine is given annually in March. As an accompanying sanitary-hygienic measures should prevent contact of pets with strangers who can also act as carriers of myxomatosis. Cells and the area around them must be kept clean, and animals should be provided with clean drinking water and quality food.
Pasteurellosis: description, symptoms
Why do rabbits have swollen eyes? This symptom may be a sign of infection with pasteurellosis - an infectious disease caused by Pasteurella coli, which is located in the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. The manifestation of the first symptoms is mild and is observed 5-10 hours after infection.
In the acute form, the disease is manifested by a sharp increase in temperature, hyperemia of the mucous membranes, severe swelling of the upper respiratory tract. Sick animals are characterized by a depressed appearance, lack of appetite. Fatal outcome occurs on the second day after infection.
In a chronic form, the disease accumulates in the digestive tract and respiratory apparatus, manifests itself as purulent discharge from the nasal cavity and diarrhea. The animal dies within a week.
Causes of pasteurellosis infection
If the rabbit has swollen eyes, what could be the cause of this phenomenon? The causes of the spread of pasteurellosis are infected animals, drinking water, feed containing pathogenic microorganisms. Antibiotics (intramuscularly) and sulfa drugs are used to treat the disease: Norsulfazole, Tetracycline, Biomycin, Levomycin, Oxytetracycline. Treatment of the chronic form of the disease during the first 3 days is carried out by sulfa drugs, the next 3 days should be injected intramuscularly with antibiotics, then continue treatment with sulfa drugs. In total, the duration of such therapy is 9-10 days.
To prevent infection of pets with pasteurellosis, an extractformol vaccine is used that is acceptable for young animals aged 1.5 months and older. Younger rabbits are given a special serum at the rate of 4 ml per 1 kg of live weight every 7 days.
Malocclusion: a description of the disease
In rabbits, red swollen eyes can be observed with malocclusion, a disease of incorrectly grown teeth, the roots of which constantly press on the eyeballs. Often the pressure is so strong that the eyes seem to fall out of orbits. With advanced stages of the disease, the only way out is amputation of the organ of vision.